14 September 2011 , 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Elizabeth Of England Signs Amendment Preventing Arrest of Israeli Officials
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 22:38, Elizabeth, the Queen of England, signed an amendment that would prevent the issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli officials accused of committing war crimes.
E.U. Seeks Limited Upgrade Of Palestinian Status At UN
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 21:56, The European Union is hoping to convince the Palestinians to void their UN recognition bid by offering them an alternative of a limited upgrade to the current observer status at the international body.
Hundreds march before Israeli Embassy in Amman
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 21:48, Hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated Thursday evening in front of the Israeli Embassy in the Jordanian Capital of Amman, calling for shutting it down and cancelling the Israeli-Jordan treaty of Arava, the Maan News Agency reported,
Israeli Military Carries Out Demolitions in Jordan Valley; Further Orders Presented in Hebron
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 16:24, The Israeli military has carried out demolitions and handed out five new demolition orders, on Thursday, Ma’an News reports.
Settlers Attack Palestinians Near Nablus; Arson and Assaults Reported
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 15:41, Israeli settlers from Itamar, near Nablus, have carried out two attacks against Palestinians on Thursday.
Multiple Arrests by Israeli Military Across the West Bank
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 15:13, Several Palestinian residents have been arrested in raids in numerous locations across the West Bank on Thursday.
Army Attacks Protest In Hebron, Injuries reported
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 11:02, Israeli soldiers attacked on Thursday a nonviolent protest in the Al Arroub refugee camp, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and injured several residents, including one child.
Tel Aviv Claims Apprehending Salafist Cell
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 10:53, Israeli sources reported that the Shabak and the Police removed a gag order on the apprehension of a cell of five in the Lower Galilee allegedly planning to conduct several attacks against Israel, including abducting soldiers, and to attack a police station.
Israeli Ambassador To Jordan Recalled
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 10:09, Israel recalled its ambassador in Amman,-Jordan, and ordered on Wednesday the evacuation of the embassy ahead of a planned massive protest in front of the Israeli embassy.
Erekat: “September Bid Aims At Obtaining Full UN-membership, Not Independence”
IMEMC – Thursday September 15, 2011 – 08:37, Chief Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, stated Thursday that there is a misunderstanding of the goals behind the Palestinian UN recognition bid, the Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported Thursday.
PA: Settlers torch 3 Palestinian cars east of Nablus
9/15/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers burnt 3 Palestinian cars overnight Wednesday in Beit Furik village east of Nablus, Palestinian Authority officials said. PA settlement affairs official Ghassan Doughlas told Ma’an that settlers from Itamar set fire to three cars which were parked at the entrance to the village. The latest attack comes….
Local committee: Israel issues 5 demolition orders in Hebron village
9/15/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Wednesday evening handed five demolition orders to Palestinians from Khallet al-Hajjar village, south Hebron, a local community organizer said. Popular committee coordinator in Yatta Rateb al-Jabour said the Israeli demolition orders were issued for “security reasons.” Suleiman Salem Suleiman Abu Shkhedem, his brother, Ahmad Salameh Salem Abu Shkhedem….
Students clash with Israeli settlers, forces in Hebron camp
9/15/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of students clashed with Israeli settlers and forces near Hebron on Thursday, after demonstrating in al-Arrub refugee camp in support of the Palestinian bid for membership of the UN. Ahmad Yousef Abu Ghazy, 15, was injured in the leg by a rubber bullet, and several others suffered tear gas….
Israeli forces demolish homes, barn in Jordan Valley
9/15/2011 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided al-Aqaba village in the West Bank Jordan Valley on Thursday, destroying two houses and a barn. Soldiers imposed a cordon around the area and denied the media access, a Ma’an correspondent said. President of the village council Sami Sadek appealed for human rights organizations to intervene….
Settler attacks raise West Bank tension ahead of UN
9/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (Reuters) — An escalation in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages in the West Bank risks triggering retaliation, a Palestinian official said on Thursday, pointing to a growing risk to stability in the region. Incidents over the past two weeks have included acts of vandalism against three West Bank mosques, increasing tension just a week….
UK amends law to protect Israelis from prosecution
9/15/2011 – LONDON (Reuters) — A British law limiting citizens’ rights to seek the arrest of foreign politicians for alleged war crimes took effect on Thursday, removing a thorn in British-Israeli relations. The law amends legislation which Israel had protested about, saying it exposed its high-profile officials to the threat of arrest for alleged offenses if they….
Israeli envoy to Jordan repatriated over riot fears
9/15/2011 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel has temporarily withdrawn its ambassador to Jordan over fears of violent demonstrations against its embassy in Amman, Israeli diplomatic sources said on Thursday. They said Ambassador Daniel Nevo and his senior staff, who routinely spend weekends in Israel, were brought back early after being warned of imminent pro-Palestinian protests. In Egypt, another….
Report: Palestinians from Galilee charged with terror offense
9/15/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli police filed charges against five Palestinian-Israelis from a Galilee village on Thursday, accusing the group of plotting attacks on their local police station, Israeli media said. The men, in their late teens and early twenties, were arrested in a joint police-intelligence operation in the last month and admitted….
Settlers attempt to raid Jenin village, 2 Palestinians detained
9/15/2011 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Dozens of settlers tried to raid the village of Arraba in Jenin overnight Wednesday, Palestinian security sources said. Israeli forces were stationed on the western side of the village to prevent dozens of settlers from the adjacent Mevo Dotan settlement from entering, Palestinian security sources told Ma’an. The settlers….
Israel detains Hamas lawmaker in Ramallah
9/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained Hamas lawmaker Sheikh Fadel Hamdan overnight Wednesday, a Ma’an correspondent reported. Hamdan, a member of the now-defunct Palestinian legislative council elected in 2006, was detained after Israeli forces raided his Ramallah home. The Hamas-affiliated parliamentary party the Change and Reform Bloc issued a statement calling the….
Hebron road renamed ‘Apartheid Street’
9/15/2011 – HEBRON (Reuters) — Palestinians changed the name of Hebron’s Shuhada street to Apartheid Street on Wednesday, to protest the prevailing conditions in areas of the West Bank town which are controlled by Israeli troops. Aide to Hebron’s Governor, Rafiq al-Jabari, said the name change would remain in effect until what he described….
Fatah secretary released after being detained in Silwan
9/15/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah secretary Adnan Ghaith was released by Israeli authorities on Thursday, Palestinian security sources said. Ghaith had been detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The Fatah official was expelled from Jerusalem in January by Israeli authorities and banned from entering the city for eight months….
West Bank settlers ready for Palestinian violence
9/15/2011 – HEBRON (Reuters) – Jewish settlers from the southern West Bank held a final security exercise on Wednesday, in preparation for possible violence after a planned Palestinian statehood bid later this month. Civil security response teams from Kiryat Arba and the Jewish settlement in the Palestinian city of Hebron practiced several scenarios including a Palestinian march infiltrating….
Egypt PM says Israel peace deal ‘not sacred’
9/16/2011 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egypt’s Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said a peace deal with Israelwas not “sacred” and could be changed for the benefit of peace or the region. His comments, made in an interview with a Turkish television channel and broadcast on state television, were the strongest yet by the new government which took….
Arabs may avoid targeting Israel at UN atom meeting
9/15/2011 – VIENNA (Reuters) – Arab states are signaling that they will refrain from targeting Israel over its assumed nuclear arsenal at a UN atomic agency meeting next week, diplomats said on Thursday, a move that if confirmed would be welcomed by the West. Two Arab diplomats appeared to substantiate the development, telling Reuters it should be seen….
Turkish PM: Warships can be deployed ‘at any moment’
9/15/2011 – TUNIS (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Israel could not do whatever it wanted in the eastern Mediterranean and that Turkish warships could be there at any moment. Erdogan’s comments, made during a visit to Tunis as part of a tour of Arab countries, were the latest in a war….
EU seeks limited upgrade of Palestinians’ UN status
9/15/2011 – BRUSSELS (Reuters) — The European Union hopes to persuade Palestinian leaders to drop their plans for full United Nations membership this month in return for a nuanced upgrading of their UN observer status, EU diplomats said on Thursday. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, went to the Middle East this week to mediate….
Erekat condemns increase in armed settler attacks
9/15/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO official Saeb Erekat said Thursday that home demolitions by Israeli forces and attacks by Israeli settlers “only adds to our determination [to request membership of the UN].” Erekat, the former chief Palestinian negotiator, accused Israel of trying to derail the UN bid by escalating the situation on the ground, a….
International groups call on Quartet to clarify Palmer report
9/15/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A group of international organizations issued a public letter on Thursday urging the Middle East Quartet to clarify that a UN-sponsored report did not declare the blockade on Gaza to be legal. The Palmer report into Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010, made public on….
Jordanian demo demands Israeli embassy closure
9/15/2011 – AMMAN (AFP) — Around 200 Jordanians demonstrated near the Israeli embassy in Amman on Thursday, demanding that the government expel the state’s envoy and scrap the joint 1994 peace treaty.” The people want to shut down the embassy. Amman must be liberated from the embassy and ambassador,” the protesters chanted outside al-Kaluti mosque near….
Fatah says Palestinian factions to meet on Sept. 24
9/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Palestinian political factions are due to meet on September 24 to discuss part of the reconciliation deal, a Fatah official said Wednesday. Fatah national relations commissioner Diab al-Loh told Ma’an that the factions will meet to discuss the issue of community reconciliation, which was part of the deal….
Bethlehem journalist faces trial for slander
9/15/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Bethlehem journalist is facing trial after the city’s governor filed a complaint against him for “slander and defamation.” George Canawati, director of Bethlehem Radio 2000, was summoned to the Palestinian Authority Prosecutor-General’s office on Sunday after he criticized local medical services in a report. Bethlehem Magistrates…. Related: Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
Israeli police: Shots fired at Jerusalem checkpoint
9/15/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Shots were fired at an Israeli checkpoint near Shufat north of Jerusalem on Wednesday night, an Israeli police website said. No injuries were reported and Israeli forces searched the area without finding the suspects….
Minister: Palestinian state open to all religions
9/16/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Religious Affairs Minister said Wednesday that the future Palestinian state will be a civilized nation open to people of all religions, and called a Israeli media report to the contrary “manipulation”. PLO ambassador to the United States Maan Erekat was quoted on Wednesday in US daily USA Today….
Abbas vows ‘no retreat’ from Palestine UN bid
9/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (Reuters) – President Mahmoud Abbas vowed “no retreat” from plans to seek full UN membership for a Palestinian state next week, despite a last minute diplomatic push from the United States and European Union to dissuade him.” Going to the United Nations to request full membership for Palestine in the international organization is an inevitable….
PA denies allegations it is buying Israeli weapons
9/15/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority security forces have strongly denied reports in the Israeli media which suggest the PA is acquiring riot-control weaponry from Israeli firms, a spokesman said. Palestinian security spokesman Adnan Ad-Dhamiry said claims made in the Israeli media about the PA buying tear gas and rubber bullets in the run up….
Netanyahu says will address UN next week
9/15/2011 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would address the United Nations next week and urge Palestinians to negotiate peace with Israel rather than pursue a bid for full UN membership for a Palestinian state.” I have decided to convey these twin messages of direct negotiations for peace and the quest for….
FM says ‘open to ideas’ in lead up to UN bid
9/15/2011 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Thursday that the Palestinians will submit their UN bid on September 23 but are willing to listen to other ideas in the meantime. Envoys from the United States, the European Union and the diplomatic Quartet have been holding 11th-hour talks with Palestinian and Israeli leaders in an….
Hamas and Fatah meet in Gaza before UN bid
9/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Political rivals Fatah and Hamas met Thursday evening in Gaza City, in a surprise discussion which touched on the upcoming Palestinian bid for membership of the UN. Fatah national relations commissioner Diab al-Loh told Ma’an that officials from both factions discussed the reconciliation agreement which has faltered in….
Woman found shot dead in Gaza City
9/15/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A woman was found dead in a Gaza City neighborhood on Thursday morning, police said. Medics said the woman had been shot in the head and shoulder in al-Shujaiyeh district in the eastern part of the city. Locals contacted the police, and the body was transferred to Shifa Hospital in….
Analysis: In would-be Palestinian state, a dose of reality
9/15/2011 – JORDAN VALLEY (Reuters) — In another world, the tented village at al-Hadidiya might mark the farthest reaches of a future Palestine. Instead, the herding community living here talk about the limits of that dream. Nestled in the northeast corner of the West Bank, al-Hadidiya amounts to a cluster of sprawling sackcloth encampments which shelter families and….
Libya’s new leaders set to welcome Cameron, Sarkozy
9/15/2011 – TRIPOLI (AFP) — Libya’s new rulers prepared Thursday to welcome British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose forces spearheaded the NATO air war that helped topple Moamer Gadhafi. It marked the first visit to the new Libya by any foreign leader and came as forces of the National Transitional Council….
Do Palestinians in the West Bank Support PA’s Statehood Campaign?
Palestine Note 15 Sep 2011 – Reports indicate location and daily experience with occupation greatly influence residents’ decisions BBC News – Palestinians in the West Bank are generally in favour of their leaders’ attempt to get recognition for an independent Palestine at the United Nations. But…
UN chief: Palestine bid ‘understandable’, UN chief: Palestine bid ‘understandable’
AlJazeera 15 Sep 2011 – Ambassador temporarily withdrawn in view of planned “million-man march” against diplomatic mission in Amman.
Israel evacuates embassy in Jordan
AlJazeera 15 Sep 2011 – Government forces battle tribes opposed to the president in Sanaa, as country moves closer to the brink of civil war.
Violence erupts across Yemen
AlJazeera 15 Sep 2011 – Ahmed Ezz and former industrial development chief Amr Assal sentenced to 10 years in prison and joint fine of $110.9m.
Egyptian steel magnate jailed for corruption, Egyptian steel magnate jailed for corruption
AlJazeera 15 Sep 2011 – Syrian National Council of about 140 people to present united front against government following talks in Istanbul.
PNN Reveals Settlers Crimes Against Palestinian Citizens
PNN – by Amin Abu Warda When Israeli settlers increase their attacks against Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, they usually observe their movements first before attacking them in remote areas. Iyad Sanafra is…
Israel Evacuates Embassy in Amman
PNN – by James DyetIsrael has evacuated its embassy in Jordan over fears that a planned “Million Man March” could endanger embassy staff. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the evacuation on Wednesday night…
Wide-Ranging Israeli Raids, Demolitions Strike West Bank
PNN – PNN In an unusually broad series of raids ending on Thursday morning, the Israeli army carried out at least seven arrests and demolished several buildings in the West Bank. Israeli troops arrested…
Palestinians Skirmish over Renaming of Blocked Hebron Street
PNN – by Brendan WorkIn a bizarre incident outside of the entrance to the Israeli settlement inside the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinians with spray paint skirmished over whether to rename al-Shuhada…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Receives Two Delegations from the Swiss Representative Office to the PNA and UNHCHR Office
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Protests in Northern Gaza
9/15/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Strip – The Palmer Report, recently released by the United Nations, was a moral travesty. It asserted that the naval blockade of Gaza was somehow separate from the land siege of Gaza. The Palmer Report was an attempt to break up the oppression of Gaza into bite size morsels so that it….
Settlers burn ISM tent in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah
9/15/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 14 September 2011, The Alternative Information Center – At about 2am on Monday, 11 September, settlers in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah burnt to the ground an International Solidarity Movement tent that had been established to monitor and prevent settler violence in the neighborhood. The tent, which thankfully was empty at the time it…. Related: Alternative Information Center
Al Aqaba village wakes up to demolitions
9/15/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – The Israeli military invaded al Aqaba village east of Tubas at 6am this morning and demolished a home and main road. The operation consisted of two bulldozers and ten military vehicles. The Israeli army set up a closed military zone stopping all access to the village. No Palestinians or internationals….
Alternative Information Center
Week for the Right of Return
Alternative Information Center –
With Qaddafi gone, Libyans are ready for business
The National 15 Sep 2011 – While Egypt and Tunisia face a much greater challenge in reforming their economies and meeting the demands for social justice from their burgeoning populations, Libya is seen as having a brighter economic future.
Israel sends home diplomats in Amman after protests outside its embassy
The National 15 Sep 2011 – Attack on Cairo embassy and Jordan rally are latest signs of Israel’s deteriorating relations with its Middle East allies.
Tank fire kills three at Yemeni opposition tribal chief’s home
The National 15 Sep 2011 – A Yemeni tank fired on a house belonging to Sheikh Sadeq Al Ahmar, a tribal chief who opposes President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Presidential hopefuls seek early Egyptian poll date
The National 15 Sep 2011 – The army council which took over after Hosni Mubarak was ousted on February 11 has pledged to hand power to civilians, but has yet to set a precise date for a parliamentary poll, and has not indicated when the presidential poll would be.
Palestinians to go straight to UN Security Council to seek full UN membership
The National 15 Sep 2011 – Mahmoud Abbas on collision course with President Barack Obama, who says US will veto move, as Israeli PM lines up speech to UN General Assembly to ‘tell them things as they are.’
Israeli heavy metal rocks Turkish fans
The National 15 Sep 2011 – Despite deep discord between the Jewish state and its former ally, hundreds of fans turned out to hear a ‘Jewish-Muslim metal’ outfit called Orphaned Land play a concert in Istanbul.
All-female bomb disposal team is making Lebanon’s fields safer
The National 15 Sep 2011 – Lamis Zein and her colleagues have the dangerous but essential task of scouring the countryside near their homes to destroy the huge number of cluster bombs left behind after battles with Israel.
Developers threaten Beirut’s architectural heritage
The National 15 Sep 2011 – After years of civil war, much of what remains of Beirut’s breathtaking Arab architecture is under threat from property developers keen to replace heritage buildings with modern skyscrapers.
Fight over Oklahoma Sharia ban loomed well before 9/11
The National 15 Sep 2011 – If Oklahoma seems an odd territory on which to decide the future of Muslim America, the seeds of this current dispute were sowed on a clear, spring morning in April 1995.
Palestinians express doubts and fear over UN statehood bid
The National 14 Sep 2011 – The attempt by the Palestinian Authority to have Palestine’s statehood recognised by the UN General Assembly could backfire and set the stage for violence, warns a report by the International Crisis Group.
Fears of fresh outbreak of sectarian violence grip Iraq
The National 14 Sep 2011 – At least 19 people were killed in a string of attacks yesterday, with Iraq still reeling from a massacre of Shi’ite pilgrims that dramatically increased sectarian tensions.
Muslim Brotherhood hails Erdogan’s stance against Israel
The National 14 Sep 2011 – Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie praises Erdogan’s ‘brave stance’ in the face of ‘Zionist insolence’, saying that he had the admiration of the entire Arab and Muslim worlds.
UN Chief: End to Israeli-Palestinian conflict ‘long overdue’
Ha’aretz – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he’s sympathetic to the frustrations of the Palestinian people who have failed to achieve an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Thousands protest against ‘murderous’ Israel in Turkey and Jordan
Ha’aretz – In Istanbul, thousands gather outside a soccer stadium where Maccabi Tel Aviv is playing; dozens demonstrate in front of Israeli embassy in Amman.
Britain changes law that enabled war crime charges against Israelis
Ha’aretz – Reform began after arrest warrant issued in 2009 against opposition leader Tzipi Livni; British Ambassador says change in law means it ‘can no longer be abused for political reasons.’
EU seeks limited upgrade of Palestinians’ UN status
Ha’aretz – Ashton proposal includes specific mention of talks, does not rule out full UN membership for Palestinian state in future, say diplomats.
Lieberman: Palestinian Authority adopted concept of Judenrein
Ha’aretz – FM slams comments by top PLO official who said Israelis and Palestinians must be totally separated in a future Palestinian state.
FAQ: The Palestinians’ United Nations statehood bid
Ha’aretz – Everything you wanted to know about what will happen on September 23, but weren’t sure who to ask.
Erdogan warns Israel: Turkey can send warships to east Mediterranean at any time
Ha’aretz – Turkish PM says Israel could not do whatever it wants in the eastern Mediterranean.
Arab states pledge to avoid targeting Israel nuclear program at IAEA meeting
Ha’aretz – This is a rare conciliatory move, however, no official commitment has been made by Arab leaders, suggesting position may shift before meeting next week.
Netanyahu to address UN on day Palestinians submit statehood bid
Ha’aretz – PM tells reporters in Jerusalem that Israel does not receive ‘fair hearing’ at UN, but he has ‘decided to tell the truth.’
Palestinians: We will seek full UN membership on September 23
Ha’aretz – Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki says Palestinians will submit request to Security Council next Friday, ending speculation over whether they would risk U.S. veto; Netanyahu plans to address General Assembly on same day.
Five Israeli Arabs arrested for allegedly planning terror attacks
Ha’aretz – Suspects, residents of the village of Daburiya, have been linked with the Salafi movement in Islam and face charges over plot to abduct IDF soldier and border guard, in addition to other terror attacks.
Netanyahu: Israel will agree to upgrade of Palestinian status, not statehood
Ha’aretz – Netanyahu decides to address the UN General Assembly next Friday, the day the Palestinians will submit their statehood bid.
Avi Issacharoff / Why Jordan’s king lashed out at Israel
Ha’aretz – Maj. Gen. (res. ) Uzi Dayan, a Likud member and chairman of the national lottery tells surprised audience that Jordan should be the Palestinian state, with the West Bank and Gaza as its provinces.
French branch of Jewish terror group coming to Israel ‘to defend settlements’
Ha’aretz – The plan, says Amnon Cohen, a spokesman for the group, is not to “provoke the Arabs,” but rather to “be on hand in case the settlements need our help with defense if the Arabs attack at this precarious time.”
Hunted in Ivory Coast, albino child and parents granted asylum in Israel
Ha’aretz – Albinism is a life threatening condition in some African states, where it is associated with stigma and superstitions.
Israel asks world for help as vulture population dwindles
Ha’aretz – Israel Nature and Parks Authority believes less than 40 nesting pairs of Griffon vultures are left in Israel, as opposed to nearly 1,000 before the establishment of the state.
The Livnat family wants Eilat Port
Ha’aretz – And the Transport Ministry drive to pass Asian car imports through the Red Sea could make that happen.
Ex-tax official gets 6 years in graft case
Ha’aretz – David Vanunu also fined NIS 750,000 after conviction for taking bribes.
Benchmarker / A developed nation in a bad neighborhood
Ha’aretz – Israel may be sitting pretty, but investors are more concerned with how its neighbors are faring.
Egyptian PM: Peace deal with Israel not sacred
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Sharaf says Camp David agreement “is always open to discussion with what would benefit the region and the case of fair peace.”
Blair floats proposal to buy time on Palestinian UN bid
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Quartet envoy’s plan calls for PA to submit resolution to Ban Ki-moon, who himself would bring it to the General Assembly by the end of the current session that runs until December 28, if negotiations were not renewed.
Comment: The Palestinians’ illegitimate UN gambit
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – It was a mistake President Obama to distance himself from Israel and seek engagement with the hostile regimes in Syria and Iran.
Savir’s Corner: Israel – ‘Yes’
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – “Yes” would be an honest vote, as the creation of a Palestinian state is very much an Israeli interest, for several reasons.
Poland not sending official delegation to Durban III
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – As head of the European Union, move sends message to organizers of the conference to focus on real human rights issues in the world.
Kadima MK: The emperor is naked, Livni must quit
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Party members call for “action, not just plans” at Kadima event; Livni says she “will not get stuck in the political swamp.”
‘US men in Iran to be freed soon with Talabani help’
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal to be released to Swiss embassy in Tehran early next week, “Sharq” daily reports.
Tehran rocks, but only under ground
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Persian heavy metal rock band, Angband, fuses hard rock with Persian classical instruments and practices underground for fear of arrest.
iPhone app ‘Jewish or Not Jewish’ removed from app store
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Application asked people to guess whether French celebrities were Jewish or not; creator, Johann Levy, said he wanted to show Jewish pride.
Syria to air confession of ‘Israeli spy’ in Mughniyeh hit
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – News agency says it will expose Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah commander; Druse leader says Lebanon has no claim to Shebaa Farms.
Syria opposition unites, finds international voice
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – 170 member council emulates Libyan NTC; will start with diplomatic, economic pressure to topple Assad; military intervention not ruled out.
UK amends law to protect Israelis from prosecution
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – British envoy Gould informs Livni that universal jurisdiction law allowing warrants to be issued against visiting Israelis for war crimes changed.
Embassy personnel in Amman to return after weekend
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Foreign ministry announces return of diplomats after early evacuation due to concern of demonstration against the embassy planned on Facebook.
Off the Beaten Track: Following the Tenth Legion
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Marks of Hadrian, Herod, Crusaders, Rabbi Akiva, Bar Kochba, Rashi, Mamlukes, Ottomans, Brits, Israelis and more are all over Jerusalem.
Life, Energy & Healthy Choices
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – The Athena Women’s Walk takes place tonight in Jerusalem in honor of a happy, healthy new year and in encouragement of an active, healthy lifestyle.
Cameron says he’ll help hunt for Gadaffi: ‘This isn’t over’
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – At beginning of joint visit to post- Gadaffi country with Sarkozy, British PM declares staunch support of new Libya at Tripoli press conference.
‘Warships could be in e. Mediterranean at any moment’
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 РErdoğan says in Tunisia that Israel could not do whatever it wanted in Mediterranean; says Islam and democracy can co-exist in government.
Making Tracks
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Civilized, classy and costly in comparison to building a better bus system, the light rail finally arrives in Jerusalem.
Weekly Schmooze: Hug it out!
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – A JPost column wrapping up Jewish culture news worldwide: Rosh Hashana sing-off; “Friday Night Dinner” hits the US.
UK, French premiers visit Tripoli; peace still far off
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Cameron, Sarkozy arrive in Libya to congratulate new leaders; Gaddafi whereabouts unconfirmed, loyalists still pose threat with fighting.
‘Arabs may not target Israel at upcoming IAEA meeting’
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Western diplomats: Arab ambassadors to UN nuclear watchog say they won’t put forward text summoning Israel to join a global anti-nuclear treaty.
5 Arab-Israelis indicted for plotting terror attacks
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Charges of Daburiyya residents include conspiracy to carry out attacks on Jews, explosives manufacturing, and computer hacking; arrest carried out in coordination with police, Shin Bet.
5 Arab-Israelis arrest on suspicion of plotting terror
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – ‘Dangerous terror cell’ from Daburriya disrupted while allegedly planning multiple attacks; arrest carried out in coordination with police, Shin Bet.
‘Jordan has lowered fears of embassy attack in Amman’
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Foreign Ministry says Jordan gave security assurances about embassy; Facebook protest: “No Zionist embassy on Jordanian territory.”
Israel Project, J Street argue against cutting PA funds
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – US Jewish groups fear that cutting security PA funding could imperil Israeli security; some lawmakers willing to consider maintaining aid.
Memorable TV moments
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Ahead of the Emmy Awards, let’s take a short trip down television’s memory lane, reflecting on some of the scenes that have made a lasting impression.
Market mayhem
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – When markets begin a downward slide — even for reasons diagnosed as “psychological” — it inevitably means that their finely-tuned feelers pick up unsettling vibes.
Durban & 9/11 — ten years later
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – Durban became the tipping point for the coalescence of a new, virulent, globalizing anti-Jewishness reminiscent of the atmospherics that pervaded Europe in the 1930s.
South Sudan matters
Jerusalem Post 15 Sep 2011 – It is a rare and truly remarkable honor to personally witness a nation come into existence.
Only Palestinians can create a new Palestine | Tareq Baconi
The Guardian 15 Sep 2011 – The UN vote on Palestinian statehood has accelerated the drive for self-empowerment and economic independence The flurry of activity around the coming UN vote on Palestinian statehood suggests this is a key moment in the struggle…
Letters: Palestinian rights and arms sales
The Guardian 15 Sep 2011 – The government’s unwillingness to express a clear view on moves in support of a Palestinian state is a further manifestation of British weakness on this issue. The UK has always expressed support for the Palestinians’ rights,…
Libya: Sarkozy and Cameron visit Tripoli – Thursday 15 September 2011
The Guardian 15 Sep 2011 – ‚Ä¢ Cameron and Sarkozy meet NTC leaders in Tripoli ‚Ä¢ NTC delegation to Niger to reclaim fugitives and money ‚Ä¢ 19-year-old woman ‘tortured and killed’ in Syria ‚Ä¢ Syrian activists attempt to unify ‚Ä¢ Read a…
Q&A on Palestinian statehood at the UN | Hussein Ibish and Yossi Klein Halevi
The Guardian 15 Sep 2011 – Our experts answer your questions on the Palestinian move to seek recognition of statehood at the United Nations The Palestinians are set to appeal to the United Nations in September for recognition of statehood . Despite opposition…
Palestinian statehood at the UN: Q&A with Hussein Ibish and Yossi Klein Halevi
The Guardian 15 Sep 2011 – What effect will the Palestinian move to seek recognition of statehood at the UN have? Our experts answer your questions The Palestinians will be going to the United Nations this September to seek recognition of statehood ….
Palestinian statehood: The olive tree of al-Walaja – video
The Guardian 15 Sep 2011 – Farmer Salah Abu Ali tells how his village has lost land and people since the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948 David Levene Mona Mahmood
Palestinian detained on visit to Britain seeks damages
The Guardian 14 Sep 2011 – Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, asks high court to rule that he was held unlawfully A Palestinian activist detained on the orders of the home secretary, Theresa May, after flying into…
Familiar Hawks Press Obama on Iraq Withdrawal
IPS A familiar group of mainly neo-conservative hawks — many of whom championed the 2003 invasion of Iraq —released an open letter to President Barack Obama Thursday urging him to retain a substantial military force in that Middle East country beyond this year.
Concrete Impact of Palestine’s U.N. Bid Still Uncertain
IPS Despite the frenzy of media attention bestowed upon Palestine’s expected bid for statehood at the United Nations later this month, some doubt the impact it would have on the political complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the humanitarian issues and human rights abuses that many Palestinians face regularly.
Cameron and Sarkozy to carry on bombing Libya
Uruknet September 15, 2011 – Cameron and Sarkozy visited Tripoli today in a carefully staged public relations operation. The two held a press conference with Chairman Mustapha Abdel Jalil and Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril as the two western leaders pledged to carry on bombing Libya as long as it takes. There was, of course, no mention of the recent…
Time for people power to open Rafah crossing
Uruknet September 15, 2011 – Writing about the Rafah crossing, after the spectacular success of the Egyptian revolution in ousting Hosni Mubarak, brings back the horrific memory of the deposed dictator’s regime. There were high expectations amongst the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza earlier this year after former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi described the Mubarak government’s complicity with…
Opinion/Editorial Time for people power to open Rafah crossing
Uruknet September 15, 2011 – Writing about the Rafah crossing, after the spectacular success of the Egyptian revolution in ousting Hosni Mubarak, brings back the horrific memory of the deposed dictator’s regime. There were high expectations amongst the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza earlier this year after former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi described the Mubarak government’s complicity with…
Turkish PM: Warships can be deployed “at any moment”
Uruknet September 15, 2011 – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Israel could not do whatever it wanted in the eastern Mediterranean and that Turkish warships could be there at any moment. Erdogan’s comments, made during a visit to Tunis as part of a tour of Arab countries, were the latest in a war of words between…
Africa: From Aggression to Terror
Uruknet 15 September 2011 – When France launched Operation Odyssey five months ago, which was immediately to be joined by Britain and the United States, the zeal to implement an ill-secured UN Resolution 1973 was seen by many peace-loving people as brazen aggression targeted at Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, regardless of the mixed feelings about the man. Resolution 1973 was…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08 – 14 Sep. 2011)
Uruknet September 15, 2011 – Summary : Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (08 – 14 September 2011): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded two Palestinian fishermen and arrested them together with another 6 fishermen in the Gaza Strip, but released them later. On 11 September 2011, two Israeli…
Tawargha – the final solution
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – The final chapter is now being written for Tawargha, as reported by Sam Dagher of the Wall Street Journal .”Now, rebels have been torching homes in the abandoned city 25 miles to the south. Since Thursday, The Wall Street Journal has witnessed the burning of more than a dozen homes in the city Col….
Hamas’s Silence and Hezbollah’s Voice
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – On May 9, I wrote an article about the pragmatism prevailing over the relationship between Hamas and Syria. And a while ago, I wanted to write about the reasons behind Hamas’s silence in the face of Hezbollah’s loud voice but chose to wait in the hope of seeing Hamas’s voice resonating – as it…
Israeli military continue to target water wells in the West Bank
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – An Israeli military force invaded Al-Far’a area in the eastern part of the West Bank near Tubas near the Jordan Vally. The military took photographs of the existing water aquifers in the area, and informed the residents that they will come back to destroy the aquifers. Hussein Al-Hmud, head of the village council of…
Anti-Israeli Friction Helps Palestinians
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – …Change doesn’t always work out, but when intolerable conditions exist, trying for something better is key. It holds for Palestinians wanting freedom from Israel’s repressive occupation. Statehood and full de jure UN membership is step one toward it, though no guarantee. Palestinians have many global supporters, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Israeli…
Syria News – September 14, 2011
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – Jisr Al-Shogoor – Al-Janoudieh: 7 year old Mohamad Khalil Zahloul has been shot dead today as security forces heavily used live ammnition to disperse protests…Damascus suburbs: Douma: Martyrdom of child Anas Rayyes, 8 years old, who was killed under torture after he was arrested at the beginning of this month in front of Abu…
Protecting Americans? President Obama’s Shameful Silence in the Face of Israel’s Murder of a Young American
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – Among the many shameful and cowardly things that President Barack Obama has and has not done, few can rival his complete unwillingness to express outrage at the Israeli military’s murder of a young American teen executed at close range during the Israeli Defense (sic) Force assault on the Turkish-flagged aid ship the Mavi Marmara…
IRAQ: Fight for Women’s Rights Begins All Over Again
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – When a middle-aged mother took a taxi alone from Baghdad to Nasiriyah, about 300 kilometres south earlier this year, her 20-year-old driver stopped on the way, pulled her to the side of the road and raped her. And that began a telling legal struggle. “She is not a simple case,” says Hanaa Edwar, head…
Iraq snapshot – September 14, 2011
Uruknet September 14, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, Nouri lashes out at Allawi, rumors fly that the US and Iraq have already signed an agreement, Kurdish lawmakers continue to demand the Erbil Agreement be honored, John Walsh reports on major and under-reported news, and more…Annie Gowen (Washington Post) notes the biggest cause of deaths today has been a car…
Fauntroy’s Libya Massacres Story: No Time for Teasing
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – Former Washington, DC congressional Delegate Walter Fauntroy’s tale of French and Danish special forces rampaging through Libyan villages, killing and beheading both Gaddafi supporters and rebels, alike, is – well, there is no other word for it but bizarre. It jars the mind, not because there is any limit to the barbarity of which…
Video: Gaddafi’s Message to the security council 14.09.2011 english subtitles
Uruknet
UN told the US and Iraq already signed an agreement?
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – The big story in Iraqi newspapers today is on the US withdrawal or ‘withdrawal.’ Supposedly all US forces would leave Iraq at the end of December 2011. Al Rafidayn is one of the papers reporting that a meeting at the United Nations Mission in Baghdad a few days prior found the UN being informed…
PCHR Condemns Israeli Escalation against Fishermen in the Gaza Strip
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns ongoing Israeli attacks targeting Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, and expresses grave concern regarding the escalation of these attacks in recent days. This escalation has resulted in the injury and arrest of a number of fishermen, and the confiscation of a number of fishing boats….
Record number of Americans in poverty
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – The poverty rate in the US soared to 15.1 percent in 2010, its highest level since 1993, according to a report released by the Census Bureau on Tuesday. Household incomes continued to fall sharply, amidst the worst jobs crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the number of people without health insurance…
Arab League: Pull Arab ambassadors from Syria More than 20 martyrs in the two hours that Nabil Al-Arabi had spent with Bashar Assad
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – Local Coordination Committees (LCC) in Syria said today that Arab nations should withdraw their ambassadors from Syria as a protest of the ongoing killing and torture of peaceful demonstrators. The LCC regards withdrawing ambassadors a very important political move that can be used by the Arab nations to weaken the Russian opposition for a…
Libya: Ghana Joins Nigeria and Does Obeisance To NATO
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – After what recently happened in Libya, one is apt to wonder what democracy really stands for. If democracy is the keyword used to justify the destruction of human lives and property, then God help us all! Yes, the NATO-aided NTC rebels have apparently managed to do away with Muammar Gaddafi, and Ghana, among other…
Negotiations: A Disaster for Palestinians
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – The issue of a Palestinian state is back on the radar due to Palestinians taking their cause to the UN next week. Israel and the U.S. strongly oppose the Palestinian effort. In fact, on September 8th, the U.S. confirmed it would veto the Palestinian effort in the UN Security Council. Israel claims that the…
WikiLeaks and the Guant?°namo Prisoners Released After the Tribunals, 2004 to 2005 (Part Five of Five)
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – ….Mohammed Nasim described himself as “a poor man, very disabled: I am a poor farmer with very small kids,” and denied the allegations against him, which centered on claims that he had commanded 25 Taliban fighters for a military commander in Kabul. “Since I knew my left and right hands,” he said, “I never…
NATO in Libya a model’ for Euro-U.S. cooperation, says U.S. official
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – A senior U.S. State Department official on Wednesday hailed NATO’s air strike campaign in Libya as a “model” for future cooperation between European members of the military alliance and the U.S. The operation in Libya was “in many ways a model on how the United States can lead the way that allows allies to…
Hamas Warns Against UN Bid
Uruknet September 14, 2011 – …Hamas MP Salah al-Bardawil said that Hamas does not support President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to go to the United Nations. Bardawil said the bid was a tactical move, part of a negotiation process that was not based on principles. Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions it leads would therefore not supporting the decision. In…
Palestinians to seek full U.N. membership at Security Council
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 The Palestinians will ask the Security Council next week to accept them as a full member of the United Nations, the Palestinian foreign minister said Thursday, a move that would defy Washington’s threat to veto the…
U.S. urges nationals to leave Syria promptly
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 The United States urged Americans to make immediate plans to leave Syria Thursday, which has been wracked by anti-regime protests for months, as Syrian opposition activists announced the formation of a national council from Istanbul.
Sarkozy, Cameron promised bounty
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron landed in Libya to a heroes’ welcome Thursday, promising help for the new rulers that French and British airpower helped to install and being told the favor may be repaid in…
Women’s uphill struggle for share of Tunisia’s new democracy
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 The status of women in Tunisia has for decades been among the most advanced in the Arab world, but even after this year’s democratic revolution politics has remained a man’s world.
Iraq, Oman join talks on jailed Americans in Iran
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Arab countries Oman and Iraq are involved in negotiations for the release of two Americans jailed in Iran for spying, officials said Thursday as efforts intensified over a $1 million bail-for-freedom plan.
Yemen cease-fire dissolves as explosions shake Sanaa, south
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Explosions and gunfire shook a northern district of Sanaa Thursday, in one of the worst breaches of a cease-fire between tribesmen opposed to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and troops loyal to him, residents said.
Erdogan: Islam and democracy are compatible
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the case for Islam and democracy Thursday in Tunisia, where moderate Islamists modeled on his own party are tipped to win landmark October polls.
Bahraini dies after inhaling tear gas: opposition
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 A Bahraini man died overnight after being tear-gassed, the opposition said Thursday, disputing the government version that he had actually died of a blood disorder.
Egypt emergency law expansion erodes human rights: Amnesty
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Amnesty International called on Egypt’s military authorities Thursday to end the state of emergency, slamming a recent expansion of the law as a serious erosion of human rights.
Egyptian steel magnate gets 10 years for graft
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 An Egyptian court sentenced steel magnate Ahmad Ezz and former industrial development chief Amr Assal to 10 years in prison Thursday with a joint fine of 660 million Egyptian pounds ($110.9 million) for corruption under ex-President…
In would-be Palestinian state, locals contend with Israeli restrictions
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 In another world, the tented village at Al-Hadidiya might mark the farthest reaches of a future Palestine. Instead, the herding community living here talk about the limits of that dream.
Jordanians want Israel peace treaty scrapped
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 About 300 Jordanians demonstrated near the Israeli embassy in Amman Thursday, demanding that the government expel the Jewish state’s envoy and scrap the joint 1994 peace treaty.
Hariri: Weapons pose greatest threat to democracy
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Thursday this year’s International Day of Democracy bore particular significance for Arab peoples struggling for freedom against oppression and said the use of weapons was the greatest threat to democracy.
Ahmadinejad to offer UN delegates special gift
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will bear gifts when he attends next week’s UN General Assembly, presenting delegates a book on the allied occupation of Iran during World War II, media reported Thursday.
Electricity bill gets discussed, then postponed
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Parliamentary committees postponed Thursday discussions on an electricity draft law endorsed by the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati last week.
20 charged in Lebanese prison escape case
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Twenty people, including five police wardens, were charged Thursday in the weekend escape case of three inmates from a prison in north Lebanon.
Libya’s NTC says allies have “priority” for deals
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Libya’s provisional government said on Thursday its foreign allies during the war would have priority for future deals with the country and warned that some existing contracts would be subject to review for corruption.
Warrant out for Lebanese soldier accused of robbing Saudi citizen
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Authorities issued a warrant Thursday for the arrest of a Lebanese Army soldier in connection with last week’s robbery of a Saudi prince.
Turkey says can send warships to east Med at any time
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Israel could not do whatever it wanted in the eastern Mediterranean and that Turkish warships could be there at any moment.
Hezbollah slams Jumblatt for remarks on Shebaa Farms
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Hezbollah slammed Thursday Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt for his remarks against linking Lebanon’s fate to the liberation of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms.
Mikati, Salameh voice optimism on Lebanon’s economy
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday he was confident over Lebanon’s security and expressed optimism about the future of the country’s economy, uncovering plans to stimulate Arab investment.
SANA says to air confession of spy linked to Mughniyeh hit
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Syria’s state news agency SANA said Thursday it would air over the weekend confessions by what it claimed was an Israeli spy who aided in the assassination of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh.
Man shot in Khaldeh, dies in hospital
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 A man in Khaldeh, south of Beirut, was killed in his flat overnight by a group of unidentified individuals, security sources said Thursday.
Israeli envoy to Jordan repatriated over riot fears
Daily Star 15 Sep 2011 Israel has temporarily withdrawn its ambassador to Jordan over fears of violent demonstrations against its embassy in Amman, Israeli diplomatic sources said Thursday.
6 arrested in high school brawl
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Police forced to intervene when student brawl goes too far. Students use pepper….
NYT: Netanyahu isolating Israel
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Editorial accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of embarrassing US President….
5 Israeli-Arabs arrested for plotting terror attacks
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Joint Shin Bet, police operation uncovers homegrown terror cell in Lower….
Ghana renews diplomatic ties with Israel
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Nearly four decades after severing ties in wake of Yom Kippur War, Israeli….
Jordan: ‘Million-man march’ draws few hundred
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Much ado about nothing? Only a few hundred Jordanians gathered Thursday night in front of the Israeli Embassy in Amman for the scheduled “million-man march,” al Jazeera … ….
Livni: Gov’t to blame for Palestinian UN bid
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly, members of the Opposition accused the government Thursday of driving the … ….
UK amends law that allows arrest of Israeli officials
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould announced on Thursday that the Queen of England has signed an amendment to a bill that will prevent the issuing of arrest … ….
Erdogan: Warships can be in E. Med at any moment
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Israel could not do “whatever it wanted” in the eastern Mediterranean, adding that Turkish warships … ….
Palestinian John Doe succeeds in deceiving police
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – A Palestinian arrested and imprisoned managed to make a mockery of the police by providing false personal information — using the details of a Hebron resident. Five … ….
Cameron, Sarkozy on aid visit to Libya
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Tripoli on Thursday, the first heads of government to visit Libya since revolutionary … ….
Lieberman takes on PLO’s ‘Judenrein Palestine’ remarks
YNet News, 15 Sep 2011 – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday directed Foreign Ministry officials to submit an formal protest to the EU and US over the remarks made by the PLO’s … ….
Palestinian Information Center
Haneyya: We are still waiting for Egypt to break siege
PIC – Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya said he is still waiting for a bold decision by Egypt to break the siege on the Gaza Strip and open up the Rafah border crossing.
Hamas detainee in PA security prison taken to hospital
PIC – Nader Sawafta, a detainee in the prison of PA preventive security in Tobas, was carried to hospital at a late hour on Wednesday night after his condition worsened.
Israeli navy detains five Palestinian fishermen at sea
PIC – Five Palestinian fishermen were detained at sea off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah at dawn Thursday at the hands of Israeli navy forces.
Bardawil: UN bid puts right of return at risk
PIC – Senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil has warned of the risks involved in a step by the PA to apply for recognition for a state on 1967 borders, describing the step as a “leap in the air”.
IOF troops round up minors in Silwan, others in Nablus
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested a 15-year-old boy in Silwan town in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday less than three months after his release from Israeli custody, local sources reported.
Israel evacuates ambassador from Jordan
PIC – Israel closed its embassy in Jordan on Thursday and cleared out its ambassador and his staff in fears of expected anti-Israel protests headed for the embassy similar to those in Egypt last week.
Israel razes three buildings, roads in the jordan vally village of Aqaba
PIC – Israeli bulldozers tore down three structures as well as main roads in a Palestinian village in the northern Jordan valley as the Israeli army has declared the area a closed military zone.
Kuwait Contributes $50M to Palestinian Reform Process
WAFA
PA Did Not Buy Military Equipment from Israel, says Official
WAFA
Demonstration Planned at UN Building in New York, says official
WAFA
Settlers Set Fire to Palestinian Cars in Nablus Area
WAFA
Israeli Navy Abducts 5 Palestinian Fishermen
WAFA
Fayyad Condemns Israeli Demolition of West Bank House
WAFA
Israeli Army Arrests 8 Palestinians, Summons 4 for Interrogation
WAFA
Another UN Failure: The Palmer Report on the Flotilla Incident of 31 May 2010
Intifada-Palestine: 15 Sep 2011 – by Richard Falk When the UN Secretary General announced on 2 August 2010 that a Panel of Inquiry had been established to investigate the Israeli attacks of 31 May on the Mavi Marmara and five other ships carrying humanitarian aid to… more
Palestine’s Future — its Students — Must be set FREE
Intifada-Palestine: 15 Sep 2011 – Free to learn… free to train… free to excel… free to plan… free to travel… free to trade… free to govern… And free at last from Israel’s reign of thuggery Bright and hopeful Palestinian children Stuart Littlewood / Intifada Palestine The last… more
Israelis, Palestinians headed toward U.N. showdown
LA Times 15 Sep 2011 – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask the U.N. next week to admit Palestine as a state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also go to the U.N. and ask it to reject the plan. The U.S. has said it will veto the Palestinian application….
In Yemen, revolution moves at a crawl
LA Times 15 Sep 2011 – Protesters have been struggling for months to overthrow President Ali Abdullah Saleh. But unity and order are in short supply, and Al Qaeda is the stronger for it. Gunfire rattles through the night on the streets of Sana and word of the fallen spreads through…
David Cameron, Nicolas Sarkozy visit post-Kadafi Libya
LA Times 15 Sep 2011 – French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are the first foreign heads of state to visit Libya since Moammar Kadafi fled the capital. They praise the revolution and send a hint to Syria that room for autocratic rule is shrinking in the…
Steel magnate and former Mubarak official sentenced in Egypt
LA Times 15 Sep 2011 – The 10-year prison terms and combined $111-million fine for Egypt steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz and Amr Assal, a former top industries official, strike at the cronyism under President Hosni Mubarak. An Egyptian court Thursday sentenced a steel magnate and a former top industries official to…
EU sanctions on Syria oil and gas industry come with loopholes
LA Times 14 Sep 2011 – The European Union’s move to punish the Bashar Assad regime allow European energy companies to pull back gradually from buying heavy crude or doing lucrative work in Syrian oil fields. The European Union, which buys 90% of Syria’s oil exports, has slapped sanctions on the…
Libya, the anti-Iraq
LA Times 14 Sep 2011 – A longtime tyrant has been sent packing, yet no foreign troops are on the ground. And it seems unlikely the U.S. will need to send in forces or the trunkloads of money it used to help rebuild Iraq. A top U.S. envoy arrived in Libya’s…
Iraq attacks leave more than 25 dead
LA Times 14 Sep 2011 – Three bombings and one shooting target police and soldiers, underscoring the increasing dangers faced by Iraqi security forces as the Americans wind down their troop deployment. Insurgents launched four attacks early Wednesday against Iraq’s security forces, killing 27 people as the Persian Gulf nation prepares…
Yemen aiding counter-terrorism efforts, U.S. officials say
LA Times 14 Sep 2011 – Yemen officials appear more willing to share intelligence with the U.S. since their president went to a hospital in Saudi Arabia after his palace was bombed. The embattled regime in Yemen has boosted its cooperation with U.S. intelligence and counter-terrorism efforts in recent months as…
In Libya, Islamists’ Growing Sway Raises Questions
New York Times 15 Sep 2011 – Long repressed by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, Islamists are now emerging as the best-organized political faction in the country, with influence beyond their numbers.
Anti-Israel Rally in Jordan Also Exposes Arab Rifts
New York Times 15 Sep 2011 – Fears of violence led the Israeli ambassador in Jordan and most of the embassy’s staff to leave for Israel a day ahead of the rally as a precautionary measure.
Egypt Sentences Mubarak-Era Tycoon, Ahmed Ezz, to Prison
New York Times 15 Sep 2011 – Ahmed Ezz, given a 10-year sentence for corruption, personified to many Egyptians the political and economic venality that enriched the well-connected few under President Hosni Mubarak.
Clashes in Southern Yemen Underscore Nation’s Turmoil
New York Times 15 Sep 2011 – Fierce clashes overnight between government forces and Islamist militants in southern Yemen killed 14 people, including 12 militants, Yemeni officials said Wednesday.
Top media ethics expert: Times’ Ethan Bronner is in ‘very dicey ethical territory’
Mondoweiss – Yesterday I reported for the Columbia Journalism Review that New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner is on the speaker’s bureau of Lone Star Communications, an Israeli public relations firm that pitches him stories. Bronner has provided extensive coverage to several of the firm’s clients,…
Rabbi Ellen Lippmann changes her mind on the boycott
Mondoweiss – On the eve of a significant Open Jewish Conversation about Cultural Boycott of Israel reported here last month Stolen Beauty has published a letter from highly regarded Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, founder of the the Progressive Jewish congregation Kolot Chayeinu in Park Slope , which is hosting the…
Campaign to end military aid to Israel enters NY, underground
Mondoweiss – Report on the “Be on Our Side” campaign on the local New York CBS news . The Jerusalem Post is covering the 25 ads in the New York subway system from the “Be On Our Side” campaign, against military funding to Israel. Reporter Jordana Horn: The 25…
Welcome to ‘Apartheid Street’
Mondoweiss – link to www.imemc.org link to www.guardian.co.uk ‘—> link to us.rd.yahoo.com ‘—> link to goo.gl link to www.imemc.org link to www.maannews.net ‘—> link to goo.gl ‘—> link to goo.gl ‘—> link to goo.gl ‘—> link to www.imemc.org link to goo.gl link to www.imemc.org ‘—> link to feeds.latimes.com ‘…
Art museum’s censorship destroys its integrity
Mondoweiss – Oakland’s Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) recently announced that it is canceling a planned exhibit of artwork created by Palestinian children living in Gaza because art about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is “not appropriate for an open gallery accessible by all children.” The museum had scheduled the…
Israeli Diplomats Flee Yet Another Arab Capital
Tikun Olam – It appears that Israeli diplomats are fleeing yet another Arab capital , and this one usually an exceedingly peaceful one for Israel: Amman. The Israeli government announced that its entire staff would evacuate the embassy in advance of several pro-Palestine statehood demonstrations planned for the city this…
Striking Down Shibboleths as UN Statehood Vote Nears
Tikun Olam – There are a number of shibboleths U.S. and Israeli officials repeat endlessly as if doing so might make them come true. This one is from Hillary Clinton: “The only way of getting a lasting solution is through direct negotiations between the parties, and the route…
Morocco: HM the King Sends Message to King of Jordan
allAfrica.com 15 Sep 2011 – HM King Abdullah II of Jordan received, on Wednesday in Amman, Moroccan Foreign Minister Taib Fassi Fihri, who conveyed to him a message from HM King Mohammed VI.
Morocco: Country Stands By Jordan At All Levels – Foreign Minister
allAfrica.com 15 Sep 2011 – Moroccan Foreign Minister Taib Fassi Fihri expressed, On Wednesday in Amman, Morocco’s full solidarity with Jordan at all levels, stressing the special importance HM King Mohammed VI attaches to strengthening bilateral relations.
Palestine’s UN Initiatives: Questions and Answers on the Representation of the Rights of the Palestinian People
Al-Haq 14 Sep 2011 – (2011-09-15)
Weekly Focus: Settlers attack Palestinian religious sites 5 September — 12 September
Al-Haq 14 Sep 2011 – (2011-09-15)
Joint Open Letter to the UN Secretary General UN Panel of Inquiry Report on the Gaza Flotilla Incident Overly Flawed
Al-Haq 13 Sep 2011 – (2011-09-14)
The Arab Spring and Iran: A New Regional Dynamic
Arab American Institute 15 Sep 2011 – Yesterday, AAI President Jim Zogby joined Geneive Adbo and Ted Piccone in a panel discussion hosted by the National Security Network (NSN) and the Project on Middle East Democracy to address the current state of political affairs in the Arab world and Iran. Pro-democracy movements in…
Duwaik: international recognition of Palestine must not be at the expense of national fundamentals
Middle East Monitor 15 Sep 2011 – The Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Aziz Duwaik, has criticized the Palestinian Authority for going to the United Nations in a bid for independent Palestinian statehood without making prior consultations with the relevant Palestinian factions. Duwaik said that, whereas the step should have been taken…
IDF transfers reserve battalion to West Bank in preparation for possible ‘September clashes’
Middle East Monitor 15 Sep 2011 – The Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, has reported that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has transferred a battalion of reserve forces into the West Bank in preparation for possible violent confrontations with Palestinians expected to stage demonstrations around the planned Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations…
Recognition of the Bedouin villages in the Negevis Possible and Just
Middle East Monitor 15 Sep 2011 – Press Release September 12, 2011 The Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages and Bimkom- Planners for Planning Rights: Recognition of the Bedouin villages in the Negev is Possible andJust The organizations have prepared a master plan as an alternative to the government’s plan and are presenting,…
Palestinian Bedouins threatened with ethnic cleansing
Middle East Monitor 15 Sep 2011 – The Israeli government has adopted a new plan to “resettle” the Bedouin residents of unrecognised villages in the Negev Desert into larger recognised settlements. This plan will affect tens of thousands of Bedouins in the Negev. Dressed up as a solution to the problem of unrecognised…
Anti-Gaddafi troops move on Sirte
BBC 15 Sep 2011 – Libya’s interim council says its fighters have entered Sirte, one of the last Gaddafi-held places, following a one-day visit by the UK and French leaders.
Syrian opposition unveils council
BBC 15 Sep 2011 – Syria’s opposition groups choose 140 people to form a “national council” – as they try to unite against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
Palestinians set date for UN bid
BBC 15 Sep 2011 – The Palestinians say they will ask for full UN membership next week, while Israel’s prime minister says he will address the UN on Israel’s objections.
Israeli-Arab militant cell held
BBC 15 Sep 2011 – Israeli authorities arrest five suspected members of a home-grown Israeli-Arab cell allegedly planning to carry out attacks near Nazareth.
Articles
Taking on Turkey; Israel’s dangerous game
Ramzy Baroud, Ma’an News Agency9/15/2011
The UN Palmer Report, which largely exonerated Israel for murdering nine unarmed Turkish civilians in international waters on May 31, 2010, seemed in some ways like the last straw. Prior to its publication, the camel’s back had already mostly broken, and a collapse in Turkish-Israeli ties was looming.
Turkey’s sin was seeking an apology for the killing of its citizens – on their way to deliver essential, life-saving supplies to malnourished and besieged Palestinians in Gaza — at the hand of Israeli army commandos.
If the civilians had been Israelis, and the commandos part of a Turkish force, all hell would have broken loose. Israel and the US would have declared Turkey a pariah state. Turkey, however, merely demanded an apology, and it was affronted further for doing so.
Of course, this is not the first time that Israel deliberately provoked and tested Turkish patience. Israel has attempted to infiltrate Turkey’s own political spaces by supporting its regional opponents and arming various rebel groups with the aim of destabilizing Turkey.
Instead of acknowledging the country’s rising significance and accommodating to the rules of the ‘new Middle East’ political game, Israel resorted to intimidation and insults. It repeatedly placed Turkey — a thriving democracy and a proud regional power of 80 million — in a very sensitive standing.
However, the anti-Turkish attitude in Israel was not an outcome of the Mavi Marmara incident last year. “The height of humiliation” is how an Israeli newspaper described a scene in which Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon summoned Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Oguz, last January to humiliate him before Israeli media. more.. e-mail
How a Palestinian state could reward Israel
Suhail Khalilieh, Ma’an News Agency9/14/2011
As the Palestinians head this month to the United Nations, to claim what many determine to be a long-deserved right for a Palestinian state, the majority of objections to such a proposal have been assumed to come from Israel and its supporters.
For the Palestinians, however, to question this move seems unheard of, and would be deemed by many to be nothing short of heresy. But there are some Palestinians raising questions who do not hold unwavering support for Campaign 194.
These individuals have been cautiously expressing fears that the UN-approved statehood may not live up to the idealistic historical vision of a “free Palestine,” spoken of by every Palestinian with nationalistic sentiment and discussed with pride and vigor in national political rhetoric.
Such seemingly dissident voices feel that this is not the time to seek statehood, not out of lack of longing for a Palestinian homeland or the right to exercise self-determination and state sovereignty, but, because they fear Palestinian statehood may play right into Israel’s hands and leave the dreams of millions of Palestinians shattered.
As a Palestinian national and strong supporter of Palestinian freedom and right to self-determination, I share these concerns.
My first concern is this: As Palestinians, we know that history has shown us that whenever a decision is made during political deadlock with Israel, it is very much likely to backfire.
We all want to see a Palestinian state become a reality but let’s consider what Israel may stand to gain from such a move and how we may end up again disappointed and with another meaningless status and a continuation of oppression, human rights abuses and lack of national sustainability. more.. e-mail
Israel, Turkey and the Palmer Report
Graham Usher, CounterPunch9/12/2011
Failure All Around
On 2 September Turkey expelled its Israeli ambassador as a first response to Israel’s refusal to apologise for the killing last year of nine Turkish activists by Israeli commandos on a ship trying to breach its naval blockade on Gaza.
The sanction followed the premature publication by the New York Times of an oft-postponed United Nations report into the raid, the so-called Palmer Report, named after its head, ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer. It had been set up to mend the rift between the erstwhile allies. Its leak served only to tear them apart.
The Palmer Report contained few surprises. It called the commandos’ action on the Turkish ship “excessive and unreasonable”, condemned the loss of life as “unacceptable” and found Israel’s treatment of passengers on the ship “abusive”.
But, critically, it said Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza was a “legitimate security measure” to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with international law”, a conclusion at odds with a 2010 fact-finding mission by the UN Human Rights Council which found both raid and blockade illegal under international law.
Both Israel and Turkey had issues with Palmer. But it was clear which side felt exonerated. Palmer’s judgement on the legality of the blockade proved “Israel has a right to defend itself,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on 4 September. Turkish President Abdullah Gul shrugged. “The report is null and void for us,” he said. more.. e-mail
Time for people power to open Rafah crossing
Electronic Intifada: 15 Sep 2011 – Haidar Eid The Electronic Intifada No misinterpretation of international law can override Palestinians’ right to free movement in and out of Egypt.more
Weddings without a groom; only in Gaza
Electronic Intifada: 15 Sep 2011 – Rana Baker The Electronic Intifada Gaza City The outside world, the checkpoint-less expanse, doesn’t know why wrinkles map our faces so early. Our tears are different, and so is their cause. So, too, are the causes of our moments of happiness.more
Time for People Power to Open Rafah Crossing
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Sep 2011 – By Haidar Eid ‘The wolf is more merciful than my brothers.’ — Mahmoud Darwish Writing about the Rafah crossing, after the spectacular success of the Egyptian revolution in ousting Hosni Mubarak, brings back the horrific memory of the deposed dictator’s regime. There were high expectations amongst the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza earlier this year after former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi described the Mubarak government’s complicity with Israel in besieging Gaza as “disgraceful.” This was followed on 29 May by an official announcement by the Egyptian government that the Rafah crossing would be permanently opened. Palestinians with passports would be allowed to cross into Egypt every day from 9am to 5pm, except for Fridays and holidays. Palestinian women and children would be able to leave Gaza without restrictions, while men between the ages of 18 and 40 would have to obtain visas to enter Egypt. Despite these conditions, and…more
The ‘Opening’ of the Rafah Crossing
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Sep 2011 – By Lo Yuk Fai Below is my personal observation and experience as a foreigner who have tried entering the Gaza Strip through the official Rafah crossing, but had to go through one of the tunnels in the end. With an election coming and Mubarak on trial, the curtain is seemingly being drawn for the Tahrir Revolution, and the Egyptians are cautiously looking forward to a new page in their history. At the same time, some Egyptians have hoped that there would be a change of wind for the people in Gaza as well. The Egyptian government announced in May that the Rafah crossing would be “permanently opened”, and some people thought that, the siege had finally come to an end. Unfortunately, little seems to have changed in reality. In fact, the Rafah crossing has been opened irregularly since 2006. By some accounts, there were about 30,000 to more than 150,000…more
Salvaging September: Palestinian Statehood Initiative at the UN
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Sep 2011 – By Jeff Halper, ICAHD Director The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) has been one of the leading critical Israeli peace and human rights organizations struggling for Palestinian rights during its more than 14 years of existence. ICAHD activists resist the demolition of Palestinian homes, both inside Israel and in the Occupied Territory, and together with our Palestinian and International partners, we have rebuilt 175 homes as political acts of resistance to Occupation. Besides our resistance efforts “on the ground,” we engage in a vigorous campaign of international advocacy on behalf of a just peace. In this we are aided by our branches abroad — ICAHD UK, ICAHD US and ICAHD Finland — as well as by hundreds of civil society groups around the world with which we work. Where, then, do we stand on the question of the PLO/PA’s September initiative? As non-Palestinians, ICAHD activists do not advocate for…more
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The New Dark Age 