3 May, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Egypt’s FM Meets Hamas Leaders, Cairo Prepares For Official Ceremony Of Signing Unity Deal
IMEMC – Wednesday May 04, 2011 – 04:05, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Nabil Al Arabi, met on Tuesday evening with the visiting Hamas delegation headed by Hamas’ Political Bureau Chief, Khalid Mashal, and held talks on the latest developments in the Arab World and the Palestinian Unity Agreement.
23 Killed, 81 wounded, By Army Fire In Gaza, In April
IMEMC – Wednesday May 04, 2011 – 03:55, The Higher Committee for Emergency and Medical Services in Gaza, issued a report on Israeli attacks and violations against the Gaza Strip in April, revealing that Israeli soldiers killed 23 Palestinians, including two children, and wounded 81.
Palestinian Factions Sing Reconciliation Deal
IMEMC – Wednesday May 04, 2011 – 03:30, Cairo — PNN — Palestinian Sources announced on Tuesday afternoon that Palestinian factions have signed the national reconciliation deal in Cairo.
Troops Arrest seven Palestinians; Residents Clash with Settlers
IMEMC – Tuesday May 03, 2011 – 12:48, Israeli troops arrested on Tuesday morning seven Palestinian civilians among them two children during invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo
5/4/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Palestinian factions signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo on Tuesday to end the divide between the West Bank and Gaza and hold elections in a year in an agreement Israel called a blow to peace. Representatives of 13 factions, including President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party and its rival Hamas, as well….
Settlers set fire to Huwwara prayer hall
5/4/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Ultra-orthodox Jewish Israeli settlers raided the northern west Bank town of Huwwara in the early hours of Tuesday morning and according to residents set fire a prayer hall in the local school. Ghassan Daghlas, PA official charged with monitoring settler activity in the district, said the prayer hall in Huwwara sustained….
Witnesses: Army raids Nabi Saleh
5/4/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces closed the village of An-Nabi Saleh on Monday night, shutting down entrances with road blocks and restricting movement of residents, witnesses said. Israeli troops were deployed throughout the village for unknown reasons, leading to clashes with teenagers, witnesses said,. An Israeli military spokeswoman said there was no military activity….
Witnesses: Hebron settlers attack construction workers
5/3/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Dozens of Israeli settlers assaulted a group of Palestinian construction workers in Hebron’s city center on Tuesday, residents said. Nayef Da’na told Ma’an that settlers attacked him and other workers as they restored a home near Ash-Shuhuda street, an area long closed down due to….
Israeli forces detain PLC deputy in Jericho
5/4/2011 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained Palestinian Legislative Council member Ali Romanin from his home in Al-Ouja village north of Jericho on Tuesday morning, officials confirmed. The legislator, elected with Hamas’ Change and Reform Bloc, was released in October 2010 after more than four years in an Israeli prison. An Israeli military spokeswoman….
Official: Settler tries to stab Palestinian
5/4/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — An Israeli settler tried Tuesday to stab Palestinians near Qaryot village south of Nablus, a Palestinian official said. Ghassan Doughlas, a Fatah official charged with monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank, said a settler from “Alia” attacked a farmer and tried to stab him even though he had a….
Prisoner strike secures eye surgery for inmate
5/3/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A successful prisoners strike saw a Palestinian detainee in Israel receive eye surgery, which friends and relatives said was long overdue, Hussam Detainees’ Center said. Sufian Al-Zibda, from Gaza City, had an operation on his left retina at the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, the center said. A prison doctor….
Netanyahu calls on Abbas to ‘cancel’ unity deal
5/3/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called on President Mahmoud Abbas to “completely cancel” a reconciliation deal with Hamas that was signed in Cairo earlier in the day.” I call on Abu Mazen [Abbas] to completely cancel the agreement with Hamas and to choose the path to peace with Israel,” Netanyahu said….
Israeli forces close Huwarra checkpoint
5/4/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces closed the Huwara checkpoint south of Nablus and posted flying checkpoints on the entrance of a number of villages. Ghassan Doughlas, Fatah official in the north, said the forces closed the checkpoints in preparation for a settler demonstration on Tuesday afternoon….
Egypt wants Palestinian students to prove good conduct
5/3/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank who are enrolled in Egyptian universities have been asked to proof of a background check for security-related issues. As they have only one week left before deadline, they appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas and officials in Cairo to look into….
Barenboim opens ‘peace concert’ in Gaza
5/3/2011 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Hundreds of eager Palestinians, many of them schoolchildren, packed into a hall in northern Gaza on Tuesday for a rare concert conducted by Israeli maestro Daniel Barenboim. As the audience settled into their seats, musicians from orchestras across Europe, who have come together for the special performance, stepped onto the stage for….
Al-Aqsa spokesman denies bin Laden statement
5/3/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The spokesman of Fatah’s military wing on Tuesday denied issuing a statement marking Osama bin Laden’s death. Abu Uday of the Al-Aqsa Brigades said the group did not and had no plans to comment because bin Laden’s death was unrelated to Palestine. He said….
Fayyad: No salaries as PA waits for tax revenues
5/3/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority premier Salam Fayyad said Monday that Israel’s decision to withhold Palestinian tax revenue over the announcement of Palestinian unity would not deter reconciliation efforts.” The Palestinian Authority will never accept division as the price of financial support,” Fayyad told reporters Monday afternoon in Ramallah. Israel’s….
Marking World Press Freedom Day in Palestine
5/3/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian journalists were oppressed during the past year, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said marking the annual World Press Freedom Day. According to the syndicate, there were 280 violations of journalists’ rights during the past year 179 of which were by Israeli forces and settlers while the other 101 by security….
Abbas in Egypt to conclude unity deal
5/4/2011 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas arrived Tuesday to Egypt to announce the end of division and officially sign the Palestinian reconciliation. In his two-day visit, Abbas is set to make a statement during the ceremony as he is the president of the Palestinian state, the PLO and Palestinian Authority. Minister of Awqaf and….
Israel’s Teva to buy Japan’s Taiyo
5/3/2011 – TOKYO (AFP) — Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has decided to buy Japan’s third-largest generic drug company Taiyo Pharmaceutical Industry for about $500 million, the Nikkei newspaper said Tuesday. Teva, the world’s top generic drug maker, will likely take control of Taiyo by purchasing a majority stake from the founding family….
Gaza’s sole operating crossing partly open
5/3/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Around 260 truckloads of goods in addition to limited amounts of cooking gas will be permitted into Gaza by Israel’s crossings authority on Tuesday, a Palestinian liaison officer said. The goods, which include 12 loads of construction materials for UNRWA-sponsored projects, will enter via the sole remaining commercial….
Sarkozy hints France could recognize Palestinian state
5/3/2011 – PARIS (AFP) — France may recognize an independent Palestinian state this year if peace talks are not back on track by September, President Nicolas Sarkozy hinted in comments published Tuesday….
Factions to sign unity deal in Cairo
5/3/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Palestinian factions will sign a reconciliation deal in Cairo on Tuesday intended to repair ties between Hamas and Fatah and end a bitter divide between the West Bank and Gaza. The surprise deal, announced last week, comes after 18 months of failed talks and envisions the formation of an interim government of independent…. Related: Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo
‘Jihad to continue without bin Laden’
5/4/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A statement claiming to be from the Al-Aqsa Brigades mourned Tuesday the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, killed by US troops in Pakistan. A spokesman for Fatah’s armed wing subsequently denied making the remarks, saying the group had sent no statement and would not comment on….
Israel to lobby UK, France over Palestinian state
5/4/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — When Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu visits Britain and France this week, he will point to a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal as part of his fight to head off UN recognition of a Palestinian state. Hours before leaving Israel, Netanyahu drove home his rejection of the deal, calling on President Mahmoud Abbas to “completely….
Netanyahu: Bin Laden killing ‘victory for justice’
5/3/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel on Monday hailed the assassination of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at the hands of US forces in Pakistan as a “victory for justice.” “This is an historic day for the United States of America and for all the countries engaged in the battle against terrorism,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in….
Hamas and Fatah; unfit to lead, unfit to manage liberation and freedom.
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – In few hours in Cairo and in the presence of Arab and international guests, both Mahmoud Abbas as head of Fatah and Khaled Mishal as head of Hamas will sign and execute the ” Cairo reconciliation agreement” ending the feudal…
Conductor Daniel Barenboim holds Gaza ‘peace concert’
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – BBC- Hundreds of Palestinians, many of them schoolchildren, attended the first performance in the coastal territory by an international classical ensemble. Israel forbids its civilian citizens from travelling to Gaza, so Barenboim entered via Egypt with 25 musicians. Read Full…
Palestinian residents say fire damages village mosque in West Bank, suspect Israeli settlers
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – Washington Post – Palestinian villagers say a mosque has been set on fire in the northern West Bank. The residents of Hawara village near Nablus say they didn’t see anyone at the scene of the pre-dawn blaze on Tuesday. But…
The Palestinians have abandoned Oslo
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – Yossi Gurvitz , +972 Magazine- If any proof was necessary to understand Palestinians must leave the old paths and strike their own way, the response of Finance Minister Steinitz to the reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah provided it. Steinitz announced ( Hebrew )…
Dozens of Palestinians pay tribute to bin Laden in Gaza
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – Haaretz – About 25 people holding pictures and posters of bin Laden rallied outside a Gaza City university. The crowd included al-Qaida sympathizers as well as students who said they opposed bin Laden’s ideology, but were angry at the U.S….
Palestinian government workers face pay cuts after Israel freezes tax money
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – Haaretz – Palestinian government workers fear pay cuts this month after Israel halted the transfer of tax revenues in response to a deal to reunite the former Palestinian rival groups Fatah and Hamas. But many believe the surprise agreement between…
Cut off from healthcare
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – IRIN – Fuad Ahmed Jabo’s mother was 70 when she died of a heart attack at their home in the Palestinian village of Tantour in Beit Jala, between Israeli-controlled Jerusalem and the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. They had called a…
Palestinian Factions Sign Reconciliation Deal
Palestine Note 3 May 2011 – Hamas refuses to take sides in Syria uprising Al Jazeera – Palestinian factions have signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year. Representatives of factions including Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party and its…
US: Bin Laden was unarmed when shot dead
AlJazeera 3 May 2011 – CIA chief says a photo showing bin Laden dead will ultimately be released.
UN: Libyan refugee crisis worsening
AlJazeera 3 May 2011 – UN says almost 40,000 people have fled fighting in Western Mountains region into neighbouring Tunisia in past month.
Deadly car bomb hits Shia area of Baghdad
AlJazeera 3 May 2011 – Explosion kills at least 16 people and wounds dozens more in southern neighbourhood of Iraqi capital.
Red Cross calls for access to Deraa
AlJazeera 3 May 2011 – Organisation urges Syria to lift restrictions on access to casualties in besieged city as international pressure grows.
Bahrain charges medics for aiding protesters
AlJazeera 3 May 2011 – Doctors and nurses who treated injured anti-government protesters to stand trial in military court.
Palestinian factions sign reconciliation deal
AlJazeera 3 May 2011 – Representatives of factions including Fatah and its rival Hamas ink deal following talks in Egypt.
Iran presses Syria over missing journalist
AlJazeera 2 May 2011 – Foreign minister “demands” Syrian government look into case of missing Al Jazeera English journalist Dorothy Parvaz.
Sources: Palestinian Factions Sing Reconciliation Deal
PNN – Cairo — PNN — Palestinian Sources announced on Tuesday afternoon that Palestinian factions have signed the national reconciliation deal in Cairo. According to sources a meeting took place with the participation of…
I Thought I Am Going to Die
PNN – Jerusalem — Maysa Abu Ghazaleh/PNN exclusive — “I thought I am going to die” this is how 19 year old Ala Sharawnah from Jerusalem recalls Monday night after surviving an attack by…
Mofaz Calls for Assassinating Palestinian Leaders
PNN – Tal Aviv — PNN — Chirman of the Israeli Parliamentary Committee for Forging Affairs and Security Shaul Mofaz of the right wing Kadima asked the Israeli government to assassinate Palestinian leaders like…
UN Special Rapporteur: Israel Killed 1300 Palestinian Children Since 2000
PNN – Amman — PNN – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, announced a new report documenting 1300 Palestinian children killed…
Troops Arrest seven Palestinians; Residents Clash with Settlers
PNN – Bethlehem- PNN — Israeli troops arrested on Tuesday morning seven Palestinian civilians among them two children during invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities. In Bethlehem city, southern West Bank, Israeli…
Bassem Tamimi: ‘Our destiny is to resist’
5/3/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 02 May, Max Blumenthal, Electronic Intifada – When I met Bassem Tamimi at his home in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh this January, his eyes were bloodshot and sunken, signs of the innumerable sleepless nights he had spent waiting for Israeli soldiers to take him to prison. As soon as two children were….
Settlers set fire to Huwwara prayer hall
5/3/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 3 May, Maan – Ultra-orthodox Jewish Israeli settlers raided the northern west Bank town of Huwwara in the early hours of Tuesday morning and according to residents set fire a prayer hall in the local school. Ghassan Daghlas, PA official charged with monitoring settler activity in the district, said the prayer hall in Huwwara sustained material…. Related: Maan
Israeli army kidnaps Palestinian legislator in Jericho
3 May 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces arrested Tuesday at dawn the elected legislator, Ali Romanin, from his house in the village of Al-Ouja in the northern Jericho.
Settlers burn mosque in Hawara
3 May 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Dozens of settlers set fire Tuesday in a mosque inside a local school in the northern West Bank town of Hawara.
Palestinian injured by Israeli army near Hebron
3 May 2011 – West bank, (Pal Telegraph)- A Palestinian citizen was shot today as Israeli soldiers raided Al-Uroob refugee camp in the north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Occupation brutality continues in Silwan
3 May 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces detained yesterday a Palestinian woman from Baten El-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan town and five youths from Ein Alluza neighborhood in the south of al-Aqsa mosque.
Compromise behind Fatah-Hamas deal
The National 3 May 2011 – Deal between Hamas and Fatah called ‘tactically beneficial compromise’ for both but pressure especially pronounced on Hamas say analysts.
Violence sends Syrian families to Lebanon
The National 3 May 2011 – Syrian families flee across the border to Lebanon to escape escalating violence in their hometown.
Israel diplomats view Hamas-Fatah deal differently than Netanyahu
Ha’aretz – Confidential Foreign Ministry report calls Palestinian reconciliation agreement ‘an opportunity,’ despite premier’s recent comments following the deal’s announcement.
Issacharoff & Harel / Gaps between Hamas, Fatah loom large despite unity deal
Ha’aretz – As Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel point out, while the agreement calls for the mutual release of prisoners, Hamas is reporting that four of its activists were arrested in the West Bank.
Will bin Laden killing pave way for similar moves by Israel?
Ha’aretz – Former top IDF intel official talks to Haaretz about a gradual change in the rules of confrontation in the framework of the global war on terror.
U.S. slams ‘outrageous’ Hamas condemnation of bin Laden killing
Ha’aretz – Hamas leader says bin Laden killing was a ‘continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood’
Zvi Bar’el / Turkey striving to be among ‘new axis’ in Mideast
Ha’aretz – Turkey, which aspires to be the top mediator between ‘the east and the west’ and between the Arabs and themselves, suddenly finds that its circle of friends has grown.
Right-wing Israelis barricade themselves in Jewish holy sight in West Bank
Ha’aretz – A nighttime operation planned by Bratslav Hasidim and right-wing activists from an organization called Garin He’arim Ha’ivriot ended with 55 arrests.
Police chief promotes officer who was recorded cursing settlers
Ha’aretz – New Jerusalem District Commander Niso Shaham was recorded calling right-wing demonstrators during the Gaza disengagement ‘shits’ and saying he hopes they burn.
U.S. Treasury nears decision on expanding Iran sanctions
Ha’aretz – The law, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program, effectively requires banks to choose between dealing with the U.S.-led financial system or to continue doing business with Iran.
Abbas arrives in Cairo ahead of signing Fatah-Hamas unity deal
Ha’aretz – Relations with Israel will be a key issue for the Palestinian unity government, as the Fatah-led PA has been engaged in the peace process while Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist.
France hints at recognition of Palestinian state ahead of Netanyahu visit
Ha’aretz – In interview with L’Express magazine, French President Sarkozy says if ‘peace process is still dead in September, France will face up to its responsibilities on the central question of recognition of a Palestinian state.’
Netanyahu calls on Abbas to cancel Hamas unity deal
Ha’aretz – After meeting with Mideast envoy Tony Blair, the prime minister says the Hamas-Fatah unity deal will sabotage peace efforts; Netanyahu points to Hamas’ recent praise of bin Laden as reason for concern.
Dozens of Palestinians pay tribute to bin Laden in Gaza
Ha’aretz – Rally includes al-Qaida sympathizers as well as students opposed to bin Laden’s ideology but angry at U.S. for killing him; Hamas police refrain from interfering with the demonstration.
Katsav prison sentence delayed until ruling on his appeal
Ha’aretz – Katsav was sentenced last month to seven years in jail after being found guilty of rape and other sexual offenses; appeal hearing to take place within days.
U.S. says reported Syrian actions in Deraa ‘barbaric’
Ha’aretz – Assad has sent tanks and soldiers into the southern city of Deraa, where the uprising broke out; Syrian rights groups say more than 560 civilians have been killed.
U.S.: Bin Laden was not armed during assault on compound
Ha’aretz – White House spokesman Jay Carney says the al-Qaida leader resisted before he was shot by U.S. troops; White House evaluating possibility of releasing photos of bin Laden’s body, but they are concerned that the ‘gruesome’ pictures could be inflammatory in the Mideast.
CIA director: U.S. was concerned Pakistan may ‘alert targets’ before bin Laden operation
Ha’aretz – Pakistani president denies that his government may have sheltered bin Laden, but admits that his security forces were left out of U.S. operation to kill the al Qaida chief.
Bottom Dollar / Only an economic rally will help Obama
Ha’aretz – Unlike during his lifetime, in his death bin Laden has no real economic impact – not on the U.S. and not on the rest of the world; that is why Obama will need more than a dead terrorist, as wanted as he may have been, to improve his public image.
Spat delays purchase of 72 new train cars
Ha’aretz – Israel Railways has suspended the purchase of 72 train cars from a French firm because of a dispute with the Finance Ministry over whether the new carriages are needed; the treasury argues the railway company only needs a third of the cars.
Bin Laden death lifted spirits, but not dollar
Ha’aretz – The dollar continued its fall yesterday against the shekel, dropping more than 0.5% to close at a representative rate of NIS 3.377.
Daniel Barenboim and orchestra perform Mozart in Gaza
Ha’aretz – Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Islamic Hamas militants seized control from the Western-backed Fatah.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad pledge to honor truce with Israel under unity government
Ha’aretz – Palestinian rival factions to sign reconciliation agreement on Wednesday; relations with Israel expected to take center stage.
Palestinian government workers face pay cuts after Israel freezes tax money
Ha’aretz – Israel withholds transfer of $105 million in customs duties and other levies it collects on behalf of the PA, fearing the money would fall into the hands of Hamas; PM Fayyad says PA won’t be able to pay wages unless Israel releases the funds.
Palestinians accuse settlers after fire erupts at West Bank mosque
Ha’aretz – An Israeli police spokesman says incident was being investigated; Nablus governor calls incident part of a series of aggressions by settlers in the area’.
Barak: Assad nearing end of reign in Syria
Ha’aretz – Defense Minister says Israel should not fear Syrian president being replaced; ‘Changes in Mideast hold great promise for Israel’s children and grandchildren’, says Barak.
Palestinian PM’s future uncertain as Hamas and Fatah move toward unity
Ha’aretz – The ouster of internationally respected Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad could cost the Palestinians millions of dollars in aid; Hamas claims Fayyad is a tool of the West.
U.S. Supreme Court to consider Jerusalem passport case
Ha’aretz – Case involves a U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem, who was refused to list his place of birth as Jerusalem, Israel on his American passport as the U.S. does not recognize any country as having sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Netanyahu tells Obama: Bin Laden’s death shows U.S. determined to fight terror
Ha’aretz – Israeli PM calls U.S. president to congratulate him on assassination of al-Qaida leader, after earlier deeming operation a ‘resounding victory for justice’.
Poll: Palestinians retained highest support of Osama bin Laden since 2003
Ha’aretz – Muslim support for the assassinated al-Qaida leader has declined rapidly since 2003, but Palestinian Muslims remain more enthusiastic that he would do the right thing; only 1% Lebanese Muslims voice support for bin Laden.
Clinton: Battle against terror doesn’t end with Osama bin Laden’s death
Ha’aretz – Speaking hours after Bin Laden was killed in a fiery American assault on his fortress-like compound in a town that is home to three army regiments, Clinton declared: We must redouble our efforts.
Fallen champions: Story of ’28 Dutch women gymnastics team
Jeruslalem Post 4 May 2011 – Five of the gymnasts, as well as their coach Gerrit Kleerekoper, were Jewish. Only one of those six survived the Holocaust.
Interfaith delegation travels to Istanbul
Jeruslalem Post 4 May 2011 – Clergymen to meet with influential Turkish preacher; Rabbi, Catholic priest, Druse kadi, Beduin sheikh will spend 3 days with Adnan Oktar.
‚ÄòGov’t must understand foreign media does’t work for it’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Rapaport says critics would find plenty of positive news coverage of Israel in foreign television media if they look hard enough.
Animal society: Keep dogs indoors on Independence Day
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – The dogs become alarmed at the sudden upsurge in loud noises, run away, and lose their way back home, the society said.
Balearic Islands honors 33 Jews massacred 3 centuries ago
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Most decedents of Chuetas are said to be unaware, indifferent to Jewish heritage, but about a dozen individuals have returned to Judaism.
Death rates from melanoma down
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Cancer Association credits drop to earlier diagnosis and less exposure to sun; survey shows 55% of Israelis avoid suntanning.
‘Public trusts courts more than other gov’t branches’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Supreme Court President Beinisch speaks about accomplishments of late Supreme Court Judge Moshe Landau.
Child poverty here highest in OECD
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – “Most recent trends show widening gap between poor and rich in high-inequality countries, such as Israel and US,” says organization.
Israel’s per capita rate of lawyers among world’s highest
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Last year saw 6.5 percent growth in the number of lawyers compared to 2009, with roughly 45,000 lawyers in the country.
Abbas and Mashaal in Cairo to end Fatah-Hamas schism
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Palestinian groups reach agreement in principle ahead of formal signing; Egyptian intelligence chief meets with top Palestinian Islamist.
Online jihadis eulogize ‚Äòlion of Islam’ bin Laden
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – News of the killing of al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden has sent shock waves through many jihadi online forums around the world.
Shalem Center gets major grant for college
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – $12.5 million from Tikvah Fund puts think tank more than halfway to goal; college is currently going through accreditation process.
State to approve outposts on land not privately owned
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Govovernment statement to High Court indicates it is aiming to authorize some outposts; will demolish houses built on privately owned land.
US intel officials mining bin Laden’s computers
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – White House unsure whether to release ‚Äòinflammatory’ photographs of slain al-Qaida leader; identifying terror targets from seized documents.
First Person: Childish joy is subsumed by national pride
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – As bin Laden’s demise sinks in, simplistic ‚ÄòDing dong, Osama’s dead’ gives way to deeper sense of justice done, challenges ahead.
PM to Abbas: Cancel Fatah-Hamas unity agreement
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with UK’s Cameron, France’s Sarkozy, as Palestinian factions are set to ratify deal in Cairo.
US: Hamas mourning of bin Laden death is ‘outrageous’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – State Department official slams group for calling al-Qaida leader “holy warrior”; UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says it would have been “better” for Hamas to join voices around the world welcoming bin Laden killing.
‘Pakistani intel. likely aware of Bin Laden’s hideout’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Terrorism analyst Boaz Ganor says despite some cooperation between US and ISI, intelligence officials “didn’t hand over the head of the snake.”
‘ME revolutions not a positive development for Israel’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Speaking at Bar-Ilan U., ex-IDF Chief of Staff-designate Yoav Galant says Gaza rocket fire “a challenge to our very presence on this strip of land.”
Fatah armed wing rues bin Ladens death: ‘Catastrophe’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Al-Aqsa Brigades says al-Qaida leader’s death “won’t stop Jihad against occupation”; news agency accused of deceptive English translation.
Courier who led US to bin Laden was involved in 9/11
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti, courier for bin Laden, provided computer training to 9/11’s “20th hijacker” and likely was linked to bin Laden prior to 2001.
‘Fatah-linked group slams bin Laden assassination’
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Al-Aqsa Brigades says al-Qaida leader’s death “won’t stop our Jihad mission against injustice and occupation,” reports Ma’an.
For 2nd time this month, PM dodges J’lem housing issue
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Housing projects in Har Homa and Pisgat Zeev removed from agenda of Interior Ministry c’tee ahead of Obama-Peres meeting.
New police chief makes sweeping changes
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Yohanan Danino, in his first week on the job, introduces major changes to police force and taps new leadership at head of several districts.
Netanyahu urges Abbas to cancel Fatah-Hamas unity deal
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – PM: “I call on Abu Mazen to choose the way of peace with Israel”; Fatah in response: PM’s calls are “unacceptable interference.”
How will Al-Qaida plan attacks without bin Laden?
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Analysis: The “boomerang effect” will likely make its appearance soon. The only question is when and where.
Katsav won’t begin 7-year rape sentence next week
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Former president’s legal team secures grace period while appeal for severity of sentence is processed in the Supreme Court.
Cairo: Hamas, Fatah ink unity deal ahead of formal signing
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Hamas officials: We’ll honor unofficial truce with Israel; Zahar says Palestinian reconciliation deal is a direct result of Mubarak’s ouster.
The Israel Factor: Obama keeps climbing
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – A real test for the US president’s standings with the Israel Factor panel will be following PM Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.
Analysis: A death blow to al-Qaida?
Jeruslalem Post 3 May 2011 – Experts: Bin Laden’s death could spark revenge terrorist attacks, but it will likely add to organization’s slow marginalization.
Israel Gathers Support from ‚ÄòBest Enemy’
IPS First Egypt, then Syria, finally the Palestinians — while most Israelis concur with their Prime Minister that the revolutions, upheavals and shifting alliances closing in on their country have postponed peace prospects, remarkably, the evolving events convulsing the region may yet restore their country’s battered legitimacy.
[uruknet.info] Syrian security forces take city of Banias
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – Syrian security forces swept into the coastal city of Banias on Tuesday, a protest leader said, taking control of another urban centre from demonstrators challenging the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad. “They moved into the main market area. The army has sealed the northern entrance and security forces [sealed] the south,” Anas al-Shughri…
[uruknet.info] Part Two: When a Palestinian child becomes an enemy
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – Last week, I wrote about the process by which a Palestinian child becomes an enemy in the eyes of Israeli soldiers. I wrote it from the perspective of a close friend of mine who had recently completed a round of reserve duty in the village of Ni’ilin, where he routinely shot at children with…
[uruknet.info] Syria: detainees tell of torture amid mass arrests
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – …Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Philip Luther said: “These disturbing new accounts of detainees being tortured further underscore the need for President Bashar al-Assad to put an end to his security forces’ violent onslaught against his own people. “The use of unwarranted lethal force, arbitrary detention and torture appear to…
[uruknet.info] Israeli Army Seales Nabi Saleh Village
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – Israeli soldiers sealed late on Monday at night the entrances of Nabi Saleh village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, after closing its two main gates and installing roadblocks on minor roads leading to the village. Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of soldiers invaded the village and clashes with local youths who…
[uruknet.info] Osama bin Laden ‘Was Not Armed and Did Not Use Wife as Human Shield’
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – US officials had claimed that Osama Bin Laden had been “firing behind” his wife when he was shot through the eye by a US Navy Seal, painting a powerful image of the world’s most wanted man cowering behind a defenceless woman. In the original account of the firefight, John Brennan, a US counter-terrorism official…
[uruknet.info] When Israeli soldiers came to arrest my father
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – Last week, on 21 April, Israeli soldiers invaded my home in Ramallah, held hostage all those present, and forced me at gunpoint to call my father, a writer and human rights advocate, in order to demand his surrender. This is common operating procedure for Israeli occupation forces. This time, however, they had taken hostage…
[uruknet.info] Libya: NATO Transitions To Terror Bombing Phase Of War
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – On the evening of April 30 a Libyan government spokesman announced that an air strike by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had hit a target in Tripoli, killing leader Muammar Gaddafi’s 29-year-old son Saif al-Arab, three of the former’s grandchildren, all under twelve years of age, and several friends and neighbors. The attack followed…
[uruknet.info] What If Bush Did It? A Nation Celebrates What It is Told
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – ….WASHINGTON, May 5, 2004 – In a dramatic late-night appearance in the White House press room, President George W. Bush announced that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction had been found in a secret stronghold near the Syrian border. “We knew he had them, we knew we would find them. It was just a matter…
[uruknet.info] Witnesses: Hebron settlers attack construction workers
Uruknet May 3, 2011 — Dozens of Israeli settlers assaulted a group of Palestinian construction workers in Hebron’s city center on Tuesday, residents said. Nayef Da’na told Ma’an that settlers attacked him and other workers as they restored a home near Ash-Shuhuda street, an area long closed down due to settler violence and military patrols. The owner of the…
[uruknet.info] Cheering for war and empire
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – THE ASSASSINATION of Osama bin Laden is being celebrated as rough justice by U.S. politicians across the spectrum and a mainstream media that is glorying in every grisly detail. It is nothing of the sort. Bin Laden’s death did not make the world “safer” and “a better place,” as Barack Obama claimed in his…
[uruknet.info] Siege brings Gaza’s garment industry to a halt
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – Near an abandoned sewing factory in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Mohammad Khamis Hamdan runs a small travel agency dedicated to serving pilgrims to the Saudi Arabia city of Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. Hamdan opened the travel agency after being forced to shut down the sewing factory following Israel’s imposition of…
[uruknet.info] Osama bin Laden: US changes account of al-Qaida leader’s death
Uruknet May 3, 2011 – The US has backed away from its initial account of the killing of Osama bin Laden, which claimed that the al-Qaida leader was carrying a weapon and fired at US troops before he was shot dead. On Monday, John Brennan, a counterterrorism adviser to Barack Obama, said Bin Laden was “engaged in a firefight”…
[uruknet.info] Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo
Uruknet May 3, 2011 — Palestinian factions gathered in Cairo on Tuesday signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year, an AFP correspondent said. Representatives of 13 factions, including President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party and its rival Hamas, as well as independent political figures inked the deal following talks with Egyptian officials. A…
[uruknet.info] Is the Arab Spring’ Not Allowed in Palestine?
Uruknet May 02, 2011 – Palestinians everywhere are looking forward to the signing of a reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fateh, the two rival Palestinian factions at odds for the last four years. After much delay, finger pointing and bloodshed, the parties have finally committed to letting bygones be bygones and hopefully join hands to fight the good fight…
[uruknet.info] Dead Man Rising
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – …In any case, it would be interesting to get all the details of this operation and see the physical evidences. For every assassination or murder, there must be a corpse, but alas, there is no corpse! Less than six hours after news came that Bin Laden had been killed, it was announced that he…
[uruknet.info] Government by Assassination
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – So – Osama bin Laden’s dead and any day now we’ll be told that another ‘public enemy number one’, Colonel Gaddafi, has also been killed in the noble cause of bringing democracy to the world. Have the West really reached such rock bottom in world governance that its main policy is assassination of people…
[uruknet.info] Iraq snapshot – May 2, 2011
Uruknet May 2, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, April was the deadliest month for US troops since 2009, Iranian media says they have news of an upcoming attack, some members of the Iraqi Parliament accuse the military of doing home invasions around Baghdad, and more… Today New Sabah notes a Parliamentary Committee has lodged an accusation that the Iraqi…
[uruknet.info] Predator Drones To “Stop Genocide”?
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – …This “Predator Drones to stop genocide” narrative is a psychological operation. First, there’s the false narrative about genocide – who is committing it, and who isn’t. And second there’s the false narrative about the United States, Israel, and its allies being the “peacekeeping” policeman who, out of our moral necessity, we cannot allow “genocide”…
[uruknet.info] What were They Thinking? Suspicions will Inevitably Grow about the Extermination of Osama bin Laden
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – …Think about it a moment. The US had the living Osama bin Ladin in their hands, or at least trapped in a room last night! After almost 10 years, they had successfully cornered the guy who allegedly managed to mastermind the biggest, most disasterous attack on the US in the modern history of the…
[uruknet.info] In Syria, Reports of Arrests Proliferate
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – Insan, a Syrian human rights group, said it had documented more than 500 arrests in Dara’a since Thursday, and more than 300 in towns on the outskirts of Damascus. Both regions have proved crucial to the persistence of the uprising, the gravest challenge yet to the more than four decades of rule by the…
[uruknet.info] Video: A putrid price for nonviolent resistance – the Skunk’
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – How do I convey the smell of the ‘Skunk’? Imagine rolling around the floor of a dairy farm for a few hours and the subsequent smell of your skin. A smell so overbearing that people can’t bear to be in the same room with you. Now, imagine that you can’t get that smell two…
[uruknet.info] Libya: Terrorists Are Us?
Uruknet May 2, 2011 – Given the ferocity of the attack on Libya, the country Tony Blair credited himself with bringing in from the cold and turning in to a new trading partner, Colonel Qadhafi, has been remarkably conciliatory. On 5th., April he wrote to President Obama, more in sorrow than in anger. The irony of a half African,…
Palestinian factions ink reconciliation deal ending long rift
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Smaller Palestinian factions signed a reconciliation deal Tuesday ahead of a formal ceremony this week to celebrate the accord designed to end a four-year rift between the biggest factions, Hamas and Fatah.
Syrian forces stifle protesters, control Banias
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Syrian security forces swept into the coastal city of Banias Tuesday, taking control of yet another urban center from demonstrators challenging the authoritarian rule of President Bashar Assad, according to a protest leader.
Turkey seen positively in Lebanon: think tank
Daily Star 3 May 2011 More Lebanese have a positive view of Turkey than of Lebanon, according to findings by a Turkish think tank, unveiled in Beirut Tuesday.
Demolitions in south spur attacks on ISF
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Security forces demolished Tuesday eight building projects in the Zahrani district, but this latest effort in the crackdown on illegal construction left three members of Internal Security Forces injured, as anger mounted among residents.
Sleiman hopes bin Laden’s death promotes justice
Daily Star 3 May 2011 The killing of Osama bin Laden provoked mixed reactions from Lebanese officials for a second day, as President Michel Sleiman voiced hope Tuesday that his death would lay the foundations for a more just Middle East.
Journalists in Algeria press for better conditions
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Algerian journalists gathered in the capital Algiers on World Press Freedom Day Tuesday, pressing for better salaries and training.
U.S. pressing for Middle East reforms: Feltman
Daily Star 3 May 2011 The United States is urging governments in the Middle East to meet pressing demands for reform and to realize that the climate has changed, a senior official said Tuesday.
Libyan refugees flee fighting by land and sea
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi is forcing thousands of refugees to flee western Libya on foot to the Tunisian border and by boat to Europe, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Yemen ruler asks Gulf mediator to delay visit
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Yemen’s president asked a key mediator from a powerful alliance of neighboring Gulf countries to indefinitely delay his visit, said two of his associates Tuesday, in the latest blow to efforts to resolve the country’s crisis.
Tunisian journalists seek new angles in freedom after revolt
Daily Star 3 May 2011 The fall of the police state in the Tunisian uprising in January has left journalists seeking new sources and points of reference for their work, demanding a right to the free press celebrated in Tuesday’s World…
Iraqi army chief pitches regional security group to maintain stability
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Iraq’s armed forces chief proposed a regional security organization to maintain stability in talks with the Iranian ambassador, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch demands key Saudi activist’s release
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Human Rights Watch Tuesday asked the Saudi authorities to release a key rights activist and said a wave of arrests was jeopardizing any hope for reform in the Gulf kingdom.
North Sudanese army clashes with southern police
Daily Star 3 May 2011 A North Sudanese army convoy entered the contested border region of Abyei and clashed with Southern police, killing 12 people, the region’s chief administrator, a Southerner, said Tuesday.
UAE dissolves teachers board after democracy appeal
Daily Star 3 May 2011 The United Arab Emirates has sacked the board of the country’s Teachers Association, replacing it with state appointees, after it signed a public appeal calling for more democracy in the Gulf country.
Manama to charge doctors over protesters deaths
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Bahrain said Tuesday it would charge a number of medical workers with causing the deaths of two demonstrators, broadening a big crackdown on the opposition in the wake of protests that shook the Gulf island kingdom.
Islamist prisoners’ relatives demand fair trials
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Around 100 relatives of Islamist prisoners gathered Tuesday in front of Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani’s headquarters, Dar al-Fatwa, demanding the detainees be released or receive a fair trial.
South Lebanon residents resist crackdown on illegal constructions
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Angry residents in south Lebanon burned down a bulldozer and blocked roads Tuesday in protest of a security crackdown on illegal constructions on public property.
Sarkozy hints France could recognise Palestinian state
Daily Star 3 May 2011 France may recognise an independent Palestinian state this year if peace talks are not back on track by September, President Nicolas Sarkozy hinted in comments published Tuesday.
Phone call by Kuwaiti courier led to bin Laden
Daily Star 3 May 2011 When one of Osama bin Laden’s most trusted aides picked up the phone last year, he unknowingly led U.S. pursuers to the doorstep of his boss, the world’s most wanted terrorist.
Turkey urges Gadhafi to cede power, leave Libya
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Turkey Tuesday urged Moammar Gadhafi to immediately cede power and leave Libya, in its first public call on the veteran strongman to go.
Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Palestinian factions gathered in Cairo on Tuesday signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year and seeks to end the divide between Gaza and the West Bank
Nahhas: State employees to get paid end of May
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Caretaker Telecoms Minister Charbel Nahhas hit back Tuesday at caretaker Finance Minister Raya al-Hasan, reassuring Lebanese civil servants that they would get their paychecks at the end of May.
Sleiman: Bin Laden death signals new phase
Daily Star 3 May 2011 President Michel Sleiman said he hoped that the killing of Osama bin Laden would offer an entry point for distinguishing between the duty of achieving justice and fighting terrorism, Sleiman’s media office said Tuesday.
Syrian forces crackdown on protesters in Banias
Daily Star 3 May 2011 Syrian security forces swept into the coastal city of Banias Tuesday, a protest leader said, taking control of another urban center from demonstrators challenging the authoritarian rule of President Bashar Assad.
BMI flight cancelled after bird strike at Beirut port
Daily Star 3 May 2011 A British Midland Airways jetliner was forced to cancel its flight after two birds were sucked into one of its engines just before take off at Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA) in Beirut, airport sources said.
US: Syrian actions in Daraa ‘barbaric’
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – The US State Department on Tuesday described as barbaric Syria’s reported use of tanks, arbitrary arrests and cuts in power and communications in the city of Daraa, where … ….
US furious with Hamas over condemnation
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – The US State Department on Tuesday described Hamas’ condemnation of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as “outrageous.” After the Al-Qaeda chief was … ….
PM urges Abbas to cancel Hamas agreement
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Nearly a week after sending a strong message to the Palestinian Authority following reports of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu … ….
Netanyahu suspends east J’lem construction plan
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – The Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday decided to postpone plans to build housing units in Jewish neighborhoods beyond Jerusalem’s Green Line for the second time in less … ….
The call that lead to bin Laden’s downfall
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – When one of Osama bin Laden’s most trusted aides picked up the phone last year, he unknowingly led US pursuers to the doorstep of the world’s most wanted terrorist. … ….
State: Fallen soldier’s outpost home to be spared
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – State tells High Court Eli home of Major Eliraz Peretz, who was killed in Gaza,….
Iran, Egypt form closer ties
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks with Egyptian counterpart,….
Bin Laden — the conspiracy?
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – World Wide Web brims over with conspiracy theories regarding assassination of….
From slave to IDF officer: A Guinean’s story
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – At just 15 Avi Be’eri was sold to slave traders who smuggled him into Israel….
Senior officers rebuked in abuse of resources case
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Southern Command Chief Tal Russo, Brig.-Gen. Harel Knafo criticized over support….
Thai princess to visit Israel
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand will tour Israeli research centers to promote….
Bin Laden’s neighbors shocked; doubt US assassination claims
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Residents of affluent Islamabad suburb where arch-terrorist made his home….
Palestinian PM could be on his way out
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Current PM Salam Fayyad is not favored by either faction, may not be part of new….
The ones who sealed bin Laden’s fate
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Navy SEALs responsible for killing America’s no.1 enemy live by simple rule —….
Coordinated Joseph Tomb visit ends in riots, stoning
YNet News, 3 May 2011 – Under heavy IDF escort relatives of Itamar massacre victims Ben Yosef Livnat….
Fayyad Tells Europeans Israel Should Release Withheld PA Money
WAFA
Fayyad: PA is Committed to Freedom of the Press
WAFA
Palestinian Factions Sign Reconciliation Agreement
WAFA
Israel Sentences Palestinian Child to 14 Months in Prison
WAFA
Settlers Attack Workers in Hebron’s Old City
WAFA
Quartet Representative Intervening to Release Israeli-Withheld PA Funds
WAFA
Settlers Set Fire to Mosque near Nablus
WAFA
Settlers Prevent Qaryout Villagers from Farming their Land
WAFA
Fatah says Israel is Trying to Exploit Killing Ben Laden
WAFA
Israeli Soldiers Injure 4 Palestinians near Hebron
WAFA
U.S. Consulate Celebrates World Press Freedom Day
WAFA
Settlers Clash with Palestinians near Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus
WAFA
Mahmoud Abbas and his “Magic Kingdom”.
Intifada-Palestine: 3 May 2011 – by: Sami Jamil Jadallah It seems Mahmoud Abbas is perpetuating the same lies, the same fraud his predecessor did for over 30 years as the leader of the PLO and Fatah. Of course there was never liberation, there was never institution… more
ARAB DISSIDENTS’ STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
Intifada-Palestine: 3 May 2011 – Maidhc ?ì Cathail by: Maidhc ?ì Cathail If it’s true that, as Shakespeare famously put it, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” then pro-democracy Arab dissidents must be very miserable indeed. CyberDissidents.org is a project created in 2008 by the… more
Moshe Landau dies at 99; Israeli jurist presided over Adolf Eichmann trial
LA Times 2 May 2011 – Having fled Nazi Germany as a young man, Moshe Landau later presided over the trial of war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Respected Israeli jurist Moshe Landau, who fled Nazi Germany as a young man and later presided over the historic trial of captured war criminal Adolf…
Moammar Kadafi should step down, Turkish leader says
LA Times 3 May 2011 – Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has encouraged democracy movements in the Arab world but resisted giving his full support to the Libyan uprising, now says it’s time for Moammar Kadafi to go. Turkey, a key player in the Muslim world, turned decisively against…
Iran disparages news of Osama bin Laden’s death
LA Times 2 May 2011 – Iranian officials and state media, reacting to reports that U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden, alternately label the news a lie, call it a cynical move to prop up President Obama, and cite it as a reason why the U.S. should now pull its troops…
Turkish Leader Says Qaddafi Must Step Down Immediately
New York Times 3 May 2011 – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a key regional power broker, made his harshest comments to date about Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
Prosecutors Are Expected to Seek Dismissal of Charges Against Bin Laden
New York Times 3 May 2011 – With Osama bin Laden’s death, federal prosecutors in Manhattan are expected to close the case against the leader of Al Qaeda that began with an indictment in 1998.
Journalist Is Missing in Syria
New York Times 3 May 2011 – A reporter for Al Jazeera’s English-language channel, Dorothy Parvaz has not been heard from since she arrived in Damascus on Friday.
Cornel West Calls for Divestment at Arizona University
Jewish Voice for Peace –
Palestinian unity deal signed in Egypt, but questions remain
Mondoweiss – Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo CAIRO (AFP) 3 May — Palestinian factions gathered in Cairo on Tuesday signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year, an AFP correspondent said. Representatives of 13 factions, including President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah…
The dangers of the nationalistic fever and bloodlust over Osama bin Laden’s death
Mondoweiss – Make no mistake: the assassination of Osama Bin Laden will be used to continue and potentially escalate the so-called “Global War on Terror.” Already I hear the media drum beat growing that “the war must go on” and “we must fight against those that would retaliate.”…
Doesn’t look like everyone is celebrating however . . .
Mondoweiss – (h/t Max Blumenthal via Twitter )
Fatah, Hamas reconciliation part of broader strategic realignment by Egypt
WSWS – By Jean Shaoul, April 30, 2011, Egypt announced that Fatah and Hamas, the rival Palestinian parties, had agreed a “reconciliation deal” to form an interim unity government and fix a date for elections.
US, NATO defend air strike that murdered Gaddafi family members
WSWS – US and NATO officials have brushed aside charges by the Libyan government that the air strike Saturday night that killed the youngest son and three grandchildren of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was a targeted assassination intended to murder Gaddafi.
Barenboim to lead ‚Äòpeace concert’ in Gaza
Mondoweiss – and other news from Today in Palestine: Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers Beit Ummar: Israel to demolish shops HEBRON (Ma‚Äòan) 2 May — Two Beit Ummar residents received demolition warnings from Israel’s Civil Administration on Monday. Local officials said the orders stated…
Did U.S. Execute Osama bin Laden?
Tikun Olam – The killing of Osama bin Laden is beginning to look like little more than a standard IDF targeted killing. Initially, the Obama administration clearly stated that bin Laden was armed and resisted. Now, the account has been radically revised . He wasn’t armed, but ‚Äòresisted’ in some…
Success has a thousand morons
Mondoweiss – From Luke Russert (thanks to Max Blumenthal): Is #BinLaden using his wife as a human shield really surprising? Let’s not forget how poorly woman are treated in much of the #Arab world.
Text of the Agreement between Fatah and Hamas
Palestine Monitor – Translated by Al Mubadara, the Palestinian National Initiative, this document is currently in the process of being signed by all of Palestine’s factions and parties. Under the auspices of Egypt, delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements met in Cairo on April 27, 2011 to discuss…
Moti Fogel to Speak With Bereaved Palestinian on Yom HaZikaron
Tikun Olam – Moti Fogel, pictured while grieving for his murdered brother, Udi (Emil Salman) Moti Fogel , whose older brother Udi was murdered in Itamar with his wife and children a few weeks ago, plans to speak at an alternative commemoration of Israel’s Yom Ha-Zikaron alongside a bereaved Palestinian…
Israeli Women Ask Judge Sagi Why He’s Silenced Them in Even Rape Case
Tikun Olam – Rotem Cohen and Lian Ram have created a powerful short documentary film addressed to Judge Benny Sagi, who granted a gag order protecting the identity of accused rapist, Yoav Even, being disclosed in the Israeli media. Yulie Cohen wrote this powerful note to the judge…
New Egyptian government stops helping starve people of Gaza
The Only Democracy? JVP 3 May 2011 – Connecting their revolution to the Palestinian struggle in a positive way, Egypt’s new government refused to continue participation in the Siege of Gaza. Liberation will not stop at the Rafah Crossing. Hopefully this will help Israel to recognize the inevitable and cease its futile policy. Here’s…
Week 6: Hassan Salmah – Palestinian political prisoner
Middle East Monitor 3 May 2011 – Hassan Salmah has spent many long years in Israeli jails, and his tale is like all too many others; suffering and grief are at the core. He has experienced all kinds of pain, in darkened rooms and solitary confinemen; the conditions are difficult to describe, but…
Haniyah meets journalists to mark World Press Freedom Day
Middle East Monitor 3 May 2011 – EXCLUSIVE PICTURES Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah yesterday met with journalists in the Gaza Strip to mark World Press Freedom Day during which he discussed efforts to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation. Mr Haniyah told journalists that this agreement would be unlike the Mecca agreement because it discussed…
PLO says no future for the Occupation
Middle East Monitor 3 May 2011 – The Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee has condemned Israeli attempts to ‘blackmail’ the Palestinian Authority into aborting the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. It also called for international condemnation of Israeli practices. In a press release issued on Monday, May 2nd, the PLO’s Executive Committee stated that the…
Part Two: When a Palestinian Child Becomes an Enemy
Joseph Dana 3 May 2011 – Last week, I wrote about the process by which a Palestinian child becomes an enemy in the eyes of Israeli soldiers. I wrote it from the perspective of a close friend of mine who had recently completed a round of reserve duty in the village of…
IOF kidnap MP Romanin from his home
Sabr 3 May 2011 – [ 03/05/2011 – 12:27 PM ] JERICHO, ( PIC )— The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped at dawn Tuesday Hamas lawmaker Ali Romanin from Jericho city. His wife told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that dozens of Israeli troops stormed Awja village, north of Jericho, at about one…
Israel extends detention of Palestinian without charge or trial
Sabr 3 May 2011 – GAZA CITY ( Ma’an ) — Israeli authorities on Monday renewed the administrative detention of a 29-year-old prisoner from Gaza, the Hussam detainees’ society said. Raed Abu Mughsib was sentenced to six years imprisonment in 2003, but he was not released after serving the sentence. Israeli authorities have…
Addameer condemns continuing detention of Ahmad Qatamish
Sabr 3 May 2011 – Addameer Ramallah, 28 April 2011 On 28 April 2011, Ahmad Qatamish, a Palestinian writer and political scientist, was told at Ofer military court that his detention would be extended for another 6 days whilst the Israeli police continue their investigations. Addameer condemns the decision of the…
Relative: 11-year-old detained in Jerusalem
Sabr 3 May 2011 – JERUSALEM ( Ma’an ) — Israeli forces detained Friday an 11-year-old boy from a village northwest of Jerusalem, a relative said. Muhammad Hushiyeh was walking in the Qatanna village when youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers, his cousin Lubna told Ma’an. She said soldiers arrested the stone-throwers and…
Barenboim in Gaza ‘peace concert’
BBC 3 May 2011 – Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim takes an orchestra to the Gaza Strip for a concert in the first such event in the Palestinian territory.
Swiss freeze $1bn from N Africa
BBC 3 May 2011 – Switzerland reveals details of almost $1bn of frozen assets linked to Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi and the deposed leaders of Egypt and Tunisia.
Free to march
BBC 3 May 2011 – Ex-hostage John McCarthy meets Lebanon’s new political generation
Articles
Bassem Tamimi: ‘Our destiny is to resist’
Max Blumenthal, Electronic Intifada5/2/2011
When I met Bassem Tamimi at his home in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh this January, his eyes were bloodshot and sunken, signs of the innumerable sleepless nights he had spent waiting for Israeli soldiers to take him to prison. As soon as two children were seized from the village in the middle of the night and subjected to harsh interrogations that yielded an unbelievable array of “confessions,” the 44-year-old Tamimi’s arrest became inevitable. On 25 March, the army finally came, dragging him away to Ofer military prison, a Guantanamo-like West Bank facility where he had previously been held for a 12-month term for the vaguely defined crime of “incitement.” His trial before a military court that convicts more than 99 percent of Palestinians brought before it is scheduled to begin on 8 May.
Like nearly all of his neighbors, Tamimi has spent extended time in Israeli detention facilities and endured brutal treatment there. In 1993, he was arrested on suspicion of having murdered an Israeli settler in Beit El. Tamimi was severely tortured for weeks by the Israeli Shin Bet in order to extract a confession from him. Tamimi said that during the torture he was dropped from a high ceiling onto a concrete floor and woke up a week later in an Israeli hospital. In the end, he was cleared of all charges.
With his wife, Nariman, and his brother, Naji, Tamimi has been at the center of Nabi Saleh’s popular resistance against the occupation since its inception in 2009. The village’s unarmed struggle has brought hundreds of Israelis and international activists to participate each Friday in boisterous and theatrical demonstrations that invariably encounter harsh Israeli violence, including the use of live ammunition against children. While other villages involved in the popular struggle have seen their ranks winnowed out by a harsh regime of repression and imprisonment, Nabi Saleh’s protests continue unabated, irking the army and frustrating the settlers of Halamish, who intend to expand their illegal colony further onto Nabi Saleh’s land. more.. e-mail
Part Two: When a Palestinian child becomes an enemy
Joseph Dana, +972 Magazine5/3/2011
Includes video
Last week, I wrote about the process by which a Palestinian child becomes an enemy in the eyes of Israeli soldiers. I wrote it from the perspective of a close friend of mine who had recently completed a round of reserve duty in the village of Ni’ilin, where he routinely shot at children with tear gas, stun grenades, rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition. The post generated rich discussion which even my friend, neither a +972 reader nor a leftist, joined. This afternoon, I was sent the following short and powerful documentary investigating the treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
The details revealed by one former solider in the film were particularly unsettling. Listen to his sober description of how the children are detained and left in front of a military post for all in the base to ridicule and sometimes beat. One can understand the emotional stress generated by what he had seen. He describes having to set his emotion aside because the work of harassing children never ended. I can only assume that my friend had similar feelings during his service in Ni’ilin but chose to understand this in a paradigm where Palestinian children are enemies and devoid of childlike qualities. For him, Palestinians children are just Palestinians and Palestinians are simply enemies.
What good can come from this policy towards children? What do the officers and commanders, who order such actions, expect to achieve? Has racism against Palestinians penetrated so deep into Israeli society that we are no longer capable of seeing a child as a child? — See also: When a Palestinian child becomes an enemy more.. e-mail
The U.S. should welcome the Palestinian unity deal
Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Policy, Palestine Note5/2/2011
No sooner had reports surfaced of an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement between Fateh and Hamas than congressional calls for cutting U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority began. A statement by House Foreign Affairs Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen described PA president Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to end the four-year rift with Hamas as a sign that his leadership was “not a partner for peace” and accused him of “standing with those who want only death and destruction for Israel.”
Such sentiment is not surprising given Hamas’s designation in the United States as a terrorist organization and the general antipathy on Capitol Hill to most things Palestinian. While Palestinian reconciliation would pose some serious political, diplomatic, and legal challenges for U.S. policymakers, the Obama administration should think twice before heeding such calls. American opposition to Palestinian unity, particularly at a time when the peace process and the entire region are in a state of flux, would be both futile and counterproductive. Details remain sketchy, but the deal seems to center around the formation of an interim government comprised of independents and technocrats not affiliated with either faction — but approved by both. New parliamentary and presidential elections would then be held after one year.
Though it is not yet clear how — or even if — it will be implemented, the agreement is a major breakthrough for the Palestinians, whose four-year split has paralyzed domestic politics, hindered peace efforts, and demoralized ordinary Palestinians. Notwithstanding the humiliation inflicted by Israel’s occupation, the self-inflicted nature of the Palestinian division was a source of intense collective shame. At a time when the United States is calling on Arab governments to be more responsive to the demands of their people, U.S. opposition to national unity, which has been a central demand of the Palestinian people for many years, would send all of the wrong messages to the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world. — See also: Source more.. e-mail
Siege brings Gaza’s garment industry to a halt
Electronic Intifada: 3 May 2011 – Rami Almeghari The Electronic Intifada The five-story building housing the now abandoned Hamdanco sewing factory is filled with machines gathering dust; it used to be the place of employment of 130 workers, including sewers and administrative staff.more
AIPAC does not speak for me
Electronic Intifada: 3 May 2011 – Hedy Epstein The Electronic Intifada AIPAC pretends to speak for all Jews, but it certainly does not speak for me or other members of the Jewish community in this country who are committed to equal rights for all and are aware that American interventionism is likely to bring further disaster and chaos to the Middle East.more
Israel threatens Palestinian unity with economic sanctions
Electronic Intifada: 3 May 2011 – Mel Frykberg The Electronic Intifada Israel has lashed out at the recent ground-breaking deal in Cairo, which will see unification of the two main Palestinian political factions after four years of bitter infighting, by threatening economic sanctions against the Palestinians.more
Text of the Agreement between Fatah and Hamas
Palestine Monitor: 3 May 2011 – Translated by Al Mubadara, the Palestinian National Initiative, this document is currently in the process of being signed by all of Palestine’s factions and parties. Under the auspices of Egypt, delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements met in Cairo on April 27, 2011 to discuss the issues concerning ending the political division and the achievement of national unity. On top of the issues were some reservations related to the Palestinian National Unity Accord made in 2009. Both political parties mutually agreed that the basis of understanding made during the meeting are committing to both parties in the implementation of the Palestinian National Reconciliation Agreement. The basis of understanding agreed upon by Fatah and Hamas are as follows: 1. Elections A. Election Committee: Both Fatah and Hamas agree to identify the names of the members of the Central Election Commission in agreement with the Palestinian factions. This list will then…more
How to Avoid Being an Apartheid State
Palestine Chronicle: 3 May 2011 – By George S. Hishmeh – Washington, D.C. The Arab Spring, which has upturned the Arab world like a tsunami, had led many in Israel and their allies in the West, especially the United States, to mistakenly believe that it has muffled for good the Palestinian drive to regain their rights within their Israeli-usurped homeland. But as the uprisings continued undeterred in overwhelming some of the key autocratic Arab regimes since last January. in Tunisia and Egypt, for example, the focus of the western media virtually dropped any mention of the 63-year-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Some Palestinian seemed disheartened. But an unexpected American poll, conducted in Egypt, turned the tables upside down. A majority of Egyptians (54 percent), according to an American-led poll, conducted by the respected Pew Research Center and based on face-to-face interviews, wanted to annul the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. Only 36 percent voted to keep the agreement,…more
After bin Laden: Business as Usual in Yemen
Palestine Chronicle: 3 May 2011 – By James Gundun — Washington, D.C. By authorizing the killing blow to Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama has gone from goat to hero overnight. Although he received months of updates rather than a “3 A.M.” phone call, many of his disgruntled supporters are hopping back on the ride by praising Obama’s “resolve” and quick thinking. Approving a helicopter raid behind Pakistan’s back did carry significant risks, which Obama weighed during numerous meetings with his national security team. Yet his “courage” to make such a call also demonstrates the Obama administration’s incomplete understanding of fourth-generation warfare (4GW). With bin Laden’s location coming into focus, revolution through Washington’s eyes now appears more peripheral than ever. Despite an abandoned helicopter and an unspecified number of civilian casualties, the SEAL Team Six raid on bin Laden’s customized hideout in Abbottabad went off as flawlessly as Washington could hope: zero casualties in the JSOC’s…more
Syrian Families Seek Refuge in Lebanon’s Northern Villages
Palestine Chronicle: 3 May 2011 – By Dana Ballout and Dalal Mawad Haje Fatmeh can hardly speak or walk. At 80 years old, fleeing her hometown in Syria and crossing into Lebanon on foot is a disheartening task. Thursday at dawn, she escaped the Syrian village of Talkalakh. Accompanied by her two granddaughters, they are seeking refuge at their relative’s home in Machta Hammoud, Wadi Khaled — a northern Lebanese village just across the border. In what seems to be the beginning of a wave of Syrian families seeking refuge from the increasingly violent clashes in Syria, some families have begun relocating across the border into neighboring Lebanese villages. The Wadi Khaled region in Lebanon, and Talkilakh in southern Syria, both consisting of majority Sunni residents, are divided only by a thin river and unintimidating barbed wire. Villages are close, both in proximity and in socio-economic ties. Family ties and frequent interactions are common between the…more
Canada Turns Hard Right, to Israel’s Benefit
Palestine Chronicle: 3 May 2011 – By Jim Miles On May 02, 2011, Canadian electors voted in a majority government for the former minority government of Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. The Conservatives won 157 out of 308 possible seats, although statistically, because of Canada’s “first past the post” system of electing representatives, they did not receive a majority of the “popular” vote. With a voter turnout of 60 per cent, and the popular vote of 40 per cent for the Conservatives, only 24 per cent of Canadians elected the new government. The main issue turned out to be “stability” – not economic stability, not world stability, not peaceful stability, but stability in that Canadians did not want to have to another election for as long as the mandate lasted, which in Canada is four years. The opposition for the first time ever is the New Democratic Party, a left wing party that made huge…more
Is Killing Bin Laden Doing Justice?
Palestine Chronicle: 3 May 2011 – By Peter Lavelle When US President Barack Obama announced that American security forces had killed Osama bin Laden, he added: ‘Justice has been done.’ But the United States and its allies fighting the so-called “War on Terror” have no grounds to use the word “justice” when comes to committing acts of violence. A mass murderer has been murdered by other mass murderers. “Terrorist No. 1” is gone, but rest assured the bloodletting will continue. Obama went on to say: “The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaeda.” It is amazing that the US president is claiming achievements at this time. Yes, the man allegedly behind the suicide hijack attacks of September 11, 2001, is no more. But what of the other “achievements”? Afghanistan remains occupied, with the war going badly and no end in sight. What did Afghans do…more
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The New Dark Age 