27 July , 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Knesset Grants Fundamentalist Settlement Groups Admin “National Gardens” Rights
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 23:40, On Wednesday, The Israeli Knesset approved in Preliminary Reading a law that allows “nonprofit” and nongovernmental fundamentalist Israeli settler groups, especially the El Ad group, administrative power to run the so-called “National Gardens in David’s City”, in Silwan Palestinian neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli Soldiers Behind Latest Fire In Palestinian Trees
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 22:01, Israeli soldiers, stationed along the Annexation Wall surrounding Qotna village, near Jerusalem, were behind the latest fire that consumed Palestinian trees in Khallit Al Rabee’ area, in Qotna
Israeli Soldiers Kidnap Non-Violent Palestinian and Israeli Activists in Al-Walaja
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 13:00, Two Palestinian and four Israeli activists were kidnapped outside Al-Walaja village Wednesday morning while protesting the bulldozing of an olive tree grove. The Israeli army blocked everyone from access to the olive grove which is being uprooted.
New Tunnel Being Built Underneath The Foundation Of The Al-Aqsa Mosque
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 12:26, A new tunnel is being built connecting the Silwan Settlement to the Western Wall and will be completed within a month. The construction of the tunnel has already caused foundational damages to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.
Israel Sues 34 Bedouins For Home Demolitions
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 12:17, Israel has filed suit against 34 bedouins near Al-Arakib for costs incurred while repeatedly demolishing their homes. The state is seeking an unprecedented NIS 1.8 million from the group
Israeli Army Attacks Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Kidnapping Two
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 11:25, Israeli army special forces attacked the Freedom Theatre in Jenin early Wednesday morning. Masked soldiers threw stone blocks at windows, kidnapped several staff, and threatened others at gunpoint.
Undercover Forces Captured On Film Kidnapping A Palestinian Child in Jerusalem
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 05:42, The Al Aqsa Foundation in Jerusalem published a video showing members of the undercover forces of the Israeli military attacking Palestinian children as they played in Ras Al Amoud Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, and forcing one of them into their vehicle before driving away. The child was later taken to a graveyard where he was beaten by the soldiers.
Patient Dies In Gaza After Being Denied Exit For Treatment
IMEMC – Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 03:37, Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a 33-year-old patient died on Sunday in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli Authorities denied him permit to be moved into the West Bank for urgent medical treatment.
Soldiers arrest employees of West Bank theater
7/27/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Jenin early Wednesday and arrested two employees from its iconic Freedom Theatre, staff members said. AdnanNaghnaghiye and Bilal Saadi were taken to an unknown location following the 3:30 a. m. operation, representatives of the Jenin Theatre Foundation said in a statement. Soldiers….
Army gas canisters cause fire in Palestinian village
7/27/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers fired gas canisters in the village of Qatana, northwest of Jerusalem, on Wednesday, causing fires which damaged fields in the village. Qatana village spokesman Ashraf Shamasneh said that Israeli soldiers arrived in an area of the village nearby the separation wall and fired gas canisters at a home. Fires….
Israel to bill Bedouins for razing their homes
7/27/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli authorities are suing residents of a makeshift Bedouin village for the cost of repeatedly evicting them and razing “illegal structures” where they live, an official said on Wednesday.” They built about 40 structures there for which they have no [building] rights,” Israel Land Administration spokeswoman Ortal Tzabar told AFP.” They have already….
7 arrested at Al-Walaja village demonstration
7/27/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained 7 people taking part in a demonstration in Al-Walaja village on Wednesday morning. Ala Ad-Deras, member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, said that soldiers detained 7 activists, including 5 internationals. Agricultural land belonging to the village, situated in northwestern Bethlehem, was also destroyed, he said. Israeli….
Marwan Barghouti criticizes Israeli prison policies
7/27/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Jailed Fatah lawmaker Marwan Al-Barghouti said Wednesday that Israeli policies to reduce rights for Palestinian prisoners are arbitrary and unjust. The campaign against prisoners could lead to widespread protests among detainees and is designed to create a crisis at a time when the Palestinians are heading to the United Nations, Barghouti….
Mob burns Gaza resort
7/27/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Assailants burned a Gaza resort at dawn Wednesday, the manager said. Imad Al-Wazeer told Ma’an a group of 30 armed and masked men arrived at the Rais resort in Gaza and threatened employees. The resort was damaged in Israel’s Operation Cast Lead but Al-Wazeer says he….
Palestinian Americans on ‘Know Your Heritage Tour’
7/27/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A group of Palestinian Americans visited Jerusalem on Monday as part of a “Know Your Heritage” tour organized by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. The group was welcomed by clergymen and Palestinian organizations in Jerusalem, before visiting the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque. The group are set….
Palestinian elections in October ‘only in the West Bank’
7/27/2011 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — Palestinian local elections in October will only be held in the West Bank as Hamas is hampering preparations in Gaza, a senior electoral official said on Wednesday. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said the government had informed the Central Elections Commission (CEC) of a decision taken earlier on Wednesday….
Fatah leader: UN vote not last option
7/27/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — All options are on the table for the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah in case it reaches a dead end at the UN, member of the Fatah central committee Muhammad Al-Aloul said Wednesday. Speaking at a student event near Nablus, Al-Aloul stressed the necessity to continue the path toward declaring statehood at….
Abbas: We are going to the UN
7/27/2011 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — The PLO will in September approach the UN Security Council to seek full membership in the global body, President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday.” We are going to the Security Council through a request to the secretary-general of the United Nations to seek full membership in the UN and recognition of Palestine on the….
Fatah internal body rejects appeal filed by Dahlan
7/27/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) —An internal decision making body of Fatah rejected on Wednesday an appeal by Mohammad Dahlan against being dismissed from Fatah’s governing body in June. Jamal Muheisen, a member of Fatah’s central committee, said that “the organizational court of Fatah has approved the legality of the central committee….
PA meet to discuss working hours during Ramadan
7/27/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian ministerial cabinet held a session in Ramallah on Wednesday to discuss working hours during the holy month of Ramadan. The meeting was headed by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The cabinet decided to follow winter saving time during the month of Ramadan, implementing changes in the work schedule….
Palestinian singer to perform in Qalqiliya
7/27/2011 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Palestinian singer Mays Shalash will perform in Qalqiliya on Thursday evening as part of the Mausim Al Hasad festival. The event will be held at 7. 00 p. m in Azun municipality park and will be broadcast live by Ma’an’s Mix channel, as well as being available….
Civil defense crews extinguish fire near Ramallah
7/27/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Civil Defense crews were able to extinguish a fire which broke out on Wednesday in the village of Rantis northwest of Ramallah. The fire was caused by an electrical fault at a center for communications in the village, a Civil Defense spokesman said. Fire crews in Nilin rushed to the….
Britain recognizes Libyan rebels as government
7/27/2011 – LONDON (AFP) — Britain has expelled all remaining staff at the Libyan embassy in London and recognized the country’s rebel council as its sole legitimate government, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday. The National Transitional Council (NTC) is also being invited to take over the Libyan embassy in London, which has until now been….
Activist: Syrian forces kill 11 near Damascus
7/27/2011 – NICOSIA (AFP) — Syrian security forces shot dead at least 11 people, including a child aged seven, in a swoop on the town of Kanaker near Damascus early Wednesday, a human rights activist said.” The security forces raided homes at dawn on Wednesday and during the operation 11 people were shot dead and more than 250….
Syrian activists convene in Turkey to discuss regime change
7/27/2011 – ISTANBUL (AFP) — Some 200 youth activists who oppose Syria’s regime opened a four-day meeting in Istanbul Wednesday, hoping to improve coordination among the groups working to topple President Bashar Al-Assad. The group that includes Syrians living in the country, as well as in the United States, Europe and Saudi Arabia, are united in….
Jordanians protest against AFP outside French embassy
7/27/2011 – AMMAN (AFP) — Around 100 people demonstrated on Wednesday outside the French embassy in Amman, demanding the resignation of the AFP bureau chief in the Jordanian capital.” We want AFP offices closed,” chanted the protesters who gathered at the call of MP Yehia Saud, who organized a demonstration on Tuesday outside AFP offices to urge the….
Jerusalem promotes culinary attractions alongside religion and history
Palestine Note 27 Jul 2011 – The Guardian- There was a moment’s hesitation before Udi Epstein, the sous-chef at Angelica, an upmarket Jerusalem restaurant, revealed what he had prepared for us to taste. Then he said it in Hebrew. There was another hesitation before the translation…
Palestinian children endure systematic abuse from Israel’s military courts, say reports
Palestine Note 27 Jul 2011 – The National- Military justice came to Sami on March 8 when two-dozen Israeli commandos raided his home shortly after midnight. The 15-year-old Palestinian’s family watched as soldiers bound his hands, slipped over a blindfold and arrested him without offering an…
Weiner’s Exit Sets Off a Race to Be Israel’s Better Friend
Palestine Note 27 Jul 2011 – The New York Times- Assemblyman David I. Weprin, the Democratic candidate to replace former Representative Anthony D. Weiner in a special election on Sept. 13, is a Modern Orthodox Jew who keeps kosher, observes the Sabbath and has been to…
September Preview at UN Security Council
Palestine Note 27 Jul 2011 – Envoy says US will oppose Palestinian “unilateral” bid to become full member state New York Times – A preview of the expected showdown over whether to admit a Palestinian state as a full member of the United Nations when world…
UN begins food aid airlift to Somalia
AlJazeera 27 Jul 2011 – Plane carrying 10 tonnes of nutritional paste for malnourished children was the first to land in Mogadishu.
Ahmadinejad names general to run oil ministry
AlJazeera 27 Jul 2011 – Iranian president nominates Rostam Ghasemi, the head of an engineering firm controlled by the Revolutionaty Guard.
Syrian troops in ‘deadly crackdown’
AlJazeera 27 Jul 2011 – At least 11 people killed in a town near the capital Damascus, human rights campaigners said.
Egyptians divided on political future
AlJazeera 27 Jul 2011 – With parliamentary elections due at the end of the year, differences of opinion are evident in recurrent street clashes.
US to oppose Palestinian UN bid
AlJazeera 27 Jul 2011 – US envoy terms Palestine’s approaching of UN as “unilateral action”, despite backing of over 120 countries.
September?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Preview at UN Security Council Debate
PNN – “This is the time for Palestine’s independence. This is the time for Palestine and Israel to live side by side in peace and security, and this is the time for a new…
PLO Central Council Meets to Approve UN Bid
PNN – Ramallah – PNN – On Wednesday the central council of the PLO convened in Ramallah to discuss and approve the Palestinian bid for statehood in the UN in September on 1967 borders….
Unknown Gunmen Torch Beach Resort in Gaza.
PNN – Gaza-PNN- A group of unknown gunmen torched the Paris Resort in Gaza City on Tuesday, Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday. According to investigations by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, published on…
Summer Camp in West Bank Village More Than Just Fun and Games
PNN – Wadi Abu Hindi, Central West Bank – PNN – Residents gathered on Wednesday outside the school in the Bedouin village of Wadi Abu Hindi to watch performances by local kids on the…
Israeli Army Arrests Two at Jenin Freedom Theater
PNN – Jenin- PNN — At approximately 3:30 AM this morning, Israeli soldiers attacked the Jenin Freedom Theater in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and arrested two of its employees. According to…
The Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression Demands Overturning on Sharek?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Closure in Gaza
PNN – Gaza – PNN – On July 12, Interior Ministry of Gaza Strip ordered the forcible closure of the Sharek Youth Forum in Gaza on the pretext that it did not hold the…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
A Patient Dies Due to Not Allowing Him to Travel to the West Bank by IO
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Wednesday, 27 July 2011
PCHR Succeeds in Ensuring Reparation for the Family of Mustafa al-Sawarka
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Alternative Information Center
Israeli Army Attacks Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp
Alternative Information Center – Special forces of the Israeli army attacked the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp at approximately 03:30 this morning (27 July).
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process warns Security Council of “Dramatic” Deadlock in Peace Process, Calls for “Credible Political Path Forward” and Bold Actions on the Ground
Relief Web 27 Jul 2011 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: occupied Palestinian territory In a briefing to the Security Council today in which he described the “profound and persistent deadlock” between Israelis and Palestinians, United Nations Special Coordinator for the…
Viability of Two-State Solution at Risk without Credible Way out of Deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, Security Council Told
Relief Web 26 Jul 2011 – Source: UN Security Council Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Israel SC/10340 Security Council 6590th Meeting (AM & PM) State-building Efforts Also in Jeopardy, Top Official Warns As Delegates Consider Bid for Palestine Statehood, United Nations Membership Without a credible path out…
Palestinians to seek full UN membership in September
The National 27 Jul 2011 – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas tells PLO central council: ¬øWe are going to the Security Council to seek full membership in the UN and recognition of Palestine on the 1967 borders.’
Al Qaeda in Iraq makes online appeal for funds for widows and orphans
The National 27 Jul 2011 – Insurgents urged to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and mobile phone companies and international media agencies, and force wealthy businessmen to pay ‘zakat’.
Israel sues Bedouin ‘squatters’ for cost of destroying their homes
The National 27 Jul 2011 – The Bedouins say they own large swaths of land in the Negev but Israel rejects these claims and has destroyed their homes 20 times.
Syrian forces kill 11 in ‘vengeance’ raid on anti-regime protesters
The National 27 Jul 2011 – Latest violence comes as 200 Syrian youth activists open four-day meeting in Istanbul to discuss ways of improving coordination among groups seeking to topple President Bashar Al Assad.
EU envoy extends visit to Yemen to try to end standoff
The National 27 Jul 2011 – Jamal bin Omar, who was expected to leave today after warning on Monday that Yemen is facing collapse and poses a serious threat to the region and the rest of the world, has extended his visit until the end of the month.
Angry Egyptian workers clash with police over wage demands
The National 27 Jul 2011 – Strikes in Egypt as workers demanding that the minimum monthly wage be raised to Dh740 are told pay rises will have to wait for new government.
Iran’s top leader names mediator in power struggle between Ahmadinejad and parliament
The National 26 Jul 2011 – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named his ally and former judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi to head an arbitration body that will tackle the dispute between the country’s president and parliament.
New Egyptian finance minister Hazem Beblawi draws flak over past policies
The National 26 Jul 2011 – The 74-year-old economics professor is associated with neoliberal programmes that many in Egypt blame for cementing the corrupt government presided over by former president Hosni Mubarak.
Hundreds flee from fighting between Iranian soldiers and Kurdish rebels inside Iraq
The National 26 Jul 2011 – Kurdish villagers caught up in Iranian military offensive that began on July 16 against Pjak, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan.
Palestinian children endure systematic abuse from Israel’s military courts, say reports
The National 26 Jul 2011 – Palestinian minors caught up in Israel’s military judicial system are described as enduring systematic abuse in two reports released this month by the Israeli watchdog of the occupied Palestinian territories, B’tselem, and Defence for Children International.
Tripoli running short of fuel and medicine
The National 26 Jul 2011 – UN mission finds city normal despite ‘pockets of vulnerability’.
Senior Israeli diplomat: UN often sympathetic to Israel, but only behind the scenes
Ha’aretz – Amir Weissbrod, top adviser to the Israeli delegation in the UN, says that most Security Council members privately understand Israel’s positions vis-?†-vis the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas tells Palestinians: Step up Arab Spring-style protests against Israel
Ha’aretz – For first time, Palestinian president openly urges popular activism in support of his initiative to seek UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
IDF arrests two employees of Freedom Theater in Jenin
Ha’aretz – It is not known if the arrests were linked the April murder of Israeli-Palestinian actor Juliano Mer-Khamis.
Hezbollah warns Israel against ‘stealing’ gas from Lebanon
Ha’aretz – Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says that his group would retaliate against any Israeli attack on Lebanon’s oil and gas installations.
Water regulation bill passes after political maneuver
Jerusalem Post 28 Jul 2011 – MK slams rising water prices, says gov’t agreed to subsidize more water for disabled people months ago, but has yet to act upon the decision.
J’lem pride parade to mark 2nd anniversary of TA shooting
Jerusalem Post 28 Jul 2011 – Over 5,000 marchers expected to participate in parade; activists to push for hate-crimes bill making attacks against homosexuals a serious crime.
Israeli men working less than they did a decade ago
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Study finds haredi men worked fewer hours per week than general Jewish male population; change credited to global shift toward a leisure economy.
Pro-Sundays demonstration to be held at MK’s office
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Silvan Shalom expresses support for demonstration calling for extension of weekend to Sunday, says long weekend is “good for the economy.”
Knesset report: Gov’t has lost long-term vision on housing
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Continuation of misguided gov’t steps “likely to cause public resentment, widening of socioeconomic gaps and support for emigration,” report says.
1st issue of tent protest’s newspaper distributed in TA
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Premiere issue features political statements, stories of Israelis who say it has been difficult to provide for themselves and their families.
Tent city kitchen embodies spirit of demonstrations
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Staffed by students who are environmentally and socially conscientious, Jerusalem site feeds hundreds of protesters with donations.
Hunger-striking IMA head to reach J’lem on foot
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Eidelman due to arrive in J’lem with hundreds of doctors from around country to hold a sit-down strike opposite PMO.
Eini threatens to join housing protests
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Histadrut to add its clout “at all levels”; Mothers to hold “stroller march” in TA to protest high cost of raising children.
Lenient sentencing
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Whether in cases of brutal homicide or criminal negligence, inordinately light punishment makes things worse, not better.
Humanitarianism trumps diplomacy
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – “Tag” is devoted to bringing Israeli and Jewish expertise to communities in developing nations and disaster-affected areas.
Norway intelligence boss reckons Breivik a lone wolf
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Police doubtful of claims that confessed killer of 76 part of wider network; Intel chief says Breivik too calculating to be insane.
France’s h?©ro?Øne
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – At 84, Simone Veil personifies the very best France has to offer.
Israelis performing Wagner in Germany — a national disgrace
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Candidly Speaking: Wagner’s history cannot be summarily dismissed. He was a central pillar in the anti-Semitic character of Nazism.
Six months on, Egypt’s revolt disappoints Gazans
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Dreams of unfettered travel from Gaza have been dashed, as strict quotas and criteria for those allowed to cross remain in place post-Mubarak.
Is Abbas setting the stage for a third intifada?
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Washington Watch: Palestinian failure come September could spark violence born of frustration.
J’lem greets French edict on Israel as Jewish nation-state
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – French FM Juppe says no solution to the ME conflict without recognition of nation state of Israel for the Jewish people; statement seen as signal to PA regarding language EU could support in UN resolution.
UNRWA and UNHCR: From hopelessness to hope
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – UNRWA could use its resources to create a better future instead of relegating the descendants of the 1948 war to another generation in limbo.
Israel must reach out to Hispanic-Americans
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Fundamentally Freund: The Jewish state needs to realize the political potential of this untapped demographic.
We need to embrace ‘zera Yisrael’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Just conversion policies are not only possible, they are necessary
UK court rejects gov’t request to revoke Salah’s bail
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel is now set to remain in UK until his deportation hearing, likely in September.
Poll: Arab views of Iran plummet in wake of Arab spring
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Increasingly, Arabs voice concern over Tehran’s nuclear program and its meddlesome behavior in Arab countries.
UK criticizes Iran for stance towards Israeli athletes
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – After Iranian swimmer refuses to compete against Israeli, British Foreign Office calls on International Olympic Committee to take up issue.
J’lem: Tent protesters march to PM’s residence
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Hundreds demonstrate against high apartment prices in capital; Histadrut head Eini meets with tent city organizers, pledges help.
ElBaradei calls for big-tent coalition including Islamists
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Move by Egypt’s top reformer adds to fears of resurgent Brotherhood; women’s groups launch campaign to assert equal rights.
Foreign investors flock to Iraq despite rising violence
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Where others see carnage and chaos — June alone saw 155 civilians killed in attacks — business people see a big oil-earning economy.
Ask the Barman: Jack Sparrow’s biggest fan
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – When not buried in her law books, Emi Shahar practices pouring the shots at Jerusalem’s Barrel Public House waiting for Johnny Depp to sit at the bar.
‘PA hasn’t heard clear US rejection of UN statehood bid’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – US opposition has only been delivered through mediators, Abbas says; urges “popular and unarmed resistance against occupation.”
Britain recognizes Libyan rebels, frees assets
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Foreign Secretary says Muammar Gaddafi should leave; Libyan diplomats expelled, new envoy invited to take over embassy in London.
Top court rejects soldiers’ appeal over ‘Jenin Jenin’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jul 2011 – Judges rule controversial film about IDF’s operations in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield was “not slanderous” against any one soldier.
Letters: Israel’s navy and the fishermen of Gaza
The Guardian 27 Jul 2011 – The conclusion from Harriet Sherwood’s “fact-finding mission” (Troubled waters: Palestinian fishermen caught in Israel gunboat policing net, 25 July) is clear. None of the Palestinian allegations she went to check were supported by what she saw….
Syrian regime launches deadly Damascus raids on suspected protesters
The Guardian 27 Jul 2011 – Activists say locals tried to stop troops in targeted crackdown that killed around 20 people including two 10-year-olds Around 20 people have been killed as Syria’s security forces launched a series of raids against suspected anti-government…
Iranian scientist’s death ‘probably the work of western security agencies’
The Guardian 27 Jul 2011 – Analysts suggest Mossad or CIA behind murder of Rezaeinejad, who Iran now denies ever working on its nuclear programme Western security agencies were most probably behind the killing of an Iranian scientist, analysts have said. Darioush…
Jerusalem promotes culinary attractions alongside religion and history
The Guardian 27 Jul 2011 – Market and restaurants provide showcase for Israeli cuisine There was a moment’s hesitation before Udi Epstein, the sous-chef at Angelica, an upmarket Jerusalem restaurant, revealed what he had prepared for us to taste. Then he said…
Iran’s Image Plummets in Arab World, Poll Finds
IPS Iranian leaders have tried to portray democracy movements in the Arab world as inspired by their 1979 Islamic revolution and predicted that Iran’s regional support would grow as pro- Western dictators fell.
Britain to Expel Gaddafi Diplomats
IPS Britain has officially recognised Libya’s main opposition group as the country’s legitimate government, and asked all diplomats belonging to Muammar Gaddafi’s government to leave the United Kingdom.
TUNISIA: Migrants Flee to New Traps
IPS As African Union and NATO leaders push for a political solution to the Libyan crisis, many of the thousands of refugees and migrants stranded on the Libyan- Tunisian border say their plight continues to fall on deaf ears.
Israel to bill Bedouins for razing their homes ‚Äé
Uruknet July 27, 2011 — Israeli authorities are suing residents of a makeshift Bedouin village for the cost of repeatedly evicting them and razing “illegal structures” where they live, an official said on Wednesday…An Israeli non-governmental group, Bedouin-Jewish Justice, reported in March that the homes there had been destroyed and rebuilt 21 times since July 2010. The Bedouins say…
Israeli forces raze agricultural lands in Bethlehem
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – Israel’s occupation forces stormed into Walja village in the Bethlehem governorate (south of the occupied West Bank) on Tuesday, July 26. Several bulldozers were used to raze Walja’s agricultural lands in order to make way for the construction of the Apartheid [Separation] Wall. .A member of the Popular Committee to Resist the Wall and…
NATO continues Tripoli bombing
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – Warplanes operating under the auspices of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) bombed Tripoli in the early hours of Wednesday, in continuation of their relentless pounding of the Libyan capital over the past several months. The planes attacked several targets in the city after a series of overflights, with the deafening noise meant to…
WATCH: Palestinian youth abducted by police in E. Jerusalem
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – While Israelis are busy pitching tents across the country, in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, life under occupation goes on as usual, far away from the media’s eyes. In the shocking footage below, taken with a surveillance camera last Friday, July 22, Palestinian teens playing soccer in the street are suddenly abducted by…
Patient Dies In Gaza After Being Denied Exit For Treatment
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a 33-year-old patient died on Sunday in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli Authorities denied him permit to be moved into the West Bank for urgent medical treatment. The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reported that Raed Azzam Al Moghari, from Al Boreij refugee…
America: Heading for Tyranny and Impoverishment
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – … In other words, COG authority gives the president and DHS unprecedented police state powers to declare martial law without congressional approval, and be able to rule extrajudicially, free from constitutional constrains. It also lets the vice-president assume dictatorial powers: “implemented in a manner that is consistent with, and facilitates effective implementation of, provisions of…
Video: Ex-Guant?°namo Prisoner Murat Kurnaz Tells His Story on Russia Today
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – … “Another time,” he said, “they hanged me on chains. I was hanging on the ceiling. They were pulling me on the ceiling with the chain, and until my feet were over the floor. After a few days I started to pass out, because in that situation I couldn’t eat or drink and it was…
Video: I Saw Many Killed Under Torture: Guantanamo Torture Survivor
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – “I was one of those who survived those kinds of torture. They used electroshocks on me because I would not sign papers.” German Guantanamo detainee Murat Kurnaz has publicly spoken about being subjected to electroshock torture, lethal beatings and humiliation during his years of unlawful detention. In an exclusive interview with Russia Today news…
The new political parties law… Syrian regime hopeless case
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – After more than four months: thousands of martyrs, tens of thousands of detainees and missing people, hundreds of thousands of besieged people and millions of those who are chanting for freedom, dignity and basic human rights in Syria, the Syrian regime, who used to enjoy the clapping, false praising and hypocrisy, seems to be…
Syrian forces kill 11 in ‘vengeance’ raid on dissent
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – Syrian forces pursued a deadly crackdown on anti-regime dissent Wednesday, killing 11 people in a “vengeance” raid on a town near Damascus and arresting hundreds in operations outside the capital, activists said. The latest violence came as some 200 Syrian youth activists opened a four-day meeting in Istanbul, to discuss ways of improving coordination…
Jenin’s Freedom Theater raided by the Israeli army
Uruknet July 27, 2011- Overnight, roughly 50 Israeli Special Forces troops raided the Jenin Freedom Theatre in the Jenin Refugee Camp in the Northern West Bank according to members of the theater. The Freedom Theater is often associated with slain Palestinian-Jewish actor Juliano Mer Khamis and his vision of cultural resistance to Israeli occupation. Mer Khamis was shot by…
WikiLeaks documents shed light on US-backed intervention in Libya
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks expose some of the real reasons and diplomatic tensions behind NATO’s ongoing bombardment of Libya. Far from initiating a “humanitarian” intervention to protect civilians against Muammar Gaddafi’s government, Washington backed the NATO intervention for one reason only-the installation of a regime that better serves the strategic interests of…
Losing in Libya
Uruknet July 27, 2011 – Gaddafi now controls 20% more territory than he did before we started this odious bombing campaign. He has been able to hold more and better attended rallies of more genuine supporters in recent days than he ever could before we started bombing. Exactly as I predicted, the effect of NATO bombing has been to…
Syria: Activists’ assassination is the new regime plan to put the demonstrations off
Uruknet July 26, 2011 – It’s been noticed that the regime killing strategy started to take different direction recently; it became more focused and based of intelligence information on targeted activists. This is what happened in the case of martyrs Hady Al Jundi, Khalid Al Afnan, Diyaa Al Najar in Homs. According to the information we have, all were…
Iraq snapshot – July 26, 2011
Uruknet July 26, 2011 – ….Staying on the topic of violence, Reuters notes 1 Shi’ite gynaecologist was shot dead in her Mosul clinic, 1 corpse of a man (signs of torture) was handed over to the Mosul morgue, 1 Sahwa was shot dead in Kirkuk, a Kirkuk roadside bombing injured a police officer, a roadside bombing in a village…
IDF War Against Palestinian Theater
Uruknet July 26, 2011 – Not content to wage war on armed militants (of whom there are very few these days in the West Bank), earlier today the famed special forces of the Israeli army staged a daring raid on Jenin’s Freedom Theater. In a bold tactical stroke, they woke up a night watchman at 3:30AM by throwing hunks…
Arbil demo protests Iranian bombardment
Uruknet July 26, 2011 – Hundreds of civil activists have launched a demonstration in front of Iran’s Consulate in Arbil on Tuesday, condemning the continued Iranian bombardment of the border villages in Iraqi Kurdistan, criticizing the Iraqi government’s silence towards violations against human rights, a Kurdish activist said….The demand that the Federal government in Baghdad interfere to put an…
NATO Vows Continued Bombing in Libya Gadhafi cannot “wait us out,” NATO says
Uruknet July 26, 2011 – NATO promised to continue bombing Libya, and that the country’s leader, Moammar Gadhafi, cannot “wait us out.” Spokeswoman Carmen Romero said Tuesday that airstrikes will continue until Gadhafi gives up. NATO has conducted over 6,000 strike sorties since the start of the operation in March, many on civilian areas like the hospital that was…
Peacekeeper bombing used sophisticated technology
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Preliminary findings of the investigation into Tuesday’s bomb attack against a convoy of French UNIFIL soldiers suggest that the explosive device was detonated by a command wire…
Italy to downsize UNIFIL contingent
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Italy voted Wednesday to reduce the number of its peacekeepers in Lebanon by more than one-third, just a day after five French U.N. peacekeepers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack.
Amin Gemayel urges state to uphold Lassa land rights
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Kataeb (Phalange) Party leader Amin Gemayel urged the state to uphold land rights in the village of Lassa, Jbeil, where a dispute over property ownership broke out last week.
Parcel intended for Israeli ministry lands in Beirut
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 A parcel addressed to the Israeli Foreign Ministry arrived accidentally at Beirut’s airport Wednesday, causing panic among customs authorities, a security source told The Daily Star.
Early ‘Arab Spring’ results divide Western opinions on Syria and Lebanon
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Western diplomats seem to be divided currently into two groups: one supportive of the Syrian rebels and the other skeptical over the true objectives of the popular uprising…
Rai Urges politicians to discuss new covenant
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai called for dialogue among Lebanese political leaders Wednesday to reach an understanding over a new social contract to enhance the country’s National Pact of coexistence.
Christian parties condemn attack on Koura MP bodyguard
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 A bodyguard of Koura MP Farid Habib was shot and wounded overnight outside his house in Kousba, in the Koura region of north Lebanon, a security source said Wednesday.
Parliament’s agenda begins to take shape
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 The agenda of Parliament’s legislative session to be held early next month will include at least 68 draft laws and proposals, according to an agreement reached during a meeting of the legislature’s bureau Wednesday.
MPs who drafted Taif urge its implementation
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Amid calls by senior politicians to amend the 1989 Taif Accord, and a difference of opinion over whether it is dead, lawmakers who took part in the drafting the document complained that most of its clauses…
Solidere denies demolition of Beirut’s ‘egg’
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Initial reports that the city center’s iconic egg building was to be demolished turn out to be false, as heritage activists demand better communication from developers on the future of the city center.
Hezbollah condemns attack on UNIFIL in south Lebanon
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Hezbollah condemned Wednesday the attack that targeted the UNIFIL convoy belonging to the French contingent which led the the wounding of five peacekeeprs in Sidon this week, describing it as an unacceptable criminal act.
3 French peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon flown home: officials
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Lebanese airport officials say three French peacekeepers wounded in a bomb attack in southern Lebanon have returned to France for treatment.
Body of 7-year-old recovered off south Lebanon coast
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 The body of a 7-year-old boy who drowned off the coast of a popular beach in south Lebanon was recovered Wednesday, reported the National News Agency.
Lebanese Forces launches own web-based TV
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced the launch of the LFTV, a web-based television, at a dinner party Tuesday night, affirming the LF’s commitment to a free and democratic media.
Tweeps bid farewell to U.K. ambassador to Lebanon Guy
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Beirut’s young tech community bid farewell to Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon with a tweepup dinner at Couqley restaurant in The Alleyway in Beirut’s Gemmayze district Tuesday night.
Israeli parcel causes stir at Lebanon airport
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 A parcel addressed to the Israeli Foreign Ministry arrived accidentally at Beirut airport Wednesday, causing panic among customs authorities, a security source told The Daily Star.
Lebanese Forces MP bodyguard shot and wounded
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 Lebanese Forces MP Farid Habib’s bodyguard was shot and wounded overnight outside his house in Kousba, in the Koura region of north Lebanon, a security source said Wednesday.
U.N., U.S. want attackers on UNIFIL punished
Daily Star 27 Jul 2011 The United Nations and Washington urged Lebanon to bring the perpetrators of Tuesday’s bomb attack on U.N. peacekeepers to justice.
Geagea: Cabinet will bring Lebanon back to dark years
Daily Star 26 Jul 2011 Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea slammed the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati saying it brought back Lebanon to the dark years.
Lawyers urge world to stand behind tribunal
Daily Star 26 Jul 2011 Lawmakers of the March 14 coalition called Tuesday on United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Chief Nabil Elaraby…
Diplomacy is key to maritime border dispute
Daily Star 26 Jul 2011 With Lebanon and Israel having offered conflicting proposals for the delineation of their Exclusive Economic Zones…
Roadside bomb targets French UNIFIL convoy in Sidon, wounds 5
Daily Star 26 Jul 2011 Five French U.N. peacekeepers were wounded Tuesday by a roadside bomb targeting their convoy as it made its way through the southern city of Sidon.
Nasrallah: Hands off our waters
Daily Star 26 Jul 2011 Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned Israel Tuesday against any attempt to plunder Lebanon’s offshore gas and oil reserves in its territorial waters…
Al-Qaeda to Syrians: Fight US, Israel
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged Syrian protesters to direct their movement also against Washington and Israel, denouncing the United States as insincere in showing … ….
Israel’s Arabs join housing protest
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Arab residents set up tents Wednesday in the northern town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye, thereby joining the nationwide public protest against skyrocketing housing prices in … ….
Jittery guard panics over eggs
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Exaggerated reaction: A 44-year-old security guard was detained in Jaffa Wednesday evening after firing at a home in the city. The guard said she shot at the home … ….
US aid to Israel to remain intact in 2012
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – WASHINGTON — Our American friend: American aid to Israel will not be reduced in 2012 despite budgetary cutbacks, senior US officials said Wednesday. The $3.075 … ….
High court bans settlers’ sewage facility
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – The High Court ruled Wednesday that a sewage treatment facility near the West Bank settlement of Ofra, northeast of Ramallah, was built illegally and therefore cannot be … ….
Housing protestors march to Bibi’s home
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Some 150 university students and social activists marched to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in downtown Jerusalem Wednesday evening to protest … ….
Israeli diplomatic mail reaches Lebanon
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Wrong address: A package sent by Israel’s embassy in Cyprus to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem ended up reaching Beirut’s international airport onboard a Cypriote … ….
Abbas: UN bid even if talks restart
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Palestinian leader presents tougher position, says will seek UN recognition of….
Police nab ‘naughty robber’
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Female robber said to resort to sexual innuendo, fondling to distract kiosk….
Foreign PR experts to ‘push’ Israel brand
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Top European public relations professionals visit Israel in bid to change global….
Doctors join tent protest in Haifa
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – On morning of 130th day of strike hundreds of doctors take to streets as they….
Palestinian sources: IDF raids Jenin theater
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Officials say troops raided theater founded by slain actor Mer-Khamis, arrested….
Arab writers: Protests inspired by Tahrir
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – ‘What annoys Israelis most is idea that they were inspired by Arab model for….
Troops lose suit against Bakri
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Supreme Court rules ‘Jenin Jenin’ not libelous film because characters do not….
Students march with dumpsters in Tel Aviv
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Housing protest in full swing from early morning as inspectors issue eviction….
Salah invokes Human Rights laws to stay in UK
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Daily Mail calls head of Islamic Movement’s release on bail ‘farce’, complains….
Norway Muslims share nation’s grief
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Community relieved to learn gunman behind nation’s most heinous crimes not a….
Soldier gets community service in lynch case
YNet News, 27 Jul 2011 – Arik Karp’s widow outraged by lenient sentences received by four bystanders in….
Palestinian Information Center
Miles of smiles 4 soon in Gaza
PIC – 27/07/2011 – 07:38 AM
Gaza man dies after Israel denied him travel for care in West Bank
PIC – 27/07/2011 – 08:22 AM
Resistance conference in Cairo calls for uprising to save Palestine
PIC – 27/07/2011 – 09:11 AM
Seven Palestinians detained in IOF raids of West Bank
PIC – Seven Palestinians have been apprehended at dawn Wednesday in Israeli occupation forces’ raids of the West Bank, Israeli daily Ynet has reported.
IOF soldiers arrest five foreign solidarity activists
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested seven participants in a peaceful protest march in Walaja village, west of Bethlehem, on Wednesday, local sources said.
US, Israel to hold ‘most extensive’ joint military drill early 2012
PIC – Israel and the United States will hold the most extensive yet joint anti-missile drill early 2012, Israel’s Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.
Senior Hamas delegation tours Beirut refugee camps
PIC – A delegation from Hamas has been touring the Shatila and Burj al-Barajina refugee camps in the Lebanese capital Beirut over the past two days.
Fatah militias arrest dozens of Islamic Jihad cadres in Al-Khalil city
PIC – The Fatah-affiliated preventive security militias arrested at dawn Wednesday dozens of Islamic Jihad members during a raid on Al-Fawwar refugee camp in Al-Khalil city.
Israeli moves to legalize Judaization of Silwan district
PIC – The Israeli government intends to legalize the seizure of public parks and yards in Silwan district in order to enable Elad society to take them over and turn them into Talmudic gardens.
Shin Bet ordered PA security to target Islamic Jihad men in recent arrest sweep
PIC – The Palestinian Authority’s recent string of arrests targeting the Islamic Jihad party’s men across the West Bank came after direct orders from Israel’s internal intelligence agency Shin Bet.
Mallouh: Leaders of Palestinian factions to meet in Cairo soon
PIC – Abdul Rahim Mallouh, the deputy politburo chairman of the PFLP, said that the PLO executive committee decided in a meeting on Tuesday to call for a meeting for all factions in Cairo soon.
World parliamentarians say ‘appalled’ at Israel’s detention of PLC members
PIC – The Inter-Parliamentary Union said it was ”appalled” at Israel’s repeated detention of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, calling it a violation of the Palestinians’ democratic rights.
The cancer of Christian Zionist terror
PIC – Glenn Beck, the American right-wing talk show host, compared the victims of the shooting at a Norwegian summer camp to Hitler Youth in his radio program, according to a Daily Telegraph report.
Abbas Meets Prime Minister of Slovenia
WAFA
Newspapers Review: Arab League Meeting on Palestinian Financing Tops Front Pages
WAFA
UNRWA Lends Helping Hand to Children in Wadi Abu Hindi through its Protection Summer Camp
WAFA
Abbas to PLO Central Council: Going to UN in September not Unilateral Act
WAFA
PCBS: Performance of Industrial Enterprises Improved in 2nd Quarter of 2011
WAFA
Palestinian Central Council Meets Today in Ramallah
WAFA
Israeli Forces Arrest Four Activists in Protest
WAFA
Weather Forecast: Drop in Temperature, Remains Hot
WAFA
Death and Contradiction: The Case of Iran’s Nuclear Scientists — An by Dr. Lawrence Davidson
Intifada-Palestine: 27 Jul 2011 – Iranian men mourn over the flag-covered coffin of 35-year-old Rezaei-Nejad. AFP. by Dr. Lawrence Davidson Part I — Death Dariush Rezai-Nejad On 23 July 2011 it was announced that Dariush Rezai-Nejad was shot to death in Tehran by two men on… more
Tough bipartisan questioning by Congress of U.S. policy on Syria
LA Times 27 Jul 2011 – Republican and Democratic members of a House panel complain that the effort to calibrate a message on Syria has failed to make it clear the U.S. stands with protesters against an oppressive regime. Senior State Department officials came under tough questioning from lawmakers Wednesday over…
Britain recognizes Libyan rebel council, expels Kadafi’s staffers
LA Times 27 Jul 2011 – Foreign Secretary William Hague stresses the British government’s support for the rebel Transitional National Council, which is trying to topple Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi. Britain has ordered the Libyan Embassy’s remaining staff members to leave the country and has recognized the Libyan rebels’ ruling council…
U.S. journalist held in Libya testifies on Vienna Convention
LA Times 27 Jul 2011 – Clare Gillis, held for 44 days, testifies in support of the Vienna Convention, saying Libya honored its obligation to notify diplomats on her arrest and the U.S. should do so too. During 44 days of captivity in Libya, journalist Clare Gillis endured lengthy interrogations, appeared…
Before a Diplomatic Showdown, a Budget Crisis Saps Palestinians’ Confidence
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – The budget crisis, partly a result of unfulfilled donor contributions, is intertwined with a diplomatic crisis as the Palestinians prepare their push for statehood.
U.S. Loses Ally as Iraqi General Waits for Trial
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – The fate of Gen. Nomon Dakhil is a uniquely Iraqi tale of intrigue involving charges of corruption and competing versions of reality, showing the tension the United States and an increasingly assertive Iraqi government.
Middle East: The Maturing of Street Art in Cairo
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – In the six months since the Egyptian revolution began on Jan. 25, Cairo’s graffiti scene has evolved into one characterized by well-crafted motifs, both aesthetic and politically provocative.
Commandos From Israel Raid Theater In West Bank
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – No details were given about the reason behind the arrests of two men associated with the Freedom Theater in Jenin, which had been an oasis of so-called cultural resistance for decades.
Middle East: Ancient Connections Bring a Modern Rapprochement
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – An exhibition at the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul is the first official collaboration by museums from Turkey and Greece.
Middle East: Welcome Mat Rolls Up as Dubai Tries to Stem Dissent
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – Experts say that signs of a broad plan by the U.A.E. to quell challenges to its authority may be damaging its reputation as a hub for business and tourism.
Middle East: Comic-Book Heroes Help Change Image of Islam
New York Times 27 Jul 2011 – The creator of an Islam-inspired series of comic books hopes his work will help Muslims and people in the West see the religion differently.
WikiLeaks documents shed light on US-backed intervention in Libya
WSWS РWashington has had only one objective—the installation of a regime that better serves the interests of the US and international oil and gas companies.
Israeli Army storms Freedom Theatre
Jewish Voice for Peace –
Jewish Voice for Peace and UN Recognition of Palestinian Statehood
Jewish Voice for Peace –
IAI & IMI developing payload for new Indian ballistic missile
Neged Neshek – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israel Military Industries are jointly developing — along with the Defense Research and Development Organization — a payload for a new supersonic, short range surface-to-surface missile called the ‘Prahaar’. IAI is also involved with other Indian missile development projects, normally surface-to-air….
Israeli Foreign Ministry video replicates settler propaganda word for word
Mondoweiss – Look familiar? This video was made by the YESHA Council, an Israeli settler umbrella group, in May. Gal Beckerman has a post over at the Forward about how the same filmmaker, Shlomo Blass, made an almost identical video for the Israeli Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon (Bass…
IWI Galils for Paraguayan counterinsurgency
Neged Neshek – Colombia has sold 450 Galil rifles to Paraguay for its counterinsurgency campaign against the Paraguayan People’s Army. The Colombian firm Indumil in 2005 received a license from Israel Weapon Industries to produce the Galil.
Jenin Freedom Theatre raided in the middle of the night by Israeli military
Mondoweiss – Damage to the Freedom Theatre (Photo: Emily Smith) The following press release was sent out by the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp : Special Forces of the Israeli Army attacked the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp at approximately 03:30 this morning. Ahmad Nasser Matahen, a…
‘NYT’ and Bronner blaze mainstream trail with story likening occupation to Jim Crow
Mondoweiss – You can say it’s a year or so late, that Haaretz was on this a long time ago (or that Bronner privileges Israeli voices over Palestinians ones), but big deal: Hat’s off to Ethan Bronner for publishing a big story in the New York Times about…
Holocaust memories and ‘roots tourism’ in Eastern Europe
Mondoweiss – A trip to Eastern European cities cannot be complete without visiting the Jewish quarters. The beautifully inscribed names of Bohemian and Moravian Holocaust victims on the inner walls of the serene Pinkas Synagogue in Prague brought tears to my eyes. The text of the inscriptions was…
Israeli Foreign Ministry launches social media hasbara campaign featuring cute yellow puppet called ‘Hans von Puppet’
Mondoweiss – The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs enlarged its budget for the “Brand Israel” campaign last year toan unprecedented 100 million Shekels (over $26,260,000). In an article entitled “Will we conquer the world?”, translated by PULSE media, Globes found out that the Ministry’s PR activity would focus…
Emil Grunzweig’s Assassin: ‘I Killed the Israeli Left’
Tikun Olam – Yona Avrushmi, assassin of Peace Now’s Emil Grunzweig (Motti Kimche) Maariv has scored the first media interview (Hebrew) with Yona Avrushmi, the murderer of Peace Now co-founder, Emil Grunzweig. Avrumi was freed from prison several months ago after serving his full 27 year sentence for the…
IDF War Against Palestinian Theater
Tikun Olam – Freedom Theater, Jenin Not content to wage war on armed militants (of whom there are very few these days in the West Bank), earlier today the famed special forces of the Israeli army staged a daring raid on Jenin’s Freedom Theater . In a bold tactical stroke,…
Rafael, ADS to acquire Controp
Neged Neshek – The ongoing centralization of the arms industry continues with the announcement that that Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Aeronautics Defense Systems (ADS) have acquired Controp Precision Technologies . ADS previously owned 18% of Controp and Controp’s systems are widely deployed in ADS’ systems. .
Rabintex joins the arms industry attack on labor
Neged Neshek – The tanked arms firm Rabintex is being sold to Achidatex , another firm that specializes in protective equipment. Rabintex’s court-appointed trustee also fired all 100 employees of the firm. They will receive part of the pay owed them and will have to sue National Insurance for the…
Elbit awarded US decoy patent
Neged Neshek – Elbit Systems and its subsidiary Elisra Electronic Systems have been awarded a new US patent for a new signal decoy. Elbit and Elisra’s electronic warfare systems have been deployed around the world including with: Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, South Korea and elsewhere.
Get the Latest on the Six Arab Nation Poll – Attitudes on Iran Released Today
Arab American Institute 27 Jul 2011 – Today, the Arab American Institute held a press briefing on the second part of its six-nation Arab opinion poll: Arab Attitudes Toward Iran, 2011. Two weeks ago, we released part one of the poll, in which we surveyed the same group’s attitudes towards the U.S. and…
Israeli Army ambushes Freedom Theater
The Only Democracy? JVP 27 Jul 2011 – Soldiers have stormed the Freedom Theatre of Jenin, whose co-founder Juliano Mer-Khamis was slain earlier this year. URGENT PRESS RELEASE From The Freedom Theater Foundation, Jenin, Palestine 04.46 (gmt+2), July 27, 2011 Special Forces of the Israeli Army attacked the Freedom Theater in Jenin Refugee Camp…
Israeli forces raze agricultural lands in Bethlehem
Middle East Monitor 27 Jul 2011 – Israel’s occupation forces stormed into Walja village in the Bethlehem governorate (south of the occupied West Bank) on Tuesday, July 26. Several bulldozers were used to raze Walja’s agricultural lands in order to make way for the construction of the Apartheid [Separation] Wall. A member of…
Ban on residency to Palestinians married to Israelis extended
Middle East Monitor 27 Jul 2011 – The Israeli parliament has approved the extension of a ban on granting residency to Palestinians or Arabs married to Israeli women. Israeli media outlets have reported that parliamentarians from the Kadima, Likud and Shas Parties, which form part of the ruling coalition, voted in favour of…
Norway terrorist praises Netanyahu and Lieberman
Middle East Monitor 27 Jul 2011 – The manifesto written by Norway’s terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, ahead of the July 22 attacks reflects a zealous support for Israel and an intense hostility toward Muslims and other cultures. According to Israel Today, the word ‘Israel’ was mentioned more than 300 times in the 1,500…
Syria forces ‘kill eight in raid’
BBC 27 Jul 2011 – Syrian security forces kill at least eight people in a raid on the town of Kanaker, close to the capital, Damascus, rights groups say.
Israel sues Bedouin for evictions
BBC 27 Jul 2011 – Israel is suing a group of Bedouin in the Negev desert for the costs of demolishing their village each time they rebuild it.
Attack on UN in Lebanon condemned
BBC 27 Jul 2011 – The UN Secretary General says he is “deeply disturbed” by a bombing that wounded five French peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Articles
Rick’s Weekly Wrap: From tents to land theft
Rechavia “Rick” Berman, +972 Magazine7/25/2011
What scared a departing army general? What will Netanyahu do with the Tent Protest? And what’s so wrong with supporting museums? Raging Rechavia “Rick” Berman gives you the week’s top stories as they ought to be told. A new weekly feature on +972
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another excursion to the mad Middle East, where nothing — not even wide-spread housing protests — stands in the way of the continued theft of other people’s land. In this week’s installation we take you camping, have a little water fight with the powers that be, and do the creeping annexation jig. So put on your dancing shoes, here we go:
On Saturday night Tel Aviv saw one of its largest protests in years. At least 30,000 people (I was there, I say around 50K) marched from the edge of Rothschild Boulevard to the Tel Aviv Museum Plaza to protest the insane housing prices. After the protest march, a few rowdy anarchist types stuck around and blocked one of the major intersections along the march’s route, resulting in a few dozen arrested, and most released this morning. The protesters played it smart and left a tent full of candy and chocolate outside Tel Aviv PD HQ, with signs “sorry for last night” and “We’ll continue to fight for you too”.
The interesting thing to watch was the newspaper coverage. Yediot and Haaretz were both pro-protesters, Maariv was more or less balanced, and Israel HaYom, the free newspaper founded by gambling billionaire Sheldon Adelson for the explicit purpose of promoting and defending PM Bibi Netanyahu, is simply trying, for nigh on two weeks now, to pretend that the protest isn’t happening, or isn’t as big a deal as it is. The paper devoted 5 full pages to the massacre in Norway‚Äîfailing to mention the killer’s pro-Israeli rhetoric‚Äîand less than a page to the uprising of the serfs here at home. more.. e-mail
The Critical, Cleansing Role of Justice
Rami G. Khouri, Agence Global7/27/2011
BEIRUT — One of the most important, but also most delicate, aspects of the transformations in Tunisia and Egypt following the popular overthrow of their regimes is the series of court trials of former officials who are accused of various crimes, including killing demonstrators, abuse of power and corruption. This process is moving ahead more decisively now, with the announcement Monday by a Cairo court that it would merge the trials of former President Hosni Mubarak and ex-interior minister Habib Adly, both of whom are accused of killing protesters earlier this year. Adly and six of his aides would be tried on August 3 along with Mubarak and his two sons Alaa and Gamal, and exiled businessman Hussein Salem. Adly already has received a 12-year jail sentence for corruption. Former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif has also been charged with corruption and will face a military trial.
The fact, venue and technicalities of these trials are incredibly important and should be monitored closely for three critical reasons:
1. They reflect the powerful need among ordinary citizens for a sense of justice that must be fulfilled if the widespread and deep feelings of injustice and abuse of power that motivated many of the demonstrators who overthrew the regime are finally to be relieved. Justice is a pivotal notion in the lives of ordinary men and women in Egypt and all Arab lands, and therefore a key criterion of the success of the post-revolutionary transformation now underway is how far justice can be seen to be done in such cases.
2. They speak much about the political values of the transitional power structure that includes armed forces officers and appointed civilians who have not been subjected to popular ratification, other than intermittent street demonstrations…. more.. e-mail
Palestine’s Norwegians
Vijay Prashad, CounterPunch7/25/2011
Marxist-Multiculturalists for BDS
Sitting on an Amtrak train from New Haven to Washington, DC on Friday, I was enjoying my thriller, Kjell Ola Dahl’s The Man in the Window. Dahl’s police procedural novels are set in Oslo, Norway, where the remarkable detectives Frank Fr??lich and Gunnarstranda confront the heart of modern evil: Property is often the hub of the conflict, but so too is the ineluctable history of Nazism and the Second World War. Abrave history of pacifism, partly contained in the Norwegian Labour Party, kept the country out of World War I. Its ports and a direct route to Swedish iron ore made it irresistible to the Nazis, whose forces invaded a largely unprotected Norway in 1940.
To run the country, the Nazis turned to the leader of the Norwegian Nasjonal Samling, the local Nazi Party, Vidkun Quisling (from whom we get the noun for traitor). It was the Quisling era (replete with concentration camps) that planted the tree of Nazism in Norwegian soil. The remnants of Scandinavian Nazis regrouped after World War II, but they remained small and obscure.
Scandinavian social democracy stumbled by the 1980s as the economic benefits of its welfare state were reduced. Anti-immigrant and anti-left sentiment grew amongst sections of the dispossessed working-class and middle-class, whose more militant element formed the Skinheads. They were the rump of the revival of neo-Nazism in the 1990s. It was as a consequence of this emergence that in 1995 the Swedish left created Expo, the anti-racist magazine edited by Stieg Larsson. It is also the reason why Scandinavian police procedural novels and thrillers are so very good (from Henning Mankell to Larsson to Jo Nesb??): they produce superb artfrom the hypocritical bourgeois denial of the existence of Nazism, and how it is the soft-Right of the “moderates” that tolerates and encourages the far-Right. more.. e-mail
Trauma of Palestinian children increasing, say health groups
Electronic Intifada: 27 Jul 2011 – The Electronic Intifada Ramallah The number of Palestinian children with post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders including depression has increased, according to M?©decins Sans Fronti?®res and Palestinian organizations specializing in mental health.more
Dr. Khamis and his needles
In Gaza: 27 Jul 2011 – I met Dr. Khamis El Essi in November 2008, after arriving in Gaza on Free Gaza’s 3 rd voyage to Gaza on the Karama, the Dignity. The Wafa hospital and rehabilitation centre (for people with neurological and spinal ailments, including victims of Israeli attacks , stroke patients and others) is in eastern Gaza, roughly 1 km from the Green-Line border with Israel, and has been attacked many times during Israel’s many invasions. [ Wafa was seriously attacked during the last Israeli war on Gaza in 2008-2009, during which time the roof of the main hospital was shelled and set afire and shot at, the old folks home was shelled, and many white phosphorous rounds were fired at the hospital complex. I saw clumps of still-burning white phosphorous a week after the hospital was shelled.] Recently, I wanted to find out more about alternative medicine in Gaza . It turns out that Dr….more
Israel is an Apartheid State
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Jul 2011 – By Hasan Afif El-Hasan Western leaders and media label any Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation as terrorism, but it refuses to give Israel the same label when its military commits daily crimes against the Palestinians. Israel destroyed Gaza and committed massacres, starves the Palestinian population and bulldozes their houses in Jerusalem and the West Bank. It does not approve residency permits for Palestinians returning to their homes in the occupied lands and expels thousands of Palestinian families from Jerusalem. The Arab population of Israel today stands at a little over one million, but the state has refused to allow them create a single new Arab community to accommodate the natural population growth. The result is chronic overcrowding while the land lost to these Arab towns and villages has simply been passed to Jewish settlers for their benefit. Israel denies the right of the Arab-Israeli to marry Palestinians from outside…more
Arab Awakening and Western Media: Time for Revolutionary Discourse
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Jul 2011 – By Ramzy Baroud When President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried desperately to quell Yemen’s popular uprising, he appealed to tribalism, customs and traditions. All his efforts evidently failed, and the revolution continued unabated. When Saleh denounced women for joining men in demonstrations in Sana’a — playing on cultural sensitivities and a very selective interpretation of religion – the response was even more poignant. Thousands of women took to the streets, denouncing Saleh’s regime and calling for its ouster. The immediate popular response was notable for its level of organization and decisiveness. It was also interesting because most of the women protesting did so while wearing the Niqab. Fully covered Yemeni women have continued to inspire – if not fuel – the revolution which started in February. Without their active participation and resilience in the face of violent attempts to quash the uprising, one wonders if Yemen could have held on for…more
Canada’s Values?
Dissident Voice: 27 Jul 2011 – In early Novenber 2010, politicians from more than 40 countries gathered at the second conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combatting Anti-Semitism described as “largely aimed at exposing what its members say is the ‘new anti-Semitism,’ which is defined as excessive and unjust criticism of the state of Israel.” 1 Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper defended Israel, saying: “But when Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack, is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand.” Out of the conference gave rise to Parliamentary committee called the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA). In July the CPCCA presented its final report . The CPCCA report provided examples where criticism of the state of Israel is held to be anti-Semitic: ‚Ä¢ Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of…more
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The New Dark Age 
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