11 April, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Netanyahu: “Gaza Flotilla, A Provocation”
IMEMC – Tuesday April 12, 2011 – 04:59, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed Monday that the Freedom Flotilla solidarity ships, planning to send aid and humanitarians supplies to the Gaza Strip, are a provocation that must be stopped.
Director of Jerusalem Media Center detained by Israeli troops
IMEMC – Tuesday April 12, 2011 – 00:01, After filming an Israeli jeep blocking traffic and driving through pedestrians in Silwan neighborhood, in east Jerusalem, Muhammed Sadeq of the Jerusalem Media Center was detained by Israeli forces, then released soon after.
Village of Awarta under house arrest during Israeli settlement expansion ceremony
IMEMC – Monday April 11, 2011 – 23:36, In a cornerstone-laying ceremony Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers gathered to commemorate the night one month ago when five members of a family, including a baby, were stabbed to death in their beds in Itamar settlement. Although no one has yet been charged with the crime, Israeli settlers blame Palestinians, on whose land Itamar is built, and marked the event by declaring an expansion of the Itamar settlement further onto Palestinian land.
Israeli Military Demolishes a Water Well and a Farm In Bethlehem
IMEMC – Monday April 11, 2011 – 19:47, Israeli military forces demolished a water well designed to collect rain water and an agricultural structure in Al-Khader village southwest of Bethlehem on Monday.
PA: Palestinians Are Ready For Statehood By September
IMEMC – Monday April 11, 2011 – 19:43, Palestinian Prime Minister of the care-taker government said Monday that Palestinians are now ready for statehood in September 2011.
Lieberman: We should not settle for truce with Hamas
IMEMC – Monday April 11, 2011 – 19:08, Israel should not invest efforts in settling for truce with Hamas in Gaza and should instead try to topple Hamas’ government in Gaza, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdore Lieberman said on Monday.
Israeli Navy Opens Fire At Palestinian Fishing Boats
IMEMC – Monday April 11, 2011 – 08:23, The Israeli Navy opened fired on Sunday evening at Palestinian fishing boats near the Khan Younis port, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; damage was reported, but no injuries.
Gaza: Fuel crisis looms as crossings remain closed
4/12/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — For the sixth day in a row crossings into the Gaza Strip were closed by Israeli forces maintaining a blockade on the coastal enclave, who told Palestinian liaison officers that the closure was for “security reasons.”Closures began on Tuesday, two days ahead of spike in border violence which saw….
Gaza City officials: Weekend strikes targeted water facilities
4/11/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Officials in the Gaza Strip’s northernmost municipality on Monday accused Israeli forces of striking drinking water sources and infrastructure, during a weekend of violence that saw at least 18 dead in the coastal enclave. Gaza’s municipality released a report cataloging damage to the water infrastructure from…. Related: Water wells destroyed near Bethlehem, locals say
Gaza journalist barred from travel abroad
4/11/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Gaza security officers at the Rafah crossing to Egypt on Sunday barred a local journalist from traveling to Cairo, from where she had planned to depart for a media conference in Morocco. Amal Touman was to attend the International Federation of Journalists’ annual meeting in Casablanca. The federation’s….
Rights group calls for monitoring of mass Awarta arrests
4/12/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Ramallah-based rights group Addameer issued a call Sunday for international observation and intervention over the mass arrest campaigns by Israeli forces in Awarta. A further nine men and women were detained Sunday morning, the fifth of a series of arrest raids in the West Bank village, which have rounded up….
Israel blocks Fayyad from West Bank village
4/12/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities on Sunday prevented the Palestinian Authority premier from visiting a village in the northern West Bank that has been the target of sweeping arrest raids since the murder of an Israeli family. Salam Fayyad was scheduled to make a visit to Awarta, a small village near Nablus that sits….
Water wells destroyed near Bethlehem, locals say
4/11/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Israeli forces demolished a water well in Al-Khader village in Bethlehem on Monday. The well belongs to farmer Muhammad Issa and his brothers. He told Ma’an that he checked his land on Wednesday and his farm and it was all fine but when he arrived Monday the well was…. Related: Gaza City officials: Weekend strikes targeted water facilities
Despite truce, little-known group fires projectile
4/12/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A group calling itself the Marwan Haddad division of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a new Palestinian military group in Gaza, said Sunday its fighters had launched a homemade projectile toward Israel late Saturday night.” Israel is not safe from the resistance,” a statement from the group said, adding that the….
Organizers: Preparations for new Gaza flotilla ‘on track’
4/11/2011 – ATHENS (AFP) — A flotilla of ships is preparing to sail to Gaza to mark the first anniversary on May 31 of a deadly Israeli raid against a similar convoy, organizers said Monday.” Preparations are on track, adequate conditions for the departure of the ships will be met by the end of May,” Vaggelis Pissias, an….
Gaza: Militant injured while preparing explosives
4/11/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – A Palestinian militant was wounded Monday morning when an improvised explosive detonated in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. The explosive was said by medics to have detonated as it was being prepared. Medics in Gaza said a 21-year-old man arrived at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in….
WikiLeaks: the ‘Israel file’
4/12/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — A portrait of behind-the-scenes commentary on Palestinian issues has been detailed in a series of Israeli newspaper reports on non-public US documents that began last week. The cables were released by the founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks Julian Assange to Israeli newspapers in recent weeks. Stories began to….
Hamas: We won’t surrender or violate truce
4/11/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Hamas politburo member Salah Al-Bardawil said Sunday that Palestinian groups “will be committed to a truce as long as Israel is committed as well.” Palestinian factions in Gaza “do not want to drag the Palestinians to war amidst the changes taking place in Arab countries without media outlets focusing on….
Islamic Jihad says Israel truce ‘meaningless’
4/11/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Islamic Jihad will not “beg for a ceasefire” from any party, the movement said on Sunday. The faction said it “will not and would not request that from anyone.””Truce means nothing to us,” Dauod Shehab, spokesman of the movement said in a statement, “because we do not trust neither….
Lieberman: Israel should topple Hamas
4/11/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel should not settle for a truce with Hamas in Gaza, and should instead seek to topple the Islamist rulers of the coastal strip, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday.” The goal that we have settled on, of seeking a return to calm, is a grave error because it….
Turkey urges Israel to show restraint in Gaza
4/11/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Turkey is “deeply concerned” with the escalation in the Gaza Strip, its consulate in Jerusalem said Monday as a fragile ceasefire appeared to take hold.”We strongly condemn Israel’s disproportionate and indiscriminate retaliatory attacks, which led to the death and injury of civilians in Gaza,” a statement from the….
Hamas cracks down on suspected collaborators
4/11/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The interior security department in Gaza said Sunday that its investigators seized an unspecified number of collaborators, who were “working to disturb security in Gaza” on behalf of Israel. An official said at a news conference that all affiliated departments “are gearing up in the field to protect the internal….
Prisoner freed from Israeli jail
4/11/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces released Monday afternoon prisoner Hafeth Bornat from the village of Bil’in, after the end of his sentence of nine years in prison. The prisonerwas received at the entrance of Ofer prison along with his family and a large crowd of villagers and citizens; they raisedPalestinian flags supporting….
PA says on track for statehood by September
4/12/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Planning and Development announced Monday the government’s “national readiness to establish an independent Palestinian state during September.” Minister Ali Al-Jerbawi said the announcement came in line with the successful implementation of the 13th government’s plan, “Ending the Occupation, Establishing a….
US envoy meets Palestinian football chief
4/12/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — US Consul General Daniel Rubinstein on Monday met Maj. -Gen. Jibril Rijoub, head of the Palestinian Soccer Federation,a statement from the US consulate in Jerusalem said. During the meeting, Rubinstein was briefed on the federation’s activities and youth issues. The consul general noted US support for programs aimed….
Pressure mounts in Egypt to put Mubarak on trial
4/12/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Two months after he was ousted, president Hosni Mubarak was facing Monday increasing pressure to be brought to justice over alleged corruption and violence against protesters. On Sunday, the public prosecutor said Mubarak and his two sons would be questioned, after the broadcast of an audio tape in which the former president defended….
World Bank: Unrest slashing Arab economic growth
4/11/2011 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa is putting the brakes on economic growth in the region, which had been expected to accelerate this year, the World Bank said Sunday…. Related: IMF: Spreading unrest hits MENA economies
Jordan tries 81 over March 24 demonstration
4/11/2011 – AMMAN (AFP) — Eighty-one people went on trial in a military court on Monday charged with public order offences after a March 24 demonstration in the Jordanian capital ended in violent clashes, a court source announced. They are all charged with “taking part in an illegal assembly”, which carries a sentence of six months to three….
IMF: Spreading unrest hits MENA economies
4/11/2011 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — Spreading social unrest in the Middle East and North Africa is putting pressure on economic growth in several countries in the region, the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday. The IMF revised down its economic growth projection for the region to 4. 1 percent this year, from 4. 6 percent in January, when…. Related: World Bank: Unrest slashing Arab economic growth
Syrian students rally for slain protesters
4/11/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrian students staged a rare rally in Damascus on Monday to express solidarity with protesters killed over the weekend, as the army moved in on the flashpoint town of Banias. France and Germany, meanwhile, slammed the deadly assaults by security forces on anti-regime protesters and called on President Bashar al-Assad to make good….
Libya says it will resist any intervention in Misrata
4/11/2011 – TRIPOLI (AFP) — The Libyan foreign ministry on Monday warned that any foreign intervention under the pretext of bringing aid to the besieged rebel-held port of Misrata would be met by staunch armed resistance….
‘Dahlan’s failing mental health treated in Israel’
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – Ma’an- Former Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan’s mental health is rapidly deteriorating, according to a 2005 assessment by a top Israeli security official made public Sunday by WikiLeaks. In a message to Washington sent from the US embassy in Tel Aviv,…
Egypt: Hosni Mubarak to be quizzed over deaths
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – BBC – The announcement came shortly after Mr Mubarak made his first statement since he was ousted two months ago, denying accusations of corruption. The former leader said he had the right to defend his reputation and denied having any…
In pictures: Young Palestinian artists’ exhibition
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – BBC- A selection of work by finalists in the 2010 Young Artist of the Year Award, organised by the A M Qattan Foundation, a London-based charity, is being showcased for the first time in the UK. They include colourful paintings…
Rights Abuses Extend Across Middle East, Report Says
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – New York Times- Dire abuses of political and social rights that fueled popular uprisings in the Arab world and a war in Libya are continuing and have in some cases worsened in countries important to American security, including Saudi Arabia,…
Settlers torch car, assault villagers
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – Ma’an- Two incidents of Israeli settler violence were reported Saturday morning, with Urif residents waking to find a torched car and Asira villagers saying settlers entered the area and provoked a clash. Fatah official charged with monitoring settlement activity in…
PA condemns sweeping raids in Itamar investigation
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – Ma’an -The Palestinian Authority’s media center issued a condemnation Friday, for what spokesman Ghassan Khatib called “the incessant abuse campaigns held by the Israeli occupation army, against the people of Awarta village.” The statement was issued the day an estimated…
Gaza MoH says medicine shortage critical
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – Ma’an- De facto minister of health Basem Na’im announced Saturday, after four consecutive days of crossings closure, that more than 150 kinds of medicines have run out at the ministry’s warehouses. Beyond medicines, he said from a news conference at…
A Message to Progressive Jews: Israel and Palestinians Need Your Help
Palestine Note 11 Apr 2011 – This is a tough article to write. Friends who disagree with what they see as my progressive drift (which they see as a sort of schizophrenic, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli drift) are already a bit skeptical. Other friends have developed an…
Israel and Hamas Consider Cease-Fire
Palestine Note 10 Apr 2011 – Protesters killed in Egypt and Syria New York Times – Israel and Hamas signaled on Sunday that they were willing to restore calm after days of intense fighting, and while militants in Gaza fired about 10 rockets and mortar shells…
Libyan rebels reject African Union road map
AlJazeera 11 Apr 2011 – Plan to halt civil war flounders, with fighting raging over Misurata and NATO refusing to suspend its air campaign.
Many killed in Iraq attacks
AlJazeera 11 Apr 2011 – At least 19 people are reported dead following bomb blasts in Falluja, Diyala and Baghdad.
Egypt PM assures probe into weekend crackdown
AlJazeera 11 Apr 2011 – Essam Sharaf apologises for violence against demonstrators in Tahrir Square and calls for judicial investigation.
Students rally in Syria’s capital over deaths
AlJazeera 11 Apr 2011 – Students gather outside capital’s university to express solidarity with protesters killed campaigning for democracy.
Egyptian blogger jailed for three years
AlJazeera 11 Apr 2011 – Maikel Nabil found guilty of insulting the military and spreading false news.
Yemen opposition rejectes Gulf initiative
AlJazeera 11 Apr 2011 – President “welcomes” GCC’s efforts to end his country’s political crisis.
Netanyahu Urges Europe to Stop Second Flotilla
PNN – Tel Aviv – PNN – On Monday, on their most recent visit to Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded with European ambassadors to prevent the pro-Palestinain Freedom Flotilla from reaching Gaza….
Yousef Al-Helou: The Israeli Escalation is to Sabotage Unity
PNN – Bethlehem- C. Mart??n/PNN Exclusive – Yousef Al-Helou is a Gazan journalist and PressTV correspondent. His reporting during the Operation Cast Lead exposed to the world the real dimmension of the War on…
Spanish Crown Prince Pays Official Visit to Israel and Palestine
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – Today begins the official visit of Prince Felipe de Bourbon and his wife, Princess Leticia to Israel and Palestine. The state visit celebrates the 25th anniversary of diplomatic…
Israel’s Attorney General Plans to Indict Lieberman
PNN – Tel Aviv – PNN – Within 24 hours, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein will announce an indictment against Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on charges including fraud and breach of trust, Israeli sources report….
The Sharp End of Hebron
PNN – By Issa Amro – Hebron’s problems began after 1967. The Israeli army worked hard to create the Kiryat Arba settlement, and after that the settlers and soldiers started living inside Hebron, transforming…
High Court Petition Against Israeli Revocation of Palestinian Right to Live in Jerusalem
PNN – By Tania Kepler for the Alternative Information Center (AIC) – A petition submitted to Israel’s High Court demands that Israel stop revoking the permanent residency permits of Palestinians in the city. HaMoked:…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Unknown Persons Blow Women’s Beauty Salon in Rafah and Car of The Assistant Comptroller General of the Security Services in Gaza
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Sunday, 20 March 2011
Palestinian Killed As his Child was Playing with Firearm
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Thursday, 17 March 2011
Women’s Beauty Salon Blown up by Unknown Persons in Gaza
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Wednesday, 09 March 2011
Homemade Bomb Targeted Doctor’s Home in Gaza
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Sunday, 27 February 2011
International Solidarity Movement
Position of the local Palestinian Christian community on restrictions on religious rights (especially during Holy Week)
4/11/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 08 April, Kairos Palestine – The Palestinian Christian initiative Kairos Palestine has issued a statement spelling out the position of the Palestinian Christian community concerning Israeli imposed restrictions on religious rights, especially during Holy Week. The statement notes that “for Christians, Holy Week in Jerusalem has a special spiritual connection.”It says that the various gathering…. Related: Kairos Palestine
The sharp end of Hebron
4/11/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Issa Amro – Hebron’s problems began after 1967. The Israeli army worked hard to create the Kiryat Arba settlement, and after that the settlers and soldiers started living inside Hebron, transforming it into an occupied city. We started to feel it when they created settlements in the heart of the city. In the early….
Woman and daughter killed in ‘Abasan with propelling projectile missile
4/11/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM Gaza – On April 8th, around noon, the southern villages around Khan Younis were shaken up when four artillery shells were fired from a tank. One of them hit a house located in ‘Abasan village. Najah Harb Qdeih (41) was making bread outside and her daughter Nedal Ibrahim Qdeih (19) was with her, they….
14 year old girl taken in the latest wave of Awarta arrests
4/11/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Halaa aged 6, kicked by soldiers as they raided her home – On Saturday night the Israeli army once again raided Awarta, putting the village under curfew for the fifth time since the murder in the illegal settlement of Itamar on 11th March. Awarta is situated next to Itamar and has endured a constant military presence….
Alternative Information Center
Kairos Southern Africa’s response to Palestine Kairos
Alternative Information Center – The Palestine Kairos Document was launched in South Africa on Monday evening 4 April 2011, at a meeting of Kairos Southern Africa in Bredell near Johannesburg. The document is called: A moment of truth – A…
Police Ordered to Compensate Sheikh Jarrah Activists
Alternative Information Center – A Jerusalem court judge ruled Sunday, 10 April, that the Jerusalem police will be required to pay damages to four Israeli activists for arresting them without just cause.
High Court Petition against Israeli Revocation of Palestinian Right to Live in Jerusalem
Alternative Information Center – A petition submitted to Israel’s High Court demands that Israel stop revoking the permanent residency permits of Palestinians in the city.
WFP oPt SitRep, March 2011
Relief Web 11 Apr 2011 – Source: World Food Programme
OPT: Monthly Field Report on Israeli Violations of Human Rights in the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 11 Apr 2011 – Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security and Development
Relief Web 11 Apr 2011 – Source: World Bank
OIC Secretary General Strongly Condemns Israeli Aggression On Gaza Strip
Relief Web 10 Apr 2011 – Source: Organization of the Islamic Conference
Heartless, headless and peaceless in Gaza
11 Apr 2011 – Gaza, (Pal Telegraph) – Mohammed was probably 2 when he had a high fever and an acute ear infection. He had already started to articulate his first sentences. His bright green eyes, despite his illness, told of a bright kid.
Israeli police dogs attack Palestinian in Hebron
11 Apr 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)- A Palestinian was hospitalized Monday due to injuries inflicted his body as Israeli soldiers attacked him by police dogs during his way to work .
Israeli army imposes curfew on Awarta for 3rd day
11 Apr 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces invaded Sunday evening Awarta village in the south east of Nablus city and imposed a curfew for the third day in a row .
Deadlock in Yemen over Gulf Cooperation Council peace plan
The National 11 Apr 2011 – Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh welcomes a proposal by the Gulf Cooperation Council to end the country’s political crisis, but his opponents again reject it.
Israelis split over proposed ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza Strip
The National 11 Apr 2011 – Israel’s foreign minister calls attempts to reach a ceasefire with Hamas a mistake and urges Israel instead to oust the organisation from the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian government returns to using force against protesters
The National 11 Apr 2011 – The Egyptian government’s conciliatory stance came to an end his week when the military used force to break up a late-night demonstration in Tahrir Square.
Hosni Mubarak ‘hurting from unjust campaigns’ against him
The National 10 Apr 2011 – Egypt’s deposed president said yesterday that the corruption allegations against him and his family were false.
Netanyahu mulls pulling IDF forces out of Palestinian West Bank
Ha’aretz – The prime minister is considering this and a series of other measures to block the ‘diplomatic tsunami’ that may follow international recognition of Palestinian state at UN General Assembly in September.
Gaza calm may be fragile and brief, Israeli defense officials warn
Ha’aretz – South calm on Monday as no rockets or mortars were fired from Gaza; Air Force plans to move two Iron Dome batteries following cabinet decision to place system near cities within range of Grads.
U.S. postpones Quartet meet on Israel-Palestinian peace talks
Ha’aretz – Quartet meeting was supposed to take place on Friday, but a U.S. official said the Obama administration didn’t think the meet would produce anything useful in terms of getting talks restarted.
Report: Iran to build new nuclear research reactors
Ha’aretz – Nuclear official said Iran to build ‘fout to five’ nuclear research reactors and will continue to enrich uranium to provide their fuel.
Fight to rescind the Goldstone report reaches the U.S. Congress
Ha’aretz – New legislation inititated in Congress would ‘make it U.S. policy to demand the UN General Assembly revoke and repudiate the Goldstone Report and any UN resolutions stemming from the report.’
How Arab world newspapers saw Goldstone after his retraction
Ha’aretz – ADL: Judge’s op-ed regretting claims of Israeli war crimes spurred new round anti-Semitic cartoons and conspiracy theories.
Netanyahu: Israel won’t agree to Shalit swap that puts our citizens in danger
Ha’aretz – Premier defends efforts to secure abducted soldier’s release, says Hamas never responded to latest proposal put forth a year ago, proving it ‘has no intention of successfully concluding negotiations to being Gilad home’.
Even Netanyahu is getting caught up in Biebermania
Ha’aretz – Canadian teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, who arrived in Israel Monday, is set to meet with the prime minister before his Thursday concert.
IDF soldiers may take cameras to war to stave off international criticism
Ha’aretz –
Be’er Sheva junkyard erupts in flames
Ha’aretz – Fire officials are attempting to get the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to nearby homes; police believe the blaze was due to negligence or arson.
Israel Holocaust museum puts Eichmann trial on YouTube
Ha’aretz – Marking the 50th anniversary of the trial of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann, videos as well as information and descriptions in Hebrew and English of the landmark trial were put online.
Tel Aviv marathon runner dies as a result of severe dehydration
Ha’aretz – 42-year-old man collapsed during Friday’s marathon and died of liver damage as a result of dehydration.
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leader declares support for anti-Assad protests
Ha’aretz – Exiled Brotherhood leader Mohammad Riad Shaqfa denies allegations the Islamist movement, banned in Syria since 1980, is behind the protests, says the group is ‘with the demands of the people.’
Clinton: Capture of Ivory Coast president is a lesson to dictators everywhere
Ha’aretz – French armored vehicles close in on the compound where self-proclaimed Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo was holed up; Gbagbo refused to step down in November after losing the presidential election, reigniting a civil war.
At least 11 killed in blast at central Minsk metro station
Ha’aretz – About 100 people were wounded after an explosion hit Oktyabrskaya station in the center of Minsk about 6 P.M. local time; Belarus president: Attack may have come from abroad.
State embarks on Eilat Port sale
Ha’aretz – The investor will have to sell it back in 15 years. But the southern terminal and gateway to the East could bring buyers boatloads of cash.
IDF buying four more Iron Dome batteries
Ha’aretz – The new batteries are expected to arrive within a year and a half, and they would then be ready for operations immediately, if needed.
By design, not by accident
Ha’aretz – Rishon Letzion city hall altered the tender and planning processes to expedite construction of the local Ikea store.
Lieberman to be served draft indictment for graft in next 24 hours
Ha’aretz – Attorney General to announce indictment against foreign minister on charges of fraud, money laundering, and breach of trust; Lieberman to be granted right to a hearing before indictment is filed.
Katsav to appeal conviction, sentence to Supreme Court
Jeruslalem Post 12 Apr 2011 – Former president’s lawyer says appeal will focus on “Aleph’s” testimony which was swayed by external elements.
Elem annual report shows sharp increase in teen drug abuse
Jeruslalem Post 12 Apr 2011 – Report published by nonprofit organization Elem also finds 25% rise in sexual harassment or irregular sexual behavior among country’s teens.
Treasury, IMA talks fail; doctors’ slowdown to continue
Jeruslalem Post 12 Apr 2011 – Negotiations reach impasse of doctors’ demands for wage increase; medical sanctions to continue as scheduled as talks expected to resume.
‘Men stole NIS 1m. of gas from IDF, resold it for half’
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Police: Suspects filled up gas at army’s expense, then sold gas at half price, between NIS 2 and NIS 4 a liter, to cab drivers, pirate gas stations.
Comptroller knocks police over handling of informants
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Lindenstrauss: Lack of trust between various quarters in police force need to be addressed, after 2 police informants were killed in 2006.
More students earning Bagrut certificate
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Proportion of students earning a high-school matriculation reaches 48.3 percent in 2010, highest level since 2004; Gideon Sa’ar: “Figures are encouraging, we will continue to improve results.”
Assuta wins state tender to build Ashdod hospital
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – New facility to be first public hospital financed, built and operated by a private company.
Spanish royals pay lighting visit
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Crown Prince Felipe, President Peres seek cooperation in economics, science, technology, education and culture.
Student killed in protest at Damascus University
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Leader of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood says group supports uprising; Israeli official says Assad is doomed.
7 dead, 50 injured in blast at Belarus metro station
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Explosion occurs in capital of Minsk as train enters station during evening rush hour; no indication of whether blast was a bomb or accident.
Lieberman indictment expected by end of week
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – FM’s indictment sheet expected to include charges of fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, obstruction of justice.
‘Red Cross to Mashaal: Send new Schalit sign of life’
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Organization meets with Hamas head in Damascus, asks for gesture before Pessah holiday, Channel 10 says; Schalit activists demand that Red Cross stop visiting Hamas prisoners or they’ll blockade ICRC offices in TA.
Red Cross to Hamas: Send sign Schalit is alive
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – International organization meets with Hamas head in Damascus, asks for gesture before Pessah holiday, Channel 10 reports.
Palestinian road warriors give J’lem streets new names
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – A group of Palestinian activists erect nine street signs in the Jabel Mukabber neighborhood, assigning street names in Arabic, English.
Unrest divides Mideast economies into winners, losers
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – IMF forecasts show oil exporting countries see GDP increase while unrest weighs on growth for some; warns conditions likely to deteriorate.
Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo leaves bunker, surrenders
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Contested leader hands himself over after 30 French armored vehicles surround his residence; Sarkozy speaks with Ouattara.
UK’s Hague: Libyan ceasefire must meet UN conditions
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – As heavy fighting underway in Misrata, Hague, Italian FM both say Gaddafi must leave power; NATO says will continue to target gov’t forces.
Amr Moussa: Islamists won’t take power in Egypt
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Arab League chief, Egyptian presidential hopeful says Islamists will have place in democratic state; advocates presidential system.
Fayyad to tell West: We’re ready for statehood
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – PA prime minister to present report outlining Palestinian accomplishments in economy, infrastructure, education, security.
Ex-Shin Bet head: Murderers can be released for Schalit
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Yaakov Perry says “Israel is strong enough in terms of its intelligence, military might to take care of murders if they return to terror.”
Chapels of the Holy Sepulchre recount Jesus’ last days
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Lent in Jerusalem: Because many denominations share the building, disputes often arise regarding space during peak times.
Netanyahu: Iran recently accelerated nuclear program
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – PM tells EU envoys to Israel that Tehran has taken advantage of reduced pressure from West in order to speed its nuclear program.
Runner dies after collapsing in Tel Aviv Marathon
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – 42-year-old man experienced liver failure after suffering from heat stroke; 15 marathon participants were brought to hospital.
The Jewish Palate: The Jews of Uganda
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Chef Dennis Wasko explores the history of the Jews of Uganda and the English, Arab and Asian influences on the cuisine.
Peres and the Prince: Spanish royalty visits Israel
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia commemorate 25 years of diplomatic ties at Beit Hanassi, encourage technological cooperation.
Syrian forces seal off Banias as sectarian tension mounts
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Witness says 4 protesters killed in Banias; 1 soldier dies in ambush on army patrol; death toll from weekend protests reaches 42.
Poets among new faces on Israeli banknotes
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – Rachel the Poetess, Leah Goldberg, Shaul Tcherinchovsky and Natan Alterman to grace the new notes, approved by the government.
Sites and Insights: Mt. Carmel – gateway to the world
Jeruslalem Post 11 Apr 2011 – A new column; Dr. Wayne Stiles explores the biblical sites of Israel, the significance behind them and how to make the most of a visit.
German gov’t sought to bribe judge during Eichmann trial
Jeruslalem Post 10 Apr 2011 – ‘Der Spiegel’ reports that a German agent consulted with Israeli prosecutors “over the closing argument,” in the prosecutor’s office.
Israel concerned about Hamas-Egypt relations
Jeruslalem Post 10 Apr 2011 – Cairo stops building underground wall; Israel urges Cairo to continue tough position on smuggling and to prevent the flow of arms to Gaza.
14 year old girl taken in the latest wave of Awarta arrests
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – On Saturday night the Israeli army once again raided Awarta, putting the village under curfew for the fifth time since the murder in the illegal settlement of Itamar on 11th March. Awarta is situated next to Itamar and has endured a constant military presence for a month now.According to the village mayor Qays Awwad, 23…
Position of the local Palestinian Christian community on restrictions on religious rights (especially during Holy Week)
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – The Palestinian Christian initiative Kairos Palestine has issued a statement spelling out the position of the Palestinian Christian community concerning Israeli imposed restrictions on religious rights, especially during Holy Week. The statement notes that “for Christians, Holy Week in Jerusalem has a special spiritual connection.” It says that the various gathering points to which pilgrims…
Libya and Humanitarian War
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – …in making the case for intervening in Libya, Obama probably exaggerated the threat of a massacre in Benghazi. True, hundreds or even thousands might have died if Libyan troops had taken the city from rebels, as it seems they were poised to do. But in civil wars, many thousands die, and frequently; yet there was…
While Justice Department Opposes Digital Privacy for Americans, Pentagon Stonewalls Corporate Spy Probe
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – When Politico reported late last month that President Obama quietly received a “transparency” award “in a closed, undisclosed meeting at the White House,” I first thought it was an April Fool’s gag. But as with all things Obama, the joke is on us. Reporter Abby Phillip revealed that during a “secret presentation” which had been “…
Police Brutality in Honduras
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – On June 28, 2009, a coordinated State Department-Pentagon project allied with Honduran military commanders and top opposition figures ousted President Manuel Zelaya, establishing the current fascist dictatorship, supported, armed, and funded by Washington. In fact, all Honduran officers from captains on up are trained at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly the…
Students rally in Syria’s capital over deaths
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – Hundreds of students have rallied in Damascus, the Syrian capital, to express solidarity with pro-democracy protesters killed over the weekend. The rare demonstration on Monday at Damascus University reportedly turned violent when security forces beat up and arrested several protesters who were shouting for freedom and unity, witnesses told the Associated Press news agency. Ammar…
Nineteen killed, dozens wounded in Iraq bombings
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – Two bombs exploded near a crowded market in the Iraqi city of Falluja on Monday, killing six people and injuring two dozen, while two roadside bombs in Diyala province killed 10, security and hospital sources said. In a separate incident in the Iraqi capital, a roadside bomb killed three people. Violence has fallen sharply in…
Resilience in the green fields of Gaza
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – I was surfing the web late at night a couple months ago when a number of Apache helicopters began to hover heavily in the sky. The sound of an explosion was soon heard. Since I live across from al-Shifa hospital — the biggest hospital in Gaza — I could see ambulances speeding away to evacuate…
Gaza assault over, for now
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – After a cease-fire, “all options are on the table” including targeted killings and Operation Cast Lead II, said Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom. What many Israelis and Palestinians were calling the beginning of Operation Cast Lead II, has calmed down for now. However, the Palestinian News Network warns that sources inside the Israeli military…
Libyan rebels reject any ceasefire without departure of Gadhafi and sons
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – The head of the Libyan opposition council says the rebels reject any cease-fire proposal that does not include the departure of Moammar Gadhafi and his sons from the country. The comments by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the Libyan Opposition National Council, came today in response to peace efforts from an African Union delegation that…
Since the Fall of Baghdad…
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – Since April 9th, since the so called fall of Baghdad…I have sat back and watched you fall…over and over again…And every time you pick yourself up, you shall fall again… I would be a disgusting liar if I fail to confess a certain pleasure in observing you. I love observing you from afar, totally incognito…and…
“Humanitarian Intervention” in Libya – A Cloaked War of Choice
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – The current incidents in Libya are hard to believe. A country rich of oil but nearly defenceless was first being strafed by massive bombing raids of three nations. The major attacker is lead by a Nobel Peace Price laureate who goes to war in disregard of the constitution of his country (Article I, Section 8,…
Gaza City officials: Weekend strikes targeted water facilities
Uruknet April 11, 2011 – Officials in the Gaza Strip’s northernmost municipality accused Monday, Israeli forces of striking drinking water sources and infrastructure during a weekend of violence that saw at least 18 dead in the coastal enclave. Gaza’s municipality released a report, cataloging damage to the water infrastructure from artillery shells over the weekend, which included damages to the…
Military Resistance 9D 9:”Multitudes”
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Yesterday, multitudes took to the streets in more than 40 Mexican cities – and inprotests by Mexicans and their friends at consulates and embassies in Europe,North America and South America – to demand an end to the violence wrought bythe US-imposed “war on drugs.”What? You haven’t heard about this?Or if you have heard something about…
Military Resistance 9D 8: “Actions Beyond Imagination”
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – On Friday, protesters in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and the northeastern Adhamiyaneighborhood demanded that all U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq immediately.Some of the protesters shouted, “No to occupation, no to foreign troops,” witnesses said.An imam in Adhamiya called the current government an illegitimate one that was”created by the occupiers.”In Tahrir Square, nearly 300 protesters, carrying banners…
Obama Again Capitulates
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – A previous article explained his sellout to Republicans last year on extending tax cuts to America’s aristocracy, accessed through the following link. It shouldn’t surprise that on April 8, he repeated what’s become a habit – breaking every major campaign pledge by backing reactionary Republican measures, harming working Americans most, besides governing lawlessly at home…
Iraqi scientists, doctors targeted
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Iraqi scientists and doctors are increasingly expressing alarm about threats to their lives as the numbers targeted in killings rise while a weak government seems unable to provide adequate security. The latest victim in the spree of apparently targeted killings was Zaid Abdul Mun’im, head of research of the molecular department at al-Mustansiriya University in…
Obama’s Fateful Abuse of War Powers
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – The acts of war ordered by President Barack Obama against the government of Libya violated provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973. He also exceeded his authority by pledging U.S. combat support to the United Nations Security Council and to NATO for military measures against Libya. The United States may…
Bradley Manning: top US legal scholars voice outrage at ‘torture’
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – More than 250 of America’s most eminent legal scholars have signed a letter protesting against the treatment in military prison of the alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, contesting that his “degrading and inhumane conditions” are illegal, unconstitutional and could even amount to torture. The list of signatories includes Laurence Tribe, a Harvard professor who is…
Iraqiya bloc urges UNSC to intervene to protect MEK refugees
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – The operation conducted the Iraqi government against the Camp Ashraf hosting the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq violates international laws and human rights, urging the UN Security Council to intervene to protect MEK refugees. “The al-Iraqiya bloc is following up with utmost concern the Iraqi government’s actions against the Camp Ashraf inhabitants, particularly with reports on…
Deir Yassin
Uruknet Arab 10, 2011 – This weekend marked the 63rd anniversary of the massacre at Deir Yassin village near western Jerusalem: April 9-10, 1948. Pre-state Zionist militias descended on Palestinians, killing scores, many of whom were shot at close range. The massacre was publicized by propagandists looking to convince other Palestinians in the vicinity to flee. Along with other terror…
Deadly clashes hit Syrian town of Banias
Uruknet April 10, 2011 ‚Äî Syrian government forces killed at least four people and wounded 17 when they strafed a residential area of the coastal town of Banias with gunfire for hours on Sunday, witnesses told AFP. A Syrian security officer was later killed and another was wounded when their patrol was ambushed in the northwestern coastal town, the official…
Settlers’ murder investigation turns into collective punishment
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Israeli army has taken control over the village of Awarta, which lies near the settlement of Itamar, where 5 members of the Fogel family were murdered. According to reports, hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested, some beaten; all young men were forced to give DNA samples; settlers have built an outpost on the village’s land,…
Haaretz WikiLeaks exclusive / Israel ruled out military option on Iran years ago
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Senior defense officials ruled out an Israeli military attack on Iran’s nuclear sites as early as five and a half years ago, telegrams sent from the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv in 2005 and 2006 indicate. The cables, which were revealed over the weekend, are among hundreds of thousands shared exclusively with Haaretz by the…
AU says Qaddafi accepts roadmap to cease-fire
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – A delegation of African leaders said Sunday that their Libyan counterpart, Muammar Qaddafi, accepted their “road map” for a cease-fire with rebels, whom they will meet Monday. They met hours after NATO airstrikes battered Qaddafi’s tanks, helping Libyan rebels push back government troops who had been advancing quickly toward the opposition’s eastern stronghold. The African…
Looting Social Security To Wage War
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Americans, apparently, are unaware of how the federal government’s illegal, foreign wars sap the economy and rob every household. The Iraq war cost alone is 20 percent of the size of last year’s entire U.S. economy. Instead of investing that sum at home, “which would have produced income and jobs growth and solvency for state…
Suppressing Truth and Promoting War: A New York Times Tradition
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – According to media scholar/critic Robert McChesney, today’s corporate journalism is co-opted, corrupted, gutted, and virtually worthless as a source of real news, information and analysis. As a result, a free and open society is at risk because fiction substitutes for fact. News is carefully managed. Dissent is marginalized, and supporting wealth and power interests replace…
Special Field Report: IOF Attacks Violate International Law: 61 Killed and Injured in Three Days of Attacks in Gaza
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip. Between the evening of Thursday 7 April 2011 and evening of Saturday 9 April 2011, the IOF killed 19 Palestinians, including two children, two women and two elderly persons. It also injured 44 persons, including 13 children, one woman, and two paramedics….
Sources: Ceasefire deal reached in Gaza
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Palestinian sources say UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Robert Serry managed to reach a ceasefire agreement late Saturday between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza. The agreement, according to the sources, necessitates that Israel stops strikes on the Gaza Strip and Palestinian military groups commit to stop firing shells toward Israeli…
Gaza under attack: death and destruction in Rafah
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Salama El-Dabari is seated in a tent, mourning the loss of his nephew, the 17 year old Khaled Ismail Hamdan el-Dabari, while he explains to ISM volunteers what has happened. “Khaled was following the ambulances on his motorbike, to assist the medics in evacuating the injured people. As soon as the ambulances arrived, an Apache…
Libya, AFRICOM, And US Scramble For Africa
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – As Western war mongering in Libya continues, there’s another dimension to the conflict to consider: what role does the existence of the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) have to do with America’s participation in this invasion? Ever since the West launched military intervention in Libya, some scholars have said the powers were engaging in imperial…
Libya: rebel defences ‘failing’ as Gaddafi forces move towards Benghazi
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Muammar Gaddafi’s forces continued to fight their way toward Benghazi, the heart of Libya’s revolution, as five African leaders arrived in Tripoli in an effort to broker a ceasefire and political settlement. Rebel defences around Ajdabiya appeared to be failing as Gaddafi’s soldiers broke in to the heart of the strategic town, 90 miles from…
Arab League to ask UN for no-fly zone in Gaza
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Arab League Chief Amr Mussa said the organisation will ask the UN to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza, which Israel has pounded with air strikes in response to rocket fire. Mussa told an emergency meeting of Arab League ambassadors that “the Arab bloc in the United Nations has been directed to ask for the…
Syria forces killed 28 at protest funerals: rights activist
Uruknet April 10, 2011 – Human rights activists say Syrian security forces killed a total of 28 people on Saturday. Twenty-six died at the funerals of protesters killed in and around the southern agricultural town of Daraa on friday, while two more were shot dead in the industrial town of Homs, in west central Syria. In a joint statement six…
New York Times demands escalation of killing in Libya
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Having endorsed the Obama administration’s war in Libya on the pretext of “protecting civilians,” the editors of the New York Times are now demanding a sharp escalation in the killing through the reintroduction of the US military’s flying gunships. “Wars are messy business,” the laptop generals of Eighth Avenue inform their readers in an editorial…
From Deir Yassin to Gaza
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – My kind old mother laments Decades of memory that transcends Fake Gods and fake peace offers who bless nichsayon** and slaughter our eyes fail to see or just lament blood of a child licked off a pavement By stray thirsty cats with more morals than army brats Our ears fail to hear voice of Dr….
Military Resistance 9D 7: “Nothing Like This”
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Reporting from Landstuhl, Germany, and HelmandGrim combat statistics that one military doctor called “unbelievable” show U.S. troops inAfghanistan suffered an unprecedented number of catastrophic injuries last year,including a tripling of amputations of more than one limb. A study by doctors at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where mostwounded troops are sent before returning…
Did Nouri al-Maliki already extend the SOFA?
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – New Sabbah reports that a source in Parliament states that Nouri’s Council fo Ministers has voted to extend the SOFA and that they signed the extension as well “during the last meeting of the Council of Ministers.” Since US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told US troops yesterday that the whole purpose of his visit…
An account of the army crackdown on Tahrir
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – I received this email about last night’s events in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, when army and security forces crackdown down on protestors who had set up camp in the square. There is still a lot of confusion about what happened, with the army claiming that thugs from the NDP had attacked the square and claiming it…
Video; Corrupt Revolution: ‘Libya rebel chiefs ex-govt stooges with West links’
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – When a revolution takes place in a country – it is the business of the people in that country to conduct the revolution, believes anti-war activist John Reese from Stop the War Coalition.
‘This one was playing football, that one’s headless…’ Israeli escalation against Gaza
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Death looms ominously once again over the blockaded Gaza Strip, and innocent blood is once again falling down like rain. The sound of Israeli drones buzzing high above 24 hours a day set the scene the tremors every 30 minutes or so. Since Palestinian militants struck an Israeli school bus on Thursday afternoon, injuring critically…
Gaza MoH says medicine shortage critical
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – De facto minister of health Basem Na’im announced Saturday, after four consecutive days of crossings closure, that more than 150 kinds of medicines have run out at the ministry’s warehouses. Beyond medicines, he said from a news conference at Gaza City’s Ash-Shifa Hospital, spare parts for medical equipment are sparse, with some machines inoperable due…
Iraq Blocks U.S. Aid to Camp of Iranian Exiles After Attack
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – The government of Iraq continued on Saturday to block the delivery of American humanitarian aid to Iranian exiles who were wounded in clashes with the Iraqi Army at a camp north of Baghdad, an American military spokesman said. On Saturday, a spokesman for the People’s Mujahedeen, an Iranian exile organization that the United States classifies…
Dozens of Yemen protesters wounded
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Dozens of protesters demanding that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh end his more than 30-year-old rule were wounded in clashes with security forces in the capital Sanaa as pro-democracy rallies continue. Riot police with batons were out in force late Saturday, using tear gas and live fire against protesters in the capital, Al Jazeera’s special…
A PART OF ALL OF US WAS MURDERED IN JENIN
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – The mourning period for Juliano Mer-Khamis will end soon, but what he dedicated his life to and symbolised will never end. It matters not to me who actually pulled the trigger on the gun that killed Juliano. In reality, he was killed by the occupation that he so despised. An occupation that is responsible for…
WATCH: brutal arrest of protesters in Nabi Saleh (West Bank)
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – The demonstrations against the Occupation in Nabi Saleh have experienced major setbacks in recent months. The demonstrations been taking place for over one year despite serious military repression. The two leaders of the community, Bassem and Naji Tamimi, have both been arrested by Israeli soldiers along with 12 percent of the total population of the…
‘Stop bombing,’ says Libya’s top Churchman
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Although signals from the Vatican have been largely muted regarding the U.S.-led coalition intervention in Libya, the top Church official in the north African Arab country makes no secret of where he stands: “Stop the bombing in Libya! Stop this crusade of Christian Western countries against the Muslims!” Bishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, who has been…
Gilbert Achcar’s Defense of Humanitarian Intervention
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Gilbert Achcar defends the recently “UN-authorized” imperialist intervention in Libya on the ground that general principles may require exceptions in concrete cases. “Every general rule admits of exceptions. This includes the general rule that UN-authorized military interventions by imperialist powers are purely reactionary ones, and can never achieve a humanitarian or positive purpose.” This kind…
Gadhafi forces advance toward key Libyan city
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Government soldiers and rebel gunmen battled in the streets of a key front-line city Saturday after the Libyan military used shelling and guerrilla-style tactics to open its most serious push into opposition territory since international airstrikes began. NATO airstrikes, meanwhile, hammered at Gadhafi’s ammunition stockpiles and armored forces, destroying 17 tanks. At least eight people…
Israel: Spoiling for Another Fight?
Uruknet April 9, 2011 – Throughout its history, Israel intimidated as a regional menace, preemptively attacking Palestinians and regional neighbors for any reason or none at all. Each time, it’s claimed self-righteousness and “self-defense,” what scoundrels always say. Until his death, Edward Said passionately defended Palestinian rights. He accused Israel of turning Palestine into an isolated prison, suffocating an entire…
Judges are more lenient after taking a break, study finds
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – Prisoners are more likely to be granted parole early in the day or after a break such as lunch, according to researchers The adage that justice depends on what the judge ate for breakfast may not…
If Assad falls, we will see all the region’s alliances unravel | Patrick Seale
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – Syria’s president is not the only one nervously monitoring the protests. Regime change there will reshape the Middle East The Syrian regime, long a key player in the Middle East power play, has decided to fight…
Juliano Mer-Khamis obituary
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – Palestinian-Israeli actor, activist and theatre director with a global reputation The Palestinian-Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, who has been shot dead at the age of 52, was a successful stage and screen performer, film-maker and activist, widely…
Iron Dome: how Israel’s missile defence system will work
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – Deployed in an attempt to protect southern Israeli towns from missiles and artillery shells launched from inside Gaza, the system is still at an experimental stage Paddy Allen
Adolf Eichmann wanted to return to Germany, historian claims
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – SS architect of final solution hated life in hiding and wrote letter to West German chancellor Konrad Adenauer in 1956, book reveals For more than a decade after the second world war, his whereabouts were officially…
Israel warns Iron Dome still at experimental stage
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – Anti-missile system hailed as a ‘technical revolution’ has recently shot down nine rockets but failed to stop 11 others, says army The initial success of Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defence system has been hailed as an example…
Video: Israel prime minister hails success of new rocket interceptor ‘Iron Dome’ – video
The Guardian 11 Apr 2011 – Binyamin Netanyahu praises the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which successfully intercepted rockets launched from Gaza during recent cross border flare-up
MIDEAST: Egypt Softens Towards Hamas
IPS Two months since the ouster of longstanding president Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s new transitional government is turning its attention to unpopular Mubarak-era foreign policies – with the ongoing Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip top of the list.
Gaddafi Accepts AU Plan to End Fighting
IPS Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has accepted a “road map” for a ceasefire with rebels, according to a delegation of African leaders.
West Bank villages mark Prisoners Day
Stop The Wall – Apr 9, 2011— This week’s protests were dedicated to the fate of the almost 7 thousand Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and in particular the prisoners of the popular resistance. In particular, protestors called for the liberation of Nael and Fakhri Barghouti, both since more than 30 years in Israeli prisons. [
West Bank villages mark Land Day
Stop The Wall – Apr 2, 2011— Protests along the Wall this Friday have marked Land Day, the commemoration of the killing of six Palestinians in 1976 by Israeli forces during protests against large scale land confiscation in the Galilee. This year the calls insisted on the need for continued resistance and unity – not only between the political factions but as well between the Palestinian people in the ’67 occupied territories, inside the Green Line and in the diaspora. [
Security officials call for Shalit’s release
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Former Shin Bet, Mossad, and army chiefs say state has ‘sacred duty to return….
No pride at Berlin gay pride festival
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Israeli symbols remain in closet as focus at Europe’s largest pride parade stays….
Israel claims Russian missle hit school bus
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Israel claims anti-tank missile Kornet involved in terror attack originates from….
Desert queens head to Far East
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Participants of Desert Queen extreme sport challenge to carry Hasbara activities….
France: Man assaulted over ‘Jewish appearance’
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Two men of North African origin attack 21-year-old man with pellet gun after….
France burqa ban comes into force
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Controversial law will mean country with Europe’s biggest Muslim population will….
US to help pay for Iron Dome
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Democrats, republicans slated to approve 2011 budget this week enabling Obama to….
Netanyahu backs construction in Itamar
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to promote construction plans for schools in the settlement of Itamar, where a gruesome murder of five family members took … ….
‘White angel’ awarded Israel Prize
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Israel Prize for lifetime achievement will be awarded to Vered Hulda-Gurevich from Haifa, who dedicated her life to volunteer work and helping others, the prize committee … ….
Live from the bathroom – Lieberman
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Avidgor Lieberman is known as an outspoken politician who generally shuns the prevalent politically correct culture, but on Monday Israel’s foreign minister reached new … ….
Half of students won’t receive diplomas
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar revealed Monday that despite a significant improvement in matriculation qualifications in Israel, half of all high school students in the … ….
Student killed as Syria protest turns violent
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – A demonstration by hundreds of Syrian university students turned violent Monday when security forces raided the gathering, killing one student as the country’s three-week … ….
Awarta residents report daily IDF raids
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – Palestinians from Awarta are reporting that IDF soldiers have been raiding their village every day recently, humiliating residents and damaging property while maintaining … ….
Blast at Minsk metro kills 7
YNet News, 11 Apr 2011 – A blast at a metro station in the Belarussian capital Minsk killed at least seven people and injured dozens, a police source told Reuters on Monday. The state news … ….
B’Tselem Director: Important Achievement for Human Rights
B’tselem 10 Apr 2011 – The military’s announcement that every killing by Israeli security forces of a Palestinian not taking part in hostilities will now be automatically investigated is an important achievement in the struggle for accountability. In an often frustrating realitgram FilesQuickTimeQTSystem
Palestinian Information Center
Dweik stands in ‘full solidarity’ with Manara Square protesters
PIC – PLC Speaker Dr. Aziz Dweik has declared his ?¢‚Ǩ¬ùfull solidarity?¢‚Ǩ¬ù with the Manara Square hunger strikers, who have demanded the outlawing of political arrests in the West Bank.
Netanyahu: Freedom Flotilla 2 a provocation
PIC – Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has described the Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as a “provocation”.
Bahar demands expediting the no-fly zone decision
PIC – First deputy speaker of the PLC Dr. Ahmed Bahar has urged the Arab League to expedite issuing a UN Security Council resolution imposing a no-fly zone over the Gaza Strip.
Ramallah hunger strikers resent Abbas reneging on promise
PIC – Youth holding a sit-in at Manara Square downtown Ramallah expressed resentment after Palestinian de facto president Mahmoud Abbas reneged on a deal to free political prisoners.
Haneyya: Arab, int’l parties vowed to curb Israeli aggression
PIC – Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haneyya has confirmed that Arab and international parties have vowed to intervene to curb Israel’s recent aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Arabi: Palestinian reconciliation a priority
PIC – Egyptian foreign minister Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi has said that resolving the inter-Palestinian rift was a main priority for his country in the upcoming stage.
Settlers uproot olive trees in Al-Khalil
PIC – Jewish settlers on Monday attacked the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar in Al-Khalil and destroyed 45 fruitful olive trees under protection of the IOF, local sources reported.
Gaza chamber of commerce appeals to int’l quartet to have crossings opened
PIC – The Palestinian chamber of commerce in Gaza appealed to the international quartet on the middle east to pressure Israel to reopen Al-Mintar (Karni) crossing and Karam Abu Salem crossing.
Israel carries out mock raids on Gaza
PIC – Israeli warplanes carried out on Monday afternoon a series of mock raids on different parts of Gaza, according to the Palestinian information center (PIC).
Mofaz: Israel failed to weaken the internal front of Gaza
PIC – Specialist in Israeli affairs Naji Al-Batta said that Shaul Mofaz admitted that Israel finds itself completely impotent to destabilize the internal front of Gaza.
Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails to go on Hunger Strike Thursday
WAFA
Fayyad: PA Approved Land Guard Project
WAFA
Pictures of Women in Immodest Cloths with Al-Aqsa in Background Anger Muslims
WAFA
Workers in Government Health Sector Launch Sit-in Strike
WAFA
Austrian Foreign Minister Calls on EU to End Gaza Suffering
WAFA
EUPOL COPPS and PCP host Human Rights Training for Prison Guards
WAFA
Infant Mortality Rate Down by 20% in 10 Years, says PCBS
WAFA
Israeli Army Arrests Women, Men in Awarta
WAFA
World Bank: If PA Maintains Current Performance, a State would be Possible Soon
WAFA
Report says Israeli Soldiers Beat Children During Arrest
WAFA
THE GHOST OF JOE MCCARTHY WALKS THE LAND – AN ANALYSIS BY DR. LAWRENCE DAVIDSON
Intifada-Palestine: 11 Apr 2011 – by: Dr. Lawrence Davidson Part I – On Just What Haunts Us In Charles Dickens’s 1848 story, A Christmas Carol , the ghost of Jacob Marley roams the earth weighted down by chains symbolizing the wrongs he committed in life. He appears… more
FRANKLIN LAMB: DO AMERICA HAVE A MUSLIM PROBLEM?
Intifada-Palestine: 11 Apr 2011 – Franklin Lamb Exclusive to Al Manar (Beirut) Whatever becomes of the truly pathetic “Pastor” Terry Jones and his plans to appear later this month at the largest Mosque in Michigan to condemn Islam and to generate some media attention while provoking… more
YEMEN’S TYRANT: A TERRORIST ALLEGEDLY FIGHTING TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICA
Intifada-Palestine: 10 Apr 2011 – Mohamed Khodr “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” –Martin Luther King, Jr. “Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.” –Barack Obama, DNC Speech,… more
Egyptian protesters increasingly disillusioned with army
LA Times 11 Apr 2011 – Arrests, prison terms and a deadly crackdown turn activists against an institution that just two months ago helped them depose a president. The Egyptian military is learning a dangerous political truth: A revolution unfinished turns bitter and its heroes can be quickly recast as villains….
African Union says Kadafi has accepted peace ‘road map’
LA Times 10 Apr 2011 – South African President Jacob Zuma is leading a delegation that has met with Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi and will now meet with rebels. He says Kadafi has accepted a ‘road map’ to end the fighting. South African President Jacob Zuma said Sunday that Libyan leader…
Iraq Steps Back Onto the Regional Stage
New York Times 11 Apr 2011 – As Baghdad prepares for the Arab League summit, the influence of the United States is showing signs of waning.
Iran Blames Pipeline Explosion on Western Enemies
New York Times 11 Apr 2011 – A member of the Iranian parliament has blamed Western “enemies” for a blast on Friday that hit a major gas pipeline near the holy city of Qom.
Truce Plan For Libya Is Rejected By Rebels
New York Times 11 Apr 2011 – Fighting between Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s military forces and opposition fighters near the city of Ajdabiya offered a backdrop to efforts by the African Union, set to continue Monday, to broker a cease-fire.
Syrian University Protests Draw Violent Suppression
New York Times 11 Apr 2011 – Protests in Syria spread for the first time to a university campus and were violently suppressed on Monday, a day after the government said that it was using force against protesters.
Egypt Sentences Blogger to 3 Years
New York Times 11 Apr 2011 – A military tribunal sentenced Maikel Nabil, 25, for criticizing the armed forces for what he called its continuation of Hosni Mubarak’s corruption and anti-democratic practices.
Mubarak Denies Corruption and Defends His Legacy
New York Times 11 Apr 2011 – Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian autocrat forced from power two months ago, spoke for the first time since then in an audiotape.
Egyptian military kills protesters in Cairo
WSWS – In the early hours of Saturday morning, Egypt’s US-backed military junta launched a bloody attack on protesters in Cairo’s symbolic Tahrir Square.
European Union prepares to send ground troops to Libya
WSWS – The European Union is seeking to utilise the humanitarian cover of the fate of the besieged city of Misrata to send ground troops to Libya under its command.
Germany does an about-face on Libya war
WSWS – Three weeks after rejecting any German military involvement in the war in Libya, the German government has done a complete about-face.
Senate letter calls Goldstone Report a ‘libel’ of Israel
Mondoweiss – Legislation is circulating in Congress to press the U.N. to rescind the Goldstone Report. Here’s the letter from New York Dem Kirsten Gillibrand and Idaho Republican James Risch. Remove the libel, they say. Eliot Engel calls the whole Report a lie. Sort of reminds me of…
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli military demolishes village of Amniyr for second time in five weeks
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – The Israeli military demolished the village of Amniyr early on March 28 for the second time, destroying seven tent dwellings and a sheep pen. (
Elbit subsidiary wins US Navy maintenance contract
Neged Neshek – M7 Aerospace, an Elbit Systems of America subsidiary, was awarded a 5-year US Navy contract to supply logistics support and maintenance for planes. According to Globes, “M7 will provide overall program management and logistics support for seven US Navy RC/EC/C-26D cargo and passenger aircraft and twelve…
Israel arrests 14-year-old girl among 600-700 arrested so far in the West Bank village of Awarta
Mondoweiss – Halaa, age 6, was kicked by soldiers as they raided her home in Awarta. (Photo: ISM ) On Saturday night the Israeli army once again raided Awarta, putting the village under curfew for the fifth time since the murder in the illegal settlement of Itamar on 11th…
Secret Arrests in Awarta Connected to Itamar Murders
Tikun Olam – Results of IDF pogrom-like activity in Awarta (Rabbis for Human Rights) According to an Israeli source, the IDF and Shabak made a major arrest yesterday in the Palestinian village of Awarta of three residents suspected of involvement in the Itamar murders of five members of the…
Israel’s supporters use familiar tokenism in attempt to hide racism and oppression
Mondoweiss – Last month, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (C-SJP) sponsored Israeli Apartheid Week. In response, Hillel groups organized a campaign entitled “Separating Fact From Apartheid.” To achieve this end, Hillel employed racist tactics to present a convivial face to Israel’s military and colonial occupation of Palestinian…
Omar Barghouti discusses Gaza, BDS and Juliano Mer-Khamis on Democracy Now
Mondoweiss Video
U.S. report slams Bahrain for repressing Shi’ites yet Bahrain continues arrests of human rights activists over the weekend
Mondoweiss – First in Libya . . . Arming Benghazi And in Bahrain . . . U.S. report slams Bahrain for repressing Shi’ites (Reuters) Reuters – Sunni-ruled Bahrain was guilty of human rights abuses including arbitrary detentions, censorship and discrimation against majority Shi’ites before its violent crackdown on street protests, the United States said…
More Soltam weapons for Africa
Neged Neshek – Elbit Systems recently acquired subsidiary Soltam Systems was awarded a contract “t o supply artillery systems to a country in Africa. ” The $24 million contract is for Soltam’s self-propelled artillery and accompanying systems, the exact customer is not identified. Soltam has supplied artillery systems to…
2010 arms exports near the 2009 record-high
Neged Neshek – A Ministry of Defense official last week estimated that Israeli war-making exports will will top US$7.3 billion for 2010. This is just shy of the record $7.4 billion from 2009, though ” the amount would probably rise to reach the record set in 2009 ” after…
Lieberman indictment imminent
Palestine Monitor – Police officials believe Avigdor Lieberman received more than NIS 10 million in bribes from Israeli businessmen, laundered allegedly overseas through fake bank accounts and dummy corporations. Haaretz reports the the breach of trust charge comes from allegations Lieberman illegally sought and received secret documents relating to…
Gaza assault over, for now
Palestine Monitor – After a cease-fire, “all options are on the table” including targeted killings and Operation Cast Lead II, said Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom. What many Israelis and Palestinians were calling the beginning of Operation Cast Lead II, has calmed down for now. However, the Palestinian…
Stop That Train
Palestine Monitor – by former Palestine Monitor editor Barbara Antonelli The Italian Coalition Stop That Train recently met with Pizzarotti & C. SpA, a private company from Parma involved in the construction of a new Israeli railway that would allow Israeli commuters to travel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv…
The ‘Herem’ of Judge Goldstone
Tikun Olam – Richard Goldstone: the Haggadah’s ‘Wicked Son’ Last year, Judge Richard Goldstone revealed that he would not attend his grandson’s South African bar mitzvah because pro-Israel community leaders had let it be known that they would picket the synagogue during the celebration and generally make his life…
Elbit sues over withheld war profits
Neged Neshek – Elbit Systems has filed a lawsuit in the United Kingdom against the Government of Georgia seeking US$100 million “as a result of the Government’s failure to pay amounts due to the Company in connection with deliverable items under several contracts signed in 2007.” The deal “deliverable…
Palestinian Prisoners Day commemorated in Gaza
Middle East Monitor 11 Apr 2011 – EXCLUSIVE PICTURES From in front of the house of one of the longest serving prison veterans from the Gaza Strip; 57 year old Salim Ali al-Kayal who is serving a life term in the Nafha Desert Prison and has been incarcerated for the last 28 years,…
Week 3: Akram Mansour – Palestinian political prisoner
Middle East Monitor 11 Apr 2011 – “If they made you choose between freedom for you or freedom for another prisoner, sentenced for life, what would your choice be? I choose freedom for the other prisoner, because what I have left of my sentence is little, and others need to get out of…
Rethink Strategy, Engage Hamas
Middle East Monitor 11 Apr 2011 – My previous criticism of Hamas has disregarded the conditions on which the conflict was based and convoluted relationship between Israel and Palestinians. The stagnation of peace negotiations and internal rivalry between Fatah and Hamas has generated uncertainty. Hamas has gone through a number of phases: paramilitary…
Government calls on the Arab League to push for an end to the siege of Gaza
Middle East Monitor 11 Apr 2011 – The Foreign Ministry in Gaza has called on the international community to live up to its responsibility to protect the Palestinian people, and “not to remain silent about what’s going on in the Gaza Strip”. A spokesman for the ministry said that the media has revealed…
Israel Imposes New Series of Punitive Measures against Prisoners in Ofer
Sabr 11 Apr 2011 – RAMALLAH, April 11, 2011 ( WAFA ) – Israeli Penitentiary Administration Monday imposed a series of punitive measures on Palestinian prisoners in ‘Ofer’ prison, south of Ramallah city, after a delegation from the administration paid an unannounced visit to the prison. Director of the Center for Defence of…
PPC: Israel Imposes Collective Punishment on Palestinian Prisoners
Sabr 11 Apr 2011 – Date : 10/4/2011 Time : 16:15 RAMALLAH, April 10, 2011( WAFA ) – Administration of ‘Ohalei Kedar’ Detention Center Sunday imposed collective punishment on prisoners; prevention of visits for two months, according to (PPC) Palestinian Prisoner’s Club’s report. Visits of prisoners’ families from Nablus, Tulkarem, Salfit and Hebron, were…
Israeli Police Dog Attacks Palestinian in Hebron
Sabr 11 Apr 2011 – Date : 10/4/2011 Time : 14:37 HEBRON, April 10, 2011 ( WAFA ) – An Israeli police dog Sunday attacked and injured a Palestinian in Ramadin, a village south of Hebron. Security sources said that Israeli forces detained Mohammed Abu Ka’oud at the border area which connects the Be’er Sheva…
Gaza truck drivers strike to protest Karni Closure
Gisha 11 Apr 2011 – Bread prices expected to rise, [2011-03-06]
Gisha response to closing of Karni Crossing: Gaza’s Crossings Squeezed Shut
Gisha 11 Apr 2011 – , [2011-03-03]
Egypt blogger jailed by military
BBC 11 Apr 2011 – A military court in Egypt jails blogger Maikel Nabil for three years for criticising the armed forces in the first such case post-Mubarak.
Yemenis reject Gulf Arab plan
BBC 11 Apr 2011 – Rallies are being held across Yemen to protest against a Gulf Arab initiative for President Saleh to step down in return for protection.
(en) Chile, Libertarian Communist Federation FCL Secretaria statement: For the freedom of each and all political prisoners, against repression of social protest [machine translation] [ca]
A-infos 11 Apr 2011 – In recent years we have seen has been sharpening a policy of repression towards social struggles, through persecution, imprisonment, prosecution and criminalization of many people and organizations that speak out against the injustices of this system, all of which motivates us to raise our political position…
(en) US, Media, Portland anti-police protest leads to arrests – Detailed report
A-infos 10 Apr 2011 – About a dozen people were arrested Thursday night when self-described “anarchists” marched through the streets of downtown. —— There were no reports of injuries or property damage. —— Organizers of the anarchist march said they were protesting police brutality in solidarity with other anarchists around the…
Articles
Much better than the official MXXXELIN Guide to Israeli prisons, jails, concentration camps and torture chambers
Edited by Shimon Tzabar and Rami Heilbronn, 88 pages, Israel Imperial News4/11/2011
The Grand Tour of the Palestinian Holocaust: The Israeli efforts to get rid of the Palestinians and settle Jews in their place in the whole of the Holy Land. And the world looks on and does nothing just as it did during the Jewish Holocaust.
INTRODUCTION
Some might object to our calling the policy of eliminating the Palestinians, which is what the Zionist Israeli government is doing, a Holocaust. The fact that the Jews were the victims of a Holocaust does not give them the copyright on the name or on the concept. Holocausts are not a Nazi invention. There were a lot of Holocausts in human history from very early times. Many communities have been wiped out by other communities and the Jewish Holocaust was only one of many.
The Nazis in Germany wanted to eliminate the Jews from Europe. They had their methods to achieve their aim. The Zionists in Israel want to eliminate the Palestinians and they use sometimes similar and sometimes different methods to those the Nazis used. The Nazis didn’t start the Holocaust with the gas chambers, this came much later. They started by declaring the Jews to be undesirable sub-humans. The Israelis have done something similar. They haven’t officially declared the Palestinians to be sub-human, but they have treated them as such. Once you have treated a group of people as sub-humans, it is not quite so serious a crime to kill them, to beat them up, (see “Checkpoint Syndrome” page 46) or to burn down their Synagogues or Mosques. (When it happened to Jews, it was known as a pogrom). The Zionist regime has encouraged the Israeli people to treat Palestinians in a similar manner.
The next step for the Nazis was to arrest the Jews and put them in concentration camps. The Israelis have arrested some Palestinians, but they are clever: instead of building concentration camps they have turned Palestinian towns and villages into concentration camps by enclosing them behind barbed wire fences and (now) a concrete wall…. — See also: Read the Booklet (PDF) more.. e-mail
The sharp end of Hebron
Issa Amro, International Solidarity Movement4/11/2011
Hebron’s problems began after 1967. The Israeli army worked hard to create the Kiryat Arba settlement, and after that the settlers and soldiers started living inside Hebron, transforming it into an occupied city. We started to feel it when they created settlements in the heart of the city. In the early 1980s settlers started to come from all over the world, moving into our houses and markets. They treated Palestinians as slaves and animals, fourth-class humans, only there to be taken advantage of.
All this was not so obvious until 1994 and the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, when a fanatic settler killed 29 Muslims. After that we were punished. The apartheid policy was employed more obviously, with the closure of Shuhada Street and many local businesses. The army divided Ibrahimi Mosque and confiscated the gardens.
My resistance efforts began in 2003. The army had closed Palestine polytechnic University when I was a student there. They locked the gates and told us to “go to the streets. You will have no future here.” This made my decision. I would struggle, in a nonviolent way. I was fortunate to be guided by a specialist in activism. With him I discussed strategic planning and a methodology for how to re-open our university. One day we just broke in, opened the doors, started the classes and began to study by ourselves. The army arrived shortly after, so we camped out in a sit-in tent that we had bought. We called our international friends and media. We explained to everybody the importance of our university to us. After six months, it was finally re-opened.
That has given me the encouragement to continue ever since. I understand when Palestinians feel that resistance is hopeless. The Israeli army does not distinguish between unarmed demonstrators and armed enemies. They have one law, which is against protest in every form. To oppose them is to provoke a killing machine. more.. e-mail
Open Letter: Public Space Being Abused
Sam Bahour, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN)4/7/2011
“Store in a clean, dry and cool place” – Text from Coke, Sprite, Jericho Water, etc. labels
On Hippocrates Street in Ramallah, two blaring examples of the schizophrenic nature of Palestinian “development” are in full view for all to see, yet, sadly, few are moved to take action.
On one side of the street is Ramallah’s first five-star hotel, an economic landmark which has become an international story. In the shadow of the newly opened Movenpick Hotel rests a business that has become an expression of the inability of the Palestinian government in Ramallah to ensure public safety, maintain public space, secure the food chain and ensure safe roads.
The thousands of people‚Äîincluding many PA officials‚Äîwho pass the intersection of Hippocrates Street and Lifta Street in hundreds of cars will know exactly what I’m speaking of. The intersection has become a key short-cut that many use to cross from Ramallah to Al-Bireh and vice versa.
The business in question is a distribution company which deals in consumer foods. I could actually list all the items they trade in. How do I know? Because this business uses the street, sidewalk, and adjacent open fields (where they also sometimes house a horse) as their warehouse and unloading and loading docks.
Acting in my capacity as a concerned citizen and private sector activist, I actually reached out to bring this hazardous eye-sore to the attention of those responsible for public wellbeing…. more.. e-mail
Memoir a microcosm of the Palestinian experience
Electronic Intifada: 11 Apr 2011 – Rather than engage with Sami Al-Jundi’s actual experience and narrative, Raymond Deane uses his review for a cliched critique of Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. Deane’s account misrepresents the book, as well as Al-Jundi’s character, work and vision.more
Resilience in the green fields of Gaza
Electronic Intifada: 11 Apr 2011 – A visit to Khuzaa village in the Gaza Strip is a lesson in Palestinian sumoud or steadfastness.more
Lieberman indictment imminent
Palestine Monitor: 11 Apr 2011 – Police officials believe Avigdor Lieberman received more than NIS 10 million in bribes from Israeli businessmen, laundered allegedly overseas through fake bank accounts and dummy corporations. Haaretz reports the the breach of trust charge comes from allegations Lieberman illegally sought and received secret documents relating to the investigation. Under Israeli law, bribery convictions can lead to 10 years in jail. Palestine Monitor’s biography of Avigdor Liebermanmore
Gaza assault over, for now
Palestine Monitor: 11 Apr 2011 – After a cease-fire, “all options are on the table” including targeted killings and Operation Cast Lead II, said Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom. What many Israelis and Palestinians were calling the beginning of Operation Cast Lead II, has calmed down for now. However, the Palestinian News Network warns that sources inside the Israeli military have predicted the fight is far from over, expecting violence to escalate soon. After a direct appeal from Hamas, Israel agreed to a cease-fire. Israeli Foreign Minister called the move a mistake, and his Israeli Beitienu colleague Uzi Landau demanded the army ” finish the job ” of the 2009 brutal campaign which left 6,000 injured and 1,500 dead in Gaza. So egregious was it’s violence, Israeli must be investigated by the International Criminal Court for Operation Cast Lead, according to Palestinian Center for Human Rights. While Israel and newsrooms describe the effectiveness of Iron…more
Stop That Train
Palestine Monitor: 11 Apr 2011 – by former Palestine Monitor editor Barbara Antonelli The Italian Coalition Stop That Train recently met with Pizzarotti & C. SpA, a private company from Parma involved in the construction of a new Israeli railway that would allow Israeli commuters to travel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv in just 28 minutes. In particular, Pizzarotti is involved in Section C, which crosses the internationally recognized borders of Israel and penetrates the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. The A1 railway is the largest infrastructure project the Israeli government has undertaken in the last ten years and for 6.5 km cuts through the occupied Palestinian territories, resulting in further confiscation of land and putting at least three communities at risk, including the villages of Beit Surik and Beit Iksa. The German Ministry of Transport defines the project as “potentially in violation of international law.” The call to action of the Italian Coalition “…more
The Truth about Gaza
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Apr 2011 – By Samah Sabawi The media coverage of Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza that left many dead and many more injured echoes Israel’s claim that it was part of an escalation that began on Thursday when Hamas militants fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, critically wounding a teenager and lightly injuring the driver. Such claims ignore the reality that systematic violence against the Palestinians has never stopped. In fact, in the weeks before the school bus incident between 16-29 March, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Israel has killed a total of 14 Palestinians, including six civilians, and injured 52 Palestinians, including at least 40 civilians (19 children). In that same period, three Israeli civilians were injured. OCHA’s report makes it clear that all the civilian fatalities and 19 of the Palestinian injuries occurred as a result of Israeli tank shelling and mortar…more
The Dos and Don’ts of Palestine – A Poem
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Apr 2011 – By Remi Kanazi don’t call it genocide we don’t want to offend anyone if we offend them they’ll never listen to us we have to be reasonable 1,400 is just a number no names no death we want peace and negotiations don’t mention Zionism if you mention Zionism they’ll call you anti-Semitic and people will believe them don’t cite Palestinian sources no one will believe you I won’t believe you trust Israeli sources don’t ever be angry if you’re angry they’ll call you angry if they’re angry everyone will call them understandably emotional we have to be pragmatic pragmatism is not a euphemism for concessions although it may feel that way don’t mention Allah or martyrs it reminds them of Al Qaeda and 9/11 it’s not your job to fix their ignorance don’t talk about refugees boycott or a one-state solution if we want to win we have to compromise…more
Forget Deir Yassin; Its Victims Were “Unworthy”
Dissident Voice: 11 Apr 2011 – Sixty three years ago today Palestinian civilians were massacred at Deir Yassin on the west side of Jerusalem. The terrorists were Jews from The Irgun and the Stern Gang. The village buildings still stand within clear sight of Yad Vashem, the most famous Holocaust memorial. There is no marker, historical plaque, or even a sign post to commemorate the Deir Yassin massacre, which was the most pivotal event in the Naqba or the 1948-49 dispossession of Palestinians and the beginning of the brutal ethnic cleansing that continues today, largely with American support. The Holocaust Industry ensures that Jewish victims are worthy of remembering. In countless films, memoirs, novels, articles, museums, memorials, and educational programs Jewish victimhood is recounted over and over again. Professional victims like Elie Wiesel cast and recast the Holocaust narrative so that the world will “never forget” and consequently will ignore the apartheid conditions imposed on over…more
On Jewish Intolerance
Dissident Voice: 11 Apr 2011 – In a New Statesman article, law professor John Dugard ,who was a Judge on The International Court of Justice as well as being Special Raporteur for United Nations Commission on Human Rights, summarises the Goldstone apology saga: there are no new facts that could possibly have led Richard Goldstone to change his mind about the UN-backed investigation into Israel and the conflict in Gaza. While Goldstone claimed that the Israeli investigations produced some results also recognised by a follow-up UN committee report chaired by Judge Mary McGowan Davis, Dugard stresses that the McGowan Davis report was actually very critical of the Israeli investigations, finding them to be “lacking in impartiality, promptness and transparency.” According to the McGowan Davis report, the Israeli ‘probe’ has resulted in “two convictions; one for theft of a credit card, resulting in a sentence of seven months’ imprisonment, and another for using a Palestinian child as…more
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The New Dark Age 
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