15 June, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli troops attack anti-Wall protest near Ramallah, injuring seven
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 23:06, According to local sources, Israeli forces attacked a non-violent action by Palestinian men, women and children trying to block Israeli bulldozers from bulldozing their farmland and orchards on Wednesday.
Report: Palestinians spend high percentage of income on basic necessities
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 16:36, A new report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has revealed that Palestinians spend more than one third of their income on foodstuffs and only 1.5% on recreation and 3% on personal care.
Conflicting Reports On Syria’s Involvement In Border Clashes During Nakba and Naksa Day
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 15:37, The UN Disengagement Force have reported their findings that Syria allowed Palestinian Refugees access to the Syria-Israeli occupied Golan border. The report also concluded however that Syrian officials did not organise the protests, according to AFP.
Turkish Group Reconsiders Its Role In Freedom Flotilla 2
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 12:49, The Turkish organisation IHH has said it is reconsidering its participation in the planned “Freedom Flotilla 2” set to sail for Gaza on June 27th.
Netanyahu Seeks To Form Block Of 30 To Counter To Palestinian UN Bid
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 11:57, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his intent to create a block of 30 to 50 countries against the Palestinian move to declare statehood in the United Nations in September.
Israel Readies To Attack Freedom Flotilla 2
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 11:27, Israeli media sources reported Wednesday that the Israeli army and the navy are intensifying their training and preparing plans to intercept and attack the Freedom Flotilla 2 should it try to reach the Gaza Coast to deliver humanitarian supplies.
Israeli troops invade Nablus area, abduct 8 Palestinians
IMEMC – Wednesday June 15, 2011 – 11:12, According to local sources, several squadrons of Israeli soldiers invaded the Nablus region at around 2:30 am Wednesday morning, abducting 8 Palestinians from their homes.
7 hurt at protest against land confiscation near Ramallah
6/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Seven Palestinians were injured, including two critically, Wednesday after an anti-wall protest turned into clashes between Israeli soldiers and young Palestinians in Deir Qaddis, west of Ramallah. A rally headed from the village to obstruct Israeli bulldozers digging up private lands for the separation wall, a Ma’an correspondent reported….
Demolition orders handed to farmers
6/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israel’s Civil Administration handed out demolition orders to three farmers in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, warning them that bulldozers would shortly arrive to demolish their greenhouses and farm buildings. Officials from the agricultural village of Majdal in the Nablus region said water collecting buckets and plastic tenting….
Red Cross: Gaza medicine crisis needs attention
6/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Gaza medication crisis is “enormous and needs concentrated efforts” to see its resolution,Red Cross official Omer Ferry said Wednesday. Ferry said the organization would continue supporting the health sector in any way it could, but called on the Palestinian Ministry of Health to look seriously at the problem…. Related: Doctors and nurses in Gaza protest medicine shortages
Gaza suffers gas shortage after pump breaks at crossing
6/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – The Gaza Strip has been suffering from shortages of domestic-use gas for three days due to a technical fault in the gas pump at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Mahmoud Ash-Shawwa, head of the association of gas station owners, said Wednesday that “the infrastructure at Kerem Shalom crossing is inappropriate. There….
10 Palestinians detained from West Bank overnight
6/15/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained 10 Palestinians overnight, security officials and witnesses said. Palestinian officials said five were detained in the north after soldiers entered the villages of Beit Dajan and Einabus and carried out house-to-house searches. Local sources told Ma’an that soldiers entered both villages at 2:30 a. m….
UN: Syrian forces let Palestinians cross ceasefire line
6/15/2011 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Syrian forces stood by as Palestinian demonstrators crossed the ceasefire line in the Golan heights, a report by the UN said Wednesday. At least 27 people were killed as Israeli forces opened fire on the demonstrations, which took on May 15 and June 5. Palestinian leaders are “furious that their people were….
Doctors and nurses in Gaza protest medicine shortages
6/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -Doctors and nurses organized a rally Wednesday in front of Red Cross offices in Gaza City to protest the lack of medical supplies in the coastal enclave. Representatives from different Palestinian factions joined the demonstrations as protesters held posters appealing to the international community and the Palestinian Authority to help…. Related: Red Cross: Gaza medicine crisis needs attention
Egyptian police seize Gaza arms dealers
6/15/2011 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian police in the northern Sinai said officers had arresteda ring of Palestinian arms dealers on Wednesday who were preparing bring a shipment of automatic weapons, flak jackets and night vision goggles into Gaza. An Egyptian fixer working alongside the three arms dealers was also detained, director of the Sinai….
Israel: Lebanon should respect laws, borders
6/15/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel hopes that Lebanon’s new government will respect international law and borders and contribute to regional stability, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Wednesday. After five months of negotiations, Lebanon announced a new government on Tuesday, with Hezbollah and its allies dominating the line-up.” Israel hopes that the new Lebanese government….
Haniyeh: Coming talks will put hard issues to rest
6/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told Palestinian high school students on Wednesday that the upcoming week of talks between Hamas and Fatah leaders in Cairo will put to rest all outstanding feuds between the parties.”The suspended issues will be tackled, success will prevail,” Haniyeh said during a tour of….
Report: Palestinian prisoners in Israel use Facebook
6/15/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Trying to show that Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s custody enjoy VIP treatment, the Israeli daily Maariv published Wednesday a report by Amit Cohen who monitored the Facebook accounts of some prisoners. Maariv says that a Hamas-affiliated prisoner, Haytham Battat, uploaded on his Facebook page three weeks ago a short….
Report: Israel tells EU of plan to stop UN bid
6/15/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the EU president Tuesday that Israeli diplomats would try to convince 30 UN member states to vote against a Palestinian bid for recognition of statehood. During a meeting with European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek in Jerusalem, Netanyahu revealed that he hoped to “balance out….
EU’s Ashton due in Mideast to relaunch peace process
6/15/2011 – BRUSSELS (AFP) – EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton plans to fly to Israel and the Palestinian territories this week with hopes of relaunch the peace process, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. Ashton is said to be hoping for a swift Quartet meeting.” The principle of a visit had been decided, the details are still being worked….
Fatah denies claims of unrest after Dahlan ouster
6/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The office of Fatah leader Nabil Sha’ath denied Wednesday claims on Facebook and Palestinian internet forums that the leader’s home had been torched by mobs of “angry Fatah members.” According to the statement, members of several online forums said that “angry Fatah adherents burned the house….
250 trucks of goods allowed into Gaza
6/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli officials approved the transport of 250-260 truckloads of goods and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip via the sole commercial crossing between Israel and the coastal enclave. The goods will be imported Wednesday via the Kerem Shalom terminal in southern Gaza. Palestinian official Raed Fattouh said they will….
Analysis: Even democracy can be scary
6/15/2011 – Nidal Alayasa – As the face of the Arab world changed, and still changes, before our eyes, it is inevitable that observers get caught up in the most recent revolution. As noble and important as the revolutions against the antiquated Arab regimes have been, none comes close to the magnitude and significance of the regime change….
89,000 Palestinian students to take Tawjihi exam
6/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Approximately 89,000 Palestinian students sat for the first session of the General Secondary Certificate, or Tawjihi, in the West Bank and Gaza on Wednesday. Education Minister Lamis Al-Alami said that of the 88,768 registered test takers, 52 percent were women. Of the total number of students, 52,367 were from the West….
Jordanian protesters demand AFP office closure
6/15/2011 – AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Some 300 Jordanians demonstrated on Tuesday outside AFP’s offices in Amman, calling for the bureau’s closure after a report that King Abdullah’s motorcade was attacked with stones. A security official had told AFP on Monday that “(the rear) part of King Abdullah’s motorcade was…. Related: Attackers raid AFP offices in Jordanian capital
Egyptian security detain African ‘infiltrator’
6/15/2011 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian border police forces detained on Wednesday a Sudanese migrant attempting to cross the borders with Israel, Egyptian security sources told Ma’an. The sources said police officers spotted an African migrant trying to infiltrate through the border fence between Egypt and Israel in Sinai about 2 kilometers to….
Syrian officials show new mass grave in protest town
6/15/2011 – JISR AL-SHUGHUR, Syria (AFP) — Syrian authorities on Wednesday showed journalists a “new mass grave,” containing at least five corpses, buried near the flashpoint northern town of Jisr al-Shughur. The remains, which lay under a pile of rubbish, had been placed in yellow and orange body bags, an AFP reporter who was taken to the site….
Syria launches media offensive as outcry grows
6/15/2011 – JISR AL-SHUGUR, Syria (AFP) — Syrian authorities launched a media offensive on Wednesday in the face of a mounting outcry over its deadly crackdown on dissent, taking journalists on an escorted tour of a key protest hub and staging a loyalist rally. Government minders showed a group of 20 journalists, including an AFP correspondent, a grave….
Attackers raid AFP offices in Jordanian capital
6/15/2011 – AMMAN (AFP) – Ten men broke into AFP’s offices in the Jordanian capital on Wednesday and destroyed furniture and office equipment. Two days earlier the news agency was among several foreign media outlets to report that King Abdullah’s motorcade had been stoned.” Ten men armed with sticks broke into the office and…. Related: Jordanian protesters demand AFP office closure
Islamic Development Bank to loan Egypt $2.5 billion
6/15/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — The Islamic Development Bank said Wednesday that it will grant Egypt a $2. 5 billion loan to finance infrastructure projects and strengthen imports and exports. Egypt has been struggling to put its economy back on track after a popular uprising toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February. The three year package will contribute to….
Which Summer for the Arab Spring?
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Washington Note – Six months will have passed since a destitute Tunisian countryside street vendor set himself on fire in an absolute gesture of desperation triggering a wave of uprisings in the Arab world. In that relatively…
Demolition orders handed to farmers
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an – Israel’s Civil Administration handed out demolition orders to three farmers in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, warning them that bulldozers would shortly arrive to demolish their greenhouses and farm buildings. Officials from the agricultural village of Majdal…
89,000 Palestinian students to take Tawjihi, secondary school qualification, exam
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an – Approximately 89,000 Palestinian students sat for the first session of the General Secondary Certificate, or Tawjihi, in the West Bank and Gaza on Wednesday. Education Minister Lamis Al-Alami said that of the 88,768 registered test takers, 52 percent…
Egyptian police seize Gaza arms dealers
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an – Egyptian police in the northern Sinai said officers had arrested a ring of Palestinian arms dealers on Wednesday who were preparing bring a shipment of automatic weapons, flak jackets and night vision goggles into Gaza. An Egyptian fixer…
Eastern Europe emerges as battleground in rift over Palestinian statehood
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Washington Post – Warsaw and Prague might seem like unlikely battlegrounds in the Middle East conflict. Yet it suddenly matters ‚Äî a lot ‚Äî whether Poles, Czechs and others in the region align themselves with the Israelis or Palestinians. Their…
Turkish organization may cancel Gaza flotilla as IDF prepares at sea
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Haaretz – The Turkish organization IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) is considering the cancelation of the Gaza flotilla due to the tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reported Wednesday. “We are reconsidering our plans. We cannot close our eyes…
UN chief renews mandate for Golan peacekeeping force due to border tension
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Haaretz – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked the Security Council on Tuesday to maintain a peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights because of the volatile situation in the Middle East. Ban asked the council to extend for another six…
Arab League issues first condemnation of Syria violence
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – The Guardian – The Arab League has publicly criticised the violence in Syria for the first time, saying Arab states are “angry and actively monitoring” the crisis. The comments from the outgoing secretary general, Amr Moussa, drew a bitter response…
Israel police train for mass Palestinian protests
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an – Hundreds of Israeli police are taking part in a training exercise in preparation for potentially large-scale Palestinian protests in September, a police spokesman said Tuesday. “There’s an exercise that the police are carrying out … in order to deal…
Hamas, Fatah Call On Top Leaders in Cairo
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Still no agreement on who will lead unity government Los Angeles Times – Unable to agree on who will run the new Palestinian national unity government, the secular Fatah movement and the Islamist Hamas, two bitter rivals for years, decided…
Ousted Dahlan speaks out on Facebook page
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- Ousted Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan has dismissed “the charges against him” on his Facebook page. In a series of three videos posted days before Fatah’s Sunday night decision to expel the official from the party, Dahlan revealed information about…
Israeli police arrest 4 settlers in West Bank
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- Israeli police arrested four Israeli settlers in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on Monday, accusing them of “attacks on public order,” a police spokeswoman said. Among those detained was a minor suspected of setting fire to Palestinian property,…
Hip-hop the soundtrack of the Arab spring?
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Rose Hackman, Common Ground – Behind the scenes of the Arab spring since late 2010, hip-hop with a political twist has become a soundtrack to pro-democracy movements across the Middle East and North Africa. It may come as a surprise…
Mosque, school handed demolition orders
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- Israel handed out demolition orders for a mosque and public school in the village of Bruqin on Sunday, prompting immediate condemnation from Palestinian leaders. Palestinian political leader Mustafa Barghouthi described the Israeli actions as “criminal” on a visit to…
PA forces shut down Hamas sit-in
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- Palestinian Authority security forces on Monday shut down a sit-in demonstration organized by Hamas affiliates in the West Bank city of Nablus. The demonstration was called to protest the Fatah-led PA’s ongoing detentions of Hamas members, and to demand…
Medicine delivered to Gaza amid hospital crisis
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- Israeli Civil Administration officials said Monday that 19 trucks of medicine were transferred to the Gaza Strip as doctors warned that the enclave’s health sector was on the verge of collapse. Palestinian Authority Health Minister Fathi Abu Moghli said…
Hamas Turns on Fatah
Palestine Note 15 Jun 2011 – Jonathan Schanzer, The National Interest- “Bukra fil mishmish,” in Arabic vernacular, literally means “Tomorrow, the apricots.” What it really means is “it will never happen.” The window for harvesting apricots is so tight that if one puts it off for…
Obama resists pressure over Libya campaign
AlJazeera 15 Jun 2011 – Ten members of Congress file suit against Obama for committing US forces to Libya without congressional authorisation.
Libyan rebels wrest western mountain villages
AlJazeera 15 Jun 2011 – Opposition continues to edge closer to capital, Tripoli, capturing two villages despite shelling by pro-Gaddafi forces.
Syrians flee imminent assault on town
AlJazeera 15 Jun 2011 – Tanks surround Maarat al-Numan ahead of military offensive, prompting an exodus of residents from the northern town.
‘Al-Qaeda’ fighters attack Yemeni town
AlJazeera 15 Jun 2011 – At least two killed and five wounded in fierce fighting between attackers and security forces in southern town of Huta.
Egypt’s military council lifts nightly curfew
AlJazeera 15 Jun 2011 – Measure imposed during protests against government of Hosni Mubarak is lifted.
Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation Starts “Know Thy Heritage” Campaign for …
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN – The Holy Land Ecumenical Christian Foundation and its partners started the Know Thy Heritage Project, aimed at Palestinian youth in diaspora by organizing yearly visits for youth groups…
UNRWA Official Visits PNN
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN – As part of her visit to the Palestine News Network, Ilona Kassissieh, UNRWA Public Affairs Official, met with PNN’s director, Dafar Kassis and Munjid Gadou, PNN’s editor-in-chief, and…
Turkish IHH Organizer to PNN: Mavi Marmara Could still be Part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura — PNN Exclusive — As the Israeli Navy announced exercises to counter the international Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2, Izat Shaheen, organizer from the Turkish IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation), told PNN…
Israeli Jerusalem Municipality Plans 7900 Settler Homes in the City
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – The Israeli human rights group, Ir Amim, announced in a press release today that the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem has discussed plans to build 7900 settler homes in…
Document Supposedly Shows Syrian Responsibility for Nakba Protests
PNN – Damascus – PNN – The Syrian government was the organiser behind the Golan Heights raids by Palestinians on Nakba Day, 15 May 2011, according to a letter received by Telegraph blogger Michael…
Fatah Official: New Government Next Tuesday
PNN – Bethlehem – PNN – Member of the Fatah central committee and head of internal dialogue, Azzam al-Ahmad, announced today that the new Palestinian government will see light next Tuesday. According to al-Ahmad,…
International Solidarity Movement
Napalm Death: don’t turn your backs on Israeli apartheid
6/15/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Palestinian Youth Against Israeli Apartheid (PYAIA) and Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI) – Dear Mark “Barney” Greenway, Shane Embury, Danny Herrera, & Mitch Harris of Napalm Death, We are Palestinian students and youth based in Gaza, among 1. 5 million in a tiny Strip of land the size of Britain…. Related: Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
Two protesters injured by live ammo in Deir Qaddis
6/15/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Demonstrators disrupted construction of a new neighborhood in the adjacent settlement of Nili. Israeli soldiers responded with baton charges, tear-gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. One organizer was arrested. Two Palestinian youths in their twenties were hit by live ammunition today, during a demo against settlement expansion in the village of…. Related: Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Biddu holds an unarmed demonstration
6/15/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 10 June 2011, Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – The village of Biddu held a demonstration this week demanding access to their farmlands and a end to the Separation Wall in their village. In 2004, four demonstrators were shot dead by live ammunition in a similar demonstration. Roughly 50 people gathered near an Israeli placed gate at…. Related: Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
EU High Representative Ashton visits Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Palestine
Relief Web 15 Jun 2011 – Source: European Union Country: Egypt , Israel , Jordan , Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (the) , occupied Palestinian territory Summary: 15 June, Brussels – Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and European Commission Vice President, travels this week to Jordan, Egypt, Israel and…
Israeli troops shoot two Palestinians in West Bank
Relief Web 15 Jun 2011 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory DEIR QADDIS, Palestinian Territories ‚Äî Israeli troops fired on stone-throwing Palestinians on Wednesday, wounding two, while two soldiers were also hurt in the West Bank clash, the army and Palestinians said. The rare…
Summer Games to provide “normality” in Gaza
Relief Web 15 Jun 2011 – Source: UN Radio Country: occupied Palestinian territory Listen to the News Two hundred and fifty thousand children in the Gaza Strip are expected to take part in the annual Gaza Summer games which begin on Wednesday. The six-week long games…
Human rights education with a difference in Jordan
Relief Web 15 Jun 2011 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: Jordan , occupied Palestinian territory It was human rights education with a difference in Irbid city in northern Jordan in late May. More than 70 students from…
Human Rights Council holds General debate on Human Rights situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories
Relief Web 15 Jun 2011 – Source: UN Human Rights Council Country: Israel , occupied Palestinian territory , Turkey Human Rights Council MORNING 14 June 2011 The Human Rights Council this morning held a general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other Occupied Arab Territories…
OPT: The Monthly Humanitarian Monitor, May 2011
Relief Web 14 Jun 2011 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Egypt , Israel , occupied Palestinian territory May Overview May witnessed the highest number of Palestinians injured (319) during demonstrations and clashes in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) since March 2010. The…
Israel detains five Palestinians in WB
15 Jun 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Five Palestinian citizens including a lawyer were detained by Israeli forces after raiding and searching their homes in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Tubas .
Israel to demolish Palestinian mosque in Bethlehem
15 Jun 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces handed Palestinian citizens a military order for demolishing a mosque in the village of al-Masara in the south of Bethlehem.
Israel prepares to attack Gaza aid flotilla 2
15 Jun 2011 – Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli naval forces conducted Wednesday military trainings in order to stop the movement of the freedom flotilla 2 during its journey to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Independent new trade unions in Egypt clash with Mubarak old guard
The National 15 Jun 2011 – The long-established Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) claims the upstart Egyptian Federation for Independent Unions (EFIU) is ‘a Zionist conspiracy”, while the EFIU says its rival is ‘run by a group of old men who serve whatever political power is convenient.’
Saudi feminists unafraid of breaking driving ban
The National 15 Jun 2011 – ‘Women2Drive’ campaign will see women get behind the wheel and keep going ‘until a royal decree allowing women to drive is issued’ in the kingdom, the only country in the world where women face such a ban.
Arab Spring is ‘threat to Christians’ says UK archbishop
The National 15 Jun 2011 – Archbishop of Canterbury, head of Anglican church, warns of extremism risk and says vacuum left by ousted regimes has led to ‘anxious times’ with some Christian groups subject to ‘ethnic cleansing’.
‘Plotters based in Saudi fed us false news stories’, Bahrain opposition editor tells court
The National 15 Jun 2011 – Mansoor al Jamri of Al Wasat newspaper, charged with publishing false news stories, says fabricated descriptions of crackdowns by authorities, came from an internet address in Saudi Arabia and were written in a way that did not raise suspicions.
Militants seize parts of Yemen city in ‘show of power’
The National 15 Jun 2011 – One soldier is killed as neighbourhoods in Houta, the capital of Lahj province, were seized for 12 hours by up to 200 militants believed to include al Qa’eda members.
Syria troops move in to volatile Sunni eastern province
The National 15 Jun 2011 – Assad forces move to quell protests on border with Iraq in province ¬øboiling away¬ø with anti-regime sentiment.
Hamas peacemaker’s new softer stance treads a risky path
The National 15 Jun 2011 – Khaled Meshaal’s overtures to Fatah, a calibrated gamble to soften the Islamists’ image could backfire, analysts say, if his efforts fail to unify Palestinians or gain international acknowledgment.
Israeli navy practises boarding ships in readiness for Gaza flotilla
The National 15 Jun 2011 – The exercise appeared aimed at avoiding the killing of any of the passengers in the flotilla in case the commandos are ordered to board the ships to stop them from heading to Gaza to break Israel’s naval siege of the Palestinian enclave.
Gaza flotilla still set to sail, with or without IHH
Ha’aretz – Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation expected to make final decision on whether or not to participate over next day or two.
U.S. envoys return to Mideast in bid to renew Israeli-Palestinian talks
Ha’aretz – First big challenge for Dennis Ross and David Hale is to entice Palestinians away from their bid for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN.
Livni: Netanyahu calling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict insoluble buries chances for peace
Ha’aretz – Opposition head, U.S. official reject PM’s statement to Haaretz that there is no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Tzipi Livni chides Netanyahu, saying ‘Who are you to bury the chances of a deal and of normal life?’
Iran successfully launches second satellite into orbit
Ha’aretz – U.S. and allies fear Iran’s long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit can also be used to launch warheads.
Egypt prosecutor investigates suspected Israeli spy
Ha’aretz – Ilan Grapel, arrested by Egypt for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel, is being investigated along with six other people who have alleged links to him.
European Parliament: East Jerusalem should be Palestinian capital
Ha’aretz – In a speech before the Knesset, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said he backs Obama’s peace plan, and that negotiations are the ‘only solution.’
Turkish organization may cancel Gaza flotilla as IDF prepares at sea
Ha’aretz – The IHH cited tension along the Turkish-Syrian border as the reason it may not set sail to the Gaza Strip later this month; IDF conducts large naval drill in preparation.
Netanyahu: Unilateral declaration of Palestinian state will create negotiation impasse
Ha’aretz – Prime Minister Benjamin meets with President of EU Parliament Jerzy Buzek in Jerusalem; Buzek calls on Natanyahu to renew talks with Palestinians.
UN chief renews mandate for Golan peacekeeping force due to border tension
Ha’aretz – UNDOF was first deployed in 1974 to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Syria; Ban Ki-moon asks for extension for the force due to the volatile situation in the Mideast.
Report: Suspected Israeli spy arrested in Egypt was traveling to Libya
Ha’aretz – Egyptian prosecution is claiming that American-Israeli Ilan Grapel met with several Europeans in southern Egypt before traveling to Cairo upon Mubarak’s resignation, al-Ahram reports.
FM Lieberman: EU peace efforts in Mideast are ‘naive’
Ha’aretz – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responds to the new EU plan to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, telling Army Radio the world should instead focus on events in the Arab world.
UN study: Gaza unemployment rate remains among the worst in the world
Ha’aretz – UNRWA report says 45.2 percent of Gazans in working age are unemployed, dropping more than 5,900 jobs to 190,365 in the second half of 2010.
The death of an Italian marrano
Jeruslalem Post 16 Jun 2011 – Fundamentally Freund: The passing of Avraham Zecchillo, a proud descendant of Bnei Anusim, who for years cared for his city’s local synagogue which dates back over 750 years, is a tragic blow to Italy’s Jewish community.
10 days, 10 months
Jeruslalem Post 16 Jun 2011 – While Birthright may scream the loudest, there are also programs for young Jews that through the layers of complexity and look at Israeli society through a magnifying glass, rather than rose-colored Ray-Bans.
A (confused) Yankee in Abraham’s desert
Jeruslalem Post 16 Jun 2011 – Lesson 1: Israelis don’t need you as much as you think
J’lem resident arrested for deadly shooting of Palestinian
Jeruslalem Post 16 Jun 2011 – Judea and Samaria police arrest man suspected of killing Udi Nahar Kadus, 19, near the West Bank village of Arak Burin.
Technion student wins world’s largest yo-yo competition
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Eyal Moshe Cohen’s prize-winning yo-yo was dropped from a 30-meter-tall crane and rose over 20 meters.
Social empowerment NGO Yedid to close 5 branches
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Non-profit for economic justice is facing a serious financial crisis in light of the global economic recession.
Infrastructures Ministry: Develop second small gas field
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Israel Oil Co. instructed to begin developing one-billion cubic meter Or natural gas reservoir this week.
Court: Paving, upgrades near City of David must stop
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – High Court of Justice rules that infrastructure upgrades in east Jerusalem neighborhood must be halted.
Eritrean volcano eruption won’t disrupt Israeli air traffic
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Israel Meteorological Service says volcano shouldn’t have an affect on air routes.
Israel Police gets its first Muslim Lt.-Cmdr.
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Meanwhile, Israel Fire and Rescue Service begins largest ever recruitment drive.
MK gives Netanyahu ‘expensive gift’: Cottage cheese
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Forty MKs sign letter, prompting hours-long Knesset discussion of Netanyahu’s ‘diplomatic, economic and social failures.’
Israel marks record defense exports in 2010
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Exports reach $7.2 billion, making Israel one of the world’s top four exporters of arms; 15 Israeli companies to display at Paris Air Show.
Gov’t: Number of African migrants reaches high for 2011
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Migrants’ NGO criticizes Immigration Authority for scaremongering; plans for ‘housing facility’ released.
The future of European Jewry
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Those who deny Jews or Israel their freedom will lose, or fail to gain, their own.
Who wants to be president?
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Most know they haven’t got a shot at the Oval Office, but see the race as a path to job advancement.
Godspeed to Jerusalem, Glenn Beck
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – The American Right and Israeli Right have become the closest, most natural of allies.
A salute to the IDF
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – You may think that you’re simply defending your country, but in fact you are defending mine too.
PM meets with US officials, Ashton to visit Israel Friday
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – US gov’t working on a formula that would restart negotiations and lead to the withdrawal of Palestinian unilateral moves at the United Nations in September, Israeli official says.
Watching Ahmadinejad through Israeli eyes
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Reporter’s Notebook, Kazakhstan: There he is, so near and self-assured, this man who arms and funds the people who are trying to kill me.
A very balanced itinerary?
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Is the Olive Tree Initiative, an interfaith program that brings American students here to learn about the Israeli-Arab conflict, offering its participants the appropriate mosaic of views?
Police suspect double murder, suicide in Ashkelon
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Police find mother, infant dead in apartment; police suspect man found hanged was woman’s husband, killed the two, then himself.
The cottage cheese uprising
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – We can only hope that the cottage cheese insurrection will be revolutionary indeed.
‘Bloomsday’ tour celebrates Jewish protagonist of ‘Ulysses’
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Thousands to set off through the streets of Dublin in celebration of James Joyce’s masterpiece.
‘Iran successfully launches satellite into orbit’
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Rasad 1 satellite will be used for transmitting images, weather forecasts, Iran TV reports; US fears ballistic missiles could carry warheads.
French minister pedophilia scandal enrages Morocco
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Charge that visiting French cabinet minister engaged in sexual relations with underage boys sets off political debate.
Starman says Israel has best seat for total lunar eclipse
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Ira Machefsky, the ‘Starman of Mitzpe Ramon,’ says volcanic ash, Israel’s geographic location make this lunar eclipse extra exciting.
Hamas, Fatah yet to agree on PM of Palestinian gov’t
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Two sides reach agreement on release of political detainees held in West Bank and Gaza prisons; Abbas and Mashaal to meet, decide on PM.
Social empowerment NGO to close 5 branches
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Charity organization providing services to underprivileged hurt by lack of funding brought about by economic crisis.
Solar powered plane arrives in Paris
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – The Swiss Solar Impulse arrives in Le Bourget for the Paris air-show, where its makers say it marks a new stage in aviation.
EP President: EU doesn’t oppose Palestinian statehood
Jeruslalem Post 15 Jun 2011 – Negotiations are the best way for a solution; Israel also moved unilaterally in building settlements, Jerzy Buzek says.
Unemployment in Gaza and West Bank rises despite hopes of economic revival
The Guardian 15 Jun 2011 – Jobless numbers in Gaza among highest in the world as analysts warn of unsustainable ‘boom’ in West Bank The construction boom in the West Bank, along with the frequent opening of new bars and restaurants in…
AU Concerned With One-sided Interpretation of Libya Resolution
IPS Like Russia, China, India and Brazil, the African nations seem to be getting increasingly wary of the consequences of the Western powers’ military strikes in Libya – the oil rich North African country currently embroiled in violent political upheaval.
YEMEN: U.S. Escalates War Against Al-Qaeda
IPS Increasingly worried that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is taking advantage of the growing political chaos in Yemen, the administration of President Barack Obama has tasked the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use drone missiles to strike at suspected AQAP militants.
Obama Claims War Powers Act Doesn’t Apply in Libya
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – Faced with Monday night’s House vote to withhold funding and demands from both parties to provide a justification for the conflict, the Obama Administration today claimed that the War Powers Act doesn’t not apply to the Libya War. The administration’s argument is that the Libyan War is not technically a war from America’s perspective,…
Napalm Death: Don’t Turn Your Backs on Israeli Apartheid
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – Dear Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway, Shane Embury, Danny Herrera, & Mitch Harris of Napalm Death: We are Palestinian students and youth based in Gaza, among 1.5 million in a tiny Strip of land the size of Britain’s Isle of white, surrounded and kept captive in a medieval siege by the Israeli Occupation Forces, the fourth…
“Why is the world silent?” Syrian refugees speak
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – Little is known of the life of the thousands of Syrians who have recently fled to Turkey, and are now living in camps in Yayladagi and Altinozu in the south-east of the country. Not one civil society activist or journalist is known to have been able to enter the camps. Knowing that, and with…
WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guant?°namo (Part Five of Five)
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – …In the years since the documents relating to the CSRTs were released (and information relating to their annual follow-ups, the Administrative Review Boards, or ARBs), I attempted to track down the stories of these 201 men, and managed, largely through successful research that led to relevant media reports, interviews and reports compiled by NGOs,…
Wisconsin Supreme Court Reinstates Anti-Union Law
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – At the state and federal levels, pro-business/anti-worker rulings are nothing new. US Supreme Court history is rife with them since the 19th century, and no wonder. From inception, America was always ruled by men, not laws, who lie, connive, misinterpret, and pretty much do what they please for their own self-interest. In 1787 in…
NATO air strike reportedly kills 12 in Libya: State TV
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – – NATO airstrike hit a bus loaded with passengers Wednesday evening in Kikla city, 120 km southwest of the capital Tripoli, killing 12 and wounding two others, Libyan state TV reported. The strikes hit the bus at the entrance of the city in the mountainous region southwest of Tripoli, Libyan state TV quoted military…
Gaza’s gas wealth kept from Palestine
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – Estimated to be worth at least $4 billion, gas deposits off Palestine’s territorial waters are being targeted by international corporations and the Israeli government. Currently the 1.5 trillion cubic feet of estimated reserves are split between British Gas (60 percent), the Lebanese Consolidated Contractors (30 percent) and the Palestinian Authority (10 percent). Following Egypt’s…
Yemen warns Qatar over dissident funding
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – Yemen said on Wednesday it intercepted financial transfers made through Qatar to fund dissidents, warning the energy rich Gulf state to stop supporting divisions in the strife-torn country. “The authorities have discovered transactions made through Qatar and the mediator in this is our former ambassador (in Cairo) Abdulwali al-Shumeiri,” deputy information minister Abdo al-Janadi…
Yemen: Three Civilians killed in US drone attack in Abyan
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – A security official in Abyan said that US drone attacks took place against Islamic militant targets in Abyan killing three civilians. No al-Qaeda suspects were killed in the attack, the source said. The residence of al-Qaeda fighter Nader Shadadi was also attacked. Shadadi was not home during the attack. His father, mother, and sister…
Israeli troops attack anti-Wall protest near Ramallah, injuring seven
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – According to local sources, Israeli forces attacked a non-violent action by Palestinian men, women and children trying to block Israeli bulldozers from bulldozing their farmland and orchards on Wednesday. Eyewitnesses reported that the injured protesters were beaten by the soldiers with clubs and rifle butts, knocking two young men unconscious and sending seven to…
Israeli navy practises boarding ships in readiness for Gaza flotilla
Uruknet June 16, 2011 – Israeli naval commandos carried out a wide-ranging exercise yesterday in the takeover of a large ship in preparation for a possible raid of the vessels taking part in the Gaza-bound flotilla that is expected to sail in coming weeks. The exercise appeared aimed at avoiding the killing of any of the passengers in case…
Kucinich, other House members file lawsuit against Obama on Libya military mission
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – Ten House members led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) are filing a complaint in federal court against President Obama for taking military action in Libya without first seeking congressional approval. Kucinich and Reps. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Howard Coble (R-N.C.), John Duncan (R-Tenn.), Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), John Conyers (D-Mich.) Ron Paul (R-Texas), Michael Capuano (D-Mass.),…
US makes a drone attack a day in Yemen
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – The US has conducted more than 15 drone attacks in Yemen since the beginning of June, a Yemen defence ministry official said. The increase of such attacks is part of a US strategy to employ more drones to curb what the US believes is a growing terror threat in Yemen, the Washington Post and…
Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank “have escalated”
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – A Palestinian research centre monitoring Israeli violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has accused Israel of escalating the level of attacks on Palestinian citizens and their properties over the past month across the West Bank and Jerusalem. The latest monthly report from the Land Research Centre said that the violations committed by Israeli occupation…
Syrian uprising exposes regime’s opportunism over Palestine
Uruknet June 15, 2011 – …Even before the beginning of the uprising, the truth about the regime’s hypocritical attitude to the Palestinian resistance was hinted at in one of the US diplomatic cables exposed by Wikileaks. The Syrian government has always said that it views Hamas as a legitimate Palestinian resistance movement, and that it supports it along with…
Syrian thugs … ÿߟÑÿ¥ÿ®Ÿäÿ?ÿ©
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – This is a hidden camera video (10 minutes – no translation required) of Syrian government thugs, called “Shabiha”, with batons attacking and dragging away unarmed demonstrators in Damascus streets. They are similar to Egypt’s “Baltajia” who often attacked demonstrators (once they were riding on camels) during Egypt’s February revolution. They are similar to the…
East Jerusalem: Six Voices
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – In this innovative project, B’Tselem and the Guardian gave six Palestinians and Israelis cameras to create video diaries of their lives in occupied East Jerusalem, under the shadow of the settlement enterprise. The diaries offer a glimpse into the impact of the volatile reality on their lives. This is one aspect of B’Tselem’s video…
Military Resistance 9F8: Rising Defections From the Army
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – …Army defections remain key to a potential showdown between the Assad core and the Sunni community, which dominates the rank-and-file of the army, analysts say. Every day this week, testimonies by defected army conscripts have emerged. A 21-year-old conscript who fled to Jisr al-Shoghour from Damascus earlier this week said troops live in near…
Video: Suzanne Weiss, Holocaust survivor voices her support for the Canada Boat to Gaza.
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – Suzanne Weiss, Holocaust survivor voices her support for the Canada Boat to Gaza.
Feminists attacked in pro-democracy rally in Baghdad
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – On June 13, four women participating in a democracy demonstration at Tahrir Square in Baghdad were molested and beaten allegedly by government sponsored protestors, according to a report on Ms. Magazine’s Website. The four women were part of a 25-woman group from the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, a leading feminist group in…
Iraq snapshot – June 14, 2011
Uruknet June 14, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, 2 US soldiers are announced dead, a hostage situation takes place in Diyala Province, torture and War Crimes may get investigated in the US, torture and War Crimes may be buried in a British inquiry, the VA stalls, evades and stonewalls a House Subcommitteee, are active duty soldiers be giving the…
Bedouin children hope their West Bank school will be spared Israel’s bulldozers
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – Each morning, they scrabble through a drainage pipe under a busy main road slicing through the unforgiving landscape between Jerusalem and Jericho, where hard-baked stony hills roll down to the Dead Sea. At the end of the school day, they clamber back down to the drainage pipe to pass beneath the thundering traffic on…
NATO air strike hits medical factory in Libya
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – In Libya foreign media representatives were taken to a factory near Zawiya, hit by NATO airstrikes two days earlier. According to Libyan government officials, the factory produces crucial medical supplies that could help save lives. Damaged military vehicles in a site next to the factory were seen through holes around the perimeter, leading to…
Video: NATO attacks ordinary Libyans at petrol pump
Uruknet June 14, 2011 – As NATO tells the world to prepare for a post-Gaddafi era, coalition bombs continue to blitz the Libyan capital. Gasoline queues snake through Tripoli with fuel in short supply. A scenario made worse with tankers a regular target for air strikes. It may have some of the largest oil reserves on the planet, but…
Libyan rebels take new ground as strains show in Western alliance
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Libyan rebels pushed deeper into government-held territory south of the capital Wednesday, but their advance came as strains began to emerge in the Western alliance trying to topple Moammar Gadhafi.
British, U.S. officials’ visits aim to revive peace talks
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 U.K. and U.S. officials will meet Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian and Israeli officials this week to try to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to peace talks, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.
Thousands flee Syrian town, tanks deploy east
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Thousands of Syrians fled the historic town of Maarat al-Numaan on Wednesday to escape troops and tanks pushing into the north in a widening military campaign to crush protests against President Bashar Assad.
Activist highlights women’s rights in Islam
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 As the first Muslim woman to be appointed to head the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Azizah al-Hibri, a Lebanese-American lawyer and prominent human rights activist, has an uphill battle in front of her.
Conference signs public safety protocol
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The Youth Association for Social Awareness and the Aisha Bakar Islamic Center signed a protocol Wednesday with the aim of ensuring public safety in order to limit accidents and injuries.
Civil Defense issues rules for a swimming summer
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The Directorate General of Civil Defense issued a statement Wednesday on awareness guidelines in preparation for the swimming season.
ISF destroys confiscated drugs in Bekaa town
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The anti-drug department of the Internal Security Forces said Wednesday it destroyed drugs that had been confiscated in the Bekaa town of Riit.
Women say new Cabinet a violation of their rights
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The Lebanese Women’s Rights Committee said Wednesday that the absence of women from Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet was a flagrant insult to the rights of Lebanese women.
$426,000 project aims to bolster Lebanon’s NGO sector
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 A 300,000 euro ($426,000) project aimed at strengthening the NGO sector in Lebanon was launched Wednesday as part of a landmark cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the Italian Embassy.
Like: Measuring politicians’ popularity on Facebook
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Traditionally a politician’s popularity has been measured by election results. These days, it’s also being tested on Facebook.
UNHCR: number of Iraqis seeking asylum on the rise
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The number of registered Iraqi refugees and asylum seekers residing in Lebanon has increased in 2011, jumping from fewer than 8,300 in January to over 9,390 in June, the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.
Online game mirrors Lebanese political scene
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 A new online game designed to mirror the Lebanese political scene allows players to join different tribes and parties modeled after the country’s own affiliations and pit themselves against one another in a bid to achieve…
Assad regime takes journalists on media tour
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Syrian authorities launched a media offensive Wednesday in the face of a mounting outcry over its deadly crackdown on dissent, taking journalists on an escorted tour of a key protest hub and staging a loyalist rally.
Young Palestinians redefine national struggle as two-state hopes fade
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Freedom, justice, dignity and equality are the demands of a new generation of Palestinians seeking to redefine their national struggle in a way that could threaten both Israel and their own leadership.
Calls for U.S. to stay after 5 Iraqi deaths
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The governor of the disputed Iraqi oil province of Kirkuk said Wednesday it was important for U.S. forces to extend their year-end pullout deadline because of renewed fears of sectarian violence.
Attackers raid AFP’s Amman office, protesters want agency expelled
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Ten men broke into AFP’s offices in the Jordanian capital Wednesday and destroyed furniture, two days after the news agency was among several foreign media to report that King Abdullah II’s motorcade had been stoned.
Six months on and the Arab spring is struggling
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Six months after mass revolts toppled Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and then Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, the so-called Arab Spring has hit roadblocks ranging from fierce repression to outright war.
Dozens dead in border clashes between North, South Sudan
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 A U.N. humanitarian report and aid workers caught in the crossfire reported an increase in violence in a new front near the already tense internal border between North and South Sudan Wednesday, with dozens of people…
Tunisia: Cradle of Arab Spring still awaiting change 6 months on
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Six months after a 26-year-old Tunisian fruit seller triggered a wave of protests across the Arab world.
Ahmadinejad calls for security alliance against Western states
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Wednesday for a security alliance of several ex-Soviet nations and China to form a united front against the West.
Yemen opposition rejects GCC offer, violence flares
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Members of Yemen’s political opposition dismissed an offer from Gulf Arab neighbors Wednesday to resume mediation in the political crisis, which has brought the country to the brink of civil war.
Mikati Cabinet unrepresentative: Geagea
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Sunni majority and Christian population underrepresented, Lebanese Forces leader says, adding that the Lebanese government’s links to the Syrian regime are dangerous.
Co-founder of Syria’s Baath kidnapped in Lebanon: daughter
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Lebanese authorities are searching for a Syrian opposition figure who went missing three weeks ago and who may have been kidnapped, his daughter said on Wednesday.
Syrian forces let demonstrators cross ceasefire line: U.N.
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Syrian forces stood by as Palestinian demonstrators crossed the Golan Heights ceasefire line and were fired upon by Israeli forces, according to a U.N. report obtained by AFP.
Three killed in attack on south Yemen govt complex
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Gunmen stormed government buildings in the southern Yemeni province of Lahj on Wednesday, killing three guards and wounding four before being turned back, residents of the area said.
Palestinians set UNRWA flag ablaze in protest
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Palestinian refugees in south Lebanon stage a sit-in to protest against what they say are corrupt practices at UNRWA.
One wounded after Tripoli dispute ends in armed violence
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 An overnight dispute between two families in Tripoli, north Lebanon, escalates into shooting that leaves one man wounded.
Jobless Gaza enters 5th year of Israeli blockade
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 The Gaza Strip enters its fifth year of a full Israeli blockade by land, air and sea on Tuesday with unemployment at 45.2 percent, one of the highest rates in the world, a U.N. aid agency…
Pro-Assad Syrians rally as global outcry grows
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Thousands of supporters of Bashar al-Assad demonstrated Wednesday on the outskirts of Damascus as the embattled president came under intense world pressure to halt a crackdown on democracy protests.
Six months on, Arab spring faces serious threats
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Six months after mass revolts toppled Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and then Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, the so-called “Arab spring” has hit roadblocks ranging from fierce repression to outright war.
Syria tightens grip on flashpoint despite outcry
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Syrian troops tightened their stranglehold on the country’s restive northwest, activists said, as a global outcry grew over a deadly three-month crackdown on protests by President Bashar Assad’s regime.
NATO set for talks as fresh blasts rock Tripoli
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 NATO chief to hold talks on Libya with British leaders Wednesday after fresh blasts rock Tripoli following a three-day pause in the alliance’s raids on forces loyal to Gadhafi.
Nasrallah meets Jumblatt, Aridi
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 Hezbollah leader and Progressive Socialist Party chief emphasize the need for officials in the new Cabinet to work together in order to guarantee the success of the government.
Government made in Lebanon: Sleiman
Daily Star 15 Jun 2011 President Michel Sleiman hopes a policy statement will be promptly drafted, Information Minister Walid Daouk said Wednesday after the first meeting of Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government.
Thorny issues besiege Lebanon Cabinet
Daily Star 14 Jun 2011 The new Cabinet will hold its first meeting Wednesday to form a committee designed to draft a policy statement outlining the government’s position on divisive issues such as Hezbollah’s arsenal and the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for…
Opposition: Netanyahu isolated Israel
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – ‘We don’t have single ally in world,’ says MK Itzik at Knesset hearing on PM’s….
Prosor assumes UN ambassador role
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Former UK envoy to weather political storms in September, when PA plans to….
Watch: Syrians burn Iran, Hezbollah flags
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – (Video) Opposition activists upload online video showing protesters setting fire….
MK Majadele receives death threats
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Letter sent to Labor MK’s Knesset office says he has 180 days to live, will die….
Dozens of Syrians gather along border
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Gatherers stand on Shouting hill, observing Israeli side. IDF doesn’t consider….
IHH may not take part in flotilla
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Turkish organization announces it will make final decision by end of the week,….
Iran: Man who raped, murdered niece hanged
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Prosecutor says Neyriz resident ripped off 8-year-old niece’s gold jewelry after….
Angelina Jolie to visit Syrian refugees
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Turkey says famous Hollywood actress wishes to visit Syrian refugees who fled….
Women drivers to circle Saudi embassy in protest
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Unusual Washington rally remonstrates Saudi Arabia’s opressive ban on female….
Grapel denies Mossad ties
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reports Israeli held in Egypt told….
Glenn Beck’s Jerusalem rally program unveiled
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – TV star’s solidarity event is expected to draw thousands of Israelis, Americans….
Navy gears for Turkish flotilla
YNet News, 15 Jun 2011 – IDF determined to stop Gaza-bound flotilla, senior officer says. ‘If we allow….
Palestinian Information Center
Sixty prisoners moved from Olehai Kedar prison in Beer Sheva
PIC – 15/06/2011 – 09:12 AM
Dweik: West Bank security violates citizens’ rights
PIC – 15/06/2011 – 09:20 AM
IOF serves notice for demolition of village mosque
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday stormed the village of Ma’sara south of Bethlehem and told the inhabitants that their village mosque would be knocked down for unlicensed construction.
Haneyya: Reconciliation talks in Cairo positive
PIC – Palestinian premier in Gaza Ismail Haneyya has said that a positive atmosphere prevailed during the reconciliation talks in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah representatives.
IOF soldiers detain 5 Palestinians including lawyer
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up five Palestinians in pre dawn raids on Wednesday including a lawyer from his home in Beit Dajan village, Nablus.
Bardawil: Name of premier to be resolved in Abbas-Mishaal meeting
PIC – Hamas leader Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil hailed the Hamas-Fatah meeting in Cairo yesterday, saying that it was “positive and amicable”.
Ahrar center asks WHO to solve Gaza medicine crisis
PIC – The Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights has called on the World Health Organization (WHO) and its chairperson to swiftly intervene and solve the medicine crisis in the Gaza Strip.
IOA holds 72-year-old MP in administrative detention
PIC – The Israeli court of Ofer, near Ramallah, ordered the administrative detention of Palestinian MP Ahmed Al-Haj for six months, without any charge.
Owners of destroyed homes close down UNRWA premises in protest
PIC – Owners of destroyed homes in Rafah and Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, have decided to close down UNRWA main offices in protest at the latter’s delay in starting to re-build their homes.
IOF troops infiltrate east of Breij refugee camp
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) advanced east of Breij refugee camp in central Gaza on afternoon Wednesday and bulldozed land lots, local sources said.
Seven Palestinians wounded in clashes with IOF
PIC – Seven Palestinian citizens were wounded on Wednesday two of them critically during violent confrontations with Israeli occupation forces (IOF) west of Ramallah.
Palestinian prisoners torch mattresses in protest at detaining old mother
PIC – Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli Eshel jail set their mattresses on fire after the administration detained the mother of one of them at the pretext she was carrying unpermitted luggage with her.
Israeli Soldiers Attack Palestinian Protest against Land Confiscation
WAFA
Fayyad Urges Doctors to Return to Work
WAFA
Jerusalem’s Israeli Municipality Discusses Plans to Build 7600 Units
WAFA
Award-Winning Architect Hani Hassan to Join Charrette in West Bank
WAFA
A Third of Palestinians’ Monthly Expenditure goes to Food, 1.5% for Recreation, PCBS
WAFA
Newspapers Review: Abbas, Mishaal Meeting Focus of Dailies
WAFA
Syrians vent rage in tent camps on border with Turkey
LA Times 14 Jun 2011 – Ordinary people tell of seeing acquaintances killed and towns emptied as Assad’s forces continue cracking down on pro-democracy protests in Syria. They were once ordinary Syrians: farmers with fields to tend, doctors with patients to treat, students with exams to take and homemakers with children…
Al Schwimmer dies at 94; founder of Israel’s aerospace industry
LA Times 14 Jun 2011 – A native of New York, the former aircraft engineer smuggled American planes to Israel for its 1948 war of independence and later became a figure in the Iran-Contra affair. Al Schwimmer, a former aircraft engineer who smuggled American planes to Israel for its 1948 war…
Civilians Flee Another Northern Syria Town, Fearing a Military Assault
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – Hundreds fled a town in northern Syria on Wednesday that appeared to be the next target of a military seeking to crush a three-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Rebels Seize Buildings in Southern Yemen
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – Militants of unknown affiliation made a serious incursion early Wednesday into a provincial capital in Yemen’s southeast, warning government officials to leave or face retaliation.
C.I.A. Building Base for Strikes in Yemen
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the target of a secret facility under construction somewhere in the Middle East, an American official confirmed.
Middle East: Muslim Woman Seeks Egyptian Presidency
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – After years as a television news anchor and political activist, Bothaina Kamel’s campaign motto is simply, “My agenda is Egypt.”
Middle East: Mobilizing to Support a Region in Turmoil
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – The World Bank’s private-sector investment arm plans to step up its financial support in the Middle East, notably for Egypt and Tunisia.
Middle East: Middle East Eagerly Welcomes Trend for Online Deals
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – Eight group-buying sites have started in the region, including the leader in the field, Groupon, proving the model works globally.
Middle East: Gasoline Crisis in Emirates Brings Lines and Fears
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – Retailers cite technical maintenance as the main reason nearly 200 gas stations have been turning customers away. But analysts link the shortage to the phasing out of government subsidies.
Mandate for a New Turkish Era
New York Times 15 Jun 2011 – With his victory speech, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined a shift in Turkish foreign policy approach that could have wide-ranging consequences in a turbulent region.
PCHR Condemns the Use of Force to Disperse a Peaceful Assembly in Nablus and the Attack on PLC Member Muna Mansour
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Wednesday, 15 June 2011
13.5.2011 Investigation into Border Police violence against protesters in a-Nabi Saleh
B’tselem 15 Jun 2011 – Residents of the village a-Nabi Saleh, north-west of Ramallah, hold weekly popular protests against the takeover of the village’s land by settlers. On Friday, 13.5.2011, Border Police officers dispersed the protesters with severe violence even though the protesters did not throw stones or endanger the security forces in any way. During the breaking up of the protest, documented by B’Tselem volunteers Bilal Tamimi and Nariman Tamimi, Border Police officers beat protesters with their hands and with clubs, kicked them, swore at them, sprayed several people with pepper spray and arrested three female protesters using disproportionate force.
Map of the West Bank, Settlements and the Separation Barrier, June 2011
B’tselem 15 Jun 2011 – Download PDF This map depicts the most up-to-date route of the separation barrier, including the changes made to the route of the barrier adjacent to the Palestinian communities of Wadi Rasha, Jayyus and Bil’in. More on the topic
Germany recognises Libyan opposition after US ultimatum
WSWS – The demand by outgoing US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates for Europe to take a greater share of the military load bore its first fruit with Germany’s recognition of the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council.
US-backed Bahrain regime stages military trial of doctors and nurses
WSWS – The US-backed dictatorship in Bahrain proceeded this week with the military trial of 47 doctors and nurses rounded up during mass protests last March.
Two Palestinian protesters injured by live ammo in Deir Qaddis
Mondoweiss – From the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee : Demonstrators disrupted construction of a new neighborhood in the adjacent settlement of Nili. Israeli soldiers responded with baton charges, tear-gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. One organizer was arrested. Two Palestinian youths in their twenties were hit by live ammunition…
UN report debunks Israel’s Naksa propaganda
Mondoweiss – Immediately after the Israeli military reportedly killed a number of unarmed demonstrators in the occupied-Golan Heights on June 5, Israel’s propaganda machine went into high gear . Newly-released details from a United Nations report authored by the Secretary General clearly show that the Israeli spin on the…
How ‘A Gay Girl in Damascus’ became a mascot of the liberal west
Mondoweiss – Several days ago, Jadaliyya posted a brilliant essay exploring the reason so many Westerners — and Western media types, including some of us at this site — fell so hard for the myth of Amina Arraf, the fierce and fearless “Gay Girl in Damascus” who was…
In London, Benny Morris runs the gauntlet
Mondoweiss – This is a little like Marty Peretz being assailed at Harvard by people holding placards with his own repugnant words on them, only stronger. Benny Morris, the Israeli historian who has rationalized ethnic cleansing to create a majority-Jewish state in ’48, being badgered as he walks…
Why we support the US Boat to Gaza
Mondoweiss – Students for Justice in Palestine FIU – Solidarity Statement with the US Boat to Gaza – The Audacity of Hope “There’s no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue, there’s no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But…
Israeli Intelligence Leaks Alleged Syrian Memo Claiming Government Support for Nakba Day Protests
Tikun Olam – A former high ranking Israeli government source revealed to me that Israeli intelligence leaked to a pro-Israel British tabloid blogger an alleged Syrian government document claiming that the Syrian government organized the bus convoys which brought demonstrators to the Syria-Israel armistice line on Nakba Day. Demonstrations…
UN: Gaza Faces Highest Unemployment in World
Tikun Olam – UNRWA plays vital role in stabilizing Gaza humanitarian crisis A new UNRWA report finds that Gaza, despite the so-called “easing” of Israel’s blockade, faces the highest unemployment in the world . Almost half of all eligible workers cannot find a job. By most accounts, the rate hovers…
First Gaza Flotilla Ships Depart Scotland
Tikun Olam – Channel 10 Israeli TV reports (Hebrew) along with Israel Radio that the first ships of the massive Gaza flotilla are expected to depart shortly (by now they may already have left port) from Scotland. They will meet with the rest of the group of blockade-running ships…
18 Demolitions in Fasayel, Southern Jordan Valley
Palestine Solidarity Project 15 Jun 2011 – On Tuesday, June 14, the Israeli army demolished 18 structures in Fasayel, in the southern Jordan Valley. At 6 o’clock in the morning, about 10 military jeeps, one civil administration vehicle and 3 bulldozers entered the Palestinian villages of Fasayel, Wasta and Foqa, turning the area…
Leading Islamic scholar backs revolutionaries across the Arab world
Middle East Monitor 15 Jun 2011 – A leading Islamic scholar has announced his support for the popular revolutions in Libya, Yemen and Syria. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed El Tayeb, said: “What is going on [against the revolutionaries] is not right from neither a religious nor a…
Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank “have escalated”
Middle East Monitor 15 Jun 2011 – A Palestinian research centre monitoring Israeli violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has accused Israel of escalating the level of attacks on Palestinian citizens and their properties over the past month across the West Bank and Jerusalem. The latest monthly report from the Land Research Centre…
Syrian uprising exposes regime’s opportunism over Palestine
Middle East Monitor 15 Jun 2011 – In their 63 year struggle against the occupation and colonisation of their homeland, the Palestinians have been short of friends and allies. The main world powers have taken Israel’s side in the conflict and provided it with all the political, economic, and military support it needs…
UNRWA spokesman says blockade of Gaza has not weakened the government
Middle East Monitor 15 Jun 2011 – The official spokesman for UNRWA has said that the Israeli-imposed blockade of the territory has not weakened the government in Gaza. Christopher Gunness added that over the 5 years of the siege, the Hamas-led government has managed to create a 3% rise in public sector jobs….
From Arab Spring comes a new form of Palestinian unity
Joseph Dana 15 Jun 2011 – Published on The National with Jesse Rosenfeld On June 5, when Palestinian protesters tried to march from Ramallah to Jerusalem in observation of the 44th anniversary of Israel’s 1967 occupation, they were sent scrambling amidst clouds of Israeli tear gas and hailing rubber bullets. Hours later…
VIDEO: Students make racing car in Gaza
BBC 15 Jun 2011 – Palestinian students have manufactured their own race car defying the blockade imposed on the Strip. It will take part in a student race in the UK.
Rape alarm
BBC 15 Jun 2011 – Fear and fury in Iran over violent sex crimes
AIPAC Pushes Hard for War with Iran But doesn’t want the blame
Sabbah report 15 Jun 2011 – AIPAC and its creaky constellation of affiliates will be blamed if the United States is successfully goaded or tripwired into an unnecessary war with Iran.
Is Israel Plotting…or Stumbling toward…Mideast War?
Sabbah report 15 Jun 2011 – Are the extremist leaders of Israel crazy enough to launch a regional war, using the specter of an eventual Iranian nuclear bomb as the excuse? Perhaps irrational, perhaps just coldly calculating their own personal, short-term interest. The recently retired chief of Mossad has just warned that…
Israel Is Going to the Dogs
Sabbah report 15 Jun 2011 – Israel has followed in the footsteps of the United States, using dogs to terrify Palestinian workers trying to get into Israel to find jobs. Victims of the dog attacks are not security suspects, but rather day laborers. Are occupation soldiers using Palestinian workers as guinea pigs,…
Articles
Analysis: Even democracy can be scary
Nidal Alayasa, Ma’an News Agency6/15/2011
As the face of the Arab world changed, and still changes, before our eyes, it is inevitable that observers get caught up in the most recent revolution.
As noble and important as the revolutions against the antiquated Arab regimes have been, none comes close to the magnitude and significance of the regime change in Egypt. And while the obvious changes to the everyday life of Egyptians should, naturally, take center stage, the most historically significant change will be in Egypt’s regional policies.
It takes little political cunning for one to realize that Egypt’s new rulers have not spared any efforts to distance themselves from the previous regime’s tarnished legacy on the international scene. It is even less challenging to identify Israel as the target of most of these changes.
The revolution has exposed every crack in the unity of the Egyptian society for all to see. Religious conflicts, political disagreement, crime and even a pure (hopefully short-lived) dictatorship of the military have emerged. In order for any new Egyptian regime to emerge, it must unify the divisions in this heterogeneous society, while gathering enough political influence to eliminate the influence of the military institution.
Egypt is not unique in its position. Historically, and like many democratization movements have taught us, rapid transition from autocratic dictatorship (an understatement of the Egyptian regime) to transitional democracy result in instability. Russia’s emergence from under the Soviet blanket led to the war in Chechnya much like the more democratic French Republic fought most of Europe after the French revolution. more.. e-mail
The Coming Israeli Tsunami?
Immanuel Wallerstein, Agence Global6/15/2011
The Palestinians are pursuing their project of seeking a formal recognition of their statehood by the United Nations when the General Assembly convenes in the fall. They intend to request a statement that the state exists within the boundary lines as they existed in 1967 before the Israeli-Palestinian war. It is almost certain that the vote will be favorable. The only question at the moment is how favorable.
The Israeli political leadership is well aware of this. There are three different responses that are being discussed by them. The dominant position seems to be that of Prime Minister Netanyahu. He proposes ignoring such a resolution totally and simply continuing to pursue the Israeli government’s present policies. Netanyahu believes that, for a very long time, there have been resolutions adopted by the U.N. General Assembly that have been unfavorable to Israel, all of which Israel has successfully ignored. Why should this one be any different?
There are a few politicians on the far right (yes, there is an even further right position than that of Netanyahu) who say that, in reprisal, Israel should formally annex all of the presently occupied Palestinian territories and end all talk of any negotiations with the Palestinians. Some of them also want to force an exodus of non-Jewish populations from this expanded Israeli state.
Former Prime Minister (and present Defense Minister) Ehud Barak, whose political base is now almost non-existent, is warning Netanyahu that he is being unrealistic. Barak says that the resolution will be a tsunami for Israel, and that therefore Netanyahu would be wisest somehow to make a deal with the Palestinians now, before the resolution passes.
Is Barak right? Will this be a tsunami for Israel? There is a good chance that he is. There is however virtually no chance that Netanyahu will heed Barak’s advice and try seriously to make a deal with the Palestinians before then. more.. e-mail
Islamic Visions of the Outcome of the Recent Arab Revolutions (PDF)
Sheikh Chafiq Jaradi, Conflicts Forum4/11/2011
Sheikh Chafiq Jaradi, General Director of the Institute of Sapiential Knowledge, Beirut
The peoples and countries of the Arab and Islamic worlds have embraced movements and currents of numerous different ideologies and tendencies — nationalist and Pan-Arabist, secular and religious, violent and peaceful, Salafi and modernist, traditional and revivalist, shunning politics orinherently political – all this notwithstanding the fact that since Camp David, the Arab world has undergone a period ofdeclining revolutionary spirit. The Pan-Arabist movements lost all real support after the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies in Iraq and the fall of the country. Meanwhile, the Islamic presence has been growing steadily ever since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, aggravating the revolutionary elements of the Salafi and Brotherhood movements which have moved onfrom prothletising to armed action (although they have notgiven up prothletising and preachingcompletely).
The critical turning point came after September 11th, brought about by America and the international and regional alliance. Under the banner of cross-border globalisation, it launched the most violent and most comprehensive war on all forms of Islam with any involvement in politics, and even forms of ideological Islam confronting the West through critical sentiment. This has placed the affairs of Islamists within the following groupings:
1. Groupings of Islamists who uphold Sufi values in their teachings and who have not entered the political arena in their countries, though they have supported jihadist Islamist movements. This includes the Justice and Charity Movement in Morocco, which has extended beyond Morocco itself and which is primarily a youth movement.
2. Groupings of Islamists with Sufi tendencieswhoaim to tackle the problems of modernity through political engagement, and who mix Islam and pragmatic relations with the West, such as the Justice and Development movement. They are keen to offer a model form of Islamism for nationalist Islamist movements…. more.. e-mail
Agrexco forum a milestone in Europe’s BDS movement
Electronic Intifada: 15 Jun 2011 – Stephanie Westbrook The Electronic Intifada Earlier this month in Montpellier, France, more than a hundred activists from nine countries gathered for the first ever European Forum Against Agrexco for two full days of workshops aimed at strengthening the boycott campaign against the Israeli agricultural export giant.more
Napalm Death: Don’t Turn Your Backs on Israeli Apartheid
Palestine Chronicle: 14 Jun 2011 – By PSCABI and PYAIA — Gaza Dear Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway, Shane Embury, Danny Herrera, & Mitch Harris of Napalm Death: We are Palestinian students and youth based in Gaza, among 1.5 million in a tiny Strip of land the size of Britain’s Isle of white, surrounded and kept captive in a medieval siege by the Israeli Occupation Forces, the fourth most powerful army in the world. Over a million of us in Gaza are United Nations refugees, expelled by the Israeli army to make way for the Israeli state to be built over the ruins of our 531 villages and 10 urban neighborhoods destroyed and emptied, in a process that fits the definition of ethnic cleansing. Over half of us are children. We are asking you to understand the Israeli Apartheid Regime’s complete subjugation of our lives and adhere to the 2005 call from over 170 Palestinian civil society organisations…more
Forthcoming Gaza Flotilla: Heroism vs Violent Intransigence?
Palestine Chronicle: 14 Jun 2011 – By Richard Lightbown After he returned from his ordeal on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Fiachra O’Luain, the mate on the Challenger I, was asked if he would go again to break the siege of Gaza. He replied ‘yes…and again, and again’. Many of the survivors of the flotilla will be on the next one due to sail for Gaza towards the end of June. Called ‘Stay Human’, it will commemorate Vittorio Arrigoni who gave his life (as did ten activists on the Mavi Marmara: nine dead and one in a coma) for justice and human rights for the Palestinian people. In the face of Israeli propaganda, parroted by the BBC and other mainstream media, we should hold fast to the truth that these people are prepared to face. All of the survivors of the previous flotilla were maltreated and humiliated. Many of them were beaten, tasered (by electric stun gun),…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