4 September 2011 , 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Officials accuse Israeli Prime Minister of withholding information that could have prevented attack
IMEMC – Sunday September 04, 2011 – 22:48, At a hearing on Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister were accused of ordering Israel’s top intelligence officials not to share warnings and information that could have been used to prevent the shooting attack on an Israeli bus and car by Egyptian suspects on August 18th in which five Israeli civilians and three soldiers were killed.
US ‘campaigns to avoid’ Palestinian statehood vote
9/4/2011 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States has launched a last ditch diplomatic drive to persuade Palestinians to scrap their plan to seek UN recognition as a state, The New York Times said. But the move may be too late, the newspaper said, citing unnamed senior US officials and foreign diplomats. The administration of President Barack Obama….
Hamas lawmaker sentenced to 6 months in administrative detention
9/4/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — An Israeli court sentenced Hamas-affiliated lawmaker Anwar Zuboun to six months in administrative detention on Sunday, Hamas officials said. The sentence was condemned by Hamas lawmakers as part of Israel’s “arrogance and systematic crime.” Another Hamas lawmaker Sheik Hassan Yousef was detained last week at a checkpoint in Nablus….
Report: Military head told to conceal details of Eilat attacks
9/4/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the head of military intelligence to conceal details of an attack near Eilat which left eight Israelis dead, the Israeli media reported Sunday. Head of Israel’s military intelligence Major General Aviv Kochavi told members of Israel’s subcommittee for secret services and….
Police: Israeli forces detain 3 Palestinians overnight
9/4/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained 3 Palestinians in the West Bank overnight Saturday, Palestinian police said. Police said soldiers detained Raoufa Hamed, 24, near Ramallah and Samer Al-Hih, 20, and Thaer Al-Owawy in Hebron. An Israeli military spokeswoman said two Palestinians were detained overnight southeast of Ramallah. She was not aware of any….
Gaza: Registration to cross Rafah border opens Sunday
9/4/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza residents can register to travel via the Rafah crossing on the Egypt border from Sunday, the Hamas-run Ministry of Interior announced. Registration is only open for students, foreign passport holders and those with referrals for medical treatment abroad, the ministry said in a statement. From Sunday, people will be….
Radwan: Palmer report ‘biased and illegitimate’
9/4/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said Sunday that a UN report on Israel’s deadly raid of a Gaza-bound aid boat was illegitimate and biased to Israel. The report, released Friday, was written by a panel headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer. It found that Israel….
Report: Security wall to be built around Israeli embassy in Cairo
9/4/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — An Egyptian opposition party said Sunday that a private contractor has begun to build a security wall around the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Israeli news site Ynet reported. Egyptian party Al Wafd said on its website that the security wall around the Israeli embassy is to prevent protesters from….
‘Palestine 194’ campaign gets underway in Gaza
9/4/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A national Palestinian campaign to support the September UN bid for statehood organized its first activity in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, organizers said. Groups of children traveled in a vehicle from the southern Gaza Strip to the Erez crossing in the north, waving Palestinians flags and chanting slogans in….
Fatah official: 140 countries to recognize Palestinian state
9/4/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said Sunday that he expects 140 countries to recognize and vote for a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly’s 66th meeting, due to be held on September 23. During a press conference held Sunday at Fatah’s foreign relations commission, Shaath stated….
More than 400,000 Israelis protest for ‘social justice’
9/4/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) —More than 400,000 Israelis poured into streets across the country on Saturday to protest the high cost of living, after organizers called for a “million-man march” to revitalize their movement. The estimated figures were record-breaking, exceeding the 300,000 people who took part in similar demonstration on August 6, and lending new….
Egypt releases 2 Palestinian brothers from Rafah
9/4/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities on Saturday released two Palestinian brothers after two years in detention, relatives told Ma’an. Ammar and Arafat Abu Nima, from Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border, were detained with their father on the Egyptian side of the city two years ago. They were sentenced to three years….
Family says Palestinian sheik detained at Cairo airport
9/4/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities detained a Palestinian sheik on Saturday at Cairo International Airport, his family told Ma’an. Abdul Aziz Odeh was detained at the airport as he returned from a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, relatives said. The Palestinian ambassador to Egypt was unable to secure his release. Odeh was…. Related: Waqf minister: Palestinian Sheik arrested in Cairo released
Shaath: Palestinian leaders have clear strategy post-September
9/4/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian leadership has a clear strategy to continue its battle in international forums if September’s bid for full UN membership fails, senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said Sunday. Washington has made it clear to President Mahmoud Abbas that it will veto any request by Palestine to join the….
Waqf minister: Palestinian Sheik arrested in Cairo released
9/4/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian sheik detained in Cairo was released on Sunday, the Palestinian Authority Waqf minister told Ma’an. Abdul Aziz Odeh was detained at Cairo’s international airport on Saturday after returning from a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, his family said. Mahmoud Habbash, the PA minister of Waqf and…. Related: Family says Palestinian sheik detained at Cairo airport
Israel seeks calm with Turkey, but not at any price
9/4/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel wants to calm a fierce row that has erupted with one-time ally Turkey over a 2010 raid on an aid flotilla, but not at any cost, including issuing an apology, ministers and officials said on Sunday. In recent days, ties between the once-friendly nations appear to have plumbed new depths, with Ankara….
Israel PM pledges action after mass protests
9/4/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged “real” economic change on Sunday after massive nationwide protests that broke Israeli records and prompted questions about the future of the social movement. Speaking to his cabinet after an estimated 450,000 people turned out for demonstrations across the country seeking lower living costs, Netanyahu said his government….
Protesters dismantle tents in Tel Aviv
9/4/2011 – TEL AVIV (AFP) — Israeli activists who triggered a massive nationwide protest movement six weeks ago when they set up camp in a wealthy district of Tel Aviv began dismantling their tent cities on Sunday. An AFP photographer reported that the main tent of the student union, which has been at the heart of the campaign….
Russian envoy warns Syria about Western intervention
9/4/2011 – DAMASCUS (Ma’an) — Deputy Russian foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Sunday that sanctions imposed on Syria by the US, UK and France could pave the way for military intervention in the country. Bogdanov delivered the message from the Russian president to the Syrian leadership while on a visit to Damascus. The right way to….
Police arrest 5 suspects in Nablus robbery
9/4/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Police on Sunday said they arrested five men suspected of robbing an IT company in Nablus early Saturday morning. Police chief Omar Albroz said the men stole a safe containing 700,000 shekels ($196,500) from the company after threatening and tying up the security guard. They had planned the robbery for three….
Report: Britain invited Gadhafi sons to see SAS display
9/4/2011 – LONDON (AFP) — Britain invited two of Moammar Gadhafi’s sons to the headquarters of the SAS special forces unit as former premier Tony Blair tried to build ties with the Libyan regime, The Sunday Times reported. In the latest revelations from intelligence documents obtained by media and rights groups in Tripoli, the paper said….
‘At least 24 killed’ as Syria cracks down on dissent
9/4/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) —At least 24 people were killed in violence across Syria on Sunday, reports said as the visiting Red Cross chief sought access to those detained in more than five months of anti-regime protests. As more bloodletting gripped the country, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said Syria has agreed to host him for a….
Jordan woman killed in hospital over pregnancy
9/4/2011 – AMMAN (AFP) — A Jordanian man was charged on Sunday with killing his 24-year-old widowed daughter in hospital after she gave birth to twins, a judicial official said.” Amman’s criminal court prosecutor charged the man with premeditated murder after he confessed to shooting dead his daughter on Saturday,” in Deir Alla in the….
Negotiator: Talks fail for surrender of Gadhafi bastion
9/4/2011 – SHISHAN, Libya (AFP) — Negotiations for the surrender of Moamer Gadhafi’s forces in the town of Bani Walid have failed and will not resume, the chief negotiator for the National Transitional Council said Sunday.” I am leaving the military commander to resolve the problem,” Abdullah Kenshil said when asked if an attack would now….
Egypt sets Oct. 24 to try ex-Mubarak aide for graft
9/4/2011 – CAIRO (Reuters) — An Egyptian court has set Oct. 24 for the first session in the trial of the former chief of staff of ousted President Hosni Mubarak on charges of corruption and illegal profiteering, Egypt’s news agency MENA reported on Sunday. In August, the head of Egypt’s anti-graft authority, Assem el-Gohari….
UN says Libya weapons proliferation ‘major concern’
9/4/2011 – TRIPOLI (Reuters) — The proliferation of weapons in Libya is a serious issue and the country’s new rulers need to start the process of elections soon if they are to keep their commitment to building democracy, the United Nations Secretary-General’s special adviser on Libya said on Sunday.” Proliferation of weapons is a….
Turkey to take Israel to ICJ
AlJazeera 4 Sep 2011 – After downgrading ties to former ally for refusing flotilla apology, Ankara vows to pursue legal action at The Hague.
Iran says nuclear-power plant ‘operational’
AlJazeera 4 Sep 2011 – After years of delays, officials say Bushehr unit has begun generating electricity for the national grid.
US cable tells of Israel’s ‘harsh measures’
AlJazeera 4 Sep 2011 – Leaked diplomatic despatches highlight efforts by army to use use force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank.
Fresh deaths reported across Syria
AlJazeera 4 Sep 2011 – Activists say at least 13 people killed as the Red Cross chief visits Damascus to demand access to prisons., Members of the Egyptian security forces are scheduled to testify on Monday in closed Cairo court session.
Mass rallies revive Israel protest movement
AlJazeera 4 Sep 2011 – Protests fuelled by economic and social grievances draw large crowds in Tel Aviv, but movement’s future is uncertain.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Condemns Palmer Report
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Sunday, 04 September 2011
Alternative Information Center
Hebrew University: Don’t Evict Homeless Children, Families!
Alternative Information Center – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is acting to evict some 100 homeless children and 30 homeless families from an abandoned student dormitory that was taken over on Thursday (1 September) night.
UN: Israel Used Excessive Force against Gaza-Bound Freedom Flotilla, Turkey Downgrades Relations
Alternative Information Center – Israel used “excessive and unreasonable” force against the Turkish ship Marmara , on its trip to Gaza on 31 May 2010 as part of the first Freedom Flotilla. This is the conclusion of the United Nations report…
Egypt ‘cracks down on Gaza tunnels’
Relief Web 4 Sep 2011 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Egypt , Israel CAIRO — Egypt’s military has started to close smuggling tunnels to Gaza, witnesses said on Saturday, amid Israeli warnings of plans by Gazan militants to attack the Jewish state through Egyptian…
Israeli soldiers open fire on southern Gaza Strip
4 Sep 2011 – Gaza Strip, (Pal Telegraph)-Israeli soldiers stationed inside observation towers on Sunday opened heavy fire at civilians’ houses and agricultural lands in the east of Khozaa town, southern Gaza Strip.
Turkey to go to International Court of Justice over Israeli attacks on Flotilla in 2010
4 Sep 2011 – Istanbul (Pal Telegraph) – Turkey has said it will apply next week for an investigation by the International Court of Justice into the legality of Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.‚Ä®‚Ä®Speaking to Turkish state-run television during a gathering on Saturday of European foreign ministers in Poland, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also reiterated Turkey’s support for efforts to win recognition for a…
Tehran police arrest would-be water fight participants
The National 4 Sep 2011 – After July’s huge water fight by hundreds of youths in central Tehran outraged Iranian conservatives, police arrest ‘a handful’ who wanted to repeat the event.
At least 16 dead in Syrian shootings as visiting Red Cross chief starts mission
The National 4 Sep 2011 – Latest bloodshed comes as European ministers warned of more sanctions in addition to an oil embargo over Syria’s defiance of international calls to halt a deadly crackdown on anti-Assad protests.
Fears for Egyptian blogger on hunger strike in jail
The National 4 Sep 2011 – Maikel Nabil Sanad, jailed for ‘insulting Egypt’s military establishment’ on his blog, is dying in prison, according to relatives, after he went on hunger strike on August 23 and stopped drinking a week ago.
Netanyahu defiant over Israel’s killing of Turks on aid flotilla vessel
The National 4 Sep 2011 – PM insists Israel ‘needn’t apologise for self-defence’ and says he hopes to mend ties with Turkey.
US effort to stop Palestine’s UN statehood bid unlikely to deflect Abbas
The National 4 Sep 2011 – Blair to present US proposal to Palestinians but drive for statehood unlikely to be halted by Obama’s plan for a return to negotiations.
Free speech row after Jerusalem Post sacks writer over blog post
The National 4 Sep 2011 – Larry Derfner’s apparent justification of Palestinian attacks against Israelis in a post on his personal blog last month proved too much for the management of the newspaper where he was a columnist.
NTC commander: fight in Libya is a long way from over
The National 3 Sep 2011 – Concern for the new government are the porous border regions near Chad, Sudan and Niger.
Palestinian Authority official: Some 140 countries expected to vote for Palestinian statehood bid at UN
Ha’aretz – The Palestinians are determined to approach the UN later this month to demand a full membership of the independent state of Palestine in the West Bank.
Israel defense officials: IDF fully prepared to cope with mass Palestinian protests
Ha’aretz – The statement comes in response to documents from 2010 recently leaked by Wikileaks, in which high ranking officers expressed difficulty dealing with non-violent protests.
Former Prime Minister Olmert: Turkey is not Israel’s enemy
Ha’aretz – Olmert says he is very familiar with Turkish leadership and that diplomatic ties must be restored, responding to crisis following release of UN report on 2010 Gaza flotilla events.
Israel’s social activists begin taking down tents day after largest-ever protest
Ha’aretz – After 450,000 Israelis turned up for nationwide protests, National Union of Israeli Students take down Tel Aviv tent, Jerusalem protest leaders decide to dismantle their tent encampment.
Carlo Strenger / A different Israel, born in the summer of 2011
Ha’aretz – The protest movement’s achievements must no longer be measured by how many demonstrators it brings to the streets; enthusiasm must now be fused with pragmatic action.
Israel stocks drop 4.4% amid Wall Street slump, day after mass social protest
Ha’aretz – Over 400,000 protesters take part in marches calling on the government to rework the budget, something that could cause further decline in Israeli stocks.
Netanyahu and Barak withheld information from MKs on latest Israel terror attacks
Ha’aretz – After it emerges that Shin Bet and MI were ordered to keep mum on certain pieces of intelligence pertaining to the escalation in south, MK Shaul Mofaz accuses PM, Defense Minister of being a danger to the functioning of Israel’s security organizations.
Donniel Hartman:
Ha’aretz – From Turkey to Rothschild: The Gifts and Challenges of Israel’s Sovereignty
International confab aims to boost Israel’s cooperation with Arab world
Ha’aretz – WATCH LIVE: Hundreds of notable personalities, including Tony Blair, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak to attend International Conference for Economic Regional Cooperation on Monday.
Netanyahu: Israel government has duty ‘to correct social disparities’
Ha’aretz – Benjamin Netanyahu urges attendees of weekly government meeting to ‘maintain balance between social sensitivity and economic responsibility’; says Trajtenberg Committee recommendations to be published within two weeks.
Israel’s National Labor Court rules medical residents’ resignation illegal
Ha’aretz – Resignation letters went into effect Sunday, as residents protest collective wage agreement signed between Israel Medical Association and treasury.
Three killed after shots fired at vehicle in northern Israel
Ha’aretz – Vehicle collided with electricity pole and caught on fire; police believe incident was criminally-motivated.
Pro-Palestinian activists disrupt Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concert in London
Ha’aretz – IPO was performing at the BBC’s Promenade Concerts; the interruptions forced the BBC cut off its live broadcast of the event.
Former IDF Chief of Staff’s wife involved in appointment scandal
Ha’aretz – Gabi Ashkenazi’s wife Ronit communicated with Col. (Res.) Boaz Harpaz, suspected of forging documents to affect appointment of top IDF brass.
IN PICTURES: News highlights from the past week
Ha’aretz – August 28 to September 2, 2011 captured in images by Haaretz and international photographers.
‘Israel hopes to overcome crisis with Turkey, but won’t apologize for Gaza flotilla raid’
Ha’aretz – Prime Minister says Israel has no reason to apologize for defending itself against weapons smuggling, follow Turkey decision to implement measures over Gaza flotilla raid.
Egypt military begins operation to close Gaza smuggling tunnels
Ha’aretz – Hundreds of tunnels under Egypt-Gaza border used to smuggle supplies into Gaza; Egypt officials, speaking anonymously, say using sensors to identify tunnel locations and block them with cement and water.
Report: U.S. trying to stall Palestinian statehood bid at UN
Ha’aretz – Washington introduces plan to renew peace talks with Israel and convince Palestinian Authority to give up UN bid for statehood, according to New York Times report.
Prisons Service ordered to clarify Allawi detention
Jerusalem Post 5 Sep 2011 – Al Jazeera bureau chief arrested on suspicion of Hamas ties; wants his doctor to examine him in jail.
100 tent activists break into building in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – “People aren’t going to leave here like lambs to the slaughter,” says protester.
Jesse Cohen tent city residents await eviction
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Some protesters in the impoverished neighborhood vow to fight police when time comes.
Court injunction halts Migron housing demolitions
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – “I understand that the order [to stop the demolitions] was given since there are legal reasons that have real weight,” says Dani Dayan.
‘Green’ courthouse planned for Tel Aviv
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – The new building is scheduled to be ready in 2014 and will cost around NIS 300 million.
Border police demolishing three Migron homes
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Estimates are that busloads of border police on the way; a few dozen activists arrive at outpost after receiving late night warning.
Deputy A-G recommends raising Dead Sea Works royalties
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Green groups pleased with suggestions but caution gov’t not to cave in to captains of industry.
High Court nixes petition of demolition of West Bank school
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Panel of justices say school, which was partially funded by the EU, is not a high priority for demolition.
Settler leader, Braverman debate annexing West Bank
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Labor MK argues that annexing Judea and Samaria would destroy the basis of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
Labor Court rules medical residents’ resignations illegal
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – After doctors ordered to work, hundreds submit resignations, mull hunger strike or High Court appeal.
Negotiations break down at besieged Gaddafi holdout
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Analyst: Rebels employing talks, not tanks, in a bid to win public favor.
Security cabinet meets to ‘contain crisis’ with Turkey
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Netanyahu: We won’t apologize; Barak signs security cooperation agreement with Greece
After seven weeks, tent cities begin to close up shop
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem take down tents; homeless activists say ‘we have nowhere else to go.’
Jewish Ideas Daily: Libya and the Jews
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Islamist involvement in the revolution does not bode well for Jews and Israel.
Where will the money come from?
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – One place to consider is Israel’s vast black market economy.
Turkey’s foreign policy is in shambles
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – The Arab uprisings completely shuffled Turkey’s cards and showed the limitations of its neo-Ottoman ambitions.
Abbas: PA ready to hear any proposal to restart peace talks
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – PA president tells Fatah Revolutionary Council that the Palestinians have “knocked on all doors seeking the resumption of the peace talks, which is our first, second and third option.”
The Region: Plenty to worry about but little to fear
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Time is not against Israel, but against the Arabs.
Going proactive
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Israel itself should sponsor a state for Palestine at the UN.
The firing of Larry Derfner
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – What didn’t stop Ehud Barak from reaching the premiership has cost Derfner his job, and that is a shame.
‘Erdogan visit to Gaza would hurt Turkey-US ties’
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Following reports that Turkish PM considering going to Gaza, Channel 2 quotes Israeli official as saying move would weaken PA President Abbas.
Doctors, residents launch hunger strike
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – New strike begins as court rules that mass resignations are illegal; “We will not eat until negotiations are reopened” strike leader says.
‘At least 140 nations expected to vote for statehood bid’
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Senior Fatah official Shaath says Ashton to return to region in coming days to inform Palestinian leadership of EU’s final stance on UN bid.
‘Turkey’s Erdogan to visit Egypt, may cross into Gaza’
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Turkish president reportedly set to meet with Tantawi, other Egyptian officials to strengthen relations between the two countries.
As regime crumbles, Gaddafi clan cracks
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Gaddafi is missing as Seif Al-Islam wages war from Sirte; Saadi wants to negotiate; Aisha, Hannibal, Mohammad, wife Safiya flee to Algeria.
‘Libya offered Israel peace for reduced int’l pressure’
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Deputy Minister Kara says Saif al-Islam Gaddafi told him he would speak in J’lem “like Sadat,” help negotiate Schalit’s release.
IPS ordered to clarify position over Al Jazeera journalist
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Palestinian-born journalist Samer Allawi arrested on suspicion of Hamas ties; wants his doctor to examine him in jail.
Arab League chief mulls Syria visit as 8 killed in raids
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Nabil Elaraby says he wishes to communicate Arab worries about events in Syria, hear opinions of regime; Hama scene of intensified raids.
Iranian police arrest water pistol ‘rebels’
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – Water fights break out across Iran in what conservatives call Western attempt to conduct “soft war” to corrupt youth through TV, pop music.
Student Union takes down tent at TA Rothschild campsite
Jerusalem Post 4 Sep 2011 – J’lem tent city also set to come down as activists vow new stage in social justice struggle beginning.
EGYPT: Mubarak Faces Court Without the Circus
IPS With the trial of Hosni Mubarak set to resume Monday, attorneys representing the families of protesters killed during Egypt’s uprising are trying to cut out the deadwood in their midst.
Chilling accounts
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – While WikiLeaks’ disclosures on South Asia are mostly harmless, it is the US role in the countries it has invaded and occupied over the past decade that truly reveals what many suspect to be America’s real face. As the cold-blooded 2007 killing of Iraqi civilians, including a Reuters cameraman, by US soldiers in an…
Ex-Blackwater guards kept working in Iraq: US cable
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – A leaked US diplomatic cable says that “hundreds” of former employees of Blackwater, which was barred from Iraq over a deadly 2007 shooting, later worked with other firms guarding US diplomats here. Iraq announced in January 2009 that it would not renew Blackwater’s operating licence due to a September 16, 2007 incident in which…
Western Pillage of Libya
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – This is nothing but the rape and pillage of Libya and Libyans. Already the pigs are pushing at the trough to steal their bit of Libya. Western oil companies are ecstatic as NATO clears the way for them to make billions off of this war. And, yes, this is a war. This has never…
Nigeria protests killing of its nationals in Libya
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – Nigeria is protesting to Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC), Britain and France the killing of its nationals in the troubled North African country. Minister of Foreign Affairs Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru abandoned a church service yesterday to take distress calls of Nigerians in Libya, including their co-ordinator, Mr. Daramola Siji…A source said: “Unharmed Nigerians are…
He Who Gets Slapped: The Progressive Perpetuation of Past and Present Evil
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – Five years ago, I wrote several articles about a horrific massacre of Iraqi civilians in Ishaqi. Credible evidence and eyewitness testimony indicated that American soldiers, in the course of a raid, had executed unarmed civilians — including several small children — then called in an airstrike to destroy the house, and the evidence of…
Fatah official: 140 countries to recognize Palestinian state
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – Senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath said Sunday that he expects 140 countries to recognize and vote for a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly’s 66th meeting, due to be held on September 23. During a press conference held Sunday at Fatah’s foreign relations commission, Shaath stated that the focus in coming days is…
Palmer/Uribe Report Whitewashes Israeli Crimes
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – Sadly the Palmer/Uribe Report on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla attacks, (leaked to the New York Times on 1 September), is an expected whitewash of Israeli crimes. While it blames Israeli forces for using excessive force when they raided our Gaza-bound civilian ships while we sailed in international waters, it erroneously justifies Israel’s blockade…
Foreigners complain of harassment by Libya rebels
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – A Ghanaian teacher cowers in his house, certain he will be grabbed at a checkpoint because of his dark skin. Armed rebels detain 19 Ukrainian cooks and oil workers for several days on unsupported claims that they are really snipers for Moammar Gadhafi. They’re among thousands of foreigners caught in a web of suspicion…
The Forgotten Palestinians – Book Review
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – Ilan writes as an astute and knowledgeable observer, and as a sympathetic occasional participant in some of the developments he narrates. Thus his narrative of the evolving Palestinian identity in Israel over the past sixty some years, emerges considerate, sensitive, honest, and anti-Zionist, written in total solidarity with Palestinian dilemmas, and with deep understanding…
Human Rights Watch and persecution of black people in Tripoli
Uruknet September 4, 2011 – Today Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports on the arbitrary detention of black-skinned people in Tripoli. HRW is one of the members of the “Responsibility to Protect coalition” and has been slow to condemn the racist atrocities of the Libyan rebellion and has little to say about the bombing of civilians by NATO in places…
US ‘campaigns to avoid’ Palestinian statehood vote
Uruknet September 4, 2011 — The United States has launched a last ditch diplomatic drive to persuade Palestinians to scrap their plan to seek UN recognition as a state, The New York Times said. But the move may be too late, the newspaper said, citing unnamed senior US officials and foreign diplomats. The administration of President Barack Obama has…
Syria News – September 3, 2011 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – The number of martyrs today has reached seven, three of them in Idlib one of them is from the military and two from Hama one of them died in Idlib, one martyr in Kaseer near Homs, and one martyr in Homs who died under torture….Homs security forces delivered body of martyr Walid AbdelKarim Al-Darwish…
Is this Minustah’s ‘Abu Ghraib moment’ in Haiti?
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – The video is profoundly disturbing. It shows four men, identified as Uruguayan troops from the UN mission in Haiti (Minustah), seemingly in the act of raping an 18-year-old Haitian youth. Two have the victim pinned down on a mattress, with his hands twisted high up his back so that he cannot move. Perhaps the…
And The American Occupation Crimes Continue to Unravel!
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – …WikiLeaks published secret U.S. diplomatic documents which revealed that the U.S. forces in Iraq had executed at least ten Iraqi civilians, including five children and an elderly woman in the town of Ishaqi, before ordering an air strike destroyed the house of Fayez Harat Al-Majama’ee (28 years), a farmer in the province of Salahuddin….
Egypt: Activists protest for release of blogger
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – Dozens of activists staged a protest in front of the Journalists Syndicate to express their rejection of military trials for civilians. They also called for the release of activists tried in military courts, particularly Mikel Nabil, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment for insulting the Armed Forces. They also called for the release…
Seven points on the war against Libya
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – …Some time ago, Mussolini’s fascist aggression presented as a campaign against Ethiopia to liberate that country from the scourge of slavery. Today NATO presents its aggression against Libya as a campaign to spread democracy. Some time ago, Mussolini never tired of railing against the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie as the “Negus dei negrieri.” (King…
Iranian sniper fires across the border, killing Iraqi civilian
Uruknet September 3, 2011 — An Iraqi civilian was killed on Saturday when an Iranian sniper opened fire from across the border, according to the Aswat al-Iraq news agency. Few details were immediately released. The report, citing sources, said the shooting happened along the border line near the town of Haj Omran in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan, resulting in the…
Let us Honor Our Own
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – …Besides, countries should not interfere in the internal affairs of others. If the Palestinians want to name a street after one of their national heroes, regardless of how this person is perceived by Israel, that is their business. The Palestinians have never objected to the fact that Israel named its international airport after David…
Over 400,000 in largest protest in Israeli history
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – Six weeks after Israel’s largest social protest began again the high cost of living in Israel, the J14 movement held its ‘March of a Million’ protest tonight. The movement fell short of bringing a million Israelis into the streets. Yet even at 400,000, the protest will still go down as the largest ever in…
Military Resistance 9I2: One in Seven
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – At least 2,600 civilians, police and soldiers, along with 35 U.S. military personnel, have been killed in violence in Iraq since Washington formally ended combat operations a year ago, U.S. and Iraqi statistics show. The 12-month period saw 588 Iraqi police and 418 soldiers killed, including 45 police and 39 soldiers in August alone,…
Statement by Coordination Committee of Physicians in Damascus
Uruknet September 3, 2011 -In response to the increasing crimes of the regime that violate all international humanitarian norms and conventions -And standing with our colleagues, the physicians, that have carried out their professional duties and stayed true to their Hippocratic Oath and obeyed their conscience to support the revolution of their people with word and deed, being ‘rewarded’…
Palmer Report’s Fatal Flaws
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – The most fundamental fault of the Palmer Report on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident(1) is its one-eyed view of security. The second is its exceeding of the Terms of Reference (TOR). While the Report upholds, and goes into considerable detail about, Israel’s right to security and the firing of weapons into Israel from…
Salvadorans Struggle Against Mining Firm
Uruknet September 3, 2011 – Farmers along the banks of El Salvador’s Lempa River believe tomatoes gleam brighter than gold. They would rather put the river to work for farming, fishing, and drinking than to allow the multinational Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining Co. of Canada use the river water to extract the rich veins of gold buried nearby-a process…
Libya fighters prepare for final attack on Bani Walid
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Negotiations over the surrender of one of Moammar Gadhafi’s remaining strongholds have collapsed, and Libyan rebels were waiting for the green light to launch their final attack on the besieged town of Bani Walid, a spokesman…
Israel defiant on raid as Turkey threatens legal action on siege
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Israel’s prime minister defiantly refused Sunday to apologize to Turkey for a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish-led flotilla – an incident that has battered a relationship once seen as a cornerstone of regional stability…
At least 24 Syrians dead, hunt for attorney general continues
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 At least 24 people were killed in violence across Syria Sunday, reports said as the visiting Red Cross chief sought access to those detained in more than five months of anti-regime protests.
Gadhafi’s abandoned weapons may fall into the wrong hands
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 When Moammar Gadhafi’s soldiers fled this corner of a field outside Tripoli where they were camped, they left behind their army fatigues, a can of Brut deodorant – and a Scud tactical missile.
Documents show American, British ties with Libyan spy head
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 The CIA and other Western intelligence agencies worked closely with the ousted regime of Moammar Gadhafi, sharing tips and cooperating in handing over terror suspects for interrogation to a regime known to use torture…
Egyptian military closing Gaza smuggling tunnel network: officials
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Egypt’s military has began an operation to close a network of smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border following tension with Israel, security officials said Saturday.
Netanyahu vows change after protests
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Organizers of Israel’s biggest rally for economic reform said Sunday they would begin to fold their tents but social change would move on, driven by weeks of protests that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets.
Khartoum bans main Sudanese opposition party SPLM
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Sudan has banned the main opposition party, closed its offices and made sweeping arrests across the country, its secretary general said Sunday, as fighting continued in a key Sudan People’s Liberation Movement stronghold.
Palestinians: We won’t give up U.N. bid
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 The Palestinians will not be deterred from seeking United Nations membership, a senior official said here Sunday, after reports Washington was trying to head off their bid.
Campaigning kicks off for UAE elections
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Candidates in the United Arab Emirates began campaigning Sunday for the second-ever elections to choose half the members of the purely consultative Federal National Council.
A first for Iran: the nuclear plant in Bushehr
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Iran’s first nuclear power plant has finally started adding electricity to the national grid, media reported Sunday. Here are some facts about the Bushehr power plant.
Cable: Blackwater staff kept working in Iraq after ban
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable says that hundreds of former employees of Blackwater, which was barred from Iraq over a deadly 2007 shooting, later worked with other firms guarding U.S. diplomats here.
Police crackdown on ‘rebel’Iranian water pistol fighters
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Iranian police have started cracking down on water fights springing up across the country with the arrests of several young men and women who took part in the latest organized water pistol battles.
Kurdish legislators push for autonomy in Turkey
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Kurdish legislators vowed Sunday to press on with a boycott of Turkey’s parliament and backed a recent declaration of autonomy in the country’s Kurd-dominated southeast.
Iran connects Bushehr plant to national electricity grid
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Iran’s first nuclear power plant has finally begun to provide electricity to the national grid, official media reported Sunday, a long-delayed milestone in the nuclear ambitions of a country the West fears is covertly try to…
Iraq-based Kurdish rebels to unite against Iran
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 The separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has battled Turkey for years, said Saturday it will aid another north Iraq-based Kurdish rebel group in fighting against Iranian forces.
Algerian opposition writes letter of support to Libya’s NTC
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Algeria’s opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) gave its support to Libya’s interim government Sunday in a letter to the National Transitional Council (NTC).
UN says Libya weapons proliferation “major concern”
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 The proliferation of weapons in Libya is a serious issue and the country’s new rulers need to start the process of elections soon if they are to keep their commitment to building democracy.
Libya NTC to offer fighters police jobs
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Libya’s interim government moved to calm its anxious fighters and offer stability on Sunday, announcing plans to draft thousands of the men who ousted Muammar Gaddafi into the police and find other jobs for the rest.
Jordan woman killed in hospital over pregnancy
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 A Jordanian man was charged on Sunday with killing his 24-year-old widowed daughter in hospital after she gave birth to twins, a judicial official said.
Israeli warplanes fly over Bekaa and the south
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 On Sunday morning, Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace. The planes flew over Rashaya in the West Bekaa Valley and southern eastern Lebanon, at medium altitude, reported Lebanon’s National News Agency.
Lebanon sets record for largest serving of kammouneh
Daily Star 4 Sep 2011 Lebanon is the proud holder of yet another Guinness World Record, this time for producing the world’s largest portion of kammouneh, a Lebanese national dish.
Olmert: Turkey not Israel’s enemy
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – His trial is set to resume on Monday but speaking at the Conference on Regional Cooperation organized by Vice Premier Silvan Shalom at the David Intercontinental Hotel on … ….
Man injured during rocket attack dies of his wounds
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Eliyahu Naim, 79, died at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem Sunday after falling over in his house while running for cover during a rocket attack on Ashkelon … ….
Palestinians: ‘We won’t give up UN bid’
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – The Palestinians will not be deterred from seeking United Nations membership, a senior official said here Sunday, after reports Washington was trying to head off their … ….
Noam Shalit seeking support for Gilad in UN
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Noam Shalit, father of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, will leave for New York Sunday night in order to meet with foreign ambassadors ahead of the UN General Assembly … ….
Iranian police arrest water pistol ‘rebels’
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Iranian police have started cracking down on water fights springing up across the country with the arrests of several young men and women who took part in the latest … ….
Turkey to sign strategic alliance with Egypt
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is slated to visit Egypt and Gaza soon to sign strategic cooperation agreements with Cairo, just days after the leaking of the … ….
Tent cities to undergo re-organization
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Nearly eight weeks after the first tent was set up, tent cities across Israel have begun to dismantle themselves Sunday. Rothschild’s and Jerusalem’s tent cities are … ….
700 medical residents resign; court rules move illegal
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Mass resignation rattles health system as Labor Court rules move ‘illegal….
‘State’s discrimination between terror victims unacceptable’
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Arab family of east Jerusalem man killed by Yaakov Teitel petitions State to….
‘Erdogan painted himself into a corner’
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Turkish Opposition leader slams Ankara’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties….
WikiLeaks: Hezbollah uses scare tactics on journalists
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Leaked confidential documents reveal Shiite group’s threats against reporters…..
Report: Security fence to surround Israeli embassy in Cairo
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Egyptian opposition party Al Wafd claims local rioting, recent escalation in….
Iran’s first nuclear power plant goes online
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Bushehr power plant fully operational, meant to infuse Islamic Republic’s power….
Defense establishment to simulate strike on nuclear facility
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Security forces to hold ‘worse case scenario’ drill testing enemy strike on….
PM: Israel will not apologize to Turkey
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Benjamin Netanyahu adamant that Israel’s actions during 2010 Gaza flotilla raid….
Israelis in NYC join social protest
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Some 300 Israelis, Americans living in Big Apple rally Saturday in support of….
Secret documents show Libya, CIA ties
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – Files discovered in Tripoli’s former spy chief’s office reveal close….
US tries to stall PA statehood bid
YNet News, 4 Sep 2011 – New York Times says Obama administration, Quartet trying to devise plan to….
Palestinian Information Center
Islamic Jihad welcomes Turkish punitive steps against Israel
PIC – 04/09/2011 – 09:32 AM
Family of MP Yousuf slams Israeli attempts to fabricate charges against him
PIC – 04/09/2011 – 09:30 AM
Give the Palmer report the contempt it deserves
PIC – Judging murder, including haphazard murder, as legal because Jews are involved is the ultimate expression of moral bankruptcy, dishonesty and maliciousness.
OIC and Arab League criticize the Palmer report
PIC – The UN-commissioned Palmer report into Israel’s 2010 attack that killed nine activists on board a Gaza aid flotilla has drawn heavy criticism from the OIC, the AL, and human rights organizations.
Netanyahu firm on not apologizing to Turkey
PIC – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated in a cabinet meeting Sunday his refusal to apologize over the Israeli navy’s lethal 2010 interception of the Gaza aid flotilla.
30 Palestinians killed, some 400 arrested in Israeli operations in August
PIC – The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights has released a report documenting that 30 Palestinians died and almost 400 were arrested last month in Israeli occupation operations.
Iranian president affirms support for resistance in a call with Mishaal
PIC – Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has affirmed in a telephone call with Hamas political bureau chairman Khaled Mishaal that Tehran would continue to support the Palestinian people.
Barrier erected to secure Israeli embassy in Cairo
PIC – A barrier was erected in Cairo’s University Bridge area designed to protect the Israeli embassy against massive protests demanding the embassy’s removal.
Israeli settlement expansion in Ramallah signals isolating Palestinian towns
PIC – The Israeli ministry of war has signed a contract with the municipality of Beit Arye settlement to construct an additional 100 units to the settlement, the Israeli Peace Now organization has reported.
Fatah demands that Hamas release collaborators, convicted killers
PIC – The Fatah party has demanded that Hamas release 34 men, 9 of whom are agents who collaborated with Israel, security sources in the Gaza Strip said Saturday.
Abbas: Going to UN to De-legitimatize Occupation not Israel
WAFA
Solidarity Demonstration Demands Release of Detained Palestinian Journalists
WAFA
Al Arabi Calls on Arab Countries to Support Turkish Move
WAFA
Israeli Court Fines, Sentences Palestinian Youth to 10 Years
WAFA
Over Million Palestinian Children Back to School
WAFA
PLO: UN’s Palmer Report Clear Violation of International Laws
WAFA
Erekat Denies US Plans to PA to Resume Negotiations
WAFA
Extremist Jewish Groups Storm Al-Aqsa Compound
WAFA
Ashrawi: PLO Denounces Palmer Report
WAFA
Foreign Minister to Attend Pacific Island Forum
WAFA
The Israeli Operation Cast Lead Massacre, Rev.14, The Israeli and American War Crimes
Intifada-Palestine: 3 Sep 2011 – This presentation is a Memorial and a Requiem for the Dead of Gaza, Honouring the Valiant Palestinian People and a Monument to the People of Gaza. by Arthur F. Billy Ph.D., William A. Cook Ph.D., Gilad Atzmon MAPhil December 27,… more
Libya Rebels Focus Wrath on African Migrants
New York Times 4 Sep 2011 – Libyan rebels have imprisoned hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, accusing them of being mercenaries for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
China Sought to Sell Arms to Qaddafi, Documents Suggest
New York Times 4 Sep 2011 – In the final weeks of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s rule, Chinese companies offered him large stockpiles of weapons in apparent violation of sanctions, officials in Libya said.
U.S. Is Appealing to Palestinians to Stall U.N. Vote
New York Times 4 Sep 2011 – The Obama administration has initiated a last-ditch diplomatic campaign to avert a confrontation over a plan by Palestinians to seek recognition as a state.
Israel Protests Peak as 400,000 Take to Streets
New York Times 4 Sep 2011 – The economic and social movement has led to tent encampments across the country, which are emptying as many Israelis’ vacations end.
Report details corporate plundering in Iraq, Afghanistan
WSWS – A joint congressional investigation has confirmed that US corporations raked in as much as $60 billion from waste and fraud in military contracts.
UN issues apologia for Israeli massacre on Gaza aid ship
WSWS – The United Nations report on the Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara humanitarian ship in May 2010 is a whitewash of the killing of nine aid volunteers.
Bank, king and God (not necessarily in that order)
Mondoweiss – With national elections approaching in Egypt, Islamist parties are increasing their public presence through mass demonstrations and media action. One of them has created an ad — tweeted by the Muslim Brotherhood — that (according to The Arabist ) raises the alarms about what secularism will do…
First lady of Palestinian rap features Dead Prez’s official video for ‘The Kufiyyeh is Arabic’
Mondoweiss – link to www.maannews.net link to www.huffingtonpost.com Shadia Mansour featuring M1 from Dead Prez, Al-Kufiyyeh 3arabeyeh video Lyrics Good morning cousins, y’all welcome, come in What would you like us to serve you, Arab blood or tears from our eyes? I think that’s how they expected us…
‘Commentary’ blames Turkey for starting the insurgency in Iraq
Mondoweiss – This is pure Animal Farm. Turkey is now bad for Israel, so Turkey must be demonized in the United States. “Turks Turned Their Backs on America Before Dumping Israel.” From Jonathan Tobin in Commentary : In 2003, Turkey’s decision not to allow coalition troops to use their…
Emily Henochowicz posts sardonic ‘love poem’ to a country that ‘stole’ her eye and is gripped by fear
Mondoweiss – Powerful stark theatrical expression coming from Henochowicz. Note the radical-ness of her posture juxtaposed to her natural expression in I Miss You Palestine . There’s no ease here. She’s raw, determined and goes in for the kill-kiss. No victim. Israel stole her eye, not her heart, she’s…
‘The Debt’ tries to redeem a lost, lying Israel
Mondoweiss – I went to “The Debt” last night, the new Miramax thriller based on an Israeli film. I took the film on its own terms, which are very Israeli terms. Culturally-bound, as the anthropologists say. This is a film about Ashkenazi Jews. There are no Palestinians in…
Israel and the barrel of gunpowder
Voltaire Network 4 Sep 2011 – Arab affairs Editorial: Israel and the barrel of gunpowder As soon as the Eilat operation occurred, it revived all the strategic fears which preoccupied the Israeli strategic mind since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. The United States thus reacted and dispatched its Assistant Secretary…
Obama’s failed Friday
Voltaire Network 4 Sep 2011 – International affairs Editorial: Obama’s failed Friday With a lot of disregard, the president of the United States acted as a member in the command of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood organization, in the Antalya gathering or in the Khaddam-Bayanouni front. Indeed, he chose Thursday night to launch…
Syria soldiers ‘killed in ambush’
BBC 4 Sep 2011 – Six Syrian soldiers and three civilians die as gunmen ambush a bus in central Syria, state media reports, while the bloody crackdown on anti-regime protests continues.
Iran arrests salt-lake protesters
BBC 4 Sep 2011 – Iranian police arrest about 60 protesters calling for the government to save a shrinking saltwater lake in the north-west of the country.
Iran’s nuclear plant ‘connected’
BBC 4 Sep 2011 – Iran’s first nuclear power station at Bushehr has begun supplying energy to the country’s national grid, state news reports.
As Turkey Freezes Israel Ties, Critics Decry “Whitewashed” U.N. Report on Gaza Flotilla, Blockade
Sabbah report 4 Sep 2011 – The U.N. report concludes that the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip is legal under international law. Democracy Now! interview with author Norman Finkelstein and Free Gaza Movement organizer Huwaida Arraf.
Turkey Does the Right Thing
Sabbah report 4 Sep 2011 – Turkey decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Israel and suspend military ties with the Zionist state after Tel Aviv’s refusal to do the decent thing and apologize for murdering unarmed civilians on the high seas.
UN Report on Mavi Marmara Massacre
Sabbah report 4 Sep 2011 – Turkey was angry that the commission mostly adopted Israeli friendly conclusions. At the same time, Israel was pleased. Turkey also is expected to initiate a diplomatic and legal campaign against Israel through the UN.
(en) US, Media, Sept. 17, 2011: Day 1 of Anarchists’ Attempt to Ignite America
A-infos 4 Sep 2011 – [Editor note: In Israel, 50 days ago a dozen of students started a tent camp in a central boulevard. Since that day there were already huge multi location Saturday demonstrations including one with 5% of the population of the country one with 7%. I. E.] ——A…
Articles
Are Palestinians walking into a trap at the UN?
Dimi Reider, +972 Magazine8/30/2011
When the South African government tried to build non-sovereign states for its blacks they were soundly rejected by the world community. But now the Palestinians appear to be the ones seeking to legitimise their own Bantustan.
Virginia Tilley has a very important post up on Electronic Intifada, discussing the possibility the Palestinian bid at the UN is a political suicide of sorts. She argues they are defiantly riding into the very trap the South African national movement managed to avoid: International recognition for divided, isolated, powerless cantons as a “nation state” solution for national aspirations of the oppressed. She suggests:
“…it’s no exaggeration to propose that this idea, although well-meant by some, raises the clearest danger to the Palestinian national movement in its entire history, threatening to wall Palestinian aspirations into a political cul-de-sac from which it may never emerge. The irony is indeed that, through this maneuver, the PA is seizing — even declaring as a right — precisely the same dead-end formula that the African National Congress (ANC) fought so bitterly for decades because the ANC leadership rightly saw it as disastrous. That formula can be summed up in one word: Bantustan.”
Explains:
“The Bantustans were designed to correspond roughly to some of the historical territories associated with the various black “peoples” so that they could claim the term “Homelands.” This official term indicated their ideological purpose: to manifest as national territories and ultimately independent states for the various black African “peoples” (defined by the regime) and so secure a happy future for white supremacy in the “white” Homeland (the rest of South Africa). So the goal of forcibly transferring millions of black people into these Homelands was glossed over as progressive….” more.. e-mail
Why the United States should vote ‘Yes’
Nidal Foqaha, Ma’an News Agency9/4/2011
The Palestinians are demanding that the world and the United Nations recognize the State of Palestine within the June 4, 1967 borders.
The purpose of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel – which has been in place for 18 years – was to end the conflict between the two parties and to establish an independent Palestinian state living in peace side by side with Israel, within the borders of 1967.
Indeed, there is no conflict between these two paths and, in fact, the goal is one: to establish peace; and peace can be achieved by the world recognizing an independent State of Palestine, alongside the already independent State of Israel.
Reflecting on these thoughts, I ask: Why has the US Administration not considered that these two paths might be complementary, that they are, in reality, working to achieve the same goal? Or, would seeking admission in [and gaining recognition from] the UN end the need for future negotiation? Would the negotiations relinquish the need to eventually seek UN recognition for the State of Palestine?
To answer any of these questions, the UN channel must be crossed in either case. This being so, it would be unwise for either the US or even Israel – especially for the purpose of keeping alive the spirit of the peace process – to obstruct Palestinian efforts by using the “Veto” power at the UN Security Council.
This point is important because the current Palestinian movement working for global recognition is vested in, and deeply committed to, achieving its goals…. more.. e-mail
Why Palestinians can’t recognize a ‘Jewish state’
Hassan Jabareen, Ha’aretz9/2/2011
For Palestinians to recognize the Jewish state is to declare their surrender; to waive their group dignity.
In his speech before the U.S. Congress last May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posed a serious challenge to the Palestinian Authority: If the PA would just say, “We recognize Israel as a Jewish state,” this would be sufficient to end the conflict. Israel, said Netanyahu, would be the first to vote for Palestinian statehood in the United Nations. The response of PA Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad, in a recent interview with Haaretz, was that, “Israel’s character is its own business. It is not up to the Palestinians to define it.”
That is an unconvincing response. If recognition is just a technical point, why not say the seven requested words in order to win the vote in the United Nations? The Palestine Liberation Organization certainly understands the significance of Netanyahu’s offer, as it adopted a concept similar to that of the Jewish state in the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, which proclaims: “The State of Palestine is the state of Palestinians wherever they may be.” Moreover, how can it be explained that the PLO recognizes the right of Israel to exist and the PA’s security apparatus works in full coordination with Israel – but they are not prepared to say these seven words?
Israel’s Declaration of Independence of 1948 expressed the meaning of the “Jewish state.” It opens by noting: “Eretz Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people,” and it continues by recounting the history and national memory of the Jewish people and their exclusive ownership of the state: “This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate … in their own sovereign state.” more.. e-mail
Palmer Panel Needs Little Common Sense
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Sep 2011 – By Richard Lightbown The report of the UN Panel of Inquiry on the Gaza Flotilla Incident which was finally released on 2 September is an example of how dangerous thing ‘a little learning’ can be. Put into an ivory tower in New York far away from the scene of the crime and restricted to what information the Turkish and Israeli governments fed it, the Panel has exhibited a naîve understanding of the situation in Gaza. In a large part this was the result of the Panel’s implicit belief in the Turkel Report. This report by Israel’s commission of inquiry on the incident was the central part of the Israeli submission. While it boasts an impressive pedigree the report is actually a false witness that is intended to deceive. Despite hearing evidence on the adverse impacts of the closure from doctors who worked in Gaza the report ignored or rejected their…more
Just a Word – A Poem
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Sep 2011 – By Mhara Costello ‘Terrorist’ is just a word, one I wish I’d never heard When it’s used to vilify, without the need to question why Only fools would swift condemn, that which has not befallen them Until you know what lies behind, the actions of a tortured mind Thank your God for sparing you, the suffering others have lived through Where are the cries of just demand, for Arabs driven from their land? Blame the victim, turn the cheek, praise the bully, kick the weak! Mock the man who truth does speak Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, greed, corruption, torture, lies! Blair invasion, sly persuasion, annihilation, massacred nation Keep on running, karma’s coming! Money talks, truth walks, oil spills, greed kills Tide is turning, London’s burning! Bombs will fall and blood will flow, as sure as my own name I know Until corrupt dictators go, brutal, rotten, to the core Their…more
Interview: Palestinian Statehood – A Non-starter?
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Sep 2011 – (Interview with the Israeli lawyer Ms. Lynda Brayer. Brayer is a human rights lawyer who specialized in the laws of war and international law. She represented Palestinians in the Israeli High Court of Justice for many years. She lives in Haifa.) By Dr. Ludwig Watzal Since 9/11 we have been facing a kind of neocolonial dé ja vu. The old imperial and colonial powers are all over the place and reoccupying one country after another on their periphery and the so-called critical and enlightened civil society keeps quiet or even applauds to this kind of open aggression. Could you describe the national and international setting for this unprecedented process of recapture of the former colonies? Actually this neo-colonialism began immediately following the collapse of the former USSR. The first Gulf War took place because the US no longer feared any interference from the Soviets. The lack of a balance of power…more
Machine of Israel
Dissident Voice: 4 Sep 2011 – Machine of Israel is the name of the following cartoon. The short clip is openly critical of Israeli politics but it is also critical of Israel as a whole. The organisation behind the clip left a short note on youtube. It says in Hebrew “rather than (politicians) changing chairs, let’s change the system.” Israelis are unhappy with the ‘Israeli impersonal oppressive reality’. But for some reason, they fail to grasp where the real problem is. They complain about the system but they are yet to admit or even realise what their ‘system’ is all about. Israel defines itself as the ‘Jewish State’ and as such, it regards itself as the state of the ‘chosen’. The Israeli system is fuelled by ‘choseness’ because ‘choseness’ is the true pragmatic meaning of the Jewish State and Zionism. If Israel wants to ‘change its system’ it must first drift away from tribalism, chauvinism and…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 