22 July , 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Weekly Nonviolent protest Held In Ni’lin
IMEMC – Saturday July 23, 2011 – 01:04, Local sources reported Friday that dozens of Palestinian residents of Ni’lin village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, supported by Israeli and international peace activists, held the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and Settlements built on Palestinian lands. Soldiers attacked the protesters and fired gas bombs at them, several injuries were reported.
Troops Attack Nabi Saleh Weekly Nonviolent Protest
IMEMC – Saturday July 23, 2011 – 00:19, Israeli troops attacked on Friday the weekly nonviolent protest against settlements and the Annexation Wall in Nabi Saleh village, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Several residents were kidnapped by the army, and several others were wounded. Army also kidnapped several residents.
Army Attacks a Nonviolent Protest In Al Ma’sara, Near Bethlehem
IMEMC – Friday July 22, 2011 – 23:55, Israeli troops attacked on Friday the weekly nonviolent protests against the Annexation Wall in Al Ma’sara village, near the West Bank; three residents suffered concussions and bruises.
Settlers Attack Shepherd Near Nablus
IMEMC – Friday July 22, 2011 – 23:14, Fundamentalist Israeli settlers attacked on Friday evening a Palestinian farmer near Qasra village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and killed two of his sheep.
One Injured, Dozens Treated For Tear Gas In Bil’in
IMEMC – Friday July 22, 2011 – 19:47, A Palestinian journalist was wounded in his right foot in the village of Bil’in near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, on Friday.
PCHR Weekly Report: One civilian killed, ten wounded by Israeli forces this week
IMEMC – Friday July 22, 2011 – 09:34, In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 14– 20 July 2011, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that a Palestinian worker was killed when Israeli warplanes bombarded a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. 9 Palestinians, including 6 civilians, were wounded by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Settlers start fires across the West Bank
7/22/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian firefighters have been battling blazes across the West Bank as Israeli settlers set fire to land in multiple locations on Thursday night. Reports earlier on Friday said that settlers had torched agricultural fields near the village of Burin in the West Bank city of Nablus.” Some settlers from the Yizhar….
3 arrested and 2 injured in Nabi Saleh rally
7/22/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Two people were injured and three others arrested in a weekly rally in the village of Nabi Saleh on Friday. Israeli soldiers had tried to raid the village but were confronted by local residents. Soldiers then fired stun grenades and canisters into the crowds, injuring dozens who inhaled the tear gas….
Settlers attack shepherd in Nablus
7/22/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers on Friday attacked a Palestinian shepherd in Qusra village in the northern West Bank and killed two of his sheep, witnesses said. Ma’an’s correspondent in Nablus said minor clashes broke out after the incident as locals tried to defend the shepherd, and Israeli forces detained….
Israel PM guards tell women reporters to remove bras
7/22/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Foreign journalists on Friday spoke of their distress after being asked to remove their bras for a security check before being allowed into the offices of Israel’s prime minister. The three women were told by security personnel to undress and take off their bras for x-ray in two separate incidents at….
Video shows Israeli officer pointing gun at unarmed Palestinian
7/22/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli human rights organization B’tselem uploaded a video on Wednesday depicting an Israeli officer pointing a gun at an unarmed Palestinian man in Hebron, news reports said. IDF officials admitted that the incident appears to be serious, Israeli Ynet reported Thursday. An investigation has been launched, the….
Palestinian sources deny allegations that settler was shot at
7/22/2011 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Palestinian sources denied allegations that an Israeli settler was shot at near the town of Azzun on Friday, east of the West Bank city of Qalqiliya. The sources confirmed that a settler had passed nearby the town while a wedding was taking place, during which time fireworks had been set off….
Israeli Mossad told to stop using fake foreign passports
7/22/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Several countries have sent diplomatic messages to Israel demanding that the government stop using their national passports in Mossad operations, news reports said. The countries informed Israel that they were aware that Mossad operatives were using their passports in foreign operations and urged the government to immediately end the….
Israel forces detain Palestinian businessman in Jerusalem
7/22/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Thursday detained a Palestinian businessman at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, a prisoners’ society said. Mohammad Turman, 31, was detained at Qalandia checkpoint and taken to a police station in Ariel settlement, the society said in a statement. Turman owns Ojan restaurant, where he held an….
UNRWA visit to Gaza denied by spokesman
7/22/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasneh has denied reports that a delegation from the organization visited Gaza on Thursday.” These are false reports and untrue,” he said. There were reports that an UNRWA delegation had visited Gaza on Thursday in a two day visit to discuss the emergency aid needs of….
British charity sends Gaza aid via Egypt
7/22/2011 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Four tons of medical equipment donated by a British charity arrived Thursday in Egypt’s Alexandria port en route to the Gaza Strip, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Jaber Al-Arabi said. Al-Arabi said the UK-based Palestinian Center for Justice sent five truckloads of aid, including 35 hydraulic beds….
Mother of 2 detainees dies
7/22/2011 – JENIN (Ma’an) — A mother of two detainees died Friday in a refugee camp in Jenin in the northern West Bank, a prisoners’ rights group said. Two of Hajjeh Najiyeh Sibani’s children are held in Israeli prisons. The 78-year-old was devastated when she learned that her daughter was on hunger….
Rafah crossing to be closed Saturday as Egypt marks 1952 revolution
7/22/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities have announced that they will close the Rafah crossing on Saturday as the country marks the anniversary of the July 23 revolution in 1952.”The Rafah crossing will be closed on Saturday by the Egyptians because of the holiday and will be re-opened Sunday,” Palestinian head of the….
In photos: Gaza children break another world record
7/22/2011 – MaanImages / UNRWA – Over 5,000 children smashed the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever handprint painting on Thursday in a stadium in Khan Younis in southern Gaza during summer games organized by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Children in Gaza are hoping to break four world records this summer. They have already broken the….
Tawjihi exam results to be announced
7/22/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The deputy education minister Jihad Zakarneh said Thursday that the results of the Tawjihi exams for 2010-2011 will be announced on Sunday.” A press conference will be held at 9. 00 a. m. on Sunday in the West Bank and Gaza to announce the results,” Zakarneh told Ma’an….
PA to appoint ambassador to South Sudan
7/22/2011 – ISTANBUL, Turkey (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority is preparing to dispatch veteran diplomat Kamel Abdallah Qazzaz to South Sudan as ambassador to the world’s newest state, PA officials told Ma’an. Qazzaz is currently the PA’s ambassador to Djibouti in Northeast Africa. He is dean of the PLO’….
Hundreds rally in Tunisia to denounce violence
7/22/2011 – TUNIS (AFP) — Hundreds of Tunisians rallied in the capital Thursday, denouncing the “violence and chaos” that persist six months after the toppling of authoritarian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The protesters marched for three kilometers to the central Pasteur square, closely watched by police, while chanting “Yes to unity”, AFP reporters witnessed. The group….
Amnesty condemns the ‘brutality’ of Iran executions
7/22/2011 – LONDON (AFP) — A graphic video of a public hanging in Iran of three men convicted for rape shows the “brutalization” of the condemned and those who watch executions, Amnesty International said Thursday. In the video, which the London-based human rights watchdog said it received from a blogger, the men are seen standing atop three buses….
Gadhafi rules out talks with Libya rebels
7/22/2011 – TRIPOLI (AFP) — Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi has ruled out talks with rebels fighting to end his four-decade rule, insisting the loyalist cause will triumph even as the rebels said they had infiltrated the capital. In a speech aired by state television late on Thursday, Gadhafi said the rebels’ five-month-old uprising was a “lost cause….
8 killed as Syria quells massive protests
7/22/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrian security forces killed at least eight civilians on Friday as more than 1. 2 million protesters swarmed cities in the north and east to protest against President Bashar Al-Assad’s rule, activists said. Activists had called for Friday’s demonstrations on Facebook group The Syrian Revolution 2011, a driving force….
Egypt protesters back in Tahrir to push for change
7/22/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Hundreds of Egyptian protesters gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday to push for reforms, as Islamists held a separate demonstration calling for stability. Pro-democracy activists had called for a rally in Tahrir Square — the epicenter of protests that toppled president Hosni Mubarak — after a cabinet reshuffle failed to satisfy their….
Jordanian youths condemn ‘terrorizing’ of media
7/22/2011 – AMMAN (AFP) — More than 300 Jordanian youths demonstrated in Amman Friday to condemn government “oppression” and “terrorizing” of the media, a week after several journalists were beaten up as they covered a pro-reform sit-in.” No to government intimidation, oppression and terrorizing of the press,” the youths chanted as they marched from Al-Husseini mosque in central….
Video Shows Confrontation on West Bank
Palestine Note 22 Jul 2011 – The New York Times- A video uploaded to YouTube by an Israeli human rights group on Wednesday shows an Israel Defense Forces officer pointing a gun at a Palestinian who appears to be unarmed. The group, B’Tselem, says it was…
Israeli settlers on the West Bank: Might some stay?
Palestine Note 22 Jul 2011 – The Economist- Every Friday and often after school on other days, Israeli soldiers fire tear-gas and sonic bombs at the Palestinian children as they approach a spring. It sits in a valley that separates Nabi Saleh, an Arab village of…
Over 100 Palestinian NGOs call for political reconciliation
Palestine Note 22 Jul 2011 – Ma’an- Over 100 Palestinian NGOs issued a call on Wednesday urging the implementation of political reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. The call “to bring success to the reconciliation agreement nationally and democratically” was signed by over 100 NGOs in Jerusalem,…
UN: Marked increase in forced displacement of Palestinians
Palestine Note 22 Jul 2011 – OCHA estimates Israel has undertaken more demolitions in 2011 than past two years combined Ma’an – The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released a report Thursday documenting alarming trends in the forced displacement of Palestinians in Area…
Enough With The Historical Narratives! It’s Time For Leaders To Focus On Writing The Rest of The Story
Palestine Note 21 Jul 2011 – Maybe one day I’ll have a quote someone will like well enough to recite at the beginning and end of almost everything they have to say about a topic. Take this Abba Eban quote from almost 40 years ago, as…
Central Tripoli ‘rocked by five explosions’
AlJazeera 22 Jul 2011 – Libyan capital hit by series of blasts thought to be the result of NATO airstrikes.
Deadly twin attacks shock Norway
AlJazeera 22 Jul 2011 – At least 17 people dead after a massive bomb blast hits central Oslo and a youth camp on an island is fired upon.
Protesters killed amid huge Syria protests
AlJazeera 22 Jul 2011 – Security forces blamed for more killings of civilians as mass demonstrations are held to show support for Homs.
Iran says senior security official killed
AlJazeera 22 Jul 2011 – Kurdish fighters blamed for death of Abbas Asemi and five other Revolutionary Guards officers in clash near Iraq border.
Rights group criticises Saudi anti-terror law
AlJazeera 22 Jul 2011 – Amnesty International says that proposed legislation threatens to strangle peaceful dissent in the Gulf kingdom.
Israeli Troops Attacked Weekly Non-Violent Protests; Three injured, Seven Arrested
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – Three injured and seven arrested, as Israeli troops attacked anti-wall protests organized in a number of West Bank communities on Friday. Protests took place in the villages of…
Israeli Army Seeks to Takeover More Palestinian Land
PNN – Tel Aviv – PNN – The Israeli Army’s Civil Administration has plans afoot to increase state-ownership of land in the West Bank, according to an internal army document. Israeli daily Haaretz reported…
Talent Show Aims at Equiping Palesntinian Cultural Community
PNN – Ramallah- PNN-The US State Department along with many other local sponsors held a singing competition on Thursday night at the Al-Kasaba Theatre in Ramallah. The evening was replete with television coverage, a…
Acil Agha, the prettiest voice in Ahla Sout Ghaneeha 2011
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – The young Palestinian Acil Agha, won the title of the best voice in the final of the singing program ‘Ahla Sout Ghaneeha’ – ‘The Prettiest Voice… Sing It!’…
Democracy Now! Special Video Report
PNN – After Thwarting Flotilla, Israeli Navy Seizes Lone Gaza-Bound Ship that Eluded Greek Authorities Earlier this week, three Israeli missile ships and seven commando boats intercepted a French ship attempting to reach the…
PCHR Report: Home Invasions and Attacks on Fishing Boats Among Human Rights Abuses
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – The Palestinian Center for Human Rights released its weekly report Friday detailing human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories for July 14-20. The report said there were…
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli soldiers carry out violent arrests at gunpoint in An Nabi Saleh
7/22/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Five Palestinians were arrested in Nabi Saleh today, as soldiers stormed village houses without warrants. Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers implemented extremely violent measures in the dispersal of the weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh. In an attempt to prevent the army from taking over the village, residents set up a…. Related: Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Jordanians protest press clampdown after king promises to protect media
The National 22 Jul 2011 – At the end of the march, protesters also burnt a US flag denouncing US interference in the reform process in Jordan and the region.
Syrian soap operas sidelined by protests and censorship
The National 22 Jul 2011 – Markets have dried up, a result of squeezed government funding and advertising cuts, greater competition from high-quality productions abroad and the events of the Arab Spring.
Sultan Hashim’s death sentence underscores Iraq’s deep divisions
The National 22 Jul 2011 – While there have been limited complaints about the impending execution of members of Saddam Hussein’s family, Hashim’s case has proven much more controversial, prompting outcry in political circles and among ordinary soldiers.
Eight killed at Syria rallies attended by ‘1 million’
The National 22 Jul 2011 – Communications in the capital were also heavily disrupted, with land telephone lines, mobile networks and internet connections shut down in some areas.
Saudi anti-terror law would silence dissent: rights group
The National 21 Jul 2011 – A draft copy of the law obtained by Amnesty International classifies offenses that harm the reputation of the state and endangering national unity as terrorism.
UN: Syrian repression may amount to serious crimes against humanity
Ha’aretz – United Nations special advisers on prevention of genocide say Syrian security forces target civilian protesters.
Norway ripped by Oslo bomb, youth camp shootings
Ha’aretz – Seven people were killed in an explosion in Oslo Friday. Followed by the deaths of another 9 or 10 people, who were gunned down at summer camp organized by the youth wing of the ruling Labor Party. One man was arrested and is believed to be responsible for both attacks.
‘Ahmadinejad wants to go public with Iran nuclear program’
Ha’aretz – Intelligence assessment says Iran’s president is in favor of shedding secrecy, but clerical leadership – fearing international reaction – opposes such a move.
Fighting for Israel’s soul
Ha’aretz – The president of the New Israel Fund, Naomi Chazan, has been vilified by the right, and members of the Knesset are seeking to erode the power of her organization. She refuses to surrender, saying the current battle is for the very soul of Israel.
Israel’s special-ops units are the missing element
Ha’aretz – The army’s recent war simulation envisioned Israel being attacked on several fronts, with horrendous casualties and mass evacuation. What the scenario left out was the essential ingredient of special-ops units.
Amos Harel / Is the IDF becoming an Orthodox army?
Ha’aretz – Documents drawn up by high-ranking army officers show that IDF regulations aimed at accommodating religious male soldiers are restrictive and even damaging vis-a-vis female soldiers.
Egyptian protesters gather in Tahrir Square to demand faster reforms
Ha’aretz – New Egyptian cabinet was sworn in on Thursday after three-day delay prompted by disagreements over some of the appointments.
Hundreds of thousands protest across Syria; at least 11 killed
Ha’aretz – Five civilians killed overnight in Homs; a further six were later shot dead in the Damascus suburb of Mleeha.
Could Israel’s middle-class spearhead a national revolution?
Ha’aretz – The most significant thing about the new wave of tent cities sprouting up across Israel is that they’re populated by the children of those in power.
In West Bank city of Nablus, archaeologists uncover biblical ruin
Ha’aretz – Dutch and Palestinian archaeologists are preparing to open the site of the ancient city of Shekhem as an archaeological park next year.
New layer of gas discovered at Tamar field off coast of Haifa
Ha’aretz – Amount of natural gas and economic implications of discovery at Mediterranean Sea site yet to be determined.
Hundreds of medical students join protest for improved working conditions
Ha’aretz – Medical students joined by ‘Tent City’ protesters, as mass rally for improved housing conditions in preparation for Saturday night.
Hundreds of thousands protest in Syria, 11 killed
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Tanks deployed in Homs where five are killed overnight; six shot in Damascus suburb of Mleeha; police, militia beat Kurdish protesters.
‘Syrian police, militiamen attack Kurdish protesters’
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Amid intensified crackdown, protests continue in Homs, Latakia, Deraa; police, tens of thousands take to the streets; 5 killed in Homs overnight.
Shas demands guidelines for yeshiva inspections
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – After controversial visit by two inspectors to Bnei Brack that ended in formal complaints, Shas demands guidelines for funding, survey inspections.
Golden bell, possibly from Cohanim robe, found in J’lem
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Small bell, with a loop for attaching to clothing, jewelry was found in what is known today as Robinson’s arch, part of the ancient central road of J’lem.
J’lem: Tent-city protesters to head to Knesset
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Protesters: Move to Wohl Rose Park meant to be in conjunction with housing-reform vote; J’lem mayor tells protesters to stay in IDF square.
Egyptian women demand greater role in government
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Women bemoan low representation despite their big role in the revolution that deposed Mubarak; “We were alongside the men in Tahrir Square.”
Medical students join doctors’, residents’ protest
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – 200 medical students rally outside of Ichilov in Tel Aviv, threaten not to begin residency next year; “We’re on [doctors’, residents’] side.”
‘Lebanon is 7 years behind Israel in oil, gas fields’
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – UN official urges Beirut to focus attention on searching Mediterranean for natural resources, offers to help in border dispute, ‘As-Safir’ reports.
This Week in History: The King David Hotel bombing
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – By bombing J’lem hotel, Irgun believed it could send strong message to British, whom it actively fought to end Mandate, establish Jewish State.
‘Mexico: Police may have found body of missing Israeli’
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Four years after Rishpi, 26, disappeared, police in Tulum say they uncovered a body on Mambo Beach, near where she was last seen.
Palestinian National Trail to open over weekend
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Israeli, Palestinian activists hope hiking path will show this is “Palestinian territory, while also acknowledging Israel’s right to exist.”
Channel 1 union welcomes as ‘1 of their own’ IBA’s new boss
Jerusalem Post 22 Jul 2011 – Despite worker-management differences, union says selection of Yoni Ben-Menachem reflects its confidence in professionalism of IBA employees.
Law and Order: Not just another statistic
Jerusalem Post 21 Jul 2011 – Police are catching 85% of drivers in hit-and-run accidents, but beyond the figures, it’s important to remember the human cost, says niece of victim.
Arab World: The quiet refugee crisis
Jerusalem Post 21 Jul 2011 – With the pro-democracy protests in Syria showing no signs of abating, Jordan is seeing a steady flow of families arriving in search of refuge from unrest.
Savir’s Corner: September’s Spring
Jerusalem Post 21 Jul 2011 – Is it possible that Netanyahu doesn’t understand that the one thing that will maintain Israel’s Jewish character is a clear Jewish majority in the country?
Column One: Israel’s premier opportunist
Jerusalem Post 21 Jul 2011 – It is disconcerting to consider the damage Livni will cause with her shameless exploitation of Israel’s vulnerabilities for her own political gain.
Israelis take to tents in housing protest – in pictures
The Guardian 22 Jul 2011 – A tent village has been set up in an affluent part of Tel Aviv in a protest against rising rents and house prices. Similar protests are spreading to other Israeli cities and towns
Israelis set up tent cities in protest at housing costs
The Guardian 22 Jul 2011 – Protests over high house prices and rents spread across the country Tent protest villages have sprung up across Israel over the past week to demand action on house prices and rents, attracting large numbers of young…
Christians in the Holy Land shouldn’t have to convert to Islam to get divorced | Jill Hamilton
The Guardian 22 Jul 2011 – It is time for churches to use their influence to reform family law in the Middle East “We cannot wait for politicians to sort things out, we have got to make a difference ourselves,” concluded Rowan…
8 Dead in Syria as More Than 1.2 Million March in Hama, Deir Ezzor (Videos )
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – Eight civilians were killed on Friday when Syrian security forces and regime agents used violence to disperse anti-regime demonstrators, as more than 1.2 million protesters flooded streets in the northern city of Hama and Deir Ezzor in the east, activists said… “Two demonstrators were stabbed to death in front of the Amneh mosque in…
Libyan Forum 101 Student Questions From Tripoli
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – My young friend Hassan, an English literature student quickly offered three tough questions for group discussion after apologizing for being late and explaining that security had increased on the streets of Tripoli following reports of rebel infiltrations and sabotage that Qaddafi had eluded to on TV the night before. Hassan repeated what we have…
Iraq: Protests, corruption, combat and stalemate continue
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – Protests are taking place in Iraq today. The Great Iraqi Revolution notes, “REAFFIRMATION OF IRAQ’S DIGNITY FRIDAY – Masses of people answering the call to attend the protests despite the fact that that there are a great many strictures and restrictions and the presence of Haliki’s hooligans in great numbers armed with clubs and…
US denies any plan to move Fifth Fleet from Bahrain
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – The US Department of Defence yesterday denied reports that it was considering moving its Fifth Fleet from Bahrain. A spokesman, via e-mail, said there are no intentions to move the fleet and that reports suggesting otherwise “do not reflect the views of the Defence Department.” A report in The Times newspaper in London yesterday…
Iran Says Open to US Ties Without ‘Preconditions’ ?
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – Iran’s foreign minister on Friday said the Islamic Republic is open to normalizing relations with the U.S. but only on “an equal footing and without preconditions.” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi’s comments, carried in state-run media, did not directly refer to sanctions imposed by the U.S. over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Iran and the…
So sue us: Israel’s outrageous law will not deter boycott movement Legal offensive recognizes power of BDS campaign
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – The Israeli government has long touted itself as “the only democracy in the Middle East.” This mantra ignores the fact that following the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, which paved the way for the creation of Israel, over 4 million people under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have no access to a…
The California Prison Hunger Strike Opposing Solitary Confinement as Torture – and the Insulting Response of Prison Officials
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – On Thursday July 21, as the widespread hunger strike in California’s prisons – primarily aimed at highlighting the abusive conditions in which prisoners are held in long-term solitary confinement in Security Housing Units (SHUs) – reached the three-week mark, Matthew Cate, the Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), issued a…
Libya says six killed in NATO airstrike near Brega
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – A Libyan official said six guards were killed in an airstrike on Friday on a pipeline production plant just south of Brega in eastern Libya .”This will be a major setback to future projects and a great problem to the maintenance activity,” Abdul Hakim el-Shwehdi, managing director of Libya’s state al-Nahr company which runs…
Marwan Barghouti forced into solitary confinement by Israel
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – Israeli prison authorities have placed jailed Palestinian MP Marwan Barghouti into solitary confinement just one day after he called for “million-man marches” in Israel and the Palestinian diaspora. The Fatah leader wants the protests to coincide with the attempts to get Palestine recognised by the UN in September. The Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs in…
Video: Sukant Chandan: ‘Rebel Atrocities, Gadaffi Troops Found Dead, Mutilated’
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – A mass-grave of alleged pro-Gaddafi soldiers has been discovered in a rebel-controlled area in Libya, according to British newspaper The Telegraph. The location was swiftly bulldozed after the discovery, suggesting an attempt to cover-up the killings. The bodies were reportedly mutilated, adding to the recent concerns of human rights abuses by rebels. Such crimes…
IDF’s reply confirms collective punishment of Palestinian village
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – On Saturday night, I posted a clip showing IDF forces shooting tear gas and throwing stun grenades at Palestinian houses in the middle of the night. The incident occurred in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, where unarmed protest against the confiscation of the village’s land takes place every Friday. Here is the…
Children tormented in the name of the law
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – With the most aggressively racist government ever in power, the Israeli occupation authorities have been prosecuting and imprisoning Palestinian children at will, mostly on bogus charges such as throwing stones at Israeli military vehicles and endangering the security and safety of the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. According to the Israeli human…
Former Antiwar’ Leader Shills for Obama Unwanted advice from Sixties leftover Todd Gitlin
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – The last person we need to hear from on the state of the antiwar movement is surely Todd Gitlin, the has-been “New” Left leader now a college professor of something-or-other. After all, it was none other than Gitlin, in the run up to the invasion of Iraq – and the biggest antiwar demonstrations since…
The grumpy diplomats of the rogue state
Uruknet June 22, 2011 – The Israeli ambassador to Spain, Raphael Schutz, has just finished his term in Madrid. In an op-ed in Haaretz’s Hebrew edition he summarized what he termed as a very dismal stay and seemed genuinely relieved to leave. This kind of complaint seems now seems to be the standard farewell letter of all Israeli ambassadors…
Tunisian police attack anti-government protests
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – In recent days Tunisian security forces have violently attacked a new wave of anti-government protests across the country. On July 15, after Friday prayers, hundreds of anti-government protesters tried to mount a sit-in outside the prime minister’s office in the Kasbah area in Tunis. They demanded a reform of the judiciary, the resignation of…
Attacks kill 5 civilians in Syria’s Homs: residents
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – At least five civilians were killed overnight as tanks attacked districts in the Syrian city of Homs during a crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad, residents said Friday. Homs, a city of 165 km (100 miles) north of Damascus, is the latest focus of a military campaign to crush four months or demonstrations…
Settlers start fires across the West Bank
Uruknet July 22, 2011 – Palestinian firefighters have been battling blazes across the West Bank as Israeli settlers set fire to land in multiple locations on Thursday night. Reports earlier on Friday said that settlers had torched agricultural fields near the village of Burin in the West Bank city of Nablus. “Some settlers from the Yizhar settlement adjacent to…
Military Resistance 9G15: Connect My Dots
Uruknet July 21, 2011 – In our survey of more than 4,000 Arabs from Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, we found favourable attitudes towards the US had declined sharplysince our last poll, conducted in 2009 after Obama’s first 100 days in office. Back then, Arabs were hopeful he would bring needed change to the US-Arab…
Iraq snapshot – July 21, 2011
Uruknet July 21, 2011 – Chaos and violence continue, Jalal Talabani prepares to host another house party, Political Stalemate II continues, US officials think discussions about the US military staying in Iraq could go on for months, and more… To keep the US military in Iraq, Jalal Talabani hid behind “trainers.” That’s the lie that the Iraqi government currently…
Impeachment: If Not Obama, Who?
Uruknet July 21, 2011 – There was a time when much of the public clamored for justice to rain down on White House illegalities, through impeachment. But then came Barack Obama, who made George Bush’s crimes his own and “then proceeded to out-Bush Bush, especially when it came to wielding imperial power and doing away with what’s left of…
PCHR Condemns Punitive Measures against Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails
Uruknet July 21, 2011 – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the decision taken by the Israeli Prisons Administration on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, to stop the higher education program provided to the Palestinian prisoners. PCHR calls on the international community to exert pressure on Israel and compel it to respect international law and put an…
More than 6 million Iraqis cannot read and write
Uruknet July 21, 2011 – There are more than six million illiterate people in Iraq, most of them women, according to the parliamentary committee on education. “Iraq possess an army of illiterates of more than six million people, and the majority them are women,” said Moona al-Maamouri, member of the committee…. Iraq was, according to reports by U.N.’s Educational…
Leonard Peltier: Victimized by Criminal Injustice
Uruknet July 21, 2011 …Peltier was framed, convicted and imprisoned for the deaths of two FBI agents, killed during a 1975 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota shoot-out. Though innocent, he’s currently serving two consecutive life terms – not for murder, for activism. A Free Leonard.org site covers facts about his case. It says attorneys representing him filed FOIA…
U.N. sees unity government in post-Gadhafi Libya
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Abdul Elah al-Khatib, a Jordanian senator, will act as special U.N. envoy to Libya seeking to persuade conflicting parties there to accept a plan pursuant to which a cease-fire and a power-sharing government would be implemented…
Massive protests defy Syrian authorities
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Hundreds of thousands of Syrians defied a violent government crackdown Friday…
Teachers’ union questions delays in cheating probe
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 The Union of Teachers Friday expressed its surprise that the government has yet to issue a report on a cheating scandal that reportedly took place more than a month ago.
Charbel denies reports of scrapping speed traps
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Interior Minister Marwan Charbel denied Friday reports saying he was planning to remove radars to detect speeding drivers, and insisted their implementation will continue and double in the near future.
U.S. donates over $1.7 mln to ISF projects in July
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 The U.S. has donated over $1.7 million to various Internal Security Forces projects throughout July, its embassy in Lebanon announced Friday.
Revered Bishop Tawk dies at 72
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Monsignor Youssef Tawk, the secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate, died of a heart attack Friday, according to a statement from the Secretariat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki, north of Beirut. He was 72.
Women’s groups caution MPs on violence law
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Campaigners for a draft law to outlaw domestic violence urged MPs Friday to refrain from passing a hollowed-out version of the legislation.
Syrians in Lebanon announce ‘stability’ rally
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Syrians in Lebanon are being urged to hold a mass gathering at the Syrian Embassy in Beirut Sunday in support of the security and stability of Syria.
Latest Syrian refugee numbers inflated: UNHCR report
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 The United Nations Refugee Agency Friday disputed recent media reports that had suggested hundreds of Syrians have fled to Lebanon over the past few days.
Brutal Metn murder re-enacted after suspect’s apprehension
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 A brutal attempted rape and murder of a 77-year-old woman in Metn topped Friday’s police report.
Ministers agree to pitch food safety law
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 The agriculture and economy ministers agreed Friday to introduce a new draft law on food safety, hours after a television program aired footage exposing the prevalence of unsanitary conditions in the country’s food manufacturing sector.
Beachgoers battle rising prices, admission policies
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 With the rising price of beach clubs along Lebanon’s coastline, it’s getting expensive to take a dip in the Mediterranean.
Yemen tribesmen stop militant convoy in south
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Tribal forces working with the Yemeni army halted a convoy of militants Friday heading to the southern town of Zinjibar where government troops are fighting to dislodge Islamists, a tribal source said.
Amnesty slams proposed Saudi anti-terrorism law
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Amnesty International accused Saudi Arabia of planning a crackdown on public dissent with new anti-terror legislation that it said was a cover to stop further pro-democracy protests in the absolute monarchy.
Iran seeks to mend fences with Saudi Arabia over Bahrain
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Friday that he hoped misunderstandings with Saudi Arabia could be resolved after a war of words erupted over Riyadh’s military intervention in Bahrain.
Supporters of Bahrain’s Al-Wefaq turn out in force for Friday rallies
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Tens of thousands of people rallied in support of Bahrain’s largest Shiite opposition group Friday after it pulled out of government-led national reform talks earlier this week.
Iranian commander among 6 soldiers killed in clashes on Iraq border
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 A senior officer of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards was among six soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels on the border with Iraq, Fars news agency reported Friday.
We must all act to stop Somalia’s nightmare
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Across the Horn of Africa, people are starving. A catastrophic combination of conflict, high food prices and drought has left more than 11 million people in desperate need.
Al-Shabaab retract welcome to aid groups in Somalia, deny famine
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-inspired rebels said Friday a ban on foreign aid groups remained in force and rejected a U.N. declaration that parts of the country had been hit by famine.
Sit-ins persist at Tahrir Square after new Cabinet falls flat
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Refusing to give up on Tahrir Square – the epicenter of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February – hundreds of Egyptians defied scorching heat Friday to demonstrate against the ruling military council…
Moroccan soldier killed in rare border shooting
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Morocco said Friday one of its paramilitaries had died after a shoot-out with suspected Algerian rebels, the first such incident since the start of an insurgency in Algeria two decades ago.
Jailed Palestinian leader moved into solitary
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has been moved into solitary confinement after guards found a mobile phone in his cell, a spokesman for the Israeli prisons authority said Friday.
Jordanians protest against U.S. meddling, demand reform
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Scores of Jordanian protesters demanding democratic changes from their king burned an American flag Friday, denouncing what they called attempts by Washington to interfere in the reform movement.
Outrage after journalists told to remove bras for Israeli security
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Foreign journalists Friday spoke of their distress after being asked to remove their bras for a security check before being allowed into the offices of Israel’s prime minister.
Gadhafi says no to talks, rebels “infiltrate” Tripoli
Daily Star 22 Jul 2011 Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ruled out talks with rebels fighting to end his four-decade rule, insisting the loyalist cause will triumph even as the rebels said they had infiltrated the capital.
Terror hits Norwegian capital
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – The Norwegian capital has fallen prey to what is believed to be a coordinated terror attack: A blast tore through Oslo’s government plaza and shortly afterwards, a gunman … ….
IAEA: No progress on Syria’s atom probe
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – International Atomic Energy Agency experts met with Syrian officials recently but were told that nothing would change the IAEA’s assessment that Damascus tried to … ….
Opposition: Iran consolidating nuclear efforts
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – An Iranian opposition group says Tehran’s leaders have created a new defense agency to consolidate nuclear weapons research. The Mujahedin-e Khalk, or MEK, said that … ….
Masses protest in Syria; 6 killed
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – Over one million Syrians defied a massive security crackdown and flooded the streets of Damascus and other cities Friday, insisting their protest movement was united and … ….
War-crimes suspect Hadzic extradited to Hague
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – Serbia has extradited former Croatian Serb rebel leader Goran Hadzic to the United Nations’ war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic … ….
Ahmadinejad said to be pushing for open atom work
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – The end to ambiguity? Iran’s president wants to shed the nation’s secrecy and forge ahead openly with developing nuclear weapons, but is opposed by the clerical … ….
Huldai: Housing protest losing momentum
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – The tent protest is spreading – every day more tents join the ranks of protestors in cities across the country and on Saturday they will all come together in a mass rally … ….
UN to intervene in Israel-Lebanon naval dispute?
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – Lebanese paper reports, high-ranking UN official willing to intervening in….
Med students join doctors’ protest
YNet News, 22 Jul 2011 – Some 200 students stage protest outside Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas condemns Israeli decision to annex WB museums
PIC – Hamas movement condemned the Israeli parliament’s preliminary approval of a law annexing museums in the West Bank settlements.
Israel uproots dozens of olive trees in Jordan Valley
PIC – Israeli bulldozers have begun to uproot olive groves in Beit Iksa village in Jerusalem province.
Jewish settlers return to evacuated settlement
PIC – Jewish settlers returned to the evacuated settlement of Homesh, south of Jenin city, at dawn Friday and offered Talmudic rituals.
61 Palestinians arrive in Gaza from Libya
PIC – The Egyptian authorities said on Friday that 61 Palestinians who were stranded in Libya had returned to the Gaza Strip last night via the Rafah border crossing.
UNRWA threatens Palestinian refugees of halting operations
PIC – The UNRWA has threatened that it would mull halting all of its operations in Gaza Strip if popular protests against reducing its services to the Palestinian refugees continue.
IOA to confiscate 136 dunums of OJ land
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has declared intention to confiscate 136 dunums of Palestinian land in occupied Jerusalem.
IOF soldiers quell peaceful Palestinian marches
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) quelled peaceful anti wall marches in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Al-Khalil villages using rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.
Al-Quds Index Closes Week at Loss
WAFA
Intifada PalestineMore Trouble in Murdoch World
Intifada-Palestine: 22 Jul 2011 – So, Murdoch is taking a more proactive approach to stop the bleeding. But will it work? postulates Mike Whitney Foreword by Debbie Menon for Intifada Palestine.com The Mainstream Press and TV misinformation services in general are doing their best to create… more
Protests’ Size Shows Gain In Momentum Across Syria
New York Times 22 Jul 2011 – Friday’s demonstrations, under the slogan of unity, came a week after a wave of sectarian bloodshed in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, claimed the lives of at least two dozen people.
Proposed Law Would Mandate Jail for Critics of Saudi King
New York Times 22 Jul 2011 – Human rights advocates said the law, which would allow prisoners to be held without trial, would effectively squelch political dissent in Saudi Arabia.
Iranian Exile Group Poses Vexing Issue for U.S. in Iraq
New York Times 22 Jul 2011 – Efforts to relocate the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, once a powerful paramilitary organization, have so far been unsuccessful.
Survivor of Attack Leads Nuclear Effort in Iran
New York Times 22 Jul 2011 – Iran’s nuclear program, led by Fereydoon Abbasi, plans to triple its production of a type of nuclear fuel that moves it closer to the production of bomb-grade material in a hurry.
Yemen on the Brink of Hell
New York Times 22 Jul 2011 – If Ali Abdullah Saleh and his generals believe they can defeat protesters, they are taking an enormous risk.
Beliefs: A Diplomatic Mission Bearing Islamic Hip-Hop
New York Times 22 Jul 2011 – The group Native Deen has toured the Muslim world displaying another side of America.
We Will Not be Silent: Statement in Regard to Israeli Anti-Boycott Law
Jewish Voice for Peace – BDS Campaign Endorses TIAA-Cref Campaign
JWeekly: Berkeley filmmakers take on Jewish identity, controversial issues in new documentary
Jewish Voice for Peace –
Indypendent Reader: Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace – JVP member Mark Gunnery reflects on the national member meeting and our role in the movement for Palestinian rights.
New Voices: How a nice Jewish boy from Arizona ended up on the flotilla
Jewish Voice for Peace –
JWeekly: Singing klezmer and dancing a pro-flotilla jig
Jewish Voice for Peace –
A number is worth 1000 words
Mondoweiss – Photo by Adam Horowitz, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
IDF and Ros-Lehtinen share goal: kill any chance for Palestinian state
Mondoweiss – An important report in today’s Haaretz by Akiva Eldar [picked up earlier today here by Matthew Taylor] further confirms the Israeli government’s intention to illegally annex strategic parts of the West Bank. Combined with the push by a top House Republican to codify into law President…
‘Washington Post learned nothing from Iraq, baselessly claims ‘Sanctions aren’t slowing Iran’s nuclear progress’
Mondoweiss – I like a good headline. That’s Matt Duss’s headline at Think Progress. The beginning of his post : Here’s the headline of an editorial in today’s Washington Post : “Sanctions aren’t slowing Iran’s nuclear progress .” And this is from the May report of the United Nations special experts…
Since Obama vetoed settlements resolution at U.N., Israel has had ‘free hand’ in building in West Bank
Mondoweiss – Ziad Asali of the American Task Force for Palestine predictably opposes the U.N. statehood resolution in the Washington Post today, an op-ed . But he makes this interesting point: Last year the United States vetoed a resolution regarding Israeli settlement activity . Despite some Palestinians’ claims of a…
Can a liberal Zionist write about ‘Israel’s contemporary reality’ without mentioning ‘occupation,’ ‘checkpoints,’ ‘Jim Crow’ or ‘Gaza’?
Mondoweiss – Rabbi Andy Bachman of Beth Elohim in Brooklyn can , in a post anticipating the Park Slope Food Coop’s vote on whether to stop selling Israeli hummus. Bachman describes Israel as a “remarkable achievement virtually unprecedented in human history and… therefore an incredible source of pride for…
Egyptian military delays election as opposition mounts
WSWS – The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is seeking to remain in control of the Egyptian government.
Tunisian police attack anti-government protests
WSWS – In recent days Tunisian security forces have violently attacked a new wave of anti-government protests across the country.
Netanyahu’s Security Agents Disrobe Female Foreign Journalists
Tikun Olam – You know, here in the U.S. they often talk about how much certain presidents detested the press and how the press office had a confrontational or hostile relationship with journalists. They’ve got nothing on Israel, where Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Shabak-appointed security detail routinely disrobes female journalists…
Tumbling IMI appoints bankruptcy lawyer as head
Neged Neshek – Israel Military Industries’ board of directors has appointed bankruptcy lawyer Nitza Posner as chairwoman. By any measure, IMI’s unification with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has been an abject failure and now a prominent lawyer who specializes in bankruptcy is appointed head. Could IMI’s demise be imminent? !…
The Economist Asks: “What Exactly Do The Arabs Expect of America?”
Arab American Institute 22 Jul 2011 – Last week, a number of media outlets covered the release of our public opinion poll of Arab attitudes towards the United States. Among them, the Economist produced a short piece that presented some of the findings then asked, ?what exactly do the Arabs expect of America…
For Lieberman, human rights = terrorism
The Only Democracy? JVP 22 Jul 2011 – Well, this sums it up well. Though Israel declined to follow up the anti-Boycott bill by passing a law calling for the investigation of human rights organizations, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was not “ blasted ministers for refusing to probe” Source: Reuters From Ha’aretz, Foreign Minister…
Marwan Barghouti forced into solitary confinement by Israel
Middle East Monitor 22 Jul 2011 – Israeli prison authorities have placed jailed Palestinian MP Marwan Barghouti into solitary confinement just one day after he called for “million-man marches” in Israel and the Palestinian diaspora. The Fatah leader wants the protests to coincide with the attempts to get Palestine recognised by the UN…
Netanyahu looks for “creative way” to solve Turkey crisis without apology
Middle East Monitor 22 Jul 2011 – Political sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said that a shift has occurred in Israel’s position on the diplomatic crisis with Turkey as efforts continue to resolve the issue before the publication of the UN report on assault on the Freedom Flotilla in May…
Syria: Tens of thousands protest
BBC 22 Jul 2011 – Tens of thousands of Syrians defy a massive military crackdown to take to the streets again for Friday protests.
Amnesty condemns Saudi terror law
BBC 22 Jul 2011 – A secret anti-terror law being drawn up by Saudi Arabia would lead to “massive rights violations”, says Amnesty International.
Egypt, Media, In Egypt’s iconic Tahrir: who’s running the show and when will it end?
A-infos 22 Jul 2011 – “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings” goes the popular colloquialism. Well, the fat lady is yet to sing in Tahrir Square, and the protests go on. Ahram Online tries to identify who’s running the show —— Back to Tahrir, again? —— “Why on earth…
Egypt: Birth of the Libertarian Socialist Movement
A-infos 22 Jul 2011 – The Libertarian Socialist Movement was founded on 23 May 2011 in Cairo, at the heart of the Egyptian Revolution and in the midst of the revolutionary wave that is sweeping over the world today, from Tunisia through Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria and even reaching Spain,…
Articles
Facing the World and Facing Ourselves
Dr. Lawrence Davidson, Intifada-Palestine 7/18/2011
Part I – Facing the World
It was the Scottish poet Robert Burns who, in a 1786 poem, wrote “O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us, it would from many a blunder free us.” That gift is now ours in the form of modern polling technology but, alas, Burns underestimated our abilities to turn a blind eye to its revelations and continue our blundering ways. Here is a recent example.
The respected polling company Zogby International recently conducted one of its periodic “Arab Attitudes” polls measuring, among other things, the popularity of the United States in the Arab Middle East. This one was conducted between the middle of May and the middle of June, 2011 and involved 4,000 face-to-face interviews in six countries: Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The results are not pretty. As reported by Al Jazeera, “The United States’ popularity in the Arab world has plummeted to levels lower than the last year of the George W. Bush administration.” The best the U.S. and the Obama administration could do was a 23% approval rating in Lebanon. In Egypt the approval rating was but 5%, which constituted a 30 % fall from the last survey two years ago.
For those paying attention to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, the reason for this awful performance is not difficult to understand. James Zogby got it right when he attributed the results to, “disappointment in the failure to meet the high expectations created by Obama’s election in 2008.” He continues, “those expectations appeared to rise further after Obama’s June 2009 speech in Cairo, where he pledged to seek a ‘new beginning’ between the U.S. and the Muslim world and expressed particular sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians.” The speech led most Arabs to expect rapid improvement in the two areas they consider the “greatest obstacles to peace and security in the Middle East”…. more.. e-mail
Closing the door on reconciliation
Graham Usher, Al-Ahram Weekly 7/14/2011
It seems there will be no thaw in Turkish-Israel relations any time soon.
On 7 July a United Nations panel postponed release of a report into Israel’s deadly raid last year on a Gaza-bound flotilla, which left nine Turks dead and plunged Turkish-Israeli relations into crisis.
It was the second time in as many months the report had been shelved. The panel — which includes Turkish and Israeli representatives — could not agree on Ankara’s core demand that Israel apologise for its role in the killings on the Mavi Marmara, the head boat in the flotilla.
“For us this is about the nine deaths,” Ozdem Sanberk, Turkey’s envoy on the panel, told the BBC on 8 July. “I’m sure you know the sanctity of Jewish life. I think Turkish life is not less sacred, and [Turkish] public opinion on this is unanimous.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon created the panel in August, headed by former New Zealand premier Geoffrey Palmer. The ostensible reason was to review and collate findings from separate Turkish and Israeli investigations into the raid.
In fact, said critics, the panel’s real purpose was to degrade a fact-finding mission into the raid by the UN’s Geneva based Human Right’s Council (HRC). Released in September, this found the raid and Israel’s blockade of Gaza illegal under international law.
It also charged Israeli commandos with using “totally unnecessary violence” to storm the Mavi Marmara, citing evidence that seven of the nine fatalities were “victims of summary execution”. more.. e-mail
AIC Culture is Resistance! Week Opens in West Bank
Alternative Information Center 7/6/2011
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is profoundly cultural,” explained Nassar Ibrahim, Director of the Alternative Information Center at the opening ceremony of the AIC’s Culture is Resistance! Week on Tuesday evening.
“It is the clash of two narratives. The Israelis are occupying not just our land, but our language, our space, confiscating the memory of our stones. Confiscating our culture and adapting it for their own. Our political work would be missing something if we didn’t also work in culture,” Ibrahim added.
Held under the auspices of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and the Beit Sahour Municipality, the AIC Culture is Resistance! Week explores through theatre, art, music, photography, poetry, literature and cinema, the dimensions and connections between culture and resistance to Israeli colonialism.
Over 100 Palestinians, Israelis and internationals attended yesterday’s opening event, which was opened with a warm welcome from Beit Sahour Mayor Hani Al-Hayak and the Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture in Bethlehem, Mohammed Deirieh.
“I feel very comfortable here,” said Deirieh, “as the Ministry of Culture encourages both popular culture and popular resistance. Praising the Culture of Resistance work of the AIC, which includes art empowerment training for Palestinian women in Hebron and Bethlehem, political-cultural events at the AICafe and field seminars for international activists, Deirieh added that the Ministry acts to protect Palestinian identity and culture. “Protecting culture is just like shaping a stone with your fingers,” he added with a smile.more.. e-mail
Women prisoners tell their stories in “Suspended Lives”
Electronic Intifada: 22 Jul 2011 – Charlotte Silver The Electronic Intifada Ramallah Suspended Lives , a photography exhibition that profiles ten women and their incarceration in Israeli prisons, is part of the UN Women’s project “Palestinian Female Prisoners in Israeli Prison,” which aims to uphold and advocate for the rights of Palestinian female prisoners.more
The grumpy diplomats of the rogue state
Electronic Intifada: 22 Jul 2011 – Ilan Pappe The Electronic Intifada The effort to gain recognition for a “State of Palestine” as a West Bank enclave inhabited by a fraction of the Palestinian people may intimidate Israel, but does not constitute a defining moment in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine, argues Ilan Pappe.more
Who is the real oppressor of Gaza women’s rights?
Electronic Intifada: 22 Jul 2011 – Yasmeen El Khoudary The Electronic Intifada Gaza Strip Why won’t the international media ask women in Gaza what really matters to them? Yasmeen El-Khoudary comments for The Electronic Intifada.more
On Democracy and Slave Owners
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jul 2011 – By Seraj Assi This month the Knesset in Israel approved the final reading of the Boycott Prohibition Law, which imposes severe punishments on any person or organization that calls, directly or indirectly, for boycotting Israel, including the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Boycott Law is by no means surprising. For it joins a series of fascist laws that were recently approved by Knesset starting from the “Nakba Law” through the Loyalty Law, along with a list of new law bills under preparation. What is unique about these laws is that they render unnecessary any effort to explain what make them fascist. Yet it seems that all these laws represent a state of denial and political disconnect on the side of Israel. The Boycott Law in its turn misses the point because the campaign for boycotting the Israeli products primarily includes the Israeli law itself. For the boycotters’ main…more
Palestine’s UN Membership and International Law
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jul 2011 – By Martin Waehlisch ‘Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states,’ notes the UN Charter. The admission depends on ‘a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council,’ the Charter continues. The process for gaining membership to the UN certainly sounds simple, but for Palestine the reality of international politics has been blocking its way into the world institution for decades. President Mahmoud Abbas announced in the New York Times in May this year: “This September, at the United Nations General Assembly, we will request international recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border and that our state be admitted as a full member of the United Nations.”(1) Fearing a delegitimization of Israel, the Obama administration has already indicated to veto any decision taken by the Security Council in this regard. The US still hopes for a prior comprehensive peace…more
The Charge of the New York Times
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jul 2011 – By Uri Avnery A riddle: Which fleet did not reach its destination but fulfilled its mission? Well, it’s this year’s Gaza solidarity flotilla. It could be said, of course, that last year’s “little fleet” – that’s what the word means in Spanish, much as “guerrilla” means “little war” – is also a reasonable candidate . It never reached Gaza, but the commander of the Israeli navy could well repeat the words of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, whose victory over the Romans was so costly that he is said to have exclaimed: “Another such victory, and I am lost!” Flotilla 1 did not reach Gaza. But the naval commando attack on it, which cost the lives of nine Turkish activists, aroused such an outcry that our government saw itself compelled to loosen its land blockade of the Gaza Strip significantly. The repercussions of this action have not yet died down. The very…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 