20 April, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Ten More Families To Be Evicted In Sheikh Jarrah
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 16:45, The Palestine News Network reports that extremist settlers handed out eviction notices to a further 10 families living in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Man Found Dead In Gaza Prison
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 16:37, On Tuesday, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported that Abdel Rizik, 52, died in a Gaza prison.
Israel Arrests Four Arab Lawyers Believed To Be Liaisons For Islamic Jihad Detainees
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 13:19, Israeli sources reported that the Police arrested in recent weeks four Arab lawyers from the north of the country on suspicion that they delivered messages from detained Islamic Jihad detainees to the movement’s representatives in the Gaza Strip and the other way around.
Hamas forces kill two men suspected of involvement in Arrigoni murder
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 11:34, On Tuesday, Hamas forces raided a building to attempt an arrest of several suspects in the murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni last week. When the suspects shot at the security forces, a shootout ensued, and two suspects were killed, according to local sources.
Al Ahram: “New European Mediator In Shalit Talks”
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 08:05, Egyptian Al Ahram Newspaper reported that a new European mediator has started mediation talks for the release of prisoner-of-war, corporal Gilad Shailt, captured by the resistance in Gaza since mid-June 2006.
Miles Of Smiles 3 Prepares To Head To Gaza
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 05:58, The “Miles Of Smiles 3” humanitarian convoy is preparing to head to the Gaza Strip as preparations and coordination between several international human rights groups and local Palestinian organizations are underway for the third convoy.
Settlers Attack Nablus Village, One Resident Injured
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 05:08, Palestinian medical sources in Iraq-Burin village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, reported on Tuesday evening that one resident was shot and wounded after a group of extremist Israeli settlers attacked the village and broke into his home.
Israel Arrests A Saudi-Australian Man At The Ben Gurion Airport
IMEMC – Wednesday April 20, 2011 – 04:47, Israeli TV, Channel 2, reported on Tuesday at night that an Australian man from a Saudi descent was arrested at the Ben Gurion Airport on suspicions that intended to spy on Israel on behalf of the Hamas movement.
Yatta herders fear demolitions
4/20/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Villagers in the southern West Bank governorate of Yatta said they feared the immanent demolition of their homes and animal sheds Wednesday, as a demolition order handed out by Israeli forces the week before came into effect. The residents of Um Zeitouna, southeast of Yatta, received orders from Israel’s….
Female detainees at Hasharon prison ‘punished’
4/21/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Lawyer Fawzi Shludi reported Tuesday that the administration at Hasharon prison imposed punishment against female detainees after they refused to eat. Prison staff restricted access to recreation time due to the hunger strike, the attorney said, which is protesting Israeli authorities refusal to allow the women to wear traditional garments in….
Israeli troops enter Qalqiliya
4/20/2011 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli troops and army vehicles entered Qalqiliya noon Wednesday, with locals reporting that the army issued a group of men summons orders to the Israeli intelligence services. Israeli forces raided several of the city’s districts, local witnesses said, and barred journalists from the area. An Israeli intelligence officer known….
Israel: Lawyers passed letters to Islamic Jihad
4/20/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Four Palestinian-Israeli lawyers have been arrested over allegations they passed letters from Palestinians in Israeli jails to the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza, a police spokesman said Wednesday.” An Arab-Israeli lawyer, a resident of Acre, is suspected of having collected letters from Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, who she was authorised to visit….
On the wrong side of Israel’s wall
4/21/2011 – JERUSALEM (IRIN) — The one-room school building in the Palestinian village of An Nabi Samwil, near Jerusalem, serves as a classroom for eight pupils, a staff room, storeroom and the principal’s office. During the winter months or on hot summer days, it is also the children’s playground.”The biggest difficulty I face….
Union says 3 journalists injured near Nablus
4/20/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Three journalists were injured Tuesday when Israeli soldiers and settlers attacked them in the Burin village near the West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Wednesday….
Israel Prize winners call for Palestinian state
4/20/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — A group of 17 winners of the Israel Prize are calling for the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, according to a copy of a petition obtained by AFP on Wednesday. The laureates plan to sign the petition, also inked by several dozen other Israeli artists and intellectuals, on Thursday….
Activists restart work after Gaza murder
4/21/2011 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Members of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement resumed their activities in Gaza on Wednesday, days after the murder of an activist from the group. Five members of the organisation gathered at a dock in Gaza City to restart work monitoring Israeli treatment of Palestinian fishermen seeking to ply their trade on a….
Clashes reported in Silwan
4/20/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian youths and Israeli forces clashed Wednesday in occupied East Jerusalem, residents said. Israeli forces were protecting settlers touring the Silwan area when the clashes broke out, said locals who called the visit provocative. Young men blocked streets, burned tires, and threw stones, while Israel’s forces launched stun grenades….
PLO denounces move to seize Jerusalem homes
4/21/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The PLO has denounced indications that Israel will confiscate 27 Palestinian homes and expel their residents from a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.”This move is carried out within a plan of racist ethnic cleansing by the rightist Israeli government against Jerusalem,” the PLO said in a statement condemning the settlement….
Israel holds Australian accused of Hamas ties
4/21/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel has charged a Palestinian-born dual Australian-Jordanian citizen with links to Hamas after arresting the man as he tried to enter the country through Ben Gurion airport. The arrest was made nearly a month ago, and the man appeared before a district court on Sunday, but his indictment was only made public on….
Popular resistance conference opens in Bil’in
4/20/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called Wednesday on the international community to safeguard non-violent resistance, at the opening of an international conference in Bil’in village, a focal point of resistance in the West Bank.”The international community must be committed to promoting a Palestinian state within the 1967….
Gaza crossing reopens briefly
4/20/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A single Gaza crossing terminal opened Wednesday for the import and export of goods from the coastal enclave, following two days of closure as the Passover holiday was observed in Israel. The crossing is expected to be open Wednesday and Thursday, and close again Friday as Passover celebrations resume. Imports….
Israeli communities traumatized by Gaza rockets
4/21/2011 – NAHAL OZ, Israel (IRIN) — Israeli civilians living near the Gaza Strip are feeling the strain as a result of the recent escalation of violence between militants in Gaza and the Israeli army, and are calling for increased protection — though not another Gaza offensive. Measures being taken by the Israeli government to protect civilians in the….
Israeli soldiers escort Palestinian children to school
4/20/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — The unimaginable has a tendency to become acceptable in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In Hebron, in the southern West Bank, many Palestinian families do not send their children to school unless Israeli troops escort them. In Tuba, a small village to the south of Hebron, instead of waiting for the school bus….
Rights group: Investigate deaths of kidnap suspects
4/20/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Center for Human Rights called Wednesday for an investigation into the death of of two wanted persons killed during an armed clash with security services a day earlier in Gaza. Two suspects in the murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni died and another sustained injuries Tuesday when Hamas security….
Ramallah to name streets after slain activists
4/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Two streets in the West Bank city of Ramallah will be named after pro-Palestinian activists from Israel and Italy killed in recent weeks, Palestinian Authority officials said Wednesday. Juliano Mer-Khamis and Vittorio Arrigoni will be remembered by streets named in their honor, the Ramallah municipality said in a statement cited by….
DFLP leader returns to Gaza from Libya
4/20/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader returned home Wednesday after decades in exile. Ahmad Abed Al-Aziz, 63, a DFLP leader who was barred for 40 years from returning to Deir Al-Balah, lived in Libya until this week. Abed Al-Aziz, who sustained injuries defending refugee camps in Lebanon….
Abbas: We will head to the UN in September
4/21/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated Tuesday his intention to seek UN recognition of a Palestinian state by September, saying he believed he would have the backing of the US administration. In an interview with the daily Al-Ayyam, the president said he would shortly ask his American counterpart “if he is capable of….
Palestinian men ‘stranded at Colombia airport’
4/21/2011 – BOGOTA, Colombia (Ma’an) — Two Palestinian men have been stranded at an airport in South America for more than a week, Spanish-language media reported Tuesday. Agmeth Amous and Somer Resar have been sleeping on chairs in a lounge at the El Dorado international airport in Bogota, Colombia, the El Tiempo newspaper reported. The saga….
Abbas says he rejects another armed uprising
4/20/2011 – TUNIS (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that he was opposed to a third armed uprising against Israel, even if faltering peace efforts fail altogether, The Associated Press reported. While speaking to reporters in Tunisia, Abbas reiterated that he remains committed to the US-backed target of reaching a negotiated peace agreement with Israel….
Fatah: Door remains open for Hamas reconciliation
4/21/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – The head of Fatah’s unity delegation said Tuesday that the party would “keep the door open” for Hamas to sign a unity deal, despite the expected announcement of a newly appointed Palestinian Authority cabinet next week. Speaking with Ma’an the day after President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters….
Hamas: PA continues to detain members
4/20/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas accused Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining four of its members for political reasons during the week, in a statement issued Wednesday morning. Men were detained from Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah, Hamas said calling for their immediate release….
Settlement workers paid double average wage
4/20/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Just one percent more Palestinians worked in settlements in 2010 than the year before, making almost double the wage of their peers in the public and service sectors, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said in a new report released Wednesday. PCBS research showed that 38. 3 percent of the workforce….
Arab League delays summit in Baghdad
4/21/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — The Arab League has delayed a summit that was to be held in Iraq next month as a wave of political unrest rocks the region, its deputy secretary general said on Wednesday. Ahmed Ben Hilli said consultations with the pan-Arab organization’s 22 members showed a “preference to delay the summit” that….
Palestinian president rejects new uprising against Israel
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Washington Post- The Palestinian president said Wednesday he is opposed to another armed uprising against Israel, even if faltering peace efforts fail later this year. Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Tunisia that he remains committed to the U.S.-backed target of…
Palestinian development plan looks at period after state creation
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Maher Abukhater , Los Angeles Times- When Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met the donor coordination group for the Palestinian territory, the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), on April 13 in Brussels, he presented them with his new National Development…
Israeli Luminaries Press for a Palestinian State
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – New York Times- Dozens of Israel’s most honored intellectuals and artists have signed a declaration endorsing a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders and asserting that an end to Israel’s occupation “will liberate the two peoples and…
Palestinians will seek Security Council approval for UN membership if no peace
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Washington Post- The Palestinians say that if a peace treaty with Israel isn’t reached by September, their first choice is to go to the U.N. Security Council with such strong support and arguments that it would recommend admission of Palestine…
‘Goldstone retraction affected by misuse of Gaza report findings’
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Haaretz- A New York Times article Tuesday claimed Richard Goldstone’s apparent retraction of at least some of the war crime allegations leveled against Israel came as a result of his realization that his Gaza war report was used not to…
Demystifying the Arab Spring
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs – In Tunisia, protesters escalated calls for the restoration of the country’s suspended constitution. Meanwhile, Egyptians rose in revolt as strikes across the country brought daily life to a halt and toppled the government. In Libya,…
The Black Swan of Cairo
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Mark Blyth , Foreign Affairs- Why is surprise the permanent condition of the U.S. political and economic elite? In 2007-8, when the global Ô¨Ånancial system imploded, the cry that no one could have seen this coming was…
On the wrong side of the wall
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – IRIN – The one-room school building in the Palestinian village of An Nabi Samwil, near Jerusalem, serves as a classroom for eight pupils, a staff room, storeroom and the principal’s office. During the winter months or on hot summer days,…
Israeli communities traumatized by Gaza rockets
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – NAHAL OZ , IRIN- Israeli civilians living near the Gaza Strip are feeling the strain as a result of the recent escalation of violence between militants in Gaza and the Israeli army, and are calling for increased protection – though not…
Popular resistance conference opens in Bil’in
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called Wednesday on the international community to safeguard non-violent resistance, at the opening of an international conference in Bil’in village, a focal point of resistance in the West Bank. “The international community…
US, Israel contained Gaza probe
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Sara Ghasemilee , Al-Arabiya- The United States worked behind the scenes to help Israel contain United Nations probes into possible war crimes committed during the 2008-2009 war in Gaza, Foreign Policy Magazine reported Tuesday. The online edition of the magazine cited…
Israelis, Palestinians try to hash out differences in bid for Olympic cooperation
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Haaretz – Israeli and Palestinian Olympic officials reaffirmed their desire to build stronger ties Wednesday, but came away without any tangible breakthroughs during a Sports for Peace meeting in Italy. The meeting was arranged by International Olympic Committee vice president…
Syria Steps Up Its Crackdown While Promising Reform
Palestine Note 20 Apr 2011 – Arrest of opposition figure follows lifting of emergency rule New York Times – The Syrian government tried to placate protesters with declarations of sweeping reform on Tuesday while also issuing harsh threats of reprisals if demonstrations did not come to…
Yemeni president ‘resists’ calls to step down
AlJazeera 20 Apr 2011 – Ali Abdullah Saleh ignores GCC efforts to broker his exit and says he will relinquish power only through elections.
Civilians killed in Misurata fighting
AlJazeera 20 Apr 2011 – Deaths reported in beseiged Libyan city as US offers “non-lethal” aid to rebels fighting Gaddafi forces.
Kurdish protester killed in Turkey clash
AlJazeera 20 Apr 2011 – Demonstrator killed after police open fire to disperse rally amid anger over legal hurdles for election candidates.
Syrian protesters keep up pressure
AlJazeera 20 Apr 2011 – Anti-government activists to continue rallies and strikes despite cabinet approval for bill to scrap emergency laws.
Pro-Palestinian Group: Complaints Against BBC Panorama Programme are Upheld
PNN – London – PNN – Three serious complaints made against a BBC programme which activists say it purported to tell the story of Israel ‘s attack on the Gaza aid flotilla last year…
Palestinian Lawyers Arrested on Suspicion of Passing Letters to Islamic Jihads
PNN – Tal Aviv – PNN – A police spokesman revealed on Wednesday that four Palestinian lawyers that hold Israeli citizenship have been arrested over allegations that they passed letters from Palestinians in Israeli…
Bethlehem Hosts Festival for Palestinian Hope
PNN – By Victoria Orwell – PNN – Bethlehem became home to the first TEDx conference in Palestine on Saturday, April 16. The brand Tedx is an offshoot of the global conference series TED….
PLO: The US Senators Resolution on Rescinding Goldstone Report is a Severe Mistake
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – The Palestine Liberation Organization Department of International Relations today condemned the US Senators Resolution last week calling the UN to rescind the Goldstone report which accuses Israel of…
Bil?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢in village Start its Sixth Annual Conference on Palestinian Popular Struggle
PNN – Bil’in – PNN – On Wednesday the village of Bil’in started its Sixth International Conference on the Palestinian Popular Struggle. This year the conference was dedicated to the Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Calls for Investigating Circumstances of Dearths of Two Wanted Persons and Third One’s Injury in Armed Clash with Security Service in Nussairat Refugee Camp
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Wednesday, 20 April 2011
PCHR Calls for an Investigation into the Death of a Detainee in a Detention Center in Gaza City
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Wednesday, 20 April 2011
International Solidarity Movement
Hundreds celebrate popular struggle at the opening of the 6th Bil’in conference
4/20/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Dozens of diplomats and senior figures from across the Palestinian political spectrum joined hundreds of activists in the opening of the 6th International Bil’in Conference on Popular Resistance. Palestinian PM, Salam Fayyad, called for the international community to promote Palestinian self determination. The 6th International Bil’in Conference…. Related: Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Colonel Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz to testify in Corrie trial Wed, April 27th
4/20/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – The Rachel Corrie Foundation – In a breaking development, an Israeli court has granted the State’s request to move the testimony of former Brigade Commander Pinhas (Pinky) Zuaretz to next week, Wednesday, April 27, nearly one month prior to his originally scheduled appearance. A 5-page affidavit for the witness was only issued by…. Related: The Rachel Corrie Foundation
Settlers attack villager in Burin
4/20/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – On Tuesday 19 April in Burin a small village in the West Bank of Palestine, Aby Rusli-Eid, 36 year old Palestinian was savagely attacked by an armed gang of Israeli settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Arusi. Aby Rusli-Eid is a policeman for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and was attacked at….
Alternative Information Center
New International Mission off Gaza Coast to Monitor Israeli Rights Violations
Alternative Information Center – Civil Peace Services Gaza (CPSGAZA) launched a new mission on Wednesday, 20 April, off the coast of the blockaded coastal strip. The group of international observers will monitor and report on Israeli human rights violations, collecting…
Murder of Vittorio Arrigoni and the Israeli Press
Alternative Information Center – As expected, the Israeli press did not pass on the opportunity to dance on the blood of Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian activist with the International Solidarity Movement who was murdered in Gaza last week. No Israeli…
Donor to Ben Gurion University Wants Condemnation of Leftist Statements
Alternative Information Center – A major donor to Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev is demanding that the institution condemn statements by leftist professors, or he will cut funding.
Complaints against BBC Panorama programme are upheld
20 Apr 2011 – Gaza, (Pal Telegraph) – Three serious complaints made against a BBC programme which purported to tell the story of Israel ‘s attack on the Gaza aid flotilla last year have been upheld at the highest level.
Israeli army erects electric towers in Awarta
20 Apr 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces erected on Wednesday electric towers in the territories of Awarta village in the south east of Nablus city.
Settlers hand eviction notices to 10 families in East Jerusalem
20 Apr 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)- An extremist organization for settlements handed yesterday eviction notices to ten Palestinian families living in Al-Shaik Jarah neighborhood in the occupied Jerusalem.
Settlers shoot 4 Palestinians in Nablus
20 Apr 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Four Palestinians were injured on Tuesday as Israeli settlers opened fire at them during clashes erupted in Burin village in the south part of Nablus city.
Court frees woman behind Tunisia’s revolt
The National 20 Apr 2011 – Grieving family agrees to drop charges against municipal worker accused of slapping the Tunisian fruit and vegetable peddler who set himself on fire in protest – starting the protests across the Arab world.
Misurata siege reopens UN military action dilemma
The National 20 Apr 2011 – For the UN in general, and the Security Council in particular, a call for ground forces in Misurata pits one of the UN’s core principles – respect for national sovereignty – against its mandate to protect the lives of innocents caught up in the wheels of war.
Prominent Israelis back Palestinian statehood drive
The National 20 Apr 2011 – Demonstration is a bid to help the Palestinian leadership garner international backing for unilaterally seeking the UN¬øs endorsement in September for an independent Palestinian state.
UN Security Council fails to agree on Yemen statement
The National 19 Apr 2011 – The Security Council has been reluctant to address the political unrest in the Arab world, remaining largely silent on the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and only responding in Libya when faced with an imminent massacre.
GCC holds Yemen crisis talks in Abu Dhabi
The National 19 Apr 2011 – Foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council meet a Yemeni government delegation in Abu Dhabi last night for talks on an exit plan for the country’s embattled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Syrian cabinet approves end of emergency laws
The National 19 Apr 2011 – Syria’s moves toward lifting emergency martial rule greeted cautiously by civil rights campaigners who feel government may be stalling for time.
Hamas arrests two after gun battle
The National 19 Apr 2011 – Hamas arrests two suspects in the killing of a Italian activist after police storm house; another suspect said to have committed suicide during gun fight.
Palestinian refugees get new homes
The National 19 Apr 2011 – First of thousands of two-time Palestinian refugees in a camp in the north of Lebanon receive keys to new housing but it will take years for all to be resettled.
Rebels say 10,000 have have died in battles
The National 19 Apr 2011 – Stalemate has set in as Nato and Europe bicker over next step.
Haaretz WikiLeaks exclusive / Netanyahu urged Olmert to initiate Israeli attack on Iran
Ha’aretz – In 2007, Netanyahu said he would agree to join Ehud Olmert’s government if Israel attacked Iran, a WikiLeaks document shows.
Israel alerted to several Hamas, Hezbollah kidnap plots abroad
Ha’aretz – Counter-Terrorism Bureau issues travel warning to thousands of Israelis traveling abroad during Passover holiday, recommends to stay away from sites with high concentration of Israeli tourists.
Who is Israel’s new negotiator for Shalit’s release?
Ha’aretz – David Meidan is the first representative in prisoner-swap talks – a position that has existed for some 25 years – who is officially and currently serving in a high ranking position in the Mossad.
Israeli activists establish new settlement in wake of Itamar massacre
Ha’aretz – Settlers are waking up ahead of the Palestinian attempt to declare unilateral statehood in September and in light of indication that Netanyahu may be launching a diplomatic move in near future.
Israel’s eldest statesmen, Peres, is also its most popular
Ha’aretz – Out of 16 senior public figures, Peres was by far the favorite in a poll conducted for Haaretz; Defense Minister Ehud Barak was the least popular.
Helen Thomas cancels participation in anti-AIPAC event
Ha’aretz – Veteran journalist, who has raised controversy with her comments that Jews should leave Palestine and go back to Europe, says she doesn’t want focus of events to be on her.
‘Justin Bieber got paid $1 million for underbooked Tel Aviv concert’
Ha’aretz – Sum paid up even though there were least 11,000 fewer concertgoers than the 35,000 that organizers at Hayarkon Park had hoped for, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Abbas seeks ‘advice’ from France on declaring Palestinian statehood
Ha’aretz –
Netanyahu to keep up YouTube channel to stay close to ‘Facebook generation’
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu’s office said a question/answer interview streamed on the channel last month received more than one million views within two weeks.
Israeli man killed after son’s tractor rolls over him
Ha’aretz – While working together on an excavations project, the tractor, driven by a 19-year old man, rolled backwards and ran over his father. The son is being assessed for negligence.
20,000 travelers cross Israel-Egypt border despite terror warnings
Ha’aretz – The Israel Airports Authority expects that by the end of the Passover holiday season, 68,000 to 70,000 passengers will pass through the Taba crossing.
Co-director of ‘Restrepo’ killed in Libya, doctors say
Ha’aretz – Photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were caught by mortar fire in Misrata; Hetherington died of his wounds while Hondros remains in critical condition.
Mass protests resume in Syria despite government concessions
Ha’aretz – Demonstrations erupt in Homs where more than 20 oppositions have been killed since Monday, even after Damascus passed legislation Tuesday ending 48-year emergency law.
Five civilians killed in pro-Gadhafi attack on Tripoli, say Libya rebels
Ha’aretz – Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed in the city of 300,000, where aid groups say the humanitarian situation is worsening with a lack of food and medical supplies.
Report: U.S. debt rating may be downgraded within two years
Ha’aretz – In the event that S&P downgrade’s the U.S.’s rating, it will have to pay higher rates for its debt; the lower a sovereign debt rating is, the higher the interest investors are likely to demand on American government debentures.
Holiday shoppers came late, dropped a bundle
Ha’aretz – From food to fashion to pharma, most reported a double-digit leap in sales compared with Pesach 2010.
S&P slap at U.S. debt spooks markets
Ha’aretz – Threat of American credit downgrade could spur better policies, some suggest.
Female factory worker in Nazareth Illit stabbed to death
Ha’aretz – Woman succumbed to multiple stab wounds after being found near factory in the Tziporit industrial zone of Nazareth Illit.
Four Arab lawyers suspected of passing messages for Islamic Jihad
Ha’aretz – The four are suspected of passing information from Islamic Jihad prisoners in Israel to the group’s officials in Gaza, in return for thousands of shekels.
Israelis, Palestinians try to hash out differences in bid for Olympic cooperation
Ha’aretz – Palestinian committee head calls for freedom of movement, while Israeli counterpart urges end to boycott against athletes; ‘Sports should not know borders,’ says Palestinian committee head.
Pro-Palestinian activists set sail to document plight of Gaza fisherman
Ha’aretz – The crew of the Oliva is to be provided with cameras to record Israeli activities and ‘the suffering of Gaza fishermen in their sea,’ says ISM activist.
Netanyahu: Israel serious about Shalit deal, German mediator still on task
Ha’aretz – Campaign for Shalit release ratchets up efforts, citing general deadlock in talks; Netanyahu’s office says government still working within framework of last proposal put forth by Gerhard Conrad.
Abbas: Violence against Israel is not answer to stalled peace talks
Ha’aretz – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he remains committed to U.S.-backed target of reaching negotiated peace agreement with Israel by September.
Peres: Israel’s ties with Egypt are historic
Ha’aretz – The president made a special visit to Shas spiritual leader in honor of Passover holiday; said Egyptians this year are ‘trying to leave the house of slavery.’
Iran army general: Attacking us would be suicidal
Ha’aretz – Semi-official Iran Fars News Agency quotes Iranian Brig. Gen. Reza Pourdastan as saying aggression against Iran is impossible; general boasts that Iran’s military is stronger than ever.
Israeli Bedouin jailed in Egypt since 1999 appeals for release
Ha’aretz – Amnesty International slams Egyptian government treatment of Ouda Suleiman Tarabin, who was arrested after entering Egypt illegally; report says Tarabin never brought before judge or lawyer.
Noam Shalit: Despite reports, no progress made in negotiations to free Gilad
Ha’aretz – Father of captured IDF soldier says he has yet to meet with new Israeli negotiator; internal letter from campaign to free Shalit reveals that organizers are planning to intensify efforts.
‘Goldstone retraction affected by misuse of Gaza report findings’
Ha’aretz – New York Times article claims South African jurist was upset that his report was used to attack Israel, despite the fact that his intention was to work toward Mideast reconciliation.
First Person: An IDF delegation confronts the past
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – The army’s Witnesses in Uniform program enables soldiers to travel to Poland for a journey through history.
Police arrest suspect in killing of Nazareth woman
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Woman worked in area factory; suspect is found hiding in Nazareth apartment.
NGO slams policy putting Ethiopian olim in specific areas
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Government creating ‘new ghettos’ by restricting where immigrants can buy homes with public aid, claims Ethiopian advocacy group.
New envoy in Ankara unlikely until Turks send diplomat
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – J’lem sources: “We want to make sure there’ll be no embarrassments”; fear new envoy’s credentials wouldn’t be accepted by Turkish gov’t.
”Bloodbath’ would follow overthrow of Assad in Syria’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Observers tell the ‘Post’ that like Iraq, Syria’s diverse sects could turn on each other once the regime is gone.
Schalits ready to politicize campaign for Gilad’s release
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Netanyahu and Hamas spar over identity of European mediator for captive soldier’s freedom; Schalit spokesman to J’lem: Accept the deal.
Despite Assad concessions, protests continue in Syria
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Clinton condemns violence against civilians, says Damascus must stop arbitrary arrests and torture; Ya’alon: It’s doubtful Syria or Hezbollah want to heat up northern border, but IDF is prepared.
Russia’s Medvedev shows off ‘dated’ dance moves
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Moving to beat of 90s pop hit “American Boy” and sporting silver jacket with open collar, Russian president’s performance becomes YouTube hit.
Chaos deters tourists, investors, adding to Egypt’s woes
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Economy suffers as officials probe Mubarak-era deals, fail to contain unrest; inflation accelerates, energy imported food prices rise.
‘PM to surprise int’l community in Congress speech’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Gov’t sources say PM considering delivering part of speech in Knesset; questions raised about PM’s choice of Congress as venue.
2 arrested on suspicion of setting fire to shul in Greece
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Police reinforce security on island of Corfu for Israelis arriving on cruise ships; Jewish community mourns loss of Torah scrolls
Rescuers fear the worst for missing teen swimmer
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Boy, 13, was swimming with three friends when swept to sea; rescue workers shift focus from water to shoreline as night falls.
BBC: Flotilla program overall was accurate and impartial
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Following complaints from critics of Israel deeming show as biased, investigation does however find 3 instances where guidelines breached.
Two renowned war photographers killed in Libya
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, world-renowned for their work covering the world’s major conflicts, killed in Misrata.
Protests renewed throughout Syria despite change in law
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – 20 protesters said shot since violence started in central city of Homs; security police chief in Banias removed in new concession; Clinton says gov’t must stop arbitrary arrest, detention and torture of prisoners.
Esther Pollard ‘hurt’ by Obama’s silence on husband
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Israeli agent’s wife says keeping him in jail hurts peace process; US president’s Seder “oblivious to cries of Jewish captive.”
US: Jewish memorial proposed at Arlington Cemetery
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – 2 New York politicians pushing forward effort to have plaque put up for Jewish chaplains who died in line of duty at America’s military cemetery.
Herzliya: Small plane makes emergency landing; 2 injured
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Light aircraft veers off course, lands at Herzliya airport; incident comes one week after fatal plane accident in Haifa.
The Jewish Palate: A Kosher Roman torte for passover
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Chef Dennis Wasko looks into the rich culinary history of the Jews of Italy.
UN: Libyan gov’t attacks on Misrata may be war crimes
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Human rights chief condemns attacks, calls for halt to siege; says deliberate targeting of civilians violate int’l rights law.
Unprecedented attacks on media amid popular unrest
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Committee to Protect Journalists has documented more than 500 attacks on journalists across the Middle East; 14 journalists killed this year.
Lawyer indicted for passing information to Islamic Jihad
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Israeli-Arab female lawyer Suhir Ayoub allegedly passed information between Islamic Jihad leadership, prisoners in Israeli jails.
Corfu Jews mourn loss of Torah scrolls in wake of attack
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – After synagogue on Greek island burned down by arsonists, Jewish community members gathered to weep at the damage.
Activist sets sail to protect Gaza fishermen from IDF
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – International Solidarity Movement organizes ship to embark from Gaza to record potential IDF “attacks” on fishermen.
Amnesty: Israeli held in Egypt for 12 years with no trial
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Dual Egyptian-Israeli citizen never appeared before a judge, assigned an attorney during Mubarak’s rule, says report.
‘Libyan foreign minister says free elections a possibility’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Report: Abdul Ati al-Obeidi tells ‘Guardian’ that elections could be held within six months to end the conflict; calls for ceasefire.
Palestinian art gets a home of its own
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – The Umm el-Fahm Art Gallery run by Said Abu Shakra opened 15 years ago to bring culture to a town of mostly farmers, construction workers.
‘Statehood may be Pyrrhic victory for Palestinians’
Jeruslalem Post 20 Apr 2011 – Experts warn that the PA’s independence campaign may backfire, costing them bargaining chips and causing Israeli retribution.
Administrative Detention : A legal and lethal tool of Israeli repression
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – A largely neglected instrument of legal Israeli repression used against the Palestinian people is that of administrative detention. Thousands of men as well as women and children are held indefinitely and under horrendous conditions in detention centres dotted across the occupied territories without charge, access to a fair trial or even having been accused…
Vittorio Arrigoni, a winner
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – Amazingly, a media group in Gaza City was filming footage of Vik for a doc¬?u¬?men¬?tary on him. What follows is selected from that footage. I know that in the wake of Vik’s assas¬?si¬?na¬?tion, politics and the world and the endless churning destruc¬?tion and debate have not stopped. Isabel Kershner is turning a martyr’s death…
Is This The Start of Foreign Ground Troops in Libya?
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – When the United Nations authorized the Libya war on March 17, it balked at allowing foreign ground troops into the country. But its vague language and broad commitments to protecting Libyan citizens besieged by Moammar Gadhafi led many to wonder if the mission would expand. A month later, the first wave of foreign ground…
U.S. Military, State Department and White House Trapped in Bradley Manning Quagmire
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – There is keen public interest in the case of Bradley Manning as he is accused of leaking documents that provide evidence that U.S. foreign policy is not what Americans have been told. The military has no basis for keeping the public from seeing all of Manning’s trial, but there was no basis for pre-trial…
The Energy Vampires Why Britain and France are so gung-ho to attack Libya
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – To hear the “humanitarian” interventionists tell it, the NATO alliance is currently bombing Libya in order to avert an alleged “massacre” that may – or may not – happen if Moammar Gadhafi gets his hands on the rebels now holding the eastern province known as Cyrenaica. It’s just a coincidence that Libya is a…
Qatar supplying light weapons to Libyan rebel forces
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – Qatar began supplying light weapons to help Libya’s main rebel Interim Transitional National Council in its fight against forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi, said Suleiman Fortia, a member of the opposition group. Libyan rebels received a shipment of Kalashnikov assault rifles and other types of light firearms, Fortia said in an interview late Monday…
US students erect mock walls to connect struggles
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – In an effort to connect human rights struggles, students at the University of Arizona constructed a mock wall representing both Israel’s wall in the occupied West Bank and the wall on the US-Mexico border. Student groups at several other US campuses are now following suit. On 21 March, activists with Jewish Voice for Peace (…
Lessons from Manning’s transfer out of Quantico
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – A Pentagon official yesterday leaked word to the Associated Press that accused WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning was being transferred out of the Quantico Marine brig where he has been held under inhumane conditions for 10 months, and moved to the Army’s prison facility in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. The Pentagon did not even bother to…
Video: Gaza family mourns Israeli raid victims
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – Israel and Hamas have kept up a tentative truce, with Hamas fighters in Gaza halting rocket fire and the Israelis suspending their air raids. But the families of Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli air attacks are calling for justice. Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston speaks to the family of one of the victims….
Iraq is a US colony ruled by an Islamic regime, Saadi Youssof
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – Renowned Iraqi poet Saadi Youssof said on Tuesday he doesn’t feel he belongs to Iraq anymore and added that Iraq is currently a US colony ruled by an Islamic regime. Youssof cherished the British nationality he holds and said that there’s nothing that links him to Iraq but the memories of his childhood “I…
Palestinians silently transferred from East Jerusalem
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – For Mahmoud Qaraeen, the Israeli government’s revocation of residency rights from Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem is more than just a troublesome policy; it’s a concrete threat that impacts his ability to study, work or even just travel abroad. “People feel that they are under siege,” Qaraeen, a 25-year-old resident of Silwan in…
UK to send military advisers to aid rebels
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – The Foreign Office says they will not train or arm rebel forces, but will give advice on organisational structures, communications and logistics. Foreign Secretary William Hague said their mission was compatible with the UN resolution on Libya, which ruled out foreign military ground action. He stressed that the officers would not be involved in…
Italy plans to step up its participation in the war against Libya
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – As the bombing of Libya enters its fourth week, Italy is looking for ways to participate more actively in the war. As the former colonial power in Libya, Italy has substantial oil and gas interests that it seeks to defend against the predatory actions of rival powers. So far the Italian Air Force has…
More Judicial Interference on Guant?°namo
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – Last week, in my article, How the Supreme Court Gave Up on Guant?°namo, I explained how, given the option of addressing complaints made by prisoners in Guant?°namo regarding the basis of their ongoing detention, the Supreme Court chose not to, leaving the final decisions regarding the prisoners not in the hands of the District…
Western Coalition: Air Operation may turn into Ground Operation
Uruknet April 20, 2011 – The West has already started its invasion of Libya and a ground coalition operation would merely be the next step. Russian experts have come to this conclusion in the wake of the EU’s readiness to send ground troops to Libya to support the UN humanitarian mission in Tripoli. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton…
Libya faces risk of “prolonged conflict”: Italian expert
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – The Libyan crisis faces the risk of turning into a “prolonged conflict” which will end up splitting the country in two, a leading Italian expert said in a recent interview with Xinhua. “I see no immediate solution to the conflict between NATO forces and the Libyan rebels on one side, and Muammar Gaddafi on…
Prisoners’ day
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – The olive and citrus trees were blooming all over Palestine on Prisoners’ day. Pink irises, red puppies, and yellow flowers weave interesting patterns among the endless green carpet underneath the fruiting almonds, fig, and loquet trees. Green almonds are eaten with a pinch of salt and are addictive. There are already some ripening loquots….
Inside Daraa
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – The only outside visitors the people of Daraa are allowed to receive these days are friends and family attending funerals. To access the city where Syria’s uprising began a local reporter simply had to tell the guards at the first checkpoint the truth: The husband of his wife’s cousin had been killed while protesting…
Limbo in Yemen
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – They’re getting desperate. More and more Yemenis are joining the already huge pro-democracy protest movement. Provincial cities like Ibb in central Yemen have seen protests in the region of at least hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. The central city of Taiz, Yemen’s industrial heartland, is outside of government control. Aden, the former capital of…
BDS means freedom, justice and self-determination
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz’s ill-informed and manifestly misleading attack on the Palestinian-led, global movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel contained several misrepresentations and some outright fabrications. The historical account given by Meyerowitz-Katz is not only skewed; it is a typical attempt to obscure or omit altogether the basic facts about BDS. An overwhelming…
LIBYA: REBELS OFFICIALLY CALL FOR WESTERN TROOPS
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – (AGI) Benghazi – For the first time since clashes have started, rebels in Misrata officially called for foreign troops to be sent to Libya. Nuri Abdullah Abdullati, a high representative of the rebels’ government in the city besieged by pro-Gaddafi troops, expressly called on French and British troops to intervene on behalf of “humanitarian”…
Gaza children stressed, desperate and in danger: UNICEF
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip has left the isolated Palestinian territory’s children stressed, desperate and in poverty, forcing some to do dangerous and deadly work, UNICEF said Tuesday. While there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel’s blockade means there is extensive poverty, endemic unemployment and that 80 percent of Gazans are dependent…
Kucinich Responds to Defense Department Moving Pfc. Bradley Manning to a Maximum Security Prison at Fort Leavenworth
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today issued the following statement in response to a report by the Associated Press that the Department of Defense will move Private First Class Bradley Manning from Marine Corp Base Quantico to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, a maximum security prison. “Absolutely nothing the Department of Defense has…
Iraq snapshot – April 19, 2011
Uruknet April 19, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, Nouri’s political slate makes noises about ousting the Speaker of Parliament, Moqtada gets another fan rave from the press, British documents show the government of Tony Blair meeting with the oil industry ahead of the Iraq War to ensure they got a “fair slice” (British official’s words), and more…
Press Release: Military moves to further isolate Bradley Manning with transfer to Kansas
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – Alleged WikiLeaks source to be moved away from attorney and DC-area backers; however, Kansas residents already preparing to spearhead support. “The military and Administration has been shocked by the support Bradley Manning has garnered globally-specifically at the gates of Quantico, Virginia. Last month, 500 supporters rallied near the Marine brig where PFC Manning has…
Student protesters held hostage in Iraqi Kurdistan
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – A number of student protesters are being held captive within an Iraqi Kurdistan governate, Ekklesia has heard from peace workers in the area. Following 62 days of continuous protest in Suleimaniya, Iraq, against corruption and tribal rule within the Kurdistan Regional Government, legal permission for the protest has been revoked. A source within the…
AI: Iran: Arab minority protest deaths must be investigated
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – The Iranian authorities must investigate clashes between security forces and protesters from the Ahwazi Arab minority that reportedly left at least three people dead and dozens injured in the south-western province of Khuzestan, Amnesty International said today. Security forces reportedly fired live ammunition and used tear gas against protesters. “This is yet another chilling…
From Waco to Libya: 18 Years of Humanitarian Mass Murder
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – “The Davidian cult in Waco was dealt with by armored vehicles,” remarked Muammar Gaddafi in February, defending his own crackdowns in light of the U.S. government’s. April 19 marks eighteen years since the end of the Waco siege and exactly one month since Obama began bombing Libya. Now that the federal government is again…
Nabi Saleh: A tiny village’s struggle againt the occupation
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – In just over one year of unarmed demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, a small Palestinian community in the West Bank, 155 of the village’s 500 residents were wounded (about 60 of them children); 35 homes were damaged and dozens of the village’s people were detained. Yet even after the protest’s leader was put behind bars…
Bahrain: Urgent ITUC Mission Warns of Slide into Dictatorship
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – ITUC Deputy General Secretary Jaap Wienen, on an urgent visit to the Bahrain’s capital Manama this weekend, has pledged a comprehensive package of international actions in support of the fundamental rights of Bahrain’s working people, as the trade union movement in the Gulf country faces and all-out assault from the government…”We are seeing governments…
ONE HAS TO DIE TO BECOME A HERO…A LETTER BY THE MOTHER OF VITTORIO ARRIGONI
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – One has to die to become a hero, to hit the headlines and to have TV crews around the house, but does one have to die to stay human? I recall Vittorio in the Christmas of 2005, detained and incarcerated in the Ben Gurion Airport, the scars left by the handcuffs that cut his…
Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – Plans to exploit Iraq’s oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world’s largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show. The papers, revealed here for the first time, raise new questions over Britain’s involvement in the war, which had divided Tony Blair’s cabinet…
Gaddafi violence against Libya civilians exaggerated, says British group
Uruknet April 19, 2011 – In other circumstances they could have been a group of British package tourists, clad in identical T-shirts, clambering on and off buses with cameras hanging around their necks. But Libya has no tourists now, let alone of the package variety. And the 13 Britons who toured the west of the country over eight days,…
Egypt: At least 846 killed in protests
Uruknet April 19, 2011 ‚Äî At least 846 Egyptians died in the nearly three-week-long popular uprising that toppled long-serving President Hosni Mubarak, electrifying the region, a government fact-finding mission announced Tuesday. In their report, the panel of judges described police forces shooting protesters in the head and chest with live ammunition and presented a death toll more than twice…
Syrians rally in large numbers ahead of massive protests Friday
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Syrians took to the streets in large numbers in Homs, Daraa and Aleppo Wednesday as the country’s growing protest movement vowed to stage the biggest rallies to date Friday.
New Cabinet expected to see light of day following Easter holiday
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Speaker Nabih Berri expressed optimism Wednesday that the new Cabinet will see the light of day following the Easter holiday.
France vows to intensify air strikes on Gadhafi forces
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 France promised Libyan rebels Wednesday it would intensify air strikes on Moammar Gadhafi’s forces and send military liaison officers to help them as fighting raged in the besieged city of Misrata.
Mubarak seeks to remain in hospital at Red Sea retreat
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Hosni Mubarak has asked Egypt’s ruling generals to keep him in Sharm el-Sheikh despite an order to leave, army sources said, a further sign of the deposed president’s resistance to facing trial.
African refugees fleeing war-torn Libya wait at Egypt border
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 The classic chaos of a nursery school has taken over the Salum border post on the Egypt-Libya frontier, where around 60 children are stuck as their parents refuse to return to their countries of origin.
Amnesty urges Egypt to lift emergency laws
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Amnesty International urged Egypt’s interim rulers Wednesday to lift emergency laws that it said had let security officials ride roughshod over human rights for 30 years under former President Hosni Mubarak.
Palestinian state backed by 47 Israeli intellectuals
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Prominent Israeli intellectuals and artists have come out in favor of creating a Palestinian state based on the 1967 line marking the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
U.N. report highlights frontier, militia issues
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cited Wednesday Lebanon’s failure to disarm non-state militias as well as procrastination concerning the delineation of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Lawmakers tell Ahmadinejad he must obey Khamenei’s wishes
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Political pressures mounted on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after more than 200 lawmakers warned Wednesday that he must obey an order from the country’s supreme leader to reinstate Iran’s powerful intelligence minister.
Islamic Republic must reconsider policies: UAE foreign minister
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Iran needs to reconsider its policies in the region and respect the unity of Gulf countries, the UAE foreign minister said Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, amid heightened regional tension.
Unprecedented attacks on media amid regional uprisings
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Suppression of journalists amid uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa has been unprecedented, experts say, with more than 500 attacks – some of them deadly – documented by a media rights watchdog.
Kurdish protester killed in Turkey demonstration
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 One person was killed Wednesday when police opened fire on Kurdish protesters in southeastern Turkey, a senior Kurdish politician said, canceling a meeting with the president.
Arab ministers postpone League summit amid disputes
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Arab states have agreed to postpone a summit that was scheduled for May 11 in Baghdad, the Arab League announced Wednesday, amid disputes over the venue and popular unrest rocking the region.
Yemen’s opposition calls for mass protests after talks stall
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Yemen’s opposition called for mass protests Wednesday after deadly clashes with police, while talks seemed stalled between Gulf mediators and representatives of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Bahraini man on trial for alleged ties to Iran
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Although Iran has no history of political ties to Bahrain’s majority Shiites, the island’s Sunni rulers accuse it of inciting dissent among their Shiite population.
Gadhafi’s Libya dodges fuel sanctions via Tunisia
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Moammar Gadhafi’s government is circumventing international sanctions to import gasoline to western Libya by using intermediaries who transfer the fuel between ships in Tunisia.
Arab League delays summit on regional unrest
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Arab states have agreed to postpone a summit that was scheduled for May 11 in Baghdad, the Arab League announced Wednesday, amid disputes over the venue and popular unrest rocking the region.
Mikati: Lebanon should focus on own problems
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 The Lebanese should refrain from being drawn into the affairs of foreign countries, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said Wednesday, warning that Lebanon is already in a fragile state.
Thousands protest in Syria, brushing off reforms
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Thousands of students held demonstrations Wednesday against Syria’s authoritarian regime, brushing off President Bashar Assad’s sweeping declarations of reform.
Berri sees Cabinet after Easter
Daily Star 20 Apr 2011 Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also described the formation of the Cabinet as a belated Easter gift.
Hariri in Kuwait to offer condolences for Kharafi
Daily Star 19 Apr 2011 Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri offered his condolences Tuesday to the family of the deceased Kuwaiti businessman Nasser al-Kharafi. Speaker Nabih Berri also traveled to Kuwait to offer condolences.
EU Mediterranean states appeal for help in dealing with migrants
Daily Star 19 Apr 2011 EU member states on the Mediterranean rim appealed Tuesday for their partners’ support to help cope with an influx of migrants fleeing the turmoil in northern Africa.
Bahrain eases action against Lebanese expats
Daily Star 19 Apr 2011 Authorities in Bahrain have eased security measures against Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf state, following high-level diplomatic discussions between the two countries.
Future wants Syrian envoy summoned
Daily Star 19 Apr 2011 The Future Movement called on caretaker FM Ali Shami to summon Syria’s Ambassador after the envoy urged Lebanese authorities to take legal action against a Future MP.
ANALYSIS: Syria emergency law move won’t stop protests
Daily Star 19 Apr 2011 The Syrian cabinet endorsed legislation to lift the state of emergency, in force for 48 years, but the decision is seen as symbolic since existing laws give wide powers to heavy-handed security forces.
Outgunned, but Misrata rebels may have urban edge
Daily Star 19 Apr 2011 Battling tanks and snipers in Misrata’s streets, the rebels holding the city are exploiting a defender’s natural advantage in urban warfare to survive a two-month onslaught by better-armed government troops.
Letters: Vanunu still not free
The Guardian 20 Apr 2011 – Today marks seven years since Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear whistleblower, was released from Ashkelon prison to face the assembled world’s media, having served his full sentence of 18 years (11.5 years in solitary confinement) for…
Israel and Palestine don’t need more friends – but the peace process does | Jonathan Freedland
The Guardian 20 Apr 2011 – Roleplaying PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat made me see how easily one slips from problem-solving to point-scoring I spent much of last week being a Palestinian. And not just any Palestinian. I was the man charged with…
EGYPT: Silence Shrouds New Security Agency
IPS In mid-March, Egypt’s transitional government formally dissolved the hated State Security Investigations (SSI) apparatus, meeting a longstanding demand of the opposition. But in the month since, authorities have remained tight- lipped about the SSI’s planned successor agency, raising fears that the transformation will be in name only.
Amnesty: Egypt holding Israeli-Egyptian without trial
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – New report by International human rights organization on Cairo’s security….
Pro-Palestinians sail to ‘document IDF aggression’
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Foreign activists onboard ‘Oliva’ to escort Palestinian fishermen along Gaza….
Israel to host youth Physics Olympiad
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – TAU’s School of Physics and Astronomy selected to to hold annual physics….
Attorneys accused of conspiring with security prisoners
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Four Arab lawyers arrested for allegedly mediating between Islamic Jihad members….
Iranian general: Attacking us is suicidal
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Tehran’s ground forces chief warns West against mounting offensive strike; says….
‘Goldstone was extremely hurt by reaction to report’
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – New York Times interviews South African judge’s acquaintances who try to explain….
NAS names Israeli scientist to biofuels committee
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Prof. Sammy Boussiba of Ben-Gurion University, who heads groundbreaking work in….
3 Israelis arrested in US poker raid
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – American authorities take control of three largest gambling websites worldwide;….
Clinton presses Syria for reform
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton rapped the Syrian regime for its crackdown on anti-government protests Wednesday, saying Damascus “must stop the arbitrary … ….
2 arrested in Corfu synagogue arson case
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Greek Police said Wednesday that they have arrested two suspects in the Corfu synagogue arson attack case. According to suspicions, the two are also involved in … ….
50,000 visit Negev Wednesday
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – More than 450,000 Israelis left their homes on Wednesday to travel the country’s scenic routes, with some 50,000 of these choosing to visit the Negev despite recent … ….
Israel: No new mediator in Shalit talks
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – The Prime Minister’s Office said Wednesday it would continue to hold talks for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit under the guidance of German mediator Gerhard … ….
Abbas: There will be no new uprising
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that he is opposed to another armed uprising against Israel, even if faltering peace efforts fail altogether. Abbas … ….
BBC: Flotilla investigative report accurate, impartial
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – The body responsible of mediating between the British Broadcasting Corporation and license fee payers, the BBC Trust, has rejected criticism against an investigative … ….
Watch: Hamas commandos take on activist’s killers
YNet News, 20 Apr 2011 – (VIDEO) – Hamas in action: In an exclusive video by al-Jazeera Television, Hamas commando forces are seen raiding the Nuseirat refugee camp hideout of the three men … ….
Palestinian Information Center
Israel gearing to open tunnel network under Aqsa Mosque area
PIC – Israeli occupation authorities are making preparations ahead of opening a network of underground tunnels near the Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Abbas: I won’t allow a new intifada
PIC – De facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said that he would not allow the outbreak of a new intifada (uprising) against Israeli occupation.
IOF soldiers, settlers storm WB cities, villages
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the city of Qalqilia on Wednesday, detained citizens, and questioned them before handing six of them summonses to the intelligence headquarters.
Radwan: Israel attempting to incite the int’l public opinion against Hamas
PIC – Ismail Radwan said Israel is trying to incite the international public opinion against his Movement through making lies that Hamas intends to carry out operations against it outside Palestine.
Third intifada website bypasses Facebook closure
PIC – Palestinian youths in the United States have launched a website similar to Facebook to support calls for a third intifada against Israel on May 15 timed to commemorate the Palestinian Nakba.
IOA claims arrest of 4 lawyers passing information to Islamic Jihad prisoners
PIC – The IOA said it arrested four Palestinian lawyers on allegation of transferring information between prisoners in Israeli jails and leaders from the Islamic Jihad Movement in the Gaza Strip.
Maqdesi slams Israeli decision to introduce independence paper into schools
PIC – Al-Maqdesi for society development denounced the Israeli ministry of education for deciding to introduce, as of the new academic year, the declaration of independence into all Palestinian schools.
Family committee of W. Bank detainees holds Abbas responsible for life of Natsha
PIC – The family committee of West Bank prisoners held Mahmoud Abbas and governor Kamel Khalil fully responsible for the life of senior Hamas official Nabil Al-Natsha who suffers from cancer in the neck.
Man sits outside Fayyad office demanding medical costs
PIC – A Bethlehem man has begun a sit-in outside of the office of the illegitimate premier in Ramallah Salam Fayyad demanding cost of fitting an electronic hand that would replace his own.
Prof. Qassem: Israeli closure of West Bank requires resistance response
PIC – Dr. Abdul-Sattar Qassem political science professor at Al-Najah University in Nablus called for Palestinian response after Israel has closed off the West Bank for the Passover holidays.
PJS Condemns Israeli Assaults against Palestinian Journalists
WAFA
Israel Injures Palestinians in Sit-in Tent in Silwan
WAFA
Naming Streets after Mer-Khamis and Arrigoni, says Ramallah Municipality
WAFA
Solidarity Movement says it is Committed to Staying in Gaza
WAFA
Al-Araj: Israel Deliberately Obstructs Efforts to Rescue Peace Process
WAFA
PLO Calls on Quartet to Stop Israel’s Decision to Seize 27 Houses in Jerusalem
WAFA
PA’s National Development Plan Building for the Future
WAFA
EU Supports Palestinian Infrastructure Development with €21m
WAFA
Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian School Children near Hebron
WAFA
“This Peace Process is no More‚Ķ This is an EX-PEACE PROCESS!” Dead as Monty Python’s Parrot
Intifada-Palestine: 20 Apr 2011 – Jeff Halper now focuses on Palestine’s Big Chance: its application for statehood by: Stuart Littlewood In an article Mobilizing for September? http://www.icahd.org/?p=7207 Jeff Halper, Director of The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), shares his thoughts on the collective action that… more
SINNING AGAINST ZIONISM: TRAITOR TO COUNTRY
Intifada-Palestine: 20 Apr 2011 – Courtesy judeofascism.com/ William A. Cook “Hell is where many false commitments must be unlearned. ” (Ricardo J. Quinones, Dante Alighieri ) Richard Goldstone’s journey from Justice to Sinner represents the spiritual act of dying in the Zionist world. By recanting his own… more
Three scenarios for the fate of the Mubaraks
Intifada-Palestine: 20 Apr 2011 – Direct referral to criminal court, more investigation or vindication: at this point legal sources cannot predict which path the Mubaraks, all or each, will walk by: Dina Ezzat Ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, have spent… more
Saudi charged in first Guantanamo tribunal under Obama
LA Times 20 Apr 2011 – The move comes two years after the military dropped charges against Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, the accused mastermind of the deadly 2000 bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole. A conviction is uncertain, however, because interrogators allegedly tortured him. The Obama administration initiated its first…
Libyan rebels on front line frustrated by stalemate
LA Times 19 Apr 2011 – Fighters are stuck in Ajdabiya, on the border of eastern and western Libya. They could be there for a while.
Misurata rebels show ingenuity in Libya war
LA Times 19 Apr 2011 – Young gangs living on borrowed time use wits and captured weapons to protect streets from Moammar Kadafi’s forces. The five rebel gunmen crept tensely along the side road’s shuttered storefronts, past the dark furniture shop with the broken windows and the streetlamps decorated with plastic…
Libyan city of Misurata pleads for NATO ground forces
LA Times 19 Apr 2011 – ‘If they don’t come, we will die,’ Nouri Abdul Ati, a member of the local government, says as the rebel-held city is pounded by Moammar Kadafi’s forces. Misurata, the only rebel-held city in western Libya, has asked that NATO troops be sent to fight alongside…
Egypt report depicts violence that killed 846
LA Times 19 Apr 2011 – The head of a fact-finding commission says former President Hosni Mubarak, now detained, was at least indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of protesters at the hands of security forces. A new Egyptian government investigation into the nearly-three-week revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak…
War in Libya Could Drag On, Military Analysts Say
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – France and Italy said they would, like Britain, send liaison officers to Libya, in what analysts said was a sign that there would be no quick end to the war.
Fallen Egyptian Leader Leaves an Air of Wistfulness
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – While Hosni Mubarak remains disliked for how he ran Egypt, there is an undercurrent of discomfort with how he has been treated since being forced from power.
Amid Crackdown in Syria, Big Protest Is Planned for Friday
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – Protest organizers vowed to turn out their largest numbers yet on what they are calling “Great Friday.”
Arab League Again Delays Baghdad Summit Meeting
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – Iraq’s leaders had been promoting the meeting as an opportunity to showcase the country’s fragile democracy in a region rife with calls for more representative and accountable governments.
Netanyahu Invitation Puts Obama on Spot on Peace Plan
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – A Republican invitation for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to address Congress has kicked off a diplomatic race over who will be first to lay out a proposal to reopen Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Past Holds Clue to Goldstone’s Shift on the Gaza War
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – A report by Richard Goldstone for the United Nations accused both Israel and Hamas of wrongdoing, much like a ruling decades earlier on South Africa.
France and Italy Will Also Send Advisers to Libya Rebels
New York Times 20 Apr 2011 – The French and Italian governments said they would send a small number of officers to support the rebel army, offering a diplomatic boost for the insurgent leader.
Gulf allies: A record of repression and torture
WSWS – By Kate Randall, April 20, 2011, The US State Department recently released its “2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.” This year’s annual report provides details on human rights conditions in over 190 countries. Included are reports on the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (…
Britain and France escalate war in Libya
WSWS – British military officers are going to Benghazi to direct ground operations, while France is deploying additional airstrike capability.
Quick to report Gaddafi’s use of ‘cluster bombs,’ the NYT called white phosphorus a ‘standard, legal weapon’ when Israel dropped it on Gaza
Mondoweiss – Editor’s note: Ed Moloney has a wonderful post at his site contrasting the New York Times’ alacrity in covering the use of cluster bombs by Gaddafi with its coverage of Israel’s use of white phosphorus in Gaza during Cast Lead two years ago. Here is a…
Glickism and Feithism
Mondoweiss – Caroline Glick was on Capitol Hill , giving a speech at the Center for Security Policy national security luncheon, along with Douglas Feith and new congressman Allen West. Really quite a performance. I thought it was bad to see David Horowitz calling the Palestinians “Nazis” at Brooklyn…
PALESTINE BLOG: Obama’s speech on Libya
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine – Generally, I thought Obama’s speech to the nation was well written, and he made a relatively compelling case for ‘just’ war in Libya (even though I personally don’t believe that terminology to be very helpful). You can come to your own conclusions about the military intervention….
New database reveals weapons to Israel, impact on Palestinians
Mondoweiss – Last week, Congress finally got around to finalizing the 2011 budget, which included a record-breaking appropriation of $3 billion in military aid to Israel (not including an additional $415 million in Pentagon funding for joint U.S.-Israeli missile defense projects).This money was the third installment of a…
Bisharat discusses Goldstone and ‘litigating Palestine’
Mondoweiss – George Bisharat talks with the Institute for Palestine Studies about the Goldstone Op-Ed and the controversy surrounding the “Litigating Palestine” conference , which he helped organize at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law. The Bisharat interview follows up on his San Francisco Chronicle article “…
Solidarity with the Enemy: A Passover message from Egypt to Israel
Mondoweiss – Maikel Nabil is an Egyptian citizen and blogger who was arrested from his home on March 28thand sentenced on April 10thby a secretive military tribunal to 3 years of imprisonment for the dubious charge of “insulting the army.” This is a grave violation of multiple human…
Eminent Israeli Historian, Israel Prize-Winner, Calls Israeli Government ‘Anti-Zionist’
Tikun Olam – Yes, it took me aback too when I first read it, but the most distinguished living Israeli historian, Yehudah Bauer, says that the current Israeli government, in its attempt to maintain the Occupation and its refusal to recoginze a Palestinian state, is “anti-Zionist:” “I am speaking…
Israeli TV Exposes Suppressed Video of Botched Prison Inspection, Which Resulted in Death and Maiming
Tikun Olam – **for the English subtitles, watch the video on Youtube and click on the Closed Caption icon located to the right of the Flag icon. The Only Democracy in the Middle East‚Ñ¢ has yet another event (Hebrew) for which it should be proud tonight. Channel 2 news…
Orbit gets two more US military contracts
Neged Neshek – Orbit International’s subsidiary Behlman Electronics has recently been awarded two contracts in service to U.S. Empire. The first is a US$380,000 contract for a commercial off-the-shelf power supply for the RC-135, an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft. The second is a US$248,000 contract for a high-voltage power…
Voices from the Occupation – Fatalities
Defence for Children International – Palestine 19 Apr 2011 – On 19 March 2011, two children were killed in Gaza while trying to cross the border to look for a job in Israel.
Administrative Detention
Middle East Monitor 20 Apr 2011 – A legal and lethal tool of Israeli repression A largely neglected instrument of legal Israeli repression used against the Palestinian people is that of administrative detention. Thousands of men as well as women and children are held indefinitely and under horrendous conditions in detention centres dotted…
Israeli Arabs reject government educational programme
Middle East Monitor 20 Apr 2011 – The Follow-up Committee on Arab Education in the 1948-Occupied Territories (Israel) has rejected the Israeli Ministry of Education’s plan for the school year 2011-2012; the plan emphasises the “Jewish and Zionist values” of the state. The Committee called on the ministry to approve the Identity Book…
Defence for Children International claims Israel targets Palestinian children
Middle East Monitor 20 Apr 2011 – The Palestine Section of Defence for Children International has claimed that Israeli occupation forces target children during actions against Palestinian civilians. DCI-Pal said in a statement that the Israeli authorities have detained large numbers of Palestinians and that around 90% of Palestinian children (that is, those…
On Palestinian Prisoner’s Day; Al Dameer Calls On International Community To Take Serious Action to Release all Palestinian Prisoners Held in Israeli Prisons and Detention Centers
Sabr 20 Apr 2011 – Al Dameer Reference:23/2011 Al Dameer Association for Human Rights expresses its solidarity with Palestinian detainees and their families on the occasion Palestinian Prisoner’s Day. This day 17 April, is commemorated annually in order to remember the suffering of the Palestinian prisoners resulted from the Israeli practices…
Palestine Prisoners Day – Narratives Behind Locked Doors
Sabr 20 Apr 2011 – PCHR Sunday, 17 April 2011 11:30 Ref : 34 / 2011 Each year on 17 April, Palestinian Prisoners Day is commemorated in order to support and recognize Palestinians currently in custody in Israel. Since 1979, the date marks the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel as part of…
Palestinian Prisoners Day Al Mezan Calls for Efforts to Confront Israeli Violations against Palestinian Prisoners, Improve Detention Conditions, and Secure their Release
Sabr 20 Apr 2011 – Al Mezan 17-4-2011 43/2011 Sunday 17 April 2011 marks the Palestinian Prisoners Day. It presents an occasion to remember the conditions of thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons; deprived of their freedom as a result of their involvement in the struggle for self-determination. Today, there…
On Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Call for Renewed Efforts to Release All Prisoners
Sabr 20 Apr 2011 – Ramallah, 17 April 2011 – Every year, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the continuing incarceration and ill-treatment of Palestinians who have been detained, sometimes without charge or trial, for their resistance to the Israeli occupation and its illegal policies and practices. Although…
Gaza truck drivers strike to protest Karni Closure
Gisha 20 Apr 2011 – Bread prices expected to rise, [2011-03-06]
Gisha response to closing of Karni Crossing: Gaza’s Crossings Squeezed Shut
Gisha 20 Apr 2011 – , [2011-03-03]
Syrian opposition figure ‘held’
BBC 20 Apr 2011 – The Syrian authorities have arrested a prominent opposition figure, activists say, as demonstrations against President Assad’s regime continue.
Abducted Estonians in video plea
BBC 20 Apr 2011 – Seven Estonian tourists kidnapped in eastern Lebanon in March plead for help from Arab and French leaders to secure their release.
UK citizens urged to leave Syria
BBC 20 Apr 2011 – The Foreign Office urges Britons in Syria to consider leaving the country amid continuing anti-government protests.
US Denies It Is Trying to Undermine Assad
Antiwar.com 20 Apr 2011 – As anti-government protests in Syria showed no sign of abating, the U.S. State Department Monday denied that it was seeking the regime’s ouster. “No, we are not working to undermine that government,” said spokesman Mark Toner in response to a front-page report in Monday’s Washington Post…
Let’s Plant Justice at Home & Abroad
US Campaign to End the Occupation 20 Apr 2011 – April 20, 2011, A growing community is saying YES — to freedom, justice and equality for all — by starting a recurring monthly donation to the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Please join us today, and tell a friend.
How Many Weapons to Israel? Find Out on Our New Site.
US Campaign to End the Occupation 20 Apr 2011 – April 15, 2011, Check out our new site: www.weaponstoisrael.org to learn this Tax Day exactly how Israel misuses U.S. weapons to commit human rights abuses against Palestinians. The numbers of weapons transferred are staggering. The devastation to Palestinians is immense.
Articles
Nabi Saleh: A tiny village’s struggle againt the occupation
Idan Landau, translation by Dena Shunra, +972 Magazine4/19/2011
In just over one year of unarmed demonstrations in Nabi Saleh, a small Palestinian community in the West Bank, 155 of the village’s 500 residents were wounded (about 60 of them children); 35 homes were damaged and dozens of the village’s people were detained. Yet even after the protest’s leader was put behind bars by the army, the struggle for the Nabi Saleh’s land continues.
The objects seen in the picture: a magazine (known as a “tampon”) attached to a Tavor gun, and a human skull, attached to a neck. The gun is vertical; the neck is horizontal. You could say they’ve made contact.
Inside the magazine: 12 to 16 rubber-coated metal pellets. Inside the skull: soft, gray brain tissue. Thoughts and memories. A soul.
The purpose of the weapon: dispersing demonstrations at a minimum range of 40 meters. The purpose of the brain: to live. To remember such moments.
Will the rubber-metal pellets go through that brain? Probably not. However, the thought about it doubtlessly goes through the man’s mind. One could say that this is actually happening at the photographed moment. Does pressing the magazine to the head of a man lying on the ground constitute “dispersion of demonstrations” at a minimal range of 40 meters?
Pointless question. That is not the point here. The point is sowing fear and terror, emotional terror. more.. e-mail
On the wrong side of Israel’s wall
IRIN – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs4/21/2011
Jerusalem
The one-room school building in the Palestinian village of An Nabi Samwil, near Jerusalem, serves as a classroom for eight pupils, a staff room, storeroom and the principal’s office. During the winter months or on hot summer days, it is also the children’s playground. “The biggest difficulty I face here is that I am not able to add anything more to our premises,” says school principal Khalil Abu Argu. “We have no facilities.” The school serves 30 families in the picturesque village, which has panoramic views of Jerusalem and the West Bank. But a major problem for residents is that it is a struggle to reach either, as the village – along with 15 others – lies on the Jerusalem side of Israel’s “Separation Wall”. The “Separation Wall”, or barrier, has been under construction since 2002. Israel claims it is essential to protect its citizens from Palestinian “terrorism”. In Jerusalem this wall, however, has not been built along the Jerusalem municipal boundary, meaning that these 16 Palestinian communities are cut off from their families and basic services. An Nabi Samwil village also falls within Area C, where Israel retains military authority and full control over building and planning permission. Responsibility for the provision of services falls to the Palestinian Authority (PA), but because of the wall, the PA cannot access the area. more.. e-mail
A crime against Palestine
Wissam Abu Zeid, Ma’an News Agency4/21/2011
The last thing a supporter of the Palestinian cause expects is to be kidnapped and killed in an atrocious way by a ” Palestinian group.”
Vittorio Arrigoni a member of the international solidarity movement, was killed few days ago. Arrigoni, who left his country, Italy, and his fiancee, to come to the Gaza Strip to be with thousands of Palestinians who have been under Israeli siege for more than five years. He was representing many pro-Palestine activists from all over the world who believe that the Palestinians should get their legitimate and inalienable rights.
These supporters started their struggle alongside the Palestinian struggle many years ago. Many of them died for the sake of our freedom, like Rachel Corrie who was crushed to death by an Israeli caterpillar bulldozer, while trying to prevent the demolishing of a Palestinian house in Gaza.
This crime should raise awareness of the need to end Palestinian division. The “deposed government” in Gaza is responsible for this crime due to the environment it is creating, which allows the mushrooming of fundamental groups that carry extremist and criminal acts. Instead of protecting their factional interests, they must stop all kinds of incitement in the Palestinian society.
As a Palestinian I was shocked to hear that a Palestinian group kidnapped Arrigoni and demanded a ransom to set him free. Those who committed this crime are not Palestinians in patriotism nor in traditions. They are strangers to our struggle and serve a non-Palestinian agenda. more.. e-mail
Interview: Hamas lawmaker defies order to leave Jerusalem
Electronic Intifada: 20 Apr 2011 – Jillian Kestler-D’Amours The Electronic Intifada The Electronic Intifada contributor Jillian Kestler-D’Amours spoke with Muhammad Totah on the 289th day of his refugee at the Red Cross headquarters in East Jerusalem about why he has refused Israel’s orders to leave the city.more
The Slanderer as Historian
Palestine Chronicle: 20 Apr 2011 – By Jeremy Salt – Ankara Benny Morris is a man who has completely lost his moral compass. One has to assume it was there at some point, but driven by the logic of his own research, and forced to make a choice, Morris opted for justification rather than rejection of the war crimes committed by Israel in 1948. He made his name as an historian with The Birth of the Palestine Refugee Problem 1947-1949 (1989). The central value of this book lay in what Morris found in the Zionist archives, corroborating what Palestinian survivors of the first phase of the Nakba and Palestinian historians had been saying for decades. Morris did not write anything they did not already know. In the western cultural mainstream, however, the book was regarded as ‘groundbreaking’, and in a way it was. The fact that a Jew had written the book was important. Western liberals…more
Ghosts from the Past Pile Pressure on Assad
Palestine Chronicle: 20 Apr 2011 – By Shahab Jafry – Dubai Syria is not blessed, or rather cursed, with the black gold endowment that is irresistible for imperial interests, yet the late Hafez al Assad raised it to such prominence in the Middle East political calculus that every American president from Nixon to Clinton was forced to indulge in diplomatic business with it. George Bush turned the trend on his son and unlikely successor Bashar by openly trumpeting the neocon call for regime change in Syria, but the latter survived to welcome a call for engagement from Obama. Indeed, survival itself is the biggest feat for whoever holds the seat of power in the politics of Baathist Damascus, and Bashar al Assad has played his cards well since the bloodless succession of 2000. With the wave of popular protests now trending its way into Syria, though, Dr Assad faces the toughest test of his presidency, one…more
Arab Spring: Obama Can Do Better
Palestine Chronicle: 20 Apr 2011 – By George S. Hishmeh – Washington – D.C. For some reason or another, Barack Obama is being hesitant, certainly confusing, about revealing his followup plans, if any, for ushering Moammar Qaddafi out of Libya now that the bloodbath in that strife-torn oil-rich North African Arab state had become intolerable. In the strategic oil port of Misrata on the Mediterranean, more than a thousand have reportedly been killed in the civil war that has been raging in the country for several weeks. All spokesmen for the American president would say is similar to what Assistant Secretary of State Philip H. Gordon told reporters in Washington at a special briefing: “If we get to a situation in which other assets are needed that we don’t currently have and NATO commanders ask for them, then, obviously, the United States would consider those requests. But that’s not the situation that we’re facing now, and…more
Qana: A Lesson Still Unlearned
Dissident Voice: 20 Apr 2011 – With his now infamous Washington Post op-ed , Richard Goldstone has publicly swallowed the excuse that has become so trite that it could serve as a tag line for the Israeli military: ‘it was a regrettable mistake’. The Israeli public relations team has cultivated a rhetoric so distorted that it is able, on the one hand, to claim to be the most proficient military in the Middle East and yet, on the other hand, to shrug off mistake after fatal mistake. Perhaps the most egregious example of its so-called ‘regrettable mistakes’ occurred fifteen years ago, on 18 April 1996. Israeli Forces shelled the compound of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the village of Qana, Southern Lebanon. Over 100 people were killed, with many more, including four UN soldiers, severely wounded. Those who survived would never be the same. In words that sadly foreshadowed those of the original…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 
Leave a comment