25 June, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
PRC: “Netanyahu Behind Delay In Shalit Deal”
IMEMC – Saturday June 25, 2011 – 20:41, The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) one of three groups holding Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, captive since mid-2006, stated that the corporal could have been freed if Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not obstructed prisoner-swap talks.
Complaint against US boat threatens Gaza voyage
6/25/2011 – ATHENS, Greece (Ma’an) — Organizers of the second Freedom Flotilla say that an administrative complaint has been filed against the US Boat to Gaza, claiming that the vessel is not seaworthy. This could delay or altogether prevent the “Audacity of Hope” from leaving Athens. The harbor master received notification of the complaint Thursday afternoon…. Related: Flotilla organizers say Israel pressuring Greek govt
Army stops land reclamation project
6/25/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The committee for the union of agricultural workers said Friday that the Israeli army had prevented work from taking place on land reclamation projects in the villages of Jurish and Aqraba, south of Nablus and Imreiha, west of Jenin. Project coordinator for the union Sa’ada Abu Sheikha said in….
3 arrested at Beit Ummer rally
6/25/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israel’s army detained three protesters at a rally near Hebron on Saturday, activists said. Two Swedish women and a Palestinian activist were detained in Beit Ummar, said Yousef Abu Maria, a spokesman for the local popular committee in the village near Hebron. A protester, Anas Maswadeh, was injured by…. Related: Israeli forces arrest three in Beit Ommar demonstration
Report: Israeli teen killed in West Bank
6/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli teenager from the illegal settlement of Eli in the occupied West Bank was struck and killed by a Palestinian vehicle late Saturday, Israeli media and a settler official said….
PA television ‘silencing’ union leader
6/25/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Public employees’ union chief Bassem Zakarna on Saturday accused Palestinian Authority media outlets of trying to silence him. Zakarna said the general supervisor of the PA-run Palestine TV and Palestine Voice radio station ordered journalists at the stations to cancel planned interviews with him. He added that the official also….
PRC: Netanyahu stalled Shalit’s release
6/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza’s Popular Resistance Committee on Saturday blamed Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. PRC spokesman Abu Mujahid said Netanyahu was fully responsible for stalling a deal to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit. The prime minister…. Related: Israel marks 5 years since soldier Shalit’s capture
Gaza government releases 25 prisoners
6/25/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Hamas-run government in Gaza released 25 detainees Saturday in honor of the recent arrival of a European aid convoy Miles of Smiles. The detainees were released from Al-Katiba prison in Gaza City in the presence of activists from the convoy, a Ma’an reporter said. The group was….
Erekat outlines demands to Mideast Quartet
6/25/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority passed on four official demands to the Mideast Quartet for discussion in upcoming meetings, PLO official Saeb Erekat told Saudi newspaper Al-Watan on Friday. European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told the PA’s leadership Friday that the Quartet would convene in July for ministerial level….
Egypt remands Israeli spy suspect in custody
6/25/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt remanded an Israeli spy suspect in custody for 15 days on Saturday despite Israel’s insistence he was innocent of espionage, judicial sources said. Ilan Grapel, a US-Israeli joint citizen who was arrested in a Cairo hotel on June 12, is to remain in detention for the “needs of the investigation….
Haniyeh: Reconciliation irreversible and essential
6/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that reconciliation is irreversible and a national necessity we well as a strategic option to unify the Palestinians. While checking in with students studying for their exams, Haniyeh said an agreement is posing some obstacles and challenges but this does not mean….
Israel to discuss tougher Iran sanctions
6/25/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s government will discuss the broadening of economic sanctions against Iran when it meets on Sunday, weeks after an Israeli firm was named in alleged illegal trade with Tehran.” The government of Israel will on Sunday debate the expansion of economic sanctions against Iran, this is in the wake of the….
Israel marks 5 years since soldier Shalit’s capture
6/25/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel marked five years since the capture of soldier Gilad Shalit on Saturday amid growing international calls for the Islamist Hamas movement to release him or at least provide proof of life. At noon, Shalit’s family and supporters plan to gather at the site in southern Israel near the Gaza border…. Related: PRC: Netanyahu stalled Shalit’s release
PA police detain 34 at Allenby crossing
6/25/2011 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority security forces detained 34 people wanted on criminal charges at the Allenby border crossing during the past week, while facilitating the travel of 35,000 people, police said. Crossing officials said that 15,987 passengers entered the West Bank and 18,800 left for Jordan via the crossing this week. Forty-one Palestinians….
Gaza: Police arrest 2 suspected thieves
6/25/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Police arrested two men in southern Gaza suspected of stealing around $6,600 in cash, a civil defense report said Saturday. The men confessed to stealing 10,000 shekels ($2,900) and $3,700 and led police to where they had hidden the money, the report said. Police in Rafah said the men had….
Ma’an to air satellite TV news bulletin
6/25/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — On Saturday at 8 p. m. , Ma’an Network will air its first ever satellite TV news bulletin on Mix-Ma’an TV [Nilesat, frequency 10891, horizontal] along with all local Ma’an TV stations across the West Bank. The news bulletin will focus on Palestine providing in-depth coverage….
Jordanians demand end to corruption
6/25/2011 – AMMAN (AFP)— More than 500 Jordanians demonstrated on Friday outside the prime minister’s office in Amman, demanding speedy reforms and a corruption free government.” The people want to reform the regime. Speed up democratic reforms now. We want our stolen money back,” demonstrators chanted during a sit-in organized by the opposition Islamist movement….
BBC: Libya footballers defect to rebels
6/25/2011 – LONDON (AFP) — Seventeen of Libya’s top football figures, including national team goalkeeper Juma Gtat, have defected to rebels battling to oust the country’s leader Moammar Gadhafi, the BBC reported on Saturday. Three other national team players and the coach of Tripoli’s top club Al-Ahly, Adel bin Issa, have also….
18 dead after Syria protests
6/25/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrians on Saturday mourned 18 people shot dead by security forces in anti-government protests as Turkey built a huge tent city to shelter thousands of refugees fleeing a crackdown which the European Union described as “shocking”. Tens of thousands of Syrians surged onto the streets on Friday in response to a call by….
Amnesty: Egypt must ‘scrap’ Mubarak-era laws
6/25/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt must “scrap” the most reviled laws of former President Hosni Mubarak’s era if it wants to ensure free and fair parliamentary elections in September, the secretary general of Amnesty International said Saturday. Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Salil Shetty expressed concern over the use of military courts to try civilians….
Civilians killed as Syria presses crackdown
6/25/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Four civilians were shot dead by Syrian security forces on Saturday, as tanks entered a border village with Turkey and workers there scrambled to erect a tent city anticipating a new refugee exodus.” Two civilians were killed in Kassir by gunfire from the security forces who have reinforced there since Friday” near the….
Egypt declines major bailout loans
AlJazeera 25 Jun 2011 – Despite suffering major economic blows during its recent uprising, Cairo says it will not borrow.
Hundreds of Syrians flee to Lebanon
AlJazeera 25 Jun 2011 – Exodus from Syria continues a day after 20 people are reportedly killed in anti-government protests.
Israel PM’s son posts discriminatory remarks
AlJazeera 25 Jun 2011 – Newspaper says young Netanyahu aired views against Muslims and Arabs on Facebook.
Jail for former Egyptian trade minister
AlJazeera 25 Jun 2011 – Rachid Mohamed Rachid tried in absentia for profiteering and squandering public funds.
Dozens injured at pro-Mubarak rally in Cairo
AlJazeera 25 Jun 2011 – Clashes in capital between rival protesters demonstrating for and against putting former Eyptian president on trial.
Turkish PM Pledges Support for Palestinian State
PNN – Ankara – PNN – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he will back Palestine’s attempts get state recognition at the UN in September. Erdogan’s comments came after a meeting…
Obama Ally: US Could Withdraw UN Funding if Palestinian State Bid Successful
PNN – New York – PNN – In comments obtained by British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph, a close ally to United States President Obama has inferred that the US could withdraw United Nations funding,…
Picasso in Ramallah, Bulldozers in Bir Al-Ad and the Fear of Missiles
PNN – By Adam Keller – Gush Shalom – This week there arrived at the International Academy of Art, Palestine – in Ramallah – the painting Buste de Femme, which Pablo Picasso painted in…
Blog: Of Course the Flotilla is a Political Provocation
PNN – By Joe Catron – As the launch of the Freedom Flotilla — Stay Human approaches, increasing numbers of Zionist officials and commentators illuminate the depths of their moral and intellectual bankruptcy by…
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli forces arrest three in Beit Ommar demonstration
6/25/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement – Three arrested during peaceful demonstration in Beit Ommar – One Palestinian man and two international women were arrested during the weekly protest in Beit Ommar today. The protest was on Palestinian farmland neighboring to the illegal Israeli settlement Karmei Tzur. Although the protest was peaceful, the military declared the area a closed military…. Related: 3 arrested at Beit Ummer rally
The forthcoming Gaza flotilla: heroism vs violent intransigence?
25 Jun 2011 – London, (Pal Telegraph) – Richard Lightbown summarizes the situation ahead of the forthcoming Freedom Flotilla II — Stay Human in plain language bereft of the doublespeak that the Israeli government would like us to hear.
Israeli troop hits Palestinian boy in Silwan
25 Jun 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-An Israeli military troop hit yesterday a Palestinian boy, Sabri Ayoub, 15, then arrested him from the area of Ein Luza in Silwan without reasons mentioned .
Israel halts Palestinian farmers from reaching their lands
25 Jun 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces prevented yesterday Palestinian farmers, and international activist from reaching the territories of Beit Ummer town in the northwest of Hebron near Karmi Tsur settlement.
The hero airmen of Benghazi
The National 25 Jun 2011 – A group of pilots scrambled to defend Benghazi at its darkest hour. These men, including those who lost their lives, are hailed as heroes. Last week they were honoured by the battle-scarred city they saved.
Expats in Oman fear losing their jobs
The National 25 Jun 2011 – Expat workers in Oman feeling the pressure as government moves to create 50,000 jobs for nationals in wake of protests.
Arab Spring brings Al Jazeera to full bloom
The National 23 Jun 2011 – Hopes are now high in Doha that its acclaimed coverage of the Arab Awakening will finally win over the US cable companies it has been wooing for five years.
Israeli official: Turkey wants UN to tone down report on Gaza flotilla raid
Ha’aretz – Official says Erdogan government ‘very worried’ over criticism of Turkey the report is expected to contain; Toning down report is proposed in deal to heal diplomatic rift between the two countries.
Fear and no clean clothing: Haaretz reporter preparing to sail for Gaza
Ha’aretz – Participants aboard the Canadian ship dubbed the Tahrir are gearing up to join the upcoming Gaza flotilla.
Turkey concerned Syria border tension could escalate into violent clashes
Ha’aretz – Turkish source says top officials in Erdogan government meeting with Turkish military and intelligence officials over possibility of Syrian incursion on Turkish territory; Turkey Foreign Minister tells Syrian counterpart Assad’s forces must retreat from the border.
Israeli Justice Minister: Assimilation of Diaspora Jews fulfills Hitler’s vision
Ha’aretz – Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman compares ‘horrific’ overseas assimilation to Hitler’s plans in panel on conversion policy at President’s Conference in Jerusalem.
Israel’s gay community applauds New York same-sex marriage law
Ha’aretz – Representatives of the gay community say it will a take a long time for similar law to be passed in Israel; Israeli same-sex couples can settle for common-law status or marriage abroad that is recognized by High Court of Justice on return to Israel.
Sarah Silverman in Tel Aviv: I would vote for Obama again
Ha’aretz – American Jewish comedian and actress Sarah Silverman performs stand-up comedy show in Tel Aviv; jokes about making love with Shimon Peres.
Syria forces kill 5 in further clampdown on protests
Ha’aretz – Syria rights group says five killed by security forces in funerals that turned into anti-government protests; Others killed in raids on homes near protest area.
Five years since Shalit’s abduction: ‘Netanyahu is gambling with Gilad’s life every day’
Ha’aretz – Hundreds gather in southern Israel and demand government accept Hamas deal; Shalit’s grandfather: Inaction does more damage to Israel’s morale than release of prisoners.
Israeli caught trying to smuggle in diamonds worth 2.5 million dollars
Ha’aretz – The man, a diamond dealer, to be brought to court on Sunday. Authorities also arrest man trying to smuggle 2,000 fake Viagra pills from India.
New York state legislature approves same-sex marriage
Ha’aretz – Mayor Bloomberg calls vote ‘historic triumph for equality and freedom’, as New York becomes sixth state to allow gay marriage.
Report: Hezbollah moves missiles from Syria to Lebanon, fearing fall of Assad regime
Ha’aretz – In recent weeks, Hezbollah has used trucks to move hundreds of long-range Iranian-produced missiles from Syria to bases in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, Le Figaro reports.
Shalit family members chain themselves together outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – Dozens of activists block road leading to the prime minister’s residence on the fifth anniversary of the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Sarkozy pledges to captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit: France will not abandon you
Ha’aretz – On fifth anniversary of Shalit kidnapping, French president writes letter addressed directly to captured IDF soldier; calls on Hamas to release Shalit.
Egypt extends detention of alleged Israeli spy Ilan Grapel
Ha’aretz – Israeli-American to spend 15 more days in detention pending further investigation on suspicions of sedition and inciting Egyptians to clash with the country’s military leadership.
U.S. embassy in Beirut rejects Hezbollah spying allegations
Ha’aretz – Embassy responds to Nasrallah’s claim that two of the group’s members admitted to working for the CIA.
Iranian President: We must expose the truth about Holocaust, 9/11
Ha’aretz – Speaking at a two-day international summit on anti-terrorism in Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad says U.S. used the events to put down Muslims and make economic gains.
PJ Library offers Israeli expats children’s books
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2011 – The project, which started last year, has already seen some 360,000 Hebrew language children’s books distributed for free to pre-schoolers.
Zahar: No current talks for Schalit’s release being held
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Senior Hamas official says kidnapped IDF soldier will not be released as long as Israel holds Palestinian prisoners.
WZO to gov’t: Don’t reinstate religion clause on Israeli ID
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – If the State of Israel wants to continue being the state of the Jewish people, then it must treat the world’s Jews with respect.
African migrants, activists hold World Refugee Day rally
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Civil rights lawyer: “Today we are holding a protest that we didn’t plan, against police who worked to prevent us from holding this event.”
Two oil spills strike Eilat Bay over weekend
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – MK Henin: “During the deliberations of the subcommittee on oil dangers in the Gulf of Eilat, we discovered an alarming picture of neglect and an inability to cope.”
Police keep J’lem street open despite Haredi protest
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – 150 protest civilian traffic on Shabbat, throw rocks, block traffic at intersection of Rehov Hanevi’im and Rehov Strauss.
Panel to vote on limiting foreign funding of NGOs
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – “Human rights groups operating to influence the internal political discourse and the character and policies of the State of Israel,” bill states.
Syrian forces kill 5 civilians in clampdown
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Funerals for demonstrators killed by regime turn into protests; Assad’s forces raid homes in Damascus and restive area near Lebanon border.
Ministers to vote on creating English TV station
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – MK Shai: “Not speaking to the countries in the region in Arabic and English encourages the isolation of Israel and hostility toward the country.”
‘Freeing Schalit would help Palestinian statehood bid’
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – As Schalit family marks 5th anniversary of Gilad’s kidnapping, French official tells ‘Post’: “When one pretends to be a state ruled by law, one has to show respect for basic international humanitarian law.”
FM heads to Albania in full-court press against PA UN bid
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Lieberman also to visit Croatia, Austria, followed by Netanyahu trips to Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary in effort to win UN votes.
‘PA presents Quartet with 4 conditions for resumed talks’
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Saeb Erekat says conditions include negotiations based on ’67 lines, EU support for Palestinian reconciliation, statehood bid, Ma’an reports.
Watch live: Celebrity jail cell protest for Gilad Schalit
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – For 24 hours, one celebrity, politician or former POW will spend an hour in a dark prison cell resembling conditions of Gilad Schalit, broadcast live.
Hamas: No Schalit release before Palestinian prisoners
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Group blames PM’s “intransigence” for lack of deal; Hamas releases video comparing Schalit to Ron Arad, displays “old” Schalit in prison cell.
‘Accused spy Ilan Grapel’s remand extended by 15 days’
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Egypt reportedly extends the dual Israeli-US citizen accused of spying for Israel as his interrogation by security forces continues.
Researchers take dinosaurs’ temperature with teeth
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Sauropods about as warm as most modern mammals; New technique adapted from Caltech geological research.
Turkey monitoring Syria border closely
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoƒülu tells ‘Hurriyet’ that he has great concerns over troops at border; has shared worries with Syria.
US says Nasrallah’s accusations they spy for Israel ’empty’
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Nasrallah claims 3 spies captured, 2 recruited by CIA, says Israel turned to US for help gathering information on Lebanese group; US embassy denies all charges.
Child dies in burning house in lower Galilee
Jerusalem Post 25 Jun 2011 – Rescue team saves mother, one other child in Shimrit home, but returns to house to find five-year-old boy dead.
Scrubbing Egypt Clean of Mubarak
IPS Throughout Egypt the once-ubiquitous name and image of ousted president Hosni Mubarak is becoming increasingly scarce as citizens attempt to purge the land of the former dictator’s tarnished legacy.
Suspected Israeli agents try to sabotage Freedom Flotilla II ship’s engine
Uruknet June 25, 2011 – A group suspected of being linked with the Israeli foreign intelligence agency the Mossad was reported to have tried to thwart the sailing of a Greek ship slated to join the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla II due to set sail sometime next week. The elements tried to sabotage the ship’s engine, but a crew discovered…
Judges Keep Guant?°namo Open Forever
Uruknet June 25, 2011 – Seven years ago, on June 28, 2004, the Supreme Court issued a historically important ruling in Rasul v. Bush, establishing that foreign nationals held at the Bush administration’s “War on Terror” prison at Guant?°namo Bay, Cuba, had habeas corpus rights; in other words, the right, under the “Great Writ,” first established in England in…
Alice Walker: Why I’m joining the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza
Uruknet June 25, 2011 – Why am I going on the Freedom Flotilla II to Gaza? I ask myself this, even though the answer is: what else would I do? I am in my 67th year, having lived already a long and fruitful life, one with which I am content. It seems to me that during this period of…
Breaching Gaza’s Siege
Uruknet June 25, 2011 – Suffocating besieged Gazans, Israel is committing slow-motion genocide. Global activists are determined to stop it and hold Israeli officials accountable for decades of crimes of war and against humanity – unspeakable atrocities financed by criminal co-conspirators in Washington. In May 2010, Israeli commandos illegally interdicted six Freedom Flotilla ships in international waters, massacring nine…
Keswah is another City now facing the attack
Uruknet June 25, 2011 – After the falling of 5 martyrs including a 12 years old child due to gunfire opened at massive peaceful demonstrations yesterday in Kesweh, Damascus suburbs, security and military forces surrounded the city at night, Rustum Ghazale came to the city and threatened with invading the city unless the citizens signed that “armed people” were…
Of course the Flotilla is a political provocation
Uruknet June 25, 2011 – As the launch of the Freedom Flotilla – Stay Human approaches, increasing numbers of Zionist officials and commentators illuminate the depths of their moral and intellectual bankruptcy by arguing that it is a political – not humanitarian – project. Ran Curiel, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, offers an example as good as any…
15 killed in NATO air raid in Brega: Libya TV
Uruknet June 25, 2011 — Libyan state TV said Saturday 15 people were killed in a NATO air attack on civilian sites in the costal oil city of Brega in Libya. The state TV said the NATO attacked sites where there were civilian, like a bakery and a restaurant, without giving details when the bombardment took place, however, official…
BDS Update: Fighting Apartheid on Land and Sea
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Earlier this month, 100 activists from nine countries gathered in Montpellier, France for the first European Forum Against Agrexco to strengthen the boycott campaign against Israel’s largest fresh produce exporter, which exports under the brand Carmel primarily to European markets. Up to 70 per cent of the fruit and vegetables grown in the illegal…
20 Slain as Mass Protests Again Reported Across Syria Rallies Said to Be Largest in Recent Weeks
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Reports from Syria suggest that today’s rallies are the largest in several weeks, as violent crackdowns against the pro-democracy demonstrations continued apace, and opposition figures said at least 20 more were slain. The largest rallies came in central Syria, and in the suburbs of Damascus. Reports also suggested that a number of soldiers in…
Action Alert: Demand the release of Nabi Saleh popular leaders
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Non-violent protesters are rising up to challenge the Israeli occupation, from the chambers of Congress to the shores of the Mediterranean. And while other action have received global media coverage, a small West Bank village named Nabi Saleh has been struggling without the attention it deserves. Its residents have been organizing a campaign to…
Libya seeks UN Security Council inquiry into NATO bombing
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Libya has called on the UN Security Council to institute an inquiry into the deadly bombing of the residence of Gen. Khoueildi Hmidi by NATO planes to confirm whether or not it was a military target as claimed by the alliance. In a message to the UN Secretary General, his Special Envoy to Libya,…
Amnesty questions claim that Gaddafi ordered rape as weapon of war
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Human rights organisations have cast doubt on claims of mass rape and other abuses perpetrated by forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, which have been widely used to justify Nato’s war in Libya. Nato leaders, opposition groups and the media have produced a stream of stories since the start of the insurrection on 15…
More than 1500 refugees flee Syria in one day
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – More than 1500 Syrian refugees streamed across the border to safe havens in Turkey in one day as Syria’s 3-month-old pro-democracy movement braced for another day of mass protests Friday. The refugees crossed into Turkey on Thursday as Syrian troops backed by tanks pushed to the border in their sweep against the anti-government protests,…
Silwan: 1 arrested after hit by Israeli jeep
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – – Israeli forces detained a young Palestinian from Silwan after hitting him with a military Jeep. Local witnesses said the Israeli military detained Ali Sabri Abu Diab, 15, from Silwan, for unknown reasons. Israeli forces also raided a solidarity sit-in tent in Silwan after Friday afternoon prayers which lead to confrontations between the police…
Brainwashing the Corporate Way
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – One of the most original and provocative books of the past decade is Disciplined Minds by Jeff Schmidt (Rowman & Littlefield). “A critical look at salaried professionals,” says the cover, “and the soul-battering system that shapes their lives.” Its theme is postmodern America but also applies to Britain, where the corporate state has bred…
“Now it’s all gone”: Women cope with siege in Jordan Valley
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Israeli military forces have demolished 27 houses in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank over the last two weeks. More than 140 Palestinians have been rendered homeless by the demolitions, while Israeli settlement expansion continues to threaten more land and restrict water access – affecting the vitality of dozens of Palestinian villages…
The Challenge of Gaza Flotilla: Radical Political Agenda
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Recently I often think I have entered a parallel universe. One where the illegal is legal; the victim the criminal; where Goliath defends himself from David. Palestinians have of course endured this experience for the last 100 years, but in recent weeks Israel’s denunciations of the upcoming Gaza Flotilla, coming on the heels of…
NATO and Iraq discuss further cooperation
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – The NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Claudio Bisognero, and the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Rowsh Noori Sideq Shaways, met today at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. They discussed the current training activities led by the Alliance in support of the Iraqi Security Forces and the possibility of expanding cooperation in that field…
Exclusive: Top U.S. admiral admits we are trying to kill Qaddafi
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – The top U.S. admiral involved in the Libya war admitted to a U.S. congressman that NATO forces are trying to kill Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. The same admiral also said he anticipated the need for ground troops in Libya after Qaddafi falls, according to the lawmaker. House Armed Services Committee member Mike Turner (R-OH)…
The racist Facebook rants of Netanayhu’s son
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Haaretz’s Uri Blau uncovered today racist comments and extreme right-wing rhetoric on Yair Netanyahu’s Facebook page. Yair, the eldest son of PM Netanyahu, is currently in mandatory IDF service, in the army’s spokesperson unit. He called for the boycott of Arab businesses (he was even the admin of a Facebook group for that, but…
Obama Administration Threatens to Jail 87-year-old Holocaust Survivor, Others
Uruknet In an announcement many will find stunning, the Obama administration has upped its threat level to Americans participating in the 2011 Gaza relief flotilla: The U.S. State Department said Friday that attempts to break the blockade are “irresponsible and provocative” and that Israel has well-established means of delivering assistance to the Palestinian residents of Gaza. It noted that…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (16- 22 June 2011)
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Summary: Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (16 – 22 June 2011): Shooting: During the reporting period, 5 Palestinian civilians were wounded by IOF in the West Bank. On 19 June 2011, a Palestinian civilian was wounded and arrested by IOF in the northern…
Egypt court sentences ex-trade minister to 5 years
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 Egyptian court convicts former Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid in absentia and sentences him to 5 years in prison for profiteering and squandering public funds.
Amnesty urges Egypt’s military to break from past
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 Egypt’s military rulers should “break from the past” and abolish repressive laws and practices as the country prepares for parliamentary elections.
NATO denies Libya claim airstrikes kill more civilians
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 NATO came under verbal fire again Saturday from Moammar Gadhafi’s regime, which accused it of killing 15 more people in strikes on civilian sites, a claim promptly denied by the alliance.
Pope congratulates Lebanon on new Cabinet
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 Pope Benedict XVI congratulated Lebanon on the formation of its new Cabinet Saturday, sending his blessings to the Lebanese people and expressing his hope that all countries in the region can live in peace.
Football: Libya internationals defect to rebels: BBC
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 Seventeen of Libya’s top football figures, including national team goalkeeper Juma Gtat, have defected to rebels battling to oust the country’s leader Moamer Gadhafi, the BBC reported on Saturday.
Turkey may pull support for Assad, analysts say
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 Turkey’s relationship with Syria’s embattled government grows frostier each day, and Ankara may withdraw support for President Bashar Assad if his crackdown on protests continues, analysts said.
Hard-line Sunni voice gains audience in Bahrain
Daily Star 25 Jun 2011 Once consigned to the fringes, Sunni hard-liners like Islamic scholar Abdullatif al-Mahmood are suddenly gaining a receptive audience amid a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
Cabinet statement embroiled in politics
Daily Star 23 Jun 2011 If a committee tasked with drafting the government’s policy statement fails to reach agreement soon on the international tribunal investigation Hariri’s murder, the issue will be referred to the Cabinet to decide on it.
Tel Aviv buses ‘go religious’
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Religious status quo undermined: The new transportation reform in central Israel, to go into effect July 1, will mean that buses that up until now were allowed to travel … ….
Celebrities ‘jailed’ for Gilad
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Israeli artists, public figures and other celebrities will be spending an hour in “solitary confinement” set up at the Herzliya television studies to protest the ongoing … ….
Report: Hugo Chavez in critical condition
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Venezuelan President Huge Chavez is in critical condition at a Cuban hospital, according to a report by the Spanish-language El Nuevo Herald. The newspaper said that … ….
Shalits storm PM’s home
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Enough talk, time for action: Gilad Shalit’s parents, Aviva and Noam, his brother, Yoel, and Yoel’s girlfriend, Yaara Winkler, stormed into the Prime Minister’s Residence … ….
Israelis sentenced for theft of Auschwitz mementoes
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – An Israeli couple have been given suspended jail sentences for the theft of historic artefacts from the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz, Poland’s PAP news agency quoted … ….
Hamas posts ‘Shalit photos’
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Hamas published Saturday images conjuring up abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in captivity, to mark five years since his kidnapping. Receive Ynetnews updates … ….
PRC: Israel unable to negotiate with us
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – The Popular Resistance Committees’ (PRC) spokesman Abu Muhajid said Saturday that the fact that five years have passed since Gilad Shalit has been captured is a testimony … ….
Zvi Shalit: Barak endorses deal, PM against it
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Letter written by captive soldier’s grandfather read out in rally held near….
Bin Laden considered changing al-Qaeda name
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – Al-Qaeda leader thought group’s name lacked religious element, feared image….
Iranian president questions Holocaust, 9/11
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – In Tehran conference, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says ‘Truth would be exposed if black….
Assad journal: Syria crisis over
YNet News, 25 Jun 2011 – State newspaper claims gunmen scared refugees into Turkey, accuses world media….
Israel names new military attach?© to Turkey
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – IDF hopes appointment of Colonel Moshe Levy would further aid to thaw relations….
Palestinian Information Center
Haneyya asks UN to protect Freedom Flotilla II
PIC – Palestinian premier in Gaza Ismail Haneyya has denounced the Israeli threats against the humanitarian convoy Freedom Flotilla 2 and asked the UN to provide protection for the fleet.
Italian activists ask Frattini to guarantee their safety aboard Freedom Flotilla
PIC – Italian activists taking part in the Freedom Flotilla II have announced their insistence on going ahead in their plan to join the humanitarian fleet.
Israeli prosecutor bans academic travel of West Bank professor
PIC – The Israeli Prosecutor has informed the HaMoked rights group that a West Bank professor has been denied permission to leave the occupied Palestinian territories to join a media conference in Qatar.
Khater: No Arab support for Jerusalem
PIC – The Islamic-Christian commission in support of Jerusalem has regretted the minimal Arab support for the occupied city and its holy shrines.
IOF closes Nablus village, rounds up six Palestinians
PIC – Israeli occupation forces on Saturday closed off the Iraq Burin village, south of Nablus city, declaring it a closed military zone to prevent its weekly protest march against confiscation of land.
IOA blocks visits to prisoners after relatives refuse strip search
PIC – The IOA refused to allow relatives of prisoners to visit them because they refused to be strip searched at roadblocks leading to Shatta and Megiddo jails.
Exile-threatened Jerusalem officials mark one year in asylum
PIC – A year has passed since Jerusalem’s Palestinian officials first sat down at the Red Cross headquarters seeking asylum after Israeli occupation authorities threatened to exile them.
Hamas: Only a prisoner swap can release Shalit
PIC – Hamas has reiterated that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would only be released in a prisoner exchange deal, holding Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for failures in the swap.
Suspected Israeli agents try to sabotage Freedom Flotilla II ship’s engine
PIC – A group suspected of being linked with the Israeli foreign intelligence agency was reported to have tried to thwart the sailing of a Greek ship slated to join the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla II.
The case against those demanding Shalit’s release
PIC – It would be dishonest not to acknowledge the strenuous efforts that Zionist circles have made on behalf of imprisoned Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Egyptian business man and two Zionists served life sentences for spying
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 12:05 PM
AOHR in the UK calls on Egypt to disclose information on six Palestinian prisone
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 01:34 PM
Settlers intensify their tours of West Bank mountains
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 02:17 PM
Hamas: Netanyahu’s measures against captives cover for his failure
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 06:15 PM
Bardaweel: Only way to free Shalit is to meet resistance condition on captives
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 06:19 PM
European Campaign: Israeli excuses for besieging Gaza null and void
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 07:05 PM
Zionist entity continues to Judaize occupied Jerusalem
PIC – 24/06/2011 – 07:27 PM
Abu Zuhri: Abbas refused Mishaal meet at US request
PIC – 25/06/2011 – 07:52 AM
IOF soldiers quell Nabi Saleh march, arrest two foreigners
PIC – 25/06/2011 – 08:31 AM
Organizers deny that flotilla is ‘provocation’, as Clinton claimed
PIC – 25/06/2011 – 08:52 AM
Israeli Soldiers Suppress Anti-Wall, Anti-Settlements Protest in Iraq Burin
WAFA
Ukraine Asserts Recognition of Palestinian State
WAFA
Abbas Welcomes UFM Water Desalination Project in Gaza
WAFA
PWA Welcomes UFM Desalination Plant in Gaza
WAFA
Fatah: International Interest in Shalit Clear and Unfair Bias
WAFA
WFE Upgrades Palestine Stock Exchange to Affiliate Membership
WAFA
EU to Donate €8.8 Millions to Poor Palestinian Households
WAFA
Israeli Forces Declare Iraq Burin Closed Military Area
WAFA
Russia Affirms Support of Palestinian Reconciliation
WAFA
MADA Publishes ‘MADA Media’ Magazine
WAFA
Hillary Clinton Gives Green Light For Israeli Attack On Gaza Flotilla
Intifada-Palestine: 25 Jun 2011 – by Ali Abunimah / Electronic Intifada In comments yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seemed to lay the ground — indeed almost provide a green light — for an Israeli military attack on the upcoming Gaza Freedom Flotilla , which will include… more
The Death of American Democracy [VIDEO]
Intifada-Palestine: 25 Jun 2011 – by Anthony Lawson The collapses of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre, on September 11, 2001, were the most frightening images that I have ever seen, up until May 24th, 2011, when Binyamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of… more
Of Course The Flotilla Is A Political Provocation
Intifada-Palestine: 25 Jun 2011 – “We are joining, by all means, the struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people, which is our liberation struggle. Everybody who is connected to this project says that he feels that he is also occupied by the Zionist movement, by the… more
U.S. Warns Against New Gaza Flotilla Plans
Intifada-Palestine: 25 Jun 2011 – One of the problems with operating a blog that deals with U.S. foreign policy (among other issues) is that it is often hard to keep up. From the perspective of those who see that the emperor wears no clothes, stupidity and… more
Libya’s western front joins the battle
LA Times 24 Jun 2011 – Fighting is flaring in the rugged mountain region, where the minority Berber community sees its own chance to throw off Kadafi’s yoke. Leaders are increasingly in contact with rebels in the east. Graffiti on a wall in the center of Nalut has a message for…
A Construction Boom in Gaza’s Lingering Ruins
New York Times 25 Jun 2011 – Recent improvements aren’t enough to dispel the misery in the Palestinian enclave.
Forces Make Arrests Across Syria; 5 Dead
New York Times 25 Jun 2011 – Scores were arrested and five were reported killed during the funerals of six protesters.
Bitter Feud Between Top Iraqi Leaders Stalls Government
New York Times 25 Jun 2011 – An American-backed power-sharing agreement has failed to deliver, and key decisions are being left unmade.
Rebels Arm Tripoli Guerrillas and Cut Resources to Capital
New York Times 25 Jun 2011 – The rebels say they are in contact with police and government officials to make plans to secure the city in the days after a potential ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
With a Bit of Land Restored, Villagers End Campaign
New York Times 25 Jun 2011 – For six years, nonviolent protesters marched to reclaim their land divided by Israel’s West Bank barrier. About 150 acres were returned.
Britain and France insist bombing of Libya must continue
WSWS – Britain and France have dismissed a call by Italy for a ceasefire in Libya, underscoring mounting tensions within NATO over its bid to install a compliant regime in the oil-rich country.
Last minute complaint regarding the ‘sea worthiness’ of the Audacity of Hope puts the US Boat to Gaza in jeopardy
Mondoweiss – Joseph Dana has been in Greece over the last few days diligently reporting on the progression of the American boat to Gaza The Audacity of Hope . Unsurprisingly pressure is rising. He’s filed his latest report at +972: Israeli assault on the Flotilla is well underway : Early…
Gaza Summer Games kick off with Olympic-style torch festival
Mondoweiss – The 2011 Gaza Summer Games opened on Thursday with an Olympic-style torch relay through the Strip. 57 kids carried the flame thru Gaza and finished the marathon with a ceremony lighting a huge torch placed on the top of UNRWA’s Headquarters, ushering in six weeks of…
Another sign of int’l isolation
Mondoweiss – This (says Mark Wauck ) looks like a kind of desperate attempt to break out of the increasing isolation… Reuters : A leading Israeli official has praised Pope Pius XII for saving Jews during the Nazi occupation of Rome, a surprise twist in a long-standing controversy over the…
Not my President
Mondoweiss – Yesterday the State Department warned that if Israel chose to attack, kill or imprison American citizens this country would do nothing about it. Earlier today Hillary Clinton said the brave Americans wanting to break the siege on Gaza were provocateurs and that Israel knows best on…
Reporters hector State: Is the blockade legal? What right does Israel have to ‘defend itself’ from humanitarian aid?
Mondoweiss – Matt Lee of AP is on fire. Be like Matt Lee, you docile bovine seven-stomached beasts of the mainstream media, grow a pair. And it looks like other State Department reporters are emulating him. Here’s the video . And here’s an extended excerpt from the briefing , below….
Beinin Successfully Defends Libel Charge
Tikun Olam – Stanford Professor Joel Beinin just won a court victory against Los Angeles pro-Israel activist Rachel Neuwirth, who’d charged him with libel in a case related to this blog. Several years ago, Beinin wrote to me that Neuwirth had made a death threat against him, about which…
Gaza Flotilla Ships Depart Tuesday, U.S. Threatens American Flotilla Passengers With Prosecution
Tikun Olam – The Turkish daily, Hurriyet reports that ten Gaza flotilla ships will embark from European ports in Greece and Italy on Tuesday . Previous reports said they might sail Saturday. The story notes that at least one ship will leave from Athens port, which would likely be the…
The Shame of It: State Department Warns U.S. Flotilla Members Israel May Kill Them
Tikun Olam – Audacity of Hope flotilla ship Not for a few years have I felt quite this ashamed of my own government. As you know, 50 U.S. citizens have chartered a boat called The Audacity of Hope , to be part of the Gaza flotilla. The name of the…
The New Yale Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism Hopes to Be Scholarly — For a Change
The Magnes Zionist 25 Jun 2011 – I have been in academia for over thirty years, and I never saw anything as fast as Yale’s damage control over its decision to axe the Yale Interdisciplinary Initiative for the Study of Anti-Semitism. After a little over a week of there being — God forbid…
Of course the Flotilla is a political provocation
Middle East Monitor 25 Jun 2011 – As the launch of the Freedom Flotilla – Stay Human approaches, increasing numbers of Zionist officials and commentators illuminate the depths of their moral and intellectual bankruptcy by arguing that it is a political – not humanitarian – project. Ran Curiel, Israel’s ambassador to the United…
Non-violence and the narrative of peace
Joseph Dana 25 Jun 2011 – Published in The Mail and Guardian South Africa On Sunday June 5, hundreds of Palestinians gathered outside the Qalandia checkpoint separating Jerusalem and Ramallah. They were part of an unarmed demonstration marking the anniversary of Israel’s takeover of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967,…
Greece: Israeli assault on the Flotilla is well underway
Joseph Dana 25 Jun 2011 – ATHENS: Israeli diplomatic and economic pressure is looming large over preparations of the second Gaza aid flotilla, set to sail from a number Greek ports at the end of the month. Israel has clearly stated that it will use every diplomatic and military avenue to maintain…
Syrian army widens border sweep
BBC 25 Jun 2011 – Syrian troops move into another village near the Turkish border and a town near Lebanon, amid reports of deadly shootings at protesters’ funerals.
Egypt abandons plans for IMF loan
BBC 25 Jun 2011 – Egypt drops plans for loans from the IMF and World Bank, after the deficit forecast was revised down – and against a backdrop of public distrust.
Israel pair admit Auschwitz theft
BBC 25 Jun 2011 – An Israeli couple have been given suspended prison sentences in Poland for the theft of artefacts from the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, officials say.
Articles
Of course the flotilla is a provocation
Joe Catron, Ma’an News Agency6/25/2011
As the launch of the Freedom Flotilla — Stay Human approaches, increasing numbers of Zionist officials and commentators illuminate the depths of their moral and intellectual bankruptcy by arguing that it is a political — not humanitarian — project.
Ran Curiel, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, offers an example as good as any other. On May 10, he actually went to the trouble of calling a press conference in Strasbourg to offer this conclusion: “In our view, the flotilla is clearly a political provocation … since there’s no need for a flotilla to aid Gaza,” he said. “You can pass whatever you want to Gaza through normal channels.”
Curiel’s reasoning leaves much to be desired. Nobody seems entirely clear on what can enter Gaza through his “normal channels,” namely the Erez Crossing, and a large majority of its necessities continue to arrive at a high premium via tunnels from Egypt. And humanitarian opposition to the siege has always had more to do with its crippling effect on Gaza’s economy than its obstruction of aid. Due to the impossibility of legally importing most goods, or exporting nearly anything, unemployment now reaches 45%, and 300,000 people survive on a dollar a day.
Nevertheless, his conclusion is sound, if self-evident. The Freedom Flotilla is indeed “a political provocation.” Why shouldn’t it be? And when has it pretended to be anything else?
Like its predecessors, from the successful Free Gaza boats of 2008 to the Freedom Flotilla that suffered lethal violence by Israeli commandos in international waters last year, this Flotilla is an unabashed act of solidarity with a people fighting colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid. more.. e-mail
Sacred mantras
Uri Avnery, Ma’an News Agency6/25/2011
The Palestinians are planning something thoroughly obnoxious: they intend to apply to the UN for statehood.
Why obnoxious? Any Israeli spokesman [not to mention spokeswoman] will tell you readily: because it is a “unilateral” move. How dare they proclaim a state unilaterally? How dare they do so without the consent of the other party to the conflict – us?
A stickler for detail might ask at this point: “But was the State of Israel not proclaimed unilaterally?” Our state, it may be remembered, was declared by David Ben-Gurion and his colleagues on May 14, 1948, without asking anyone.
But who would dare to compare?
Furthermore, these dastardly Palestinians are going to the UN General Assembly, trying to circumvent the UN Security Council where the US can block them with its veto. Dirty trick!
But just a moment! Was the State of Israel not proclaimed on the basis of a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly? To be precise: Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, on the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state?
As a matter of fact, this resolution is still in force. It served as the centerpiece of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, and serves now as a basis for the Palestinian demand that the State of Palestine be accepted as a full-fledged member of the United Nations.
But again, how can one compare? more.. e-mail
Why is Israel conducting unprecedented drills?
Nasser Laham, Ma’an News Agency6/25/2011
Israel continues to implement a plan set up in 2004 by Ariel Sharon, to change the Israeli army from huge and heavily armed to a smaller and smarter one.
Sharon had learned lessons from the third Gulf war when the US army, thanks to long-range missiles, managed to destroy a huge Iraqi army counting up to five million soldiers in a blink of the eye.
Since that time, Israel has been seeking to completely outdo armies of the Arab countries, or “to remain the strongest country military wise 10 kilometers from Jerusalem as the crow flies,” to quote Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak.
In fact, Israel has become a dangerous military arsenal in the Middle East despite the small size of its army which counts not more than 125,000 troops. Israel is capable, though, of destroying and even exterminating states and complete peoples either by nuclear warheads, or internationally banned weapons such as biological, chemical, hydrogen, and atomic weapons.
Weirdly, the UN and the international human rights groups and committees pay very little attention to that if at all, despite all reports by people of expertise which explain that the Israeli nuclear reactor in Dimona, built in 1950s, is too old and might result in leakage.
Over the past few days, Israel has conducted unprecedented major military and home front drills. The immediate question that pops in is what exactly is Israel doing and why?
The drills are all about the home front, not the army, and Israel seeks to achieve three goals…. more.. e-mail
Endemic pro-Israel bias in UK TV coverage, new book finds
Electronic Intifada: 25 Jun 2011 – Asa Winstanley The Electronic Intifada Those regularly subjected to BBC and ITV news won’t exactly find the conclusion of More Bad News From Israel surprising but the importance of detailed documentary evidence like this book provides cannot be overstated. More Bad News From Israel Manufacturer: Pluto Press Part Number: Price: $27.00… more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
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The New Dark Age 