26 June, 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Protesters dismantle section of wall in Bil’in village; 7 injured by Israeli troops
IMEMC – Saturday June 25, 2011 – 02:42, Protesters in Bil’in village continued dismantling a section of the Israeli Wall that the Israeli army began removing earlier this week, in accordance with an Israeli court ruling made four years ago to move the Wall in that area.
Israeli Teenage Girls Charged With “Price Tag” Attack In West Bank
IMEMC – Friday June 24, 2011 – 15:03, Two Israeli teenage girls have been charged with torching a Palestian car in Hebron as part of a “pricetag” retaliation attack, according to YNet.
Mosque In Beersheba To Remain An Islamic Museum
IMEMC – Friday June 24, 2011 – 12:41, The Beersheba Municipality has rejected a petition by the Bedouin Muslims of the Negev to pray in the old mosque of Beersheba.
Palestinian Envoy To UN Says Statehood Bid Will Go Ahead Regardless Of Talks
IMEMC – Friday June 24, 2011 – 12:38, The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said that they will go ahead with the application for statehood in the UN General Assembly in September even if talks with Israel resume.
Human Rights Organizations Make Joint Statement on Treatment of Gilad Shalit
IMEMC – Friday June 24, 2011 – 12:24, Human rights organizations released a joint statement on Friday, the 5th anniversary of the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, demanding an end to his “illegal” and “inhumane” treatment.
Netanyahu To Toughen Conditions For Palestinian Detainees
IMEMC – Friday June 24, 2011 – 11:45, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will toughen conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons in response to Hamas’s refusal to allow the International Red Cross access to detained Israeli captive Gilad Shalit or give proof that he is still alive.
Clinton: “Ships Heading To Gaza Defy Israeli Siege”
IMEMC – Friday June 24, 2011 – 09:29, United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, stated Thursday that solidarity ships heading to Gaza come in defiance of the Israeli Blockade on the coastal region, and are considered “unnecessary effort” that is likely to draw a reaction.
Israel to toughen Palestinian prisoner conditions
6/24/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel would harden conditions for Palestinians in Israeli jails to pressure Hamas to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.”I’m not going to detail the measures, but I can tell you the party’s over,” Netanyahu said in a speech….
Medicines for Gaza stuck at Israeli crossing
6/24/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) —Gaza’s medicine shortage has reached “alarming proportions,” international aid group Oxfam said Friday, quoting medical officials saying that drugs were held up at Israel’s crossing into Gaza. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has only five vials left to dissolve blood clots, the director of Gaza’s….
Witnesses: Israeli fire torches Nabi Saleh olive trees
6/24/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli troops fired tear gas in An-Nabi Saleh village on Thursday, setting fire to olive trees, witnesses said. Locals told Ma’an that troops entered the village and fired on houses, breaking into some of the homes and deploying on their rooftops. Teargas canisters set the trees alight, the witnesses….
Silwan: 1 arrested after hit by Israeli jeep
6/24/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — 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….
Israel closes Gaza crossing over weekend
6/24/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel closed the sole goods crossing into Gaza on Friday for two days, Palestinian officials said. Liaison official Raed Fattouh said Israel would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday. The southern border crossing with Israel is the only operating entry point for commercial goods and humanitarian aid into the….
Israeli troops hand interrogation orders to Jenin villagers
6/24/2011 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided Raba village, southeast of Jenin, on Friday breaking into several houses and handing out orders for villagers to report for questioning, locals said. Locals told Ma’an that Israeli troops handed warnings to six residents from the village, ordering them to attend questioning with Israeli police. An….
Israel releases village council leader
6/24/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israel on Monday released Qibya village council leader Abdul Hafeth Gheithan after detaining him for almost two years without a trial, a detainees’ center reported. Israel’s Ofer military court had refused to release the local official since his detention in 2010. He was never charged with any offense….
Flotilla organizers say Israel pressuring Greek govt
6/24/2011 – ATHENS, Greece (Ma’an) — Organizers of the US Boat to Gaza say that the Greek government has come under intense pressure from Israel. The Israeli government is allegedly using trade agreements with the Greeks as leverage. Spokesman of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gregory Delavekouras confirmed that Israel had contacted Greece about the….
Nasrallah: Hezbollah members confess to spying for CIA
6/24/2011 – BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Two Hezbollah members have confessed to working for the US Central Intelligence Agency and a third is still under interrogation, the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday.” When the Israeli enemy failed to infiltrate Hezbollah, it turned to the most powerful intelligence agency,” Nasrallah said in a closed-circuit….
New Rafah travel mechanisms from next week
6/24/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — New travel mechanisms will be implemented at the Rafah crossing at the start of the week, Gaza Cabinet head Mohammad A’zqul said Thursday. The Ministerial Council secretary did not elaborate on the new procedures approved by the government in Gaza, but said that they would give priority to….
Erekat: Turkey to aid statehood bid
6/24/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO official Saeb Erekat said Friday that Turkey had pledged to enlist more nations to recognize Palestine as an independent state at the UN in September. Speaking with Ma’an from Turkey, where he is with President Mahmoud Abbas for meetings with the Turkish leadership, Erekat said they had a…. Related: Report: Israel sees chance to mend fences with Turkey
French Mideast conference plan sows confusion
6/24/2011 – BRUSSELS (AFP) — Europe’s leaders Friday backed a French plan for a Palestinian donor conference as President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted it had a wider goal of gathering Palestinians and Israelis together for peace talks. Confusion surfaced when EU leaders issued a summit statement backing “a conference in Paris to provide economic support for the….
Colorful day in Nabi Saleh
6/24/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The children of An-Nabi Saleh set off with kites and painted faces to the village’s hill shortly after noon on Friday. An hour later, they were sheltering in a village house, while five Israeli military jeeps surrounded the location and fired tear gas towards them, according to eyewitness accounts….
Palestinian, Israeli groups demand Shalit information
6/24/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights groups issued a joint statement on Friday demanding that Gaza militants end the “inhumane” treatment of an Israeli soldier they hold captive. The declaration, signed by Israeli group B’Tselem, the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and eight others, comes….
Report: Israel sees chance to mend fences with Turkey
6/24/2011 – ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Israel and Turkey have an opportunity to end a deep crisis in their ties following mutual gestures, Israel’s deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon was quoted as saying Friday. In an interview published in Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, Ayalon highlighted a letter Israel’s premier sent to his Turkish…. Related: Erekat: Turkey to aid statehood bid
Fayyad to Israel: Give Palestinians freedom or right to vote
6/24/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told protesters in Bil’in on Friday that Israel should either give Palestinians freedom or the right to vote. Attending the weekly anti-wall rally in the village, Fayyad demanded either freedom or civil rights and said Israel was no longer able to defend its….
Abbas: No turning back from Palestinian unity efforts
6/24/2011 – ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — President Mahmoud Abbas vowed Friday to press ahead with efforts for a unity government, as disagreements with Hamas continue to delay the process.” We are continuing on the path of reconciliation and there will be no turning back,” Abbas said after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that marked the….
Haniyeh: Government will be through consensus
6/24/2011 – GAZA (Ma’an) — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that the coming unity government will be made through consensus, saying that the “reconciliation ship has left the port and will reach a safe shore with God’s will.”In a statement made after Friday prayers with activists from the miles of smiles….
Egypt activists say revolution must go ‘back to basics’
6/24/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian activists are calling for a massive rally on July 8 to ‘save the revolution’ that toppled Hosni Mubarak, urging politicians to drop debates on the timing of elections and focus on the basics. In a Facebook page entitled “The 2nd revolution of anger”, activists say the fundamental demands of the….
Hezbollah slams ‘unjust’ verdict against Bahrain activists
6/24/2011 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanon’s Hezbollah denounced “unjust” sentences of life imprisonment handed down by a Bahraini court to eight Shiite opposition activists accused of plotting to overthrow the kingdom’s monarchy.” Hezbollah condemns these politicized and unjust verdicts and. . . expresses its complete solidarity with the oppressed people of Bahrain,” the militant Shiite group….
EU piles pressure on Syria, targets Iran allies
6/24/2011 – BRUSSELS (AFP) — The European Union piled pressure on the Syrian regime on Friday, warning that its legitimacy was undermined by a brutal crackdown and imposing sanctions on three of its Iranian military allies. EU leaders holding a summit in Brussels were to adopt a declaration condemning the “unacceptable and shocking violence the Syrian regime continues….
EU pressure mounts as 9 die in Syria anti-regime protest
6/24/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrian security forces fired on protesters Friday killing at least nine as thousands surged onto the streets across the nation after afternoon prayers to demand the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. The European Union also turned up the heat on the Syrian regime, warning that its legitimacy was undermined by….
Qatari becomes the next UN president
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – The National- A Qatari diplomat has been elected as the next president of the UN General Assembly, saying he will use his one-year term in office to build cohesion between nations and tackle war, disease and poverty. Doha’s ambassador to…
Egypt’s solar supply and demand
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – Al Jazeera- On a blazingly hot summer’s day in Cairo, it’s 36 degrees Celsius in the shade. Air-conditioners and fans whirr across the city, burdening the national electricity grid. Last summer, the populous city experienced frequent water and power cuts,…
Author Alice Walker to take part in Gaza flotilla, despite U.S. warning
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – Haaretz- The celebrated poet and novelist Alice Walker has reiterated her intent to participate in the upcoming flotilla to Gaza, despite a warning by the United States State Department, which advises citizens against joining the attempt to break Israel’s naval…
Palestinians pelt Gaza Red Cross office with eggs
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- Palestinians threw eggs at the international Red Cross office in Gaza on Thursday to protest against a call for Hamas to show signs a captured Israeli soldier was still alive. Dozens of angry protesters also chanted slogans against the…
No more perks for Palestinian prisoners, says Prime Minister Netanyahu
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – Los Angeles Times- After Hamas rejected a call from the International Red Cross for access to Gilad Shalit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an end to perks for Hamas prisoners in Israeli prisons. Gilad Shalit was a 19- year-old corporal…
Religion’s role central to Egyptian constitution debate
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – The National- At the heart of a stand-off that could see elections delayed and protesters pour back into Tahrir Square lies a single document: the constitution. The religious undertones of the document are likely to set the scene for Egyptian…
Fatah: Hamas violating unity deal
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – Ma’an- A Fatah spokesman accused Hamas Thursday of being responsible for the current stall in the unity agreement process, and said the Islamist party’s preferred candidate was chosen for “factional reasons.” Speaking for Fatah, Ahmad Assaf said the candidate Hamas…
Why A U.N. Vote on Palestinian Statehood is a Ridiculous Waste of Time
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – Palestine Note columnist Jeff Pozmantier weighs the options Jeff Pozmantier – What if a U.N. resolution recognizes a new Palestinian state, but doesn’t require that Palestine must also recognize Israel as a Jewish state in order for the resolution to…
Palestinians ready to ease demands for Israeli settlement freeze, official says
Palestine Note 24 Jun 2011 – The Washington Post- The Palestinians are ready to ease their demand for a freeze on Israeli settlement construction to get peace talks back on track, a top official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The softened position reflects the Palestinians’…
House protests over US role in Libya
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Symbolic vote a rebuke for Obama but won’t affect US involvement in operations as House rejects cutting mission funds.
Syria protesters ‘shot outside mosque’
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Reports of 15 deaths in protests across country, including six said to have been shot as they left a mosque in Damascus.
UN voices “grave concern” about Yemen
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Security Council statement comes ahead of Monday UN visit, while violence claims at least four lives in city of Aden.
Ex-media baron Black re-sentenced to prison
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Former media mogul Conrad Black ordered back to jail for 13 months on charges of fraud and obstruction of justice.
Hezbollah ‘captures CIA spies’
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Leader Hassan Nasrallah says three spies were arrested among its members, two of whom allegedly recruited by the CIA.
Egypt begins excavation of pharoah’s ship
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Archaeologists begin excavating site of 4,500-year-old boat near Great Pyramid of Giza.
Cultural revolution in Cairo
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – Young Egyptians display pride at their country’s revolution through art and music.
EU expands sanctions against Syria
AlJazeera 24 Jun 2011 – European Union leaders add three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to list of people whose assets are frozen.
Seven Injured by Troops Gunfire as Bil’in Celebrate the Removal of the Old Wall
PNN – Ghassan Bannoura/PNN Exclusive — Seven people were injured on Friday as Bil’in villagers in central West Bank celebrated the removal of the old Israeli wall built on their lands. The six locals…
Palestinian Envoy to the UN Says Peace Talks Would Not Stop State Bid in September
PNN – New York — PNN – Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Envoy to the United Nations, made clear this week that any peace talks with Israel, will not stop the Palestinians from approaching the UN…
German Police Pass on Expertise to New Graduates
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — The graduation of 16 Palestinian civil police and 4 members of the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior in the field of Document Security and Examination was celebrated in…
Human Rights Organisations Release Joint Statement on Gilad Shalit: End Inhumane Conduct
PNN – Jerusalem – PNN – This week, several Israeli, Palestinian and International human rights organisations have come together to issue a joint statement regarding the imprisonment of Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit who is…
Palestine Fight Bravely, but Fall Foul to Away Goals
PNN – Ramallah — PNN — The Palestinian Olympic Football Team were defeated 2:1 by Bahrain in Ramallah last night, losing 2:2 on aggregate, thus missing out on progressing to the third round of…
Mini Gaza Freedom Flotilla to Set Sail on Sunday
PNN – Utrecht – PNN — A Number of Dutch human rights and solidarity groups are organizing a mini flotilla in the canals of Utrecht, in the center of the country, to show support…
International Solidarity Movement
Protesters in Bil’in drive bulldozer at the Wall
6/24/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Hundreds of protesters led by a bulldozer marched on the Wall in Bil’in today after the Israeli army began dismantling it earlier this week. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad ank MK Mohammed Barakah participated in the demonstration. Israeli soldiers open fire at a Palestinian protester driving a bulldozer at…. Related: Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Action Alert: Demand the release of Nabi Saleh popular leaders
6/24/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 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 challenge….
Ni’lin demonstrates against the Apartheid Wall
6/24/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Ni’lin – A weekly Ni’ilin demonstration was met with the intense tear gas attack, leaving dozens suffering from the consequence of inhaling the gas. Demonstration, organized by the Ni’ilin Popular Committee and joined by Israeli and international peace activists was held in solidarity with the political prisoners from the village….
European Union helps the Palestinian Authority provide essential social protection to families in need through the payment of social allowances
Relief Web 24 Jun 2011 – Source: European Union Country: occupied Palestinian territory Press Release – European Union Jerusalem PR/15/2011 Friday 24 June 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On Monday 27 June 2011, the European Union (EU) will be making its second contribution this year to the…
Palestinian Authority and the U.S. Government Improve Water Supply for 800,000
Relief Web 23 Jun 2011 – Source: US Agency for International Development Country: occupied Palestinian territory , United States of America (the) Taqua, Bethlehem Governorate — On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the U.S. Government inaugurated eight rehabilitated water pump stations and one booster station improving…
Under-Secretary-General, concerned about stalled political process, encourages ‘positive’ Israeli, Palestinian responses to United States leader’s speech
Relief Web 23 Jun 2011 – Source: UN Security Council Country: Israel , Lebanon , occupied Palestinian territory Watch the Webcast SC/10290 Security Council 6562nd Meeting (AM) Briefing Security Council, Top Political Official Says President Obama Addressed ‘Legitimate Core Concerns’ of Both Parties Worried about the dangerous standstill…
“Blockade of Gaza denies Palestinians humanity and dignity,” says UN Special Rapporteur
Relief Web 23 Jun 2011 – Source: UN Human Rights Council Country: occupied Palestinian territory GENEVA (23 June 2011) — The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, expressed deep concern over the human rights situation confronting 1.7 million people of Gaza…
Illegal closure of Gaza Strip enters 5th consecutive year
Relief Web 23 Jun 2011 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory On 12 June 2007, the Israeli government ordered an absolute closure on the Gaza Strip following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip. While Israel established the closure policy in…
A year after the easing of the closure and days before the expected flotilla: Israel may stop ships but must allow passage of civilian goods and people
Relief Web 23 Jun 2011 – Source: Gisha Country: occupied Palestinian territory Days before another flotilla is expected to set sail to the Gaza Strip, Gisha notes that in order to respect Gaza residents’ right to freedom of movement, Israel must allow travel between Gaza and…
Yemen’s south in turmoil as tribal leader joins calls for new government
The National 24 Jun 2011 – Tens of thousands of Yemenis protest in Sana’a yesterday to demand the establishment of an interim ruling council to oversee the transfer of power from the Saleh regime.
Syrians defiant after Assad speech as thousands protest
The National 24 Jun 2011 – Violence continued to overshadow efforts to defuse the crisis with promises of political reform.
Religion’s role central to Egyptian constitution debate
The National 23 Jun 2011 – Call for September elections to be delayed for a completely new charter underlines sensitivity over Islamic influence on Egypt’s future.
Nasrallah: Those who wish to harm Assad are serving Israel, U.S. interests
Ha’aretz – Hezbollah chief says the group has captured two Hezbollah members who have confessed to working for the CIA on behalf of Israel.
At least 15 protesters killed as tens of thousands take to the streets in Syria
Ha’aretz – Syrian security forces open fire with live ammunition on anti-government protesters near Damascus following Friday prayers.
White House: Gaza flotilla activists may be breaking U.S. law
Ha’aretz – U.S. State Department says Gaza is run by U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization Hamas and Americans providing support to it are subject to fines and jail.
Carlo Strenger / Israel is tearing apart the Jewish people
Ha’aretz – Israel has never had a government that so blatantly violates the core values of liberal democracy, which dismisses identities of 85% of the world’s Jewry.
Mubarak supporters clash with opponents in Cairo
Ha’aretz – Riot police separate several hundred demonstrators, some hurling rocks; police say 20 people injured.
Ayalon to Turkey: I never intended to humiliate your ambassador
Ha’aretz – Deputy FM Ayalon tells Turkish journalists it is time to restore ties with Israel, urges Turkey to ‘get together and speak about everything we need to speak about.’
Palestinians ram bulldozer into contested separation fence near Bil’in
Ha’aretz – Palestinian leaders and activists descend on West Bank village Bil’in to celebrate IDF decision to comply with court order to remove fence and give Palestinians easier access to farming land.
IDF soldiers punished for wearing shirts declaring ‘Golani fights enemies and does not evict Jews’
Ha’aretz – Group of Golani Brigade soldiers were photographed at a beret ceremony wearing the provocative t-shirts; four soldiers have been sentenced to 20 days in prison.
Tunisia becomes first North African state to join International Criminal Court
Ha’aretz – Diplomats say Egypt also considering joining the international war crimes court; ICC judges expected to announce whether they will issue arrest warrants for Libya’s Gadhafi, his son and intelligence chief.
N.Y. maid sues Egyptian banker on sex assault for 5 million euro
Ha’aretz – Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar, 72, was arrested in late May two weeks after former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was charged with trying to rape a maid in N.Y. hotel.
EU names Iran Revolutionary Guard commanders in Syria sanctions
Ha’aretz – EU publishes extended sanctions on Syria; includes names of three commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard accused of supporting Assad regime’s crackdown on protesters.
Ministers battling each other over dairy price deal
Ha’aretz – On Sunday, the committee – made up of professional staff from various ministries – will meet to formulate immediate solutions to the steep increases in dairy product prices.
Givot Olam says Meged 5 well producing at 800 barrels a day
Ha’aretz – Securities Authority orders firm to provide more info for investors
Hamas: Israel’s decision to toughen prison conditions violates international law
Ha’aretz – Hamas spokesman says PM Netanyahu is attempting to cover up his government’s failure to secure the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit
Palestinian UN envoy: Talks with Israel won’t stop bid for state recognition
Ha’aretz – Riyad Mansour dismisses speculation that Palestinians would decide against seeking UN membership at the General Assembly meeting in September.
Hezbollah says it found 3 CIA-recruited spies within group
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – “The Israelis failed to penetrate the structure of Hezbollah so they have turned to the CIA for help,” Nasrallah claims, says spies were not from within senior leadership and did not pose threat to group’s security.
US embassy denies Hezbollah’s CIA spy allegations
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Nasrallah claims 3 spies captured, 2 recruited by CIA, says Israel turned to US for help gathering information on Lebanese group; Beirut US embassy official says Nasrallah accusations “empty.”
Israeli envoy voices rare praise of wartime Pope
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Mordechay Lewy says Pius should be credited with saving Jews; comments are new twist in old controversy on pope’s place during Shoah.
Alain Juppe: ‘We have not forgotten Gilad Schalit’
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Ahead of 5th anniversary of soldier’s captivity, French FM laments, says “Schalit is French hostage who has been held in captivity the longest.”
US warns activists against new Gaza flotilla plans
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – State Department urges activists to ship aid though “established and efficient” means, says US backs Israel’s right to screen cargo.
‘Erdogan to Abbas: Turkey will support PA statehood bid’
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Turkish president reportedly calls for global support of Palestinian unity gov’t; Erekat says Turks to enlist more nations to back state, Ma’an reports.
This Week in History: The sinking of the ‘Altalena’
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Decision to send Jewish soldiers against fellow Jews has never been forgiven by some who view it as betrayal of the purpose of a Jewish army.
‘Erekat says Turkey to help build support for PA bid at UN’
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – PLO leader says Turkey “fully ready” to back statehood plans, stresses “messages will be sent to all countries to recognize Palestinian state.”
Syrian security forces kill 15 protesters, activists say
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Security forces shoot protesters in Damascus, Homs, Kiswa; thousands take to streets chanting “Tell the world Bashar is without legitimacy.”
Rebels: Gaddafi could stay in Libya as part of settlement
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Libyan leader might be allowed to to stay in remote part of country, report says; indirect talks over Gaddafi’s resignation continue.
IDF soldiers sent to jail over political t-shirts
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – “I wonder if a soldier who wears a Peace Now shirt would be punished this way,” says shirt creator, which denounce settler evacuations.
‘IDF soldiers jailed over settlement protest’
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Four Golani soldiers sentenced after wearing shirts reading, “Golani fights enemies, [it doesn’t] expel Jews” at public ceremony.
Hamas: Revoking prisoners’ privileges is against int’l law
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Group responds to Netanyahu’s announcement he will revoke privileges from Palestinian prisoners in bid to pressure Hamas over Schalit deal.
EU names Iranian Guard commanders in Syria sanctions
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Iranians accused of supporting Assad’s crackdown; nearly 12,000 Syrian refugees counted in Turkish shelter camps, 1,500 arrive in one day.
Rights groups to Hamas: Allow Red Cross to Schalit
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Twelve Israeli, Palestinian, int’l rights groups issue joint statement slamming illegal conditions under which Hamas is holding Schalit.
Did Moses miss the good stuff?
Jerusalem Post 24 Jun 2011 – Israel’s tremendous oil shale could lead to energy independence, scientist says.
Liberal American Jewish suckers
Jerusalem Post 23 Jun 2011 – Column One: Just before Obama snowballed his Jewish donors in Washington, Yale engaged in a similarly transparent bid to romance its Jewish supporters.
The Great Cottage Cheese Uprising
Jerusalem Post 23 Jun 2011 – Our well-mannered dairy revolt illuminates the forgotten side of the Israeli economy — the sectors that are being left ever further behind.
Palestinian Affairs: Searching for a ladder
Jerusalem Post 23 Jun 2011 – Will Abbas find a way to drop his plans for a unilateral statehood declaration and a unity government with Hamas?
Alice Walker: Why I’m joining the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza
The Guardian 24 Jun 2011 – Pulitzer prize-winning American writer Alice Walker is on board an international flotilla of boats sailing to Gaza to challenge the Israeli blockade. Here she tells why Why am I going on the Freedom Flotilla II to…
Picasso coup for tiny art school in occupied Palestinian territory
The Guardian 24 Jun 2011 – Director’s outrageous idea to exhibit masterpiece becomes reality after two fraught years It began as a joke, an outrageous idea to exhibit a Picasso masterpiece at a tiny art school in the occupied Palestinian territory. Slowly…
Featured photojournalist: Uriel Sinai
The Guardian 24 Jun 2011 – Getty photographer Uriel Sinai captures the Black Hebrews community during the Shavuot harvest festival in Dimona, Israel
Egypt sentences Israeli spies to 25 years imprisonment
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced members of an Israeli spy ring to 25 years in prison. The spy ring was composed of an Egyptian and two Israeli nationals accused of spying for Mossad. In December, authorities said they had arrested in August Tareq Abdel Razeq, a 37-year old business man, for attempting to…
Hillary Clinton gives green light for Israeli attack on Gaza flotilla
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – 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 the US Boat to Gaza. Among the passengers aboard the American boat will be 87-year old Kindertransport survivor…
What’s Really Going On at the Israeli Institute for Biological Research? Exposing Israel’s Most Dangerous Secret
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Drivers will only dart a glance at that mammoth structure nestled in the dunes south of Rishon Litsion southeast of Tel Aviv as they speed on their way. It is forbidden to turn off the Tel Aviv-Rishon Litsion highway onto the side road leading up to that building, which is barricaded by cement walls…
TRADE NOT AID IN PALESTINE
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – …The job of many campaigns has, up until recently, been to provide the quite basic provisions required for a people lacking of those necessities and this was the main objective to which organisations have been dedicated; but now a new idea is starting to circulate and is hopefully to become the dominant motivation of…
The diamond industry’s double-standard on Israel
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – All too aware of how bad association with war crimes is for business, the diamond industry has taken pains to evade questions about its connections with Israel’s human rights abuses – and so far has escaped scrutiny from watchdog organizations. Representatives for 75 countries affiliated to the United Nations-based Kimberley Process Certification Scheme meeting…
Israel to toughen Palestinian prisoner conditions
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel would harden conditions for Palestinians in Israeli jails to pressure Hamas to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. “I’m not going to detail the measures, but I can tell you the party’s over,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the Presidential Conference in Jerusalem, where…
Wikileaks exposes US profiteering after Haiti earthquake
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – On June 15, the whistleblower web site WikiLeaks began releasing US diplomatic cables from the period immediately following the devastating Haitian earthquake of January 2010. The cables, from among the 251,287 in WikiLeaks’ possession, provide important information on the machinations of US politicians, on their tight control over Haitian government functions, and about their…
Syrian troops open fire on protesters, killing at least twelve
Uruknet June 24, 2011 – Syrian security forces opened fire on Friday on anti-regime rallies killing at least 12 protesters, three of them in the capital Damascus, human rights activists said. Two were children. The committees said the deaths included a 12-year-old boy, Rateb Al Orabi, killed when security forces fired on protesters in the Shammas neighbourhood in Homs,…
Law of the jungle
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – Despite the cold in this mountainous region, a group of young men gathered on the outskirts of the town of Al-Moghayer east of Ramallah in the centre of the West Bank. These youth are intent on preventing Jewish settlers from burning the town mosque again after they set it ablaze for the first time…
Israel’s Contempt for Law of the Seas
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – In 2008 two humanitarian vessels got through to Gaza. In an article entitled ‘Keeping the Sea-Lane to Gaza Open’, I wrote: “The success of the ‘Free Gaza’ boats in breaking the siege, and their safe arrival and departure, was due to the intervention and good offices of the British Foreign Office… “Before the peace…
Palestinian Refugees: The Right to Remain, the Right to Return
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – I was 12 years old when for the first time in my life I became a citizen of a country – Australia. Before that, I was a stateless Palestinian refugee. There were two laments my parents always repeated whenever they spoke of their place of origin Palestine: if only we could have stayed and…
IOF removes part of the Apartheid Wall in Bil’in
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – On Tuesday, 21 June, Israeli Occupation Forces began dismantling the western part of the Apartheid Wall on the land of Bil’in. Tuesday marks a heroic victory of the steadfast popular resistance, which will restore 1,200 dunums of land to the village of Bil’in. The slated route of the Wall around Bil’in includes three walls,…
Egypt’s left threatens ‘million-strong’ protest to stop Islamists winning power
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – Egyptian activists have threatened to bring mass pro-democracy protests back to Cairo, with a “million-strong” occupation of Tahrir Square planned for 8 July unless the ruling army generals abandon their current “roadmap” to democracy. In an increasingly rancorous debate, which has developed into a proxy war between the nation’s fledgling Islamist and secular political…
Iraq snapshot – June 23, 2011
Uruknet June 23, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, Baghdad is slammed with bombings, Nouri wants to stop the Electoral Commission, Nouri wants to complain about Parliament, Osama al-Nujaifi meets with the White House, a US civilian dies in Iraq today, the War Hawk Barack’s bad speech, talks between the US and Iraq on the US military staying continue, and…
McCain/Kerry Support Imperial War on Libya
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – On November 6, 1971, a remorseful John Kerry told Washington, DC’s WRC-TV that “I gave back, I can’t remember, six, seven, eight, nine medals,” protesting against America’s Vietnam War involvement. On April 22, 1971, Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), saying in…
Palestinian youth and the healing arts
Uruknet June 23, 2011 – “We have slogan here. ‘From river to the sea, everyone should be free.'” Thus explained acting teacher Nabeel Raee as we drove through the beautiful sand-colored West Bank hills on the way from Jenin to Nablus, and then onto Ramallah, where we would part ways. Raee is an original member and current acting teacher…
Congress spurns Obama on Libya as Gadhafi mulls leaving Tripoli
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a bill authorizing President Barack Obama’s military intervention in Libya Friday.
Repeat of bloody Friday protests: Syrian forces kill 15
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Syrian security forces shot dead at least 15 people after tens of thousands of people took to the streets demanding the overthrow of President Bashar Assad during Friday protests.
Tripoli calm under heavy security but tension prevails
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Despite the calm that prevailed Friday, tension was evident in neighborhoods that saw deadly clashes a week earlier in Tripoli.
Nasrallah admits infiltration
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Two Hezbollah members have confessed to working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and a third had links to an as-yet-undetermined foreign intelligence service.
Action urgently needed on drug addiction: health minister
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil called for an urgent national policy Friday to combat drug abuse throughout the country, revealing that nearly 4 percent of addicts are students.
Man shot after failing to stop at army checkpoint
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 A man was seriously wounded Friday after failing to stop at an army checkpoint in Akkar, the National News Agency reported.
Mother, 3 children killed in road accident
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 A women and her three children were killed in a car accident in Hermel Friday, blamed on speeding.
10 wounded Syrians hospitalized in Lebanon
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Ten wounded Syrians were hospitalized in northern Lebanon Friday after entering the country through an illegal crossing at the border with Syria, a security official told The Daily Star.
Foreign minister denounces latest Israeli drills and violations
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour denounced Friday Israel’s latest military drills near the Lebanese border, saying the war games and daily Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty posed threats to Lebanon.
UNIFIL project helps Tyre students get to class
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon inaugurated a road in the Tyre town of Jwayya Friday to connect a local school with the main roads within the town.
Sleiman-Aoun meeting possible at Rai dinner
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 President Michel Sleiman will host top Lebanese officials and a number of Maronite leaders at a dinner to honor Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai.
Mikati: Tough decisions go to Dialogue Committee
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in an interview aired Friday night his government would refer any difficult decision that requires a consensus.
Activists work to change attitudes to torture
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Dressed modestly in denim and a cap covering one of many jagged scars, Pierre Namour, 50, a victim all-too-familiar with pain, believes there is no hope of ending torture in Lebanon.
Justice minister urges haste in prisoner trials
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi visited the detention center at the Justice Palace in Beirut Friday and urged police and security personnel to respect detainees.
Woman killed by a car on Dbayyeh coastal highway
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 A Sri Lankan woman was killed Friday when she was struck by a car as she crossed the coastal highway north of Beirut, security sources told The Daily Star.
Media watchdog slams attack on cameraman
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The Center for Defense of Media and Cultural Freedoms, SKeyes, condemned an attack on cameraman from Hezbollah’s Al-Manar Television.
Police raid sparks gun fire from Baalbek residents
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The police raided a neighborhood of Baalbek Friday and seized weapons, ammunition and stolen cars, provoking gunshots from a local resident.
Mabarrat honors U.K. ambassador for exceptional contributions
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The British ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, was honored by the Mabarrat Charity Association for her exceptional contributions to promoting the issue of the disabled.
International stars to join event to highlight road safety
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Activists promised to hit the brakes on careless driving in Lebanon and halt its deadly effects Friday, by announcing a charity concert held in honor of Roads for Life — The Talal Kassem Fund for Post…
Jabal Moussa embarks on path of ecotourism
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Shooting up from the gentle hills below, and peaking well above the clouds and coastal summer haze, the slopes of Jabal Moussa may be one of Lebanon’s less renowned touristic attractions but nonetheless promise to be…
Abbas says no turning back from unity effort despite snags
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas vowed Friday to press ahead with efforts for a unity government, as disagreements with Hamas continue to snag the process.
Leaderless revolutionaries: Rowing upstream without a paddle?
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 From the streets of Cairo and Madrid to online forums and social media sites, leaderless protests are on the rise. But the very qualities that led to their short-term success may condemn them to failure in…
Activists mobilize to rescue Egypt’s revolution
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Fearing that election debate is sabotaging the original aims of the Egyptian revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak, activists are calling on millions of nationals to stage a massive rally on July 8 to save the revolution.
Netanyahu Jr. chastized for anti-Islam Facebook remarks
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The Israeli prime minister’s 19-year-old son Yair Netanyahu has come under fire for posting racist comments on his Facebook page.
Refugees can feel safe in Arab countries: U.N.
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 he U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Friday stressed that refugees were safe in Arab and North African nations, after an appeal for better protection in Tunisia.
Aggrieved Shiites say Bahrain dialogue doomed to fail
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 A top Bahraini Shiite cleric said Friday that a national dialogue scheduled to start next week looked set to fail, as the opposition nursed pain and suffering from the jailing of protesters.
No end in sight for determined Yemeni protesters
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 After a six-month impasse, tens of thousands of Yemenis protested in Sanaa Friday on the day dubbed: Friday of the Revolutionary Will to underline their drive to oust their wounded president.
Revolutionary Guard commanders sanctioned
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The European Union has included the names of three commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard accused of supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s suppression of dissent on an extended sanctions list released Friday.
Living conditions deteriorate as Yemen impasse deepens
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Clutching a textbook, Saleh al-Kawkabani struggled to concentrate on preparing for his high school exams, which begin next week in Yemen.
Sudan’s troubled Abyei defies quick fixes
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 When Abdeljalil Abdelrahim talks about Abyei, a war-scarred region in central Sudan prized by Northern nomads for its grazing land, he has no doubt it belongs to the North.
U.S. Embassy denies Hezbollah spying accusations
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 The U.S. Embassy in Beirut denied claims by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Friday that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had recruited two members of the group.
Hezbollah uncovered two members working for CIA: Nasrallah
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says two members were found to be spying for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Wounded Syrians arrive in Lebanon
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Eight wounded Syrians were hospitalised in northern Lebanon Friday after entering the country through an illegal crossing at the border with Syria.
Syrian forces kill 15 protesters, activists say
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Syrian security forces shoot dead at least 15 people Friday after tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets demanding the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses and activists say.
Yemeni forces fire on funeral march, killing 1
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Yemeni forces backed by tanks fired on a funeral procession Friday for a young man beaten to death in police custody, killing at least one person, a medical official said.
U.N. says sending human rights team to Yemen
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 A team of United Nations human rights investigators will travel to Yemen next week to assess the situation after months of unrest, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday.
Dozens march in Tripoli in support of Syrian uprising
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Dozens of anti-Syrian government protesters joined by Syrian students gather at Ibn-Sinaa square, as security forces boost their presence in the northern city to prevent any violent clashes
Hezbollah slams ‘unjust’ verdict against Bahrain activists
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Lebanon’s Hezbollah denounced “unjust” sentences of life imprisonment handed by a Bahraini court to eight Shiite opposition activists accused of plotting to overthrow the kingdom’s monarchy.
Mikati hopes pledged Syrian reforms become reality
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Prime minister adds that the new Lebanese government will deal with Syrian refugees fleeing into Lebanon from a humanitarian, and not political, perspective.
Mikati holds meetings over policy statement
Daily Star 24 Jun 2011 Prime minister meets with president, parliament speaker and public works minister to discuss latest developments in the drafting of the statement, stalled as the government seeks consensus on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
US: Israel, Turkey relations improving
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – WASHINGTON — State Department Spokesperson Vicotoria Nuland on Friday said the United States was noticing a slight improvement in Israel-Turkey relations, adding that the … ….
Nasrallah: Hezbollah members confess to spying for CIA
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – Hezbollah Secretary-Genereal Hassan Nasrallah on Friday announced that members of his militant movement had confessed to being CIA agents and accused arch-foe Israel of … ….
Soldiers jailed for political protest
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – Golani Brigade Commander Colonel Ofek Buchris tried four soldiers serving in the Brigade’s 13th Battalion to various detention sentences Friday, for conduct unbecoming. … ….
France: We’re not forsaking Gilad
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – France also marks five years without Gilad — In a special statement issued Friday by the French Embassy in Tel Aviv, Foreign Minister Allen Juppe wrote that France is not … ….
Erdogan to garner support for Palestinian state
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – Turkey’s prime minister has voiced strong backing for Palestinian plans to seek UN recognition of an independent state. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey … ….
Palestinian PM attends Bilin protest
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad participated Friday at an anti-security fence protest staged in the village of Bilin, west of the city of Ramallah. Hadash … ….
Syrian refugees continue to flock to Turkey
YNet News, 24 Jun 2011 – More than 1,500 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 … ….
Israel Continues Judaization of Jerusalem
WAFA
Palestine One Goal away from Making History
WAFA
Israel Lobby Group Outlines Dirty Tricks Against Campus Palestine Activists
Intifada-Palestine: 24 Jun 2011 – Ali Abunimah / Electronic Intifada What is the best way to smear Palestinians and Palestine solidarity activists and get away with it? That is the question David Bernstein, Executive Director of the pro-Israel propaganda group, The David Project, asks in a surprisingly… more
SABROSKY RESPONDS: ON PALESTINE, ISRAEL AND AMERICA: A STRATEGIC VOID
Intifada-Palestine: 24 Jun 2011 – By Dr. Alan Sabrosky * I’ve had a more diffuse and sometimes different reaction to the original article on this topic ( http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2011/06/palestine-israel-and-america-the-strategic-void /) than I anticipated, although one I thought possible. And while I don’t usually respond other than with brief replies to… more
Attacks on Syrian protesters leave a reported 20 dead
LA Times 24 Jun 2011 – People pour into the streets across the nation to defy President Bashar Assad. The European Union adds sanctions on Syria and its ally Iran over the brutal crackdown on demonstrators. Syrian security officers opened fire on protesters Friday, leaving as many as 20 dead, as…
Libyan’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 and they are increasingly in contact with rebels in the east. Graffiti on a wall in the center of Nalut has a message…
Egypt’s would-be president faces tough balancing act
LA Times 23 Jun 2011 – Amr Moussa seeks to portray himself both as political veteran and reformer. But past ties could hurt him more than help him. Just outside his office at the Arab League, Amr Moussa displays the typical power photos of Western politicians: handshake snapshots with the king…
Syrian troops said to mass on border with Turkey
LA Times 23 Jun 2011 – Pro-democracy activists say Syrian troops and tanks have rolled into areas near the border, across which refugees have fled to makeshift camps. The move could further strain ties with longtime ally Turkey, which has been critical of the crackdown. Syrian army units massed near the…
House Spurns Obama on Libya, but Does Not Cut Funds
New York Times 24 Jun 2011 – The House dealt a symbolic blow to President Obama by rejecting a bill to authorize the operations in Libya, but also turned back a measure that would have cut financing for the effort.
Yemen’s Security Forces Clash With Protesters at Funeral Procession for a Popular Activist
New York Times 24 Jun 2011 – Five people, including a bystander, were killed in clashes between security forces and separatist movement supporters in Yemen.
Diplomatic Memo: Ahead of U.N. Vote, Effort to Restart Mideast Talks
New York Times 24 Jun 2011 – Israeli and Palestinian leaders have told American and European diplomats that they want to resume discussions.
Israel Is Forced to Return Land to a Palestinian Village
New York Times 24 Jun 2011 – For six years, nonviolent protesters marched to reclaim their land divided by Israel’s West Bank barrier. About 150 acres were returned.
Rejecting Offer of Dialogue by Syrian President, Protesters Return to the Streets
New York Times 24 Jun 2011 – Thousands turned out Friday in Syria’s most restive locales, many of them denouncing as insincere an overture by President Bashar al-Assad for dialogue.
Iran Rift Deepens With Arrest of President’s Ally
New York Times 24 Jun 2011 – Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh has been arrested amid a deepening power struggle between the president and the country’s highest religious leader, Iranian news agencies reported.
Ha’aretz: A Moment Before Boarding the Next Flotilla
Jewish Voice for Peace –
6, count em 6, members of Congress sign letter to Clinton expressing concern for ‘safety’ of US citizens on flotilla
Mondoweiss – This just in from Just Foreign Policy : A congressional letter re the U.S. Boat to Gaza was sent to Secretary Clinton today and posted here : Six members of Congress signed on to Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s letter calling on Secretary Clinton to “work with the Israeli government…
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Settlers burn land adjacent to outpost
Christian Peacemaker Teams – Palestine –
Human beings are not bargaining chips
B’tselem 24 Jun 2011 – On the fifth anniversary of the capture of Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit, leading Israeli, Palestinian and International Human Rights organizations issued a joint statement demanding that those holding him must immediately end his inhumane and illegal treatment.
Hillary gives Israel green light to ‘defend’ itself from flotilla
Mondoweiss – “And we think that it’s not helpful for there to be flotillas that try to provoke actions by entering into Israeli waters and creating a situation in which the Israelis have the right to defend themselves,” Clinton said. And just now on MSNBC. Allyson Schwartz, congressperson…
Bachmann takes it to the mat– US and Israel are ‘two sides of the same coin’
Mondoweiss – On June 13th Michelle Bachman announced her presidential run. Today it is all about…. Israel. This speech of hers could have been written by Israel’s Foreign Ministry it is so over the top, such a blatant pandering to Israel interests. We’re all used to candidates cementing…
Now they tell us: Yale anti-Semitism shop’s whole purpose was to defend Israeli expansion into West Bank!
Mondoweiss – The Yale Daily News reports on Yale’s decision to establish a new anti-Semitism shop that will replace the lately-cashiered program, the Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism. The story says that leftwing bloggers helped drive YIISA, as it was known, into the wilderness. And…
Israelis shoot up protesters’ bulldozer at Bil’in wall– as Fayyad participates in demo
Mondoweiss – From Jonathan Pollak of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee in Bil’in : Hundreds of protesters led by a bulldozer marched on the Wall in Bil’in today after the Israeli army began dismantling it earlier this week. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli member of Knesset Mohammed…
Voice of Israel Anti-Flotilla Hasbara
Tikun Olam – It’s simply amazing the power of the Israeli media to lull its audience into a false sense of confidence that all Israel’s alleged enemies are incompetent, their evil machinations will be foiled, and that their government, like Allstate, has them in the best of hands. This…
IDF: Wages of Terror Are Sodomy
Tikun Olam – The wages of sin may be death in the New Testament. But in the IDF the wages of terror appear to be sodomy. I don’t know why it is that the IDF finds it especially appropriate to mete our the punishments of sodomy for suspected terrorists…
Anyone Home, IDF?
Tikun Olam – IDF Col. Moshe Levi pimping the provisions the IDF was ‘generously’ providing for Gaza (IDF) The absolute cluelessness of the IDF beggars belief at times and this is one of them. Amidst a mystifying warming trend between the Israeli and Turkish governments which I wrote about…
Bil’in VIllagers to move the wall themselves
The Only Democracy? JVP 23 Jun 2011 – After the Israeli military finally began to move the wall after a Supreme Court decision and 2 more than 5 years of protest (2 since the victory) , the village of Bil’in will take matters into their own hands again tomorrow. Photo by: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org Popular Struggle…
Egyptian spy and two Israelis sentenced to life
Middle East Monitor 24 Jun 2011 – The Supreme State Security Court in Egypt sentenced on Thursday, June 23, an Egyptian citizen and two Israelis to 25 years in prison on charges of spying and espionage for Israel. The court sentenced an Egyptian businessman, Tarek Abdel-Razek, to life imprisonment of which he would…
B’Tselem: Israel escalates demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank
Middle East Monitor 24 Jun 2011 – More than 700 displaced in six months Statistical data published by the Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, confirms that Israel’s forces have intensified the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank since January 2011, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of Palestinians. According…
Gaza’s children march against child labour
Middle East Monitor 23 Jun 2011 – EXCLUSIVE PICTURES On Wednesday, children marched in the streets of Gaza to draw attention to their internationally recognised rights which are being violated with the on-going siege. They demanded recognition of their right to education, to live without fear for their lives and to have a…
Israeli forces destroy 20 coal production facilities near Jenin
Middle East Monitor 23 Jun 2011 – Yesterday, Wednesday June 22, Israeli army bulldozers and machinery razed to the ground some twenty facilities for the production of coal in the village of Barta’a which is situated in the northern West Bank. The facilities were destroyed without previous warning and the owners were prevented…
Hezbollah members ‘spied for CIA’
BBC 24 Jun 2011 – The head of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, says two members of the Lebanese Islamist group have confessed to working for the CIA.
West Bank debut for Picasso work
BBC 24 Jun 2011 – A Pablo Picasso painting is for the first time put on display in the West Bank, in what local officials say is a small step towards Palestinian statehood.
Conspiracy Theory
Sabbah report 24 Jun 2011 – The unwillingness or inability to entertain any view of 9/11 different from the official view dooms to impotence many Internet sites that are opposed to the wars and to the rise of the domestic US police state. These sites, for whatever the reasons, accept the government’s…
Israel’s contempt for Law of the Seas
Sabbah report 24 Jun 2011 – Stuart Littlewood highlights the European Union’s willful failure to protect the citizens of its member states in the face of Israel’s explicit threat to murder humanitarian workers planning to take part in the upcoming aid flotilla to Gaza.
Israel Proves that Flotillas Work
Sabbah report 24 Jun 2011 – Israel’s announcement of authorization for construction materials for 1,200 homes and 18 schools in Gaza is the latest achievement by the Freedom Flotilla, scheduled to sail next week. In the weeks leading up to the flotilla, Israel has taken a number of steps to try to…
Occupation End Notes: A Movement In Motion!
US Campaign to End the Occupation 24 Jun 2011 – June 24, 2011
Articles
Fighting for the right to return
Mohsen Saleh, Al-Ahram Weekly6/23/2011
Palestinian marches on the borders of Israel over recent weeks have put the right of return back on the international agenda.
When 12-year-old Imad saw his mother preparing some sandwiches for the 15 May march to the southern Lebanese borders with Palestine, he wondered what the food was for. “Will we have the time to eat it,” he asked. “Aren’t we going to the borders of Palestine to fight the Israelis?”
The message this child and his peers conveyed gave the event another dimension, for these marches of return to the borders with Palestine, occupied in 1948 and becoming Israel, have turned into landmarks in the Palestinian approach to the right of the Palestinians to return to their homeland.
The crowds that participated in the marches in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in addition to those killed while trying to penetrate the borders, have given rise to three important considerations.
First, there has been the transformation of the right of return from a theoretical framework or a nostalgic wish into a practical programme. This indicates that the Palestinian refugees remain attached to their homeland and that their stay in their host countries depends on their ability to return. It sends a reassuring message to those host countries that are concerned about the naturalisation of Palestinians on their territories. more.. e-mail
Israel policy myth #2: Separation between Jews and Arabs is not racist
Roi Maor, +972 Magazine6/23/2011
Racist attitudes against Arabs are widespread in Israel. Numerous official policies segregate and separate Jews from Palestinians, with a vastly discriminatory effect and intent. Justifications alluding to security needs, or alleging that separation is based on citizenship rather than ethnic origin, do not withstand close scrutiny.
One of the most acrimonious controversies surrounding Israeli policy concerns the accusation that it has created a system of apartheid between Jews and Palestinian in territories under its control. The issue is so sensitive, that some activists have come to refer to the term as “the A-word”.
While bickering over nomenclature is, in my opinion, an unfortunate distraction, the debate on this topic has raised an interesting question. Many of Israel’s defenders angrily reject the accusation of apartheid, claiming that even if there are certain mechanisms of separation between Jews and Palestinians, they are not motivated by racism and do not reflect a racial ideology, unlike the South African regime that was dismantled in 1994.
Obviously, contemporary Israel is different from Apartheid South Africa in too many ways to enumerate. Putting the comparisons aside, is the core argument true? Is separation between Jews and Palestinians motivated by racism or not?
Although Israeli society has not been free from ideas of a biological hierarchy among racial groups, this line of thought has largely been marginal. However, arguments of “cultural” inferiority have gained much more currency. Orientalism — the view of an undefined “East” as lethargic and static in comparison to the West’s dynamism — has been a central feature of Jewish Israeli thought in regards to the Arab Middle East. It has also affected views of Sephardic Jews – those who immigrated to Israel from Middle Eastern countries. more.. e-mail
Palestine’s Own Spring
Alain Gresh, CounterPunch6/24/2011
“Down With Division”
The images of Palestinians massed at Israel’s borders on 15 May represented a dream for some, and a nightmare for others. On the 63rd anniversary of the declaration of the Jewish state and of the nakba (catastrophe) for the many thousands of Palestinians expelled from their homes, demonstrators from Syria , Lebanon, Jordan and Gaza converged on the promised land. They were only a few thousand but the world wondered what would happen if millions marched peacefully to the borders and walls next time. These refugees — neglected by the PLO since the 1993 Oslo accords despite having inspired the Palestinian awakening of the 1960s — may have decided to take their future into their own hands.
The banners in Ramallah demanded the right of all Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, Beirut or Amman to elect a national representative council, and a radical reform of the PLO. This could represent a new stage in the liberation struggle, and Israel’s brutal response on 15 May, killing 14 unarmed Palestinians, shows how worried its leaders are. It is this new aspiration of ordinary Palestinians after the Arab uprisings, overlooked by both Hamas and Fatah, which has pushed the rivals to end their long quarrel and agree an accord, ratified in Cairo on 4 May by representatives of 13 Palestinian factions. It anticipates the formation of a government of technocrats or independents; the liberation of prisoners from both sides held in Gaza and the West Bank; presidential and legislative elections within one year; reform of the PLO; and the merging of the security forces on a strictly professional basis. Priority is given to reconstructing Gaza, which remains under Israeli blockade.
Unsurprisingly, the agreement was quickly rejected by Israel, with its prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, telling Fatah to choose between peace and Hamas. He did not mention that for months Israeli officials had justified their reluctance to agree an accord with Mahmoud Abbas (head of the Palestinian Authority and leader of Fatah) on the grounds that he only represented half the Palestinians…. more.. e-mail
“Now it’s all gone”: Women cope with siege in Jordan Valley
Electronic Intifada: 24 Jun 2011 – Nora Barrows-Friedman The Electronic Intifada Israeli military forces have demolished 27 houses in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank over the last two weeks, rendering more than 140 Palestinians homeless. The state of siege in the Jordan Valley has particularly impacted women.more
The Challenge of Gaza Flotilla: Radical Political Agenda
Palestine Chronicle: 24 Jun 2011 – By Richard Irvine 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 its pious condemnation of the dead refugees on the Golan Heights have stretched incredulity to breaking point. When Israel killed 14 unarmed refugees on Nakba Day and then out did itself in a repeat performance three weeks later, I expected the international community to speak out; to condemn, to reiterate the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has the right to leave and return to their own country. I waited in vain. Over the mumblings of the Quartet, and Ban Ki-moon’s pathetic call for “restraint,” the most strident voice…more
Palestinian Refugees: The Right to Remain, the Right to Return
Palestine Chronicle: 24 Jun 2011 – By Samah Sabawi I was 12 years old when for the first time in my life I became a citizen of a country — Australia. Before that, I was a stateless Palestinian refugee. There were two laments my parents always repeated whenever they spoke of their place of origin Palestine: if only we could have stayed and if only we could return. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2009 there were more than 10 million refugees around the world in need of assistance. This number does not include the7 million Palestinian refugees, who make up the world’s largest refugee population and whose question is the longest standing at the UN. The plight of Palestinian refugees began 63 years ago when they were forced out of their homes or fled in fear as the Israeli state established itself on the ruins of their villages…more
Israel’s Contempt for Law of the Seas
Palestine Chronicle: 24 Jun 2011 – By Stuart Littlewood In 2008 two humanitarian vessels got through to Gaza. In an article entitled ‘Keeping the Sea-Lane to Gaza Open’, I wrote: “The success of the ‘Free Gaza’ boats in breaking the siege, and their safe arrival and departure, was due to the intervention and good offices of the British Foreign Office‚Ķ “Before the peace activists set sail, the British government was asked about ‘action to ensure the freedom boats’ safe and uninterrupted passage to Gaza considering these are international waters and Palestinian territorial waters’. Any attempt to stop the boats would surely infringe the right to freedom of movement to and from Gaza, and seriously breach the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Israel is a party. “The minister in charge of Middle East affairs Kim Howells… has now revealed that ‘FCO officials spoke to Israeli officials in advance of the trip and…more
Economy Alone Fails to Explain Turkey’s Success
Palestine Chronicle: 24 Jun 2011 – By Ramzy Baroud Many commentators today are basing the success of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the June 12 elections largely on its ability to guide the country through a decade of remarkable growth. Economic indicators are often seen as the obvious logic behind economic stability – lack thereof. However, they are not enough on their own to reach such sweeping conclusions. In an article entitled, ‘Look toward Turkey’s economy to understand Erdogan’s re-election’, Ibrahim Ozturk opined: “From 2002 to 2007, Turkey experienced its longest period of uninterrupted economic growth, which averaged 6-7 percent year on year, while annual inflation plummeted. Moreover, the economy proved resilient following the global financial crisis, with growth recovering rapidly.” (Lebanese Daily Star, June 18). According to Ozturk’s perceptive analysis, the AKP’s success in picking up the pieces of a shattered economy (as a result of the 2001 severe economic ‘crisis’), and the…more
BDS Update: Fighting Apartheid on Land and Sea
Dissident Voice: 24 Jun 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 Israeli settlements in the West Bank are marketed by Agrexco, making it a prime strategic target for BDS. The Palestinian BDS National Committee’s Rafeef Ziadah explains that the campaign includes all three components of BDS: in the first place, the boycott of Agrexco products, but also divestment via suspension of commercial agreements, and sanctions through court actions directed at Agrexco’s violations of international law, especially false labelling of produce. According to Stephanie Westbrook: Its complicity in a broad range of human rights violations, profiting from crops grown on stolen land, irrigated with stolen water and worked…more
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The New Dark Age 