6 August , 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Abbas To Visit Lebanon To Hold Talks on Palestinian Statehood
IMEMC – Saturday August 06, 2011 – 06:04, Palestinian sources reported that President Mahmoud Abbas will be visiting Lebanon in the middle of this month as he accepted an official invitation from the Lebanese president, Michael Suleiman Aoun. Lebanon will be heading the UN security Council in September.
Witnesses: Army declares village closed military zone
8/6/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces declared Iraq Burin village a closed military zone on Saturday, witnesses said. Iraq Burin, south of Nablus, is the site of weekly demonstrations against illegal settlements on village land, and activists said the closure was an attempt to thwart protests. Witnesses said soldiers surrounded the village from all sides…. Related: Iraq Burin
Israeli army detains Freedom Theater actor
8/6/2011 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Saturday detained an acting student of the iconic Freedom Theater at a checkpoint near Jenin, theater staff said. Rami Awni Hwayel, 20, was detained, handcuffed and blindfolded at Shave Shomeron checkpoint in the northern West Bank. He was returning from rehearsals in Ramallah, the theater said in a….
Rightists try to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
8/6/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A group of right-wing Israelis tried to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Friday evening but were obstructed by Palestinian youth, a Ma’an correspondent said. Ma’an’s reporter said local youth clashed with the Israelis, who they described as settlers, at Bab Al-Majlis gate….
Hamas security forces seize suspected rocket firers
8/6/2011 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Security forces in the Gaza Strip on Saturday detained two members of an Islamist group suspected of firing rockets at Israel, a source close to the group said. The source said the militants, who belonged to Salafist organization Al-Tawfid wa Al-Jihad, were detained in Gaza City by security forces who suspected them….
Attackers vandalize Palestinian scout tent in Sweden
8/6/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Unknown attackers vandalized a Palestinian scout tent in Sweden on Thursday during the World Scout Jamboree, the head of the Palestinian delegation told Ma’an. Traditional artifacts were on display inside the tent to show Palestine’s cultural heritage. Attackers destroyed parts of the tent, took down the Palestinian….
Gaza electricity crisis ‘due to faulty power line’
8/6/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Palestinians in Gaza have been breaking their daily fast in darkness this Ramadan due to an electricity crisis in the coastal enclave. Gaza’s energy authority said the blackouts were caused by a faulty power line from Israel. Officials in Gaza said Israeli authorities were stalling maintenance of the….
Sappers destroy explosive device found in Tubas
8/6/2011 – TUBAS(Ma’an)—Police sappers neutralized Friday a suspicious object left behind by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Tubas, ordnance disposal authorities said. The suspicious object was found near a gas station in southern Tubas. Police said in a statement that officers closed the area and destroyed the object, a 10-cm….
PA: Israel should reimburse tuition for prisoners
8/6/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority ministry of prisoners affairs wants Israel to return tuition money paid by the PA to detained students who are no longer permitted to enroll in courses. The prison service has frozen all the money allocated for tuition on behalf of detainees enrolled in the Open University, after the….
Report: Lebanon to recognize Palestinian state
8/6/2011 – BEIRUT (Ma’an) — Lebanon will recognize the State of Palestine “in the next few days,” a Lebanese newspaper reported Saturday ahead of a visit by President Mahmoud Abbas. The report from An-Nahar says Abbas will stay in Lebanon for two days and meet President Michel Sleiman, speaker Nabih Berri and premier Najib Mikati, Now….
PA: Donor aid at risk in global financial crisis
8/6/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Some donor countries may stop their financial aid to the Palestinian Authority because of the global economic crisis, PA Minister of Economy Hassan Abu Libdeh said Saturday. Abu Libdeh said the PA’s economy was small, isolated and had weak foreign trade, and so it was not directly affected by….
Explosion near police station in southern Gaza
8/6/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — An explosive device detonated Friday near a Palestinian police station, officials said. Police in Gaza opened an investigation into the explosion next to a street vender’s stand in Deir Al-Balah, authorities said. Late last month, an explosive charge blew off the front of a mini market in central….
Public sector doctors suspend strike
8/6/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The union of public doctors in the West Bank on Monday suspended a strike set for Sunday, after the Palestinian Authority met some of their demands. The union had threatened an open strike to demand better salaries….
Fatah: National unity surpasses all other interests
8/6/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah on Saturday said national unity surpassed all personal, partisan and regional interests. Spokesman Ahmad Asaf said Fatah had made every effort to end the “hateful division” with Hamas, and that the party was keen to achieve national unity in an upcoming meeting in Cairo. Asaf added that he hoped Hamas….
1 dead as Palestinians clash in Lebanon camp
8/6/2011 – BEIRUT (AFP) — One person was killed and eight others wounded in Lebanon’s notorious Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday when armed clashes erupted between rival factions, an official in the camp said.” One civilian was killed and eight others wounded, most of them in critical condition, in clashes today in the camp….
Israel housing activists seek ‘critical mass’
8/6/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s growing protest movement is hoping to draw a “critical mass” of demonstrators on Saturday night, as they push the government for reforms to ease living costs. The demonstrations will test the appeal and staying power of a movement that began in mid-July over housing costs and has since mushroomed into….
Israelis flood Tel Aviv for reforms protest
8/6/2011 – TEL AVIV (AFP) — Almost a quarter of a million Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, police said, for a mass protest aimed at pushing the government into reforms to ease the cost of living. The organizers appeared to have achieved their target of drawing a “critical mass” out onto the streets to underline….
Jordan launches 5-year tourism strategy
8/6/2011 – AMMAN, Jordan (Ma’an) — Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced a five-year national strategy to develop the tourism sector. The strategy aims to increase Jordan’s tourism revenue to 4. 2 billion Jordanian Dinars ($5. 93 billion), the ministry said in a statement. Tourism Minister Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said….
Palestinians killed in attack on Syria refugee camp
8/6/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Five Palestinian refugees were shot dead and several others were injured on Friday in Hama refugee camp north of the Syrian capital Damascus, state media said. Many families left to the city of Halab fleeing ongoing shelling and crossfire, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted an eyewitness who fled the….
Egypt military police break up Tahrir ‘iftar’
8/6/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian military police used force to break up an “iftar” traditional evening meal for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday, witnesses said. Activists and families were taking part in the iftar which breaks the daytime fast during Ramadan.” We were about 150 people, gathered near….
Afghan helicopter crash kills 31 US special forces
8/6/2011 – PULI ALAM, Afghanistan (AFP) — Thirty-one US special forces and seven local troops were killed when the Taliban shot down their helicopter, officials said Saturday, in what was the deadliest single incident for foreign soldiers since the war began in 2001. The Chinook helicopter was downed late Friday during an anti-Taliban operation in an insurgent-infested district….
Syria vows ‘free elections’ as pressure grows
8/6/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syria vowed on Saturday to hold “free and transparent” elections by the end of 2011 as Arab states in the Gulf joined a chorus of Western pressure over its deadly suppression of anti-regime protests. An activist, meanwhile, said hundreds of tanks and armored cars had been deployed in the northeastern city of Deir….
Telecoms minister: Draft law will not harm online privacy
Palestine Note 5 Aug 2011 – Ma’an- The PA telecommunications minister said Wednesday that a draft law on electronic applications would pave the way to open e-government, denying that the Palestinian Authority wished to restrict citizen’s internet privacy. Appearing on Ma’an TV show, Huquq An-Nas [People’s…
Could Arab staying power ultimately defeat Zionism?
Palestine Note 5 Aug 2011 – David Hearst, The Guardian- There is an Arabic word you come across a lot when Palestinians talk about their future. Sumud means steadfastness, and it has turned into a strategy: when the imbalance of power is so pronounced, the most…
Wikipedia founder: Israel-Palestine is heavily debated, but we’re vigilant on neutrality
Palestine Note 5 Aug 2011 – Haaretz- A world of information, accessible at the click of a button, open for general contribution and yet neutral and objective in essence: Is such an entity possible, even when it comes to the Israelis and the Palestinians? Wikipedia co-founder…
Abu Ghraib abuse ringleader released
AlJazeera 6 Aug 2011 – Officers kill a man who opened fire at a checkpoint near interior minister’s palace in Jeddah.
Egypt Muslim Brotherhood holds internal poll
AlJazeera 6 Aug 2011 – Hundreds of thousands pour into streets of Tel Aviv and other major cities to push the government for reforms.
Israelis protest against high cost of living
AlJazeera 6 Aug 2011 – Charles Graner Jr set free after serving six and a half years on a 10-year sentence.
International Solidarity Movement
Ramadan begins with the killing of two Palestinians
8/6/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 2 August 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – At 3am Qalandia refugee camp was invaded by the Israeli army. Approximately 300 soldiers raided the camp, shooting live ammunition directly at people, killing two Palestinians. The two young men, Mutasin Issa Udwan who was 22 years old was declared to have passed away when he was….
No signs of ceasing resistance in Ni’lin
8/6/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 6 August 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On Friday, 5 August, the weekly demonstration against the illegal settlement near the Palestinian village of Ni’lin was held, despite the majority of its participants fasting for Ramadan. Although smaller than is usual it consisted of about forty people from the local community and a….
PRCS in the Heart of H2 Zone in Hebron: A psycho-social support center that helps Hebron youngsters cope with the reality of the occupation
Relief Web 5 Aug 2011 – Source: Palestine Red Crescent Society Country: occupied Palestinian territory Back in 2006, Palestinian youngsters were throwing volleys of stones at the PRCS psycho-social support center located in the Old City of Hebron. The newly founded center was far from making…
UK concerned over 930 new settlement units in Jerusalem
6 Aug 2011 – Palestine, (Pal Telegraph)-The British government expressed “great concern” over Israeli’s decision to build 930 new housing units in the settlement of Har Homa in south of Jerusalem.
Israeli soldiers storm Al-Aqsa mosque
6 Aug 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli occupation forces stormed yesterday at night Al-Aqsa mosque, in Jerusalem’s old city, after more than 100 thousand Palestinians attended the first Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan.
Israeli soldiers attack Bil’in nonviolent protest
6 Aug 2011 – West Bank, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli soldiers attacked yesterday the weekly nonviolent rally organized by Palestinian youths and foreign supporters in Bil’in, a village near Ramallah, to protest the Apartheid wall and Israeli settlements.
Quranic verse film a hit in US
The National 6 Aug 2011 – Koran By Heart premiered on the HBO channel in the United States on the first day of Ramadan last week amid critical acclaim and after receiving standing ovations at last year¬øs Tribeca Film Festival.
Kuwait joins in criticism of Syria
The National 5 Aug 2011 – Kuwait called for an end to violence and for real political reforms in Syria yesterda. It is the first time an Arab country has publicly criticised Damascus over its suppression of a pro-democracy uprising.
More than 300,000 demonstrate across Israel to protest high cost of living
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu camp downplays police estimate that over 300,000 people took part in third consecutive week of mass rallies across Israel on Saturday; protesters chant ‘The people demand social justice.’
Gideon Levy / Israel is beginning to celebrate a new independence
Ha’aretz – The mass protest rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday was a huge success, but the great test is still ahead of the protesters and of Israel.
Avirama Golan / Israel’s social protesters are not just naive sushi eaters
Ha’aretz – The young people who composed the protesters’ list of demands understand economic and social policy, and social action; they champion demand-side economics, the basis of the welfare state.
Republican candidate Herman Cain: Anybody that messes with Israel, messes with the U.S.
Ha’aretz – The only black presidential candidate of the Republican Party, Herman Cain, will be in Israel later this month to show his support for the Jewish state.
Israel wary after S&P downgrades U.S. debt rating
Ha’aretz – Central bank and Treasury fear that effects of the downgrade could batter exports, the main engine of Israel’s economy.
Israel Supreme Court to hear appeal of Katsav rape conviction
Ha’aretz – Main arguments of former President Moshe Katsav’s defense include District Court ignoring possibility that sexual relations between Katsav and plaintiff were consensual; Katsav was sentenced to seven years in prison for sexual offences in March.
Tel Aviv fast-tracks affordable housing project
Ha’aretz – Municipality expediting construction of 69 apartments in south Tel Aviv in wake of housing protests; project planner says it ‘will allow the middle class to buy an apartment at a reasonable price.’
Hamas delegation arrives in Egypt for Palestinian reconciliation talks
Ha’aretz – Meeting is the first since mid-June due to diputes between Hamas and Fatah over the formation of a unity government.
Palestinian pride: Israel protests influenced by Arab world
Ha’aretz – Palestinian social leaders believe Israel is ‘inadvertantly becoming part of the Middle East’, however, there is little Palestinian interest in the protests that have erupted throughout Israel in recent weeks.
Protesters angry over lack of public housing join the fray
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2011 – “60,000 waiting to enter public housing.”
Tent organizers reflect on how to keep enthusiasm high
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2011 – “No one thought it would last this long,” movement’s leaders say in third week of protest.
Youth take a memorable stand for social advocacy
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Reporter’s Notebook: A visit to “Boulevard If I Were a Rothschild”; indeed, the “tent cities” of Israel, circa summer 2011, have made history.
Protest draws 300,000 in largest show of force yet
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – 5 arrested in TA social justice rally; speakers deny movement has become politicized; PM to appoint team to negotiate protesters’ demands.
UN chief demands Assad stop deploying army against Syrians
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – In telephone conversation with Syrian president, Ban Ki-moon expresses his strong concern and that of the int’l community at the mounting violence and death toll in Syria over the past days; Turkish FM to visit Damascus.
Analysis: Mubarak’s trial is about the future of Egypt
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Will the image of an old, ailing man on a stretcher in a cage become the defining event setting Egypt on a new path?
Dershowitz strikes back: ‘J Street has harmed Israel’
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – “It’s a myth that criticism of Israel is silenced. I have spoken at AIPAC many times, criticizing Israeli policy,” lawyer says in response to Ben-Ami.
Norway and terrorism: Repressing discussion doesn’t help
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar: Palestine means Palestine in its entirety, and Israel cannot exist in our midst… We liberated Gaza through resistance.
Asulin’s message
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Police officer Shlomi Asulin died last week, after more than four-and-a-half years of silence and immobility.
An opportunity for real change
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – We must take advantage of the wave of protests to adopt a civilian agenda, decide on the monetary and planning implications, shift our national priorities.
My Word: The Frearson Principle
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – I would caution those who seek an instant revolution that you never know what the end result will be.
J’lem: Thousands of activists march to PM’s residence
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Over 25,000 protest against high housing costs; downtown area closed; organizer: “We wanted to show Netanyahu his behavior is unacceptable.”
Over 300,000 protest across country against cost of living
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – More than 280,000 estimated to be protesting in TA, demanding social justice; Student Union head: “We are not ready to give up on the dream to have homes”; tens of thousands also protesting in J’lem, North.
Nuclear deterrence & enemy rationality
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – What if Iran’s leaders do not consistently value Iran’s national survival more highly than any other preference?
Quarter of a million people protesting throughout country
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Over 190,000 estimated to be protesting throughout TA against high cost of living; activists chanting “nation demands social justice!”; police close several streets; tens of thousands protesting in J’lem, North.
Tens of thousands march throughout TA for ‘social justice’
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Activists say protest will be “mother of all demonstrations,” hope attendance tops previous demonstration’s turnout of 150,000; police close several streets, deploy around TA; hundreds protest in J’lem, North.
Award-winning Palestinian journalist forced into hiding
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – PA’s Preventative Security Force in W. Bank arrest Majdoleen Hassouneh’s brothers in attempt to put pressure on her to turn herself in.
Thousands begin gathering in TA ahead of mass demonstration
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Hundreds march from south TA to main tent city on Rothschild Blvd. ahead of what protesters say will be “mother of all demonstrations,” over high cost of living; police close several streets in TA before protests.
Wikipedia: Prophecy fulfilled or informational apocalypse?
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Wikimania annual conference in Haifa gives public opportunity to share experiences with free knowledge initiatives all over the world.
Israeli history photo of the week: The fruit of the vine
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – JPost special feature: A Library of Congress collection of photographs that document Israel before the creation of the state.
Steinitz: Lowered US credit rating is a warning sign
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Finance Minister says “Despite confidence in American economic growth, we are still steering the ship of the Israeli economy through rough seas.”
Syria to hold ‘free elections’ by year’s end, FM says
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – US ratchets up rhetoric, but experts say words must be matched by action; Syrian officer tells ‘Asharq Alawsat’ he was ordered to commit genocide.
‘Syrian army defector: I was ordered to commit genocide’
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Hundreds of officers are sitting in jails for refusing to fire on civilians; 4,500 soldiers defected in Damascus, says Syrian lieutenant in interview.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood holds vote in public
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Most popular and organized political force in Egypt was banned, harassed semi-tolerated, during 30-year rule of former president Hosni Mubarak.
‘Hamas detains 2 suspected of firing rockets on Israel’
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Two men said to belong to “Al-Tawfid wal Jihad” Islamist group nabbed in Gaza after Hamas says they were behind recent spate of rocket fire.
‘Lebanon to recognize Palestinian state in next few days’
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Lebanese media reports say Abbas planning to visit Lebanon in coming weeks to discuss int’l recognition of Palestinian state.
Jailed journalists write for freedom in Turkey
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Turkish Journalists Union Chairman: Journalists are prosecuted on charges of being terrorists due to their professional activities.
Iran foreign minister says hopes US ‘hikers’ will be freed
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Salehi expresses hope that trial of two Americans acused of spying “will advance in a way that would lead to their freedom.”
Activists around country gear up for massive demonstrations
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – Protesters hope to hold “the mother of all demonstrations,” say “there’s more anger now,” ahead of “social justice” rally; police close several streets in TA hours before protests; hundreds of officers to deploy.
Washington sends its ambassador back to Damascus
Jerusalem Post 6 Aug 2011 – In letter, Congress calls on Obama to implement harsher measures: “US must impose strongest possible sanctions on murderous regime.”
Israelis march for lower living costs
The Guardian 6 Aug 2011 – About 250,000 Israelis took part in an escalating protest that has catapulted economy onto political agenda About 250,000 Israelis have marched for lower living costs in an escalating protest that has catapulted the economy onto the…
Academic claims Israeli school textbooks contain bias
The Guardian 6 Aug 2011 – Nurit Peled-Elhanan of Hebrew University says textbooks depict Palestinians as ‘terrorists, refugees and primitive farmers’ Nurit Peled-Elhanan, an Israeli academic, mother and political radical, summons up an image of rows of Jewish schoolchildren, bent over their…
Israeli protesters: ‘We are prepared to die for our country … but we can’t live in it’ – video
The Guardian 6 Aug 2011 – Thousands gather in Tel Aviv, where protesters have pitched tent villages on Rothschild Boulevard, to demonstrate over the high costs of housing, rearing children, fuel, electricity and food Mat Heywood
Jerusalem Post apologises to Norway for editorial on Oslo attacks
The Guardian 5 Aug 2011 – Newspaper publishes full-length editorial to say sorry for using massacre to criticise multiculturalism after ‘avalanche’ of protest In an unusual move for a newspaper, the Jerusalem Post has published a full-length editorial apologising for a previous…
Between Libya and the Deep Sea
IPS NATO’s five-month bombing campaign in Libya, run under the guise of protecting civilians, is also killing victims fleeing the conflict, directly and indirectly.
Lattakia: Ongoing Arrests of Doctors
Uruknet August 6, 2011 – A number of doctors and employees of the private Tabiyat Hospital in Lattakia have been detained since August 3 following the medical treatment of a child who had sustained gunshot wounds a day earlier and subsequently died of her injuries. The 9-year-old child, Bara’a Mahmoud Kabbaro, was shot on August 2 and was transported…
Video: Exclusive: Donald Vance on Torture and His Suit Against Rumsfeld
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – In a Countdown exclusive, Keith talks with Donald Vance, a Navy veteran and former contractor in Iraq, who’s suing Donald Rumsfeld. Vance says he was tortured by the U.S. military for 97 days at Camp Cropper in Baghdad….
Gaza: Dying To Break The Blockade
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – Gazans are dying to break the Israeli blockade – literally. More than 500 of them have already died from lack of access to life-saving medications and medical supplies directly attributable to the illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Lest you think it is just Gaza crying wolf, here is what the International Red…
Gaza: stars and bombs
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – We are watching the sky, sleeping on the roof to escape the heat. I flatter the clouds’ beauty and am watching sporadic shooting stars when the first F-16 appeared from the direction of the sea. No sound, just a blinking red light quite high up. Three more follow. Their roar slowly becomes audible and…
Video : Libya government: NATO air missiles targeted children’s Hospital in Zlitan
Uruknet
Iraqi government to prosecute activists for using Facebook to share protests news
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – The Green-Zone government will start pursuing and prosecuting the Iraqi activists and protesters who are using the Facebook to share protests news through the Articles of the Electronic Crime Act. The preliminary reading of the NEW E-Crime Act was a few days ago and here’s its articles : Article 4 – Whoever starts or runs…
September
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – Some of my friends in Fatah and others will not like some of what I have to say here. Others will respect and even appreciate it including some members of Fatah central committee. The situation is becoming intolerable and some of us feel we cannot remain silent. I personally owe it to the 50,000…
US contractor can sue Donald Rumsfeld for alleged Iraq torture, judge rules
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – An American former military contractor who claims he was imprisoned and tortured by the US army in Iraq has been allowed by a judge to sue the former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld personally for damages. The man, an army veteran whose identity has been withheld, worked as a translator for the US marines in…
Syria News – August 5, 2011 (Videos)
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – Syria has sacrificed 26 martyrs today, on Friday of “God is With Us”. Some were killed by bullets of the security forces during the weekly demonstrations at noon, which were met with live bullets by the security forces, especially in Erbeen, Dumeir and Homs. Others were killed during the night demonstrations, that turned into…
The Great Hiroshima Cover-Up-And the Greatest Movie Never Made
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – ….In 1979, Japanese antinuclear activists, led by a Tokyo teacher named Iwakura Tsutomu (who I later interviewed), managed to track down hundreds of pictures of nuclear devastation in archives and private collections and published them in a popular book. In 1979 they mounted an exhibit at the United Nations in New York. There, by…
Tahrir August 1st: Masquerade for a Lost Legitimacy
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – After a nearly three-week long sit-in, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) sent their forces-the same forces that are reportedly tasked with “defending us from our external enemies”-to violently attack peaceful demonstrators, clear a site of protest, and, with the help of a propaganda media machine, try to win over more support…
At least 58 killed in Hama on Friday, 300 in six days: Syrian activists
Uruknet Friday, 5 August 2011 – At least 58 civilians have been killed by the Syrian army and security forces in Hama on Friday, raising the death toll in the flashpoint city to 300 in six days, local coordination committees said, according to Al Arabiya TV. Witnesses told Al Arabiya Hama residents were not able to attend weekly Friday…
Israeli Street Protests: Suppressed by US Media
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – Well, almost. Virtually nothing shows up on US television. Some gets print coverage, but not enough to explain a major story accurately and fully. More on that below. For weeks, tens of thousands of Israelis have been protesting high prices, especially unaffordable housing, creating an intolerable burden for growing numbers being priced out of…
Filling Prison Beds for Profit
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – At yearend 2010, America’s prison population topped 2.4 million, including federal and state facilities, local jails, Indian, juvenile, and military ones, US territories, and numbers held by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In addition, over seven million more are under correctional supervision, and over 13 million pass through US prisons and jails annually….
South African students endorse nationwide boycott against Israel
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – Representatives of South Africa’s oldest and largest student bodies in Johannesburg hosted a press conference on Thursday in which they denounced the upcoming visit by a delegation of Israeli officials and propagandists to South African college campuses. In the past five years, Israeli public relations professionals and governmental officials have traveled across the world…
Libya’s Free Market Future
Uruknet August 5, 2011 – This message from rebel Transitional National Council spokesman Mustafa Gheriani is re-assuring in a way, ominous in another. The mobs of “pro-democracy demonstrators” the world is so excited to protect are a troubling lot, with the urge to burn soldiers and lynch blacks entirely too close to the surface of their hearts, oozing hatefully…
Palestine’s U.N. bid: Between history and hot air
Daily Star 6 Aug 2011 President Mahmoud Abbas’ attempt to upgrade the Palestinians’ status at the United Nations signals a bolder approach by a leader keen to forge a legacy after years of failed peace talks.
Parliament to convene next week for legislative session
Daily Star 6 Aug 2011 Speaker Nabih Berri sets Aug. 10 as the date for the next legislative session to discuss the remaining items on its agenda, the National News Agency reported Saturday.
Lebanon to recognize Palestinian state
Daily Star 6 Aug 2011 Lebanon is set to recognize the Palestinian state, various media reports said Saturday, adding that President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the country in mid-August.
Israel activists seek ‘critical mass’ at protests
Daily Star 6 Aug 2011 Israel’s growing protest movement hopes to draw a “critical mass” of demonstrators across the Jewish state Saturday night, as they push the government for reforms to ease living costs.
Mansour to visit Syria at Moallem’s invitation
Daily Star 5 Aug 2011 Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour is scheduled to visit Syria Sunday at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart Walid Moallem, the state-run National News Agency reported Friday.
PAS commander survives Ain al-Hilweh assassination attempt
Daily Star 5 Aug 2011 The commander of the Palestinian Armed Struggle survived an assassination attempt Friday at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp.
Syria protests in Beirut further divide March 8, 14 camps
Daily Star 5 Aug 2011 Divisions between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions reflect clearly on their positions on demonstrations and sit-ins in support of Damascus…
Gemayel warns Hezbollah’s arsenal can spark war
Daily Star 5 Aug 2011 The leader of the Kataeb [Phalange] Party Amin Gemayel warned Friday that Lebanon was facing a major crisis that could push it to a state of war…
National upheaval: More than 300,000 protestors hit streets
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Huge show of force: More than 300,000 Israelis hit the streets nationwide in one of the largest protests in the State of Israel’s history, as public anger over the … ….
Train fiasco hinders protestors
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – A train carrying hundreds of passengers en route to the mass rally in Tel Aviv Saturday evening was forced to stop in Netanya as result of overcrowded conditions. … ….
Lebanon: Clash in Palestinian camp kills 1
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Palestinian security officials say armed clashes between rival factions in Lebanon’s largest refugee camp have killed one person and wounded two others. It was not … ….
Report: Hamas detained rocket cell
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Hamas security forces detained Saturday morning two members of the al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group in Gaza as they were about to fire rockets at Israel, members of the radical … ….
Israel gears up for mass rally
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend mass rallies in Tel Aviv and elsewhere Saturday night as part of the ongoing wave of socioeconomic protest that … ….
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood holds elections
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Democracy and Islam? Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood will hold a public internal election on Saturday for the first time in its history to fill three vacant posts in its … ….
Syria: Protesters getting paid by terrorists
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Officials in Deir ez-Zor tell Syrian news agency that civilians paid by ‘foreign….
PA: Wave of recognition ahead
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – Ahead of declaration of Palestinian state in September, PA’s foreign minister….
Livni to US: Keep pressuring Netanyahu
YNet News, 6 Aug 2011 – ‘When Obama pushed Bibi, Bibi made some steps forward,’ Opposition chairwoman….
Palestinian Information Center
IOF soldiers forcibly evacuate worshippers from Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the holy Aqsa Mosque at midnight Friday and forced Muslim worshippers out of it, the Quds media center said on its website on Saturday.
Turkey refuses to take part in joint naval exercises with Israel, USA
PIC – Turkish officials said that their country’s fleet would not take part in the annual naval exercises “Reliant Mermaid” launched by USA and Israel in the Mediterranean Sea for the second straight year.
Construction of 7,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem under way
PIC – The Israeli occupation authorities are planning on carrying out plans to build 7,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem, Israeli media outlets have reported.
Masri: Unleashing resistance forces best response against Jewish settlement
PIC – Senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said that unleashing the West Bank resistance forces and ending security coordination is the best response against Israeli settlement.
Hamas official to Fatah: Stop security agencies ahead of Sunday meeting
PIC – Ismail al-Ashqar, who represents Hamas on the Palestinian Legislative Council, has called on Fatah to pressure the security agencies into ending their persecution of elements from Hamas.
Dozens handed summonses, six arrested amid persecution of Hamas in West Bank
PIC – Dozens have been handed summonses and at least eight have been arrested as the Palestinian Authority’s security agencies continue to target Hamas supporters in the West Bank.
Hayya: Sunday’s meeting requires responsibility from Fatah
PIC – Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya declared Friday that in order for Sunday’s meeting in Cairo to be successful, the Fatah party must act earnestly and responsibly.
US Organizations Urge Obama not to Veto Palestine’s UN Bid
WAFA
Two Palestinians killed, Settlers’ Violence Up in West Bank last week, says UN report
WAFA
Jenin Neighborhoods without Water after Israel Closes Tap
WAFA
Israel Freezes Education Funds of Palestinian Prisoners
WAFA
Israeli Soldiers Attempt to Rape Palestinian Teenager, says Prisoners Club
WAFA
World Trade Union Backs Palestinian UN Bid
WAFA
South Sudan to Recognize Palestinian State at UN
WAFA
Newspapers Review: First Friday of Ramadan Dominates Front Page Coverage
WAFA
PAUL BALLES: War on Error
Intifada-Palestine: 6 Aug 2011 – Paul Balles Error is not a typo. Israel’s terror has been America’s error. I’ve never been much of a fan of conspiracy theories, though most raise questions that should be answered. In 2003, I questioned both the official story of…more
Defiant Syrians hold huge protests
LA Times 5 Aug 2011 – Tens of thousands take to the streets across the country after a lethal assault in the besieged city of Hama. The growing civilian toll sparks rare public criticism from another Arab country. Syrian protesters answered President Bashar Assad’s bid to crush a popular uprising by…
Syria Forces Extend Siege on Hama as Toll Rises
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – Human rights activists said that at least 24 people were killed on Friday during protests.
Protests Grow in Israel, With 250,000 Marching
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – The crowds were the largest in three weeks of protests aimed at forcing social and economic issues onto the government’s agenda.
In Libya’s Capital, Straight Talk From Christians
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – Mass at the Church of Christ the King is a rare place to speak freely about the city’s mood.
Iraqi Civilians Die in Raid, Complicating Pullout Talks
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – For the second time in a week, a joint Iraqi-American raid aiming at insurgents resulted in the killing of civilians.
Belatedly Recognizing Heroes of the Holocaust
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – Historians credit the Bergson group with helping save hundreds of thousands of Jews.
Libya Rebuffs Qaddafi Son on Alliance With Radical Islamists
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – A government spokesman said Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi was speaking only for himself when he vowed to form an alliance with Islamists among the rebels challenging his father.
News Analysis: Protesters Yearn for an Israel That Does More to Help Its People
New York Times 6 Aug 2011 – The tent protest movement is really about the nature of the country’s social contract and the way many Israelis feel that their sacrifices are not being repaid.
Talks begin on extending US occupation of Iraq
WSWS – The Obama administration is determined to retain the strategic gains made by the US through the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Charges mount of NATO war crimes in Libya
WSWS – NATO forces are charged with allowing refugees to drown and deliberately targeting civilian journalists for bombing.
J14: ‘The People Demand Social Justice!’ 400,000 Rally in Tel Aviv
Tikun Olam – Israelis march 400,000 strong in J14 protest rally yesterday in Tel Aviv (AP) Some of my Israeli friends are literally weeping from the joy, exhilaration, and sheer decency of last night’s J14 protest through the streets of Tel Aviv. The rally drew almost 400,000 people, well…
Tent 1948
Mondoweiss – If you are Palestinian, it will be difficult to find anything to identify with in Tel Aviv’s tents’ city on Rothschild Boulevard, until you reach Tent 1948. My first tour there was a few days ago, when I decided to join Tent 1948. Tent 1948’s main…
‘Housing crisis?’ Israel will build 930 more units in occupied East Jerusalem
Mondoweiss – Well, that’s one way to address the housing crisis in Israel today: build 930 new houses . . . in East Jerusalem! I can just see PM Netanyahu saying to a Cabinet minister: “Housing crisis? I have just the thing!” Absolutely brilliant (no, really, it is – well, kind…
‘NYT’ ‘analysis’ buries connection between protests and settlement project
Mondoweiss – Did you see Ethan Bronner’s analysis of the tent protests in the New York Times today? It’s not what it says, it’s what it doesn’t say. Not until the last paragraph does he tentatively raise the connection between Israel’s construction of settlements/colonies and the housing shortages…
Community board of leftwing radio station in Houston is so freaked out by boycott it calls for boycotting 21 countries, including US
Mondoweiss – Last December the Pacifica radio station in Houston, KPFT, offered a programming segment to the Israeli consulate. The move angered activists and led to a proposal to join the international boycott call against Israel. Rob Block is one of the activists. We had a really weird…
A binational tent, in Jaffa
Mondoweiss – If we were to put our finger on the essence of the Palestinian popular struggle and summarize it, we could call it “a struggle for a home.” No one who has revolutionary blood flooding in her veins can stay oblivious and unmoved by the protest wave…
J14 Tent Protest Movement Israel’s Wave of Future?
Tikun Olam – NOTE : Thanks to readers who’ve expressed concern about not hearing from me for the past week. No fear. My family went away for a week to the Oregon high desert where we enjoyed a rafting trip, hiking, and swimming near Bend. I found it too difficult…
Beit Ommar, West Bank Face Serious Water Problems
Palestine Solidarity Project 6 Aug 2011 – The lack of access to clean water represents a major problem in the West Bank, particularly for rural farming villages such as Beit Ommar. Access to water has become increasingly difficult since 2005, as Israel steals more and more Palestinian water, giving less water to the…
Israel releases PLC member, Sheikh Hassan Youssef, after six years
Middle East Monitor 5 Aug 2011 – EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The Israeli occupation yesterday (4th August) released the Hamas leader and deputy in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Sheikh Hassan Youssef. Mr Youssef was released from the Ofer military detention facility located in southern Ramallah. The occupation authorities had refused to release the sheikh until…
US weakness & inability to protect Mubarak heralds demise of regional influence
Middle East Monitor 5 Aug 2011 – A leading Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, has warned that the trial of former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and the status he was reduced to after its first session, will have “negative consequences” on US relations with Arab leaders. It also forecasts the end of Western influence…
US ambassador to Tel Aviv asserts UN recognition ‘will not change reality’
Middle East Monitor 5 Aug 2011 – The New US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, has downplayed the significance of the Palestinian plan to approach the UN in September to gain recognition of an independent Palestinian state. He stressed that the situation in Palestine would stay as it is and would not be…
Draft Knesset bill to drop Arabic as official Israeli language
Middle East Monitor 5 Aug 2011 – Lawmakers in Israel have submitted a bill to parliament [the Knesset] which, if passed, will see Arabic dropped as an official language of Israel. The bill also states that Jewish law will be a source of inspiration to the legislature and the courts. On Thursday, August…
UN urges end to Syria crackdown
BBC 6 Aug 2011 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to “immediately end” the use of troops against civilian protesters.
World media explore Mubarak trial
BBC 5 Aug 2011 – A day after the court case against former President Hosni Mubarak began in Egypt a sense of pride prevailed in several Arabic-language dailies.
Protest singer
BBC 6 Aug 2011 – The Egyptian student made famous by a revolution
Articles
Palestinians will soon come full circle
Sam Bahour, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN)8/4/2011
Years have been wasted making concessions to their colonisers. Palestinians were right to call for a secular state at the outset.
The Palestinian national liberation movement has reached its end. As the Palestinian leadership — if there is such a legitimate body today — prepares to bring the issue of statehood to the UN this September, the weeks and months ahead will witness the last desperate attempt to get the international community to assume their responsibilities and ensure that a Palestinian state becomes a reality in the occupied territories.
The reasons for the failure of the Palestinian national liberation movement are many. First and foremost, the shellshock that the creation of Israel caused among Palestinians in 1948 has never really gone away. Half of the Palestinian population at the time were displaced from their homes.
Those that refused to flee are today citizens of Israel — a citizenship that was not requested, but rather imposed upon them — and comprise more than 1.2 million people, Muslims and Christians.
As if the forced dispossession from 78% of their homeland was not enough, the Israeli military occupied the remaining parts of Palestine in 1967. Israel had planned for that occupation long before the war. Military occupation is, by definition, regarded as a temporary state of affairs — and one would be stretching the definition to the point of fantasy to consider Israel’s presence in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as still temporary after 44 years. Reality is much more accurately described as the crime of apartheid than that of military occupation. more.. e-mail
Begging for help, but for how long?
Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah, Al-Ahram Weekly8/4/2011
The financial crisis hitting the Palestinian Authority is probably the worst in living memory, with many ordinary people’s livelihoods at stake.
Mohamed and Sarah Sawabha live in a middle-class neighbourhood in Ramallah with their six children, including two college students. Mohamed has a BSc degree and earns a monthly salary of about $800 as a teacher in a local school.
His wife, who has a BA in Arabic Language and Literature, earns nearly the same amount teaching Arabic at one of the largest and most prestigious high schools in suburban Ramallah.
Like many other Palestinian families, the Sawabhas are ill-prepared for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this year, during which family spending increases substantially.
“We have always struggled to make ends meet. But this is the first time that we have felt that we are fighting on many fronts and losing,” said Mohamed.
The family, which doesn’t own its own home, pays an annual rent amounting to $3000. And with ever- increasing college tuition, school expenses and disappearing government subsidies, only a meagre amount of money is left over to pay for a decent living.
Sarah concurred with her husband’s words. “We are really frustrated, as we only received half our salaries this month. It is now the end of the month, and we have yet to receive the other half. Ramadan is coming, and the government keeps telling us to be patient. But for how long?” more.. e-mail
War on error: how Israel bankrupted America
Paul J. Balles, Redress8/7/2011
Error is not a typo. Israel’s terror has been America’s error.
I’ve never been much of a fan of conspiracy theories, though most raise questions that should be answered.
In 2003, I questioned both the official story of 9/11 and several of the conspiracy theories advanced at the time. My concern then was who benefited from 9/11? My conclusion? Israel.
In January 2010, I repeated the fact that without 9/11, the US had no excuse for invading Afghanistan. That made George W. Bush’s “war on terror” with Afghanistan and Iraq (with Iran in his gun sights) even more irrelevant.
The battle against Al-Qaeda and bin Laden was the precursor to the invasion of Iraq; and the trumped up connection between Iraq and Al-Qaeda provided one excuse for invading Iraq.
In an article entitled “9/11 revisited”, I summarized 21 questions raised by David Ray Griffin’s book, The New Pearl Harbour Revisited. In that work, Griffin pointed out unequivocally that virtually every dimension of the official account of 9/11 was false beyond reasonable doubt.
Ever since G.W. Bush proclaimed America’s “war on terror” we’ve had reason to question the veracity of many of the wars that have engaged America.
The real evidence of who the terrorists are comes from several studies done on the roles played by Israel from its beginning through six decades to 9/11 and beyond. more.. e-mail
stars and bombs
In Gaza: 6 Aug 2011 – Aug 5 2011 We are watching the sky, sleeping on the roof to escape the heat. I flatter the clouds’ beauty and am watching sporadic shooting stars when the first F-16 appeared from the direction of the sea. No sound, just a blinking red light quite high up. Three more follow. Their roar slowly becomes audible and they drop a couple of flares. We trace their path, above us, chilling. The roar is normal, F-16s are normal, and reading in the news the next day that some part of Gaza was bombed is normal. They continue eastward and a bombing seems imminent. It is. A thick cloud of black smoke blots the dim lights of houses in eastern Deir al Balah where the F-16s have struck. Their roar doesn’t disappear yet. They’re bombing Khan Younis , Emad says matter of factly. Not a hard guess, what else are they doing up…more
The Wrong Struggle
Palestine Chronicle: 6 Aug 2011 – By Seraj Assi Nearly three weeks ago angry young residents of Tel Aviv took to the streets to protest soaring housing prices. The protests have rapidly reached different sectors of the Israeli society. The Israeli media has propagated the event as a glorious democratic manifestation, while Western media rushed to compare it to the people revolutions in neighboring Arab countries. Yet it must be recalled that by far the Tel Aviv protests are taking place within the Zionist consensus. For many Arab citizens, the protests are widely seen as a bourgeois distributional conflict over Zionist colonial spoils. No wonder the protests are directed against high housing prices per se rather than against the founding policies and fundamental causes behind the crisis. We should remember that the real victims of the state’s housing policies are not the middle-class Jewish Israelis longing for the exclusive and luxurious privileges offered by the Tel…more
How Goodly Are Thy Tents
Dissident Voice: 5 Aug 2011 – First of all, a warning. Tent cities are springing up all over Israel. A social protest movement is gathering momentum. At some point in the near future, it may endanger the right-wing government. At that point, there will be a temptation — perhaps an irresistible temptation — to “warm up the borders”. To start a nice little war. Call on the youth of Israel, the same young people now manning (and womanning) the tents, to go and defend the fatherland. Nothing easier than that. A small provocation, a platoon crossing the border “to prevent the launching of a rocket”, a fire fight, a salvo of rockets — and lo and behold, a war. End of protest. In September, just a few weeks from now, the Palestinians intend to apply to the UN for the recognition of the State of Palestine. Our politicians and generals are chanting in unison that this…more
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The New Dark Age 
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