28 October 2011 — VTJP

Ma’an News

Jerusalem parking lot ‘to be built on private Palestinian land’
8/28/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities in Jerusalem are to build a parking lot on privately-owned Palestinian land in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the city, a local resident told Ma’an. The compound is to be built on 4,000 square meters of land owned by Kamal Ubeidat, who told Ma’an that….

Gaza rocket hits southern Israel
8/28/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — A rocket fired by Gaza militants on Sunday hit southern Israel in what was the fourth projectile lobbed across the border since a truce took hold two days earlier, Israeli officials said. The rocket landed near Khatzerim, a village just west of the southern desert city of Beersheva, a police spokeswoman said. An….

Israeli UN envoy: ‘No chance’ of stopping Palestinian recognition
8/28/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — The Israeli United Nations ambassador Ron Prosor has said in a cable to the foreign ministry that Israel stands “no chance” of garnering sufficient opposition to the Palestinian UN bid, Haaretz reported Sunday.” The maximum that we can hope to gain [at the UN vote] is for a group….

Israel might let Egypt boost Sinai troops
8/28/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that if Egypt asked to increase its troops in the Sinai peninsula, the request would be brought before the security cabinet, public radio said. Netanyahu’s remarks were made to ministers from his right-wing Likud party before the start of the weekly cabinet meeting….

Iran condemns ‘Israel spy’ to death
8/28/2011 – TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Sunday sentenced to death a man accused of playing a key role in the 2010 murder of a top nuclear scientist and of spying for Israel, the official IRNA news agency reported.” The sentence to execute the terrorist Majid Jamali Fashi. . . has been issued” for the assassination of scientist Masoud Ali….

Palestinians see progress in EU stance on UN bid
8/28/2011 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — The Palestinian leadership sees “progress” in the European Union’s position on its plan to seek UN membership next month, a senior PLO official told AFP on Sunday.” There is progress in the European stance and a willingness to coordinate with the Palestinian leadership over the type of resolution we are looking…. Related: Abbas asks Ashton to support UN bid and Ashrawi presses EU for UN bid support

Abbas asks Ashton to support UN bid
8/28/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday urged European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to support Palestine’s bid for membership of the United Nations,PLO official Saeb Erekat told the state news agency Wafa. Ashton is in the region for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to call for a…. Related: Ashrawi presses EU for UN bid support and Palestinians see progress in EU stance on UN bid

Three-quarters of world recognizes Palestine
8/28/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — As Palestinian leaders prepare to seek membership of the United Nations, some 124 of the world body’s 193 member states have announced their recognition of Palestine as an independent state. A full list of the countries that have recognized Palestine can be viewed here. Their total population is over….

Ashrawi presses EU for UN bid support
8/28/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi called on the European Union on Sunday to support Palestinian efforts to gain UN recognition in September, a PLO statement said. In a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Ashrawi stressed that Europe should maintain its position on Palestine and commit to “upholding international law…. Related: Abbas asks Ashton to support UN bid and Palestinians see progress in EU stance on UN bid

Israel ‘could not stop’ nuclear Iran with one strike
8/28/2011 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel would not be able to halt Iran’s reported quest for atomic weapons with a single strike, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday. Israel and the West suspect Iran is trying to use its nuclear programme to develop atomic weapons, a charge denied by Tehran which says it wants….

Israelis resume protests against cost of living
8/28/2011 – TEL AVIV (AFP) — More than 20,000 Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other places across the country late on Saturday in fresh protests against the spiraling cost of living, media reports said. The numbers were well below the more than 300,000 who demonstrated earlier this month calling for “social justice” and a “welfare state….

Gaza, West Bank to live in different time zones
8/28/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — For the first time in history, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will live in different time zones. Clocks were pushed back an hour at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on August 1 in the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinian Authority cabinet decided….

Israel marks captive soldier Shalit’s 25th birthday
8/28/2011 – EREZ CROSSING, Israel (AFP) — Israeli protesters on Sunday marked the 25th birthday of its soldier Gilad Shalit, held prisoner by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip for a fifth of his life. About 200 supporters gathered in the evening at the Erez crossing on the border with Gaza to demand the release of the young….

Police arrest 2 Tubas men suspected of fraud
8/28/2011 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — Police on Sunday arrested two men suspected of fraud, a police report said. Police said the men were found in possession of forged and stolen checks and confessed to using them to buy goods in Tubas. Police seized some of the goods bought with counterfeit checks, the report said. The suspects….

Arab League plans Syria peace initiative
8/28/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — The Arab League announced early Sunday a peace initiative to solve the crisis in Syria as more people were killed by government forces and activists called for prayers for the “martyrs.” Arab League chief Nabil Al-Arabi would head to Damascus bearing “an initiative to solve the crisis” in Syria, a statement said early….

Libya rebels work to get Tripoli back on its feet
8/28/2011 – TRIPOLI (AFP) — Rebels are working on Sunday to get the Libyan capital up and running again as calm prevails for a second day, despite sporadic gunfire overnight and the gruesome find of piles of charred bodies. As rebel officials pleaded for funds, the Arab League at a special meeting in Cairo early on Sunday urged….

Brother of Sadat’s assassin returns to Egypt
8/28/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — The brother of the Islamist assassin of former president Anwar Sadat returned to Egypt from exile in Iran on Sunday and surrendered to the authorities, an AFP correspondent reported. Mohammed Shawki Al-Islamboulli, who was sentenced to death in absentia for leading the terrorist network Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiyya in the mid-1990s, was whisked away….

Syria rejects Arab League statement
8/28/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Syria on Sunday rejected an Arab League statement demanding an end to the bloodshed in the country as the organization’s chief waited for a green light to travel to Damascus. In a diplomatic note to the organization’s secretariat seen by AFP, Syria said the statement amounted to “a clear….

Iran ‘discreetly aided Libyan rebels’
8/28/2011 – TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran “discreetly” provided humanitarian aid to Libyan rebels before the fall of Tripoli, Jam-e-Jam newspaper quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday as saying.” We were in touch with many of the rebel groups in Libya before the fall of (Moamer) Gadhafi, and discreetly dispatched three or four food and medical consignments….

Rebels in fierce battle for western Libyan town
8/28/2011 – RAGDALIN, Libya (AFP) — Libyan rebels were locked in fierce fighting Sunday with forces loyal to Moamer Gadhafi as they tried to take full control of the west of the country. Rebel fighters told an AFP correspondent accompanying them that they had been ambushed by loyalists in the town of Ragdalin, southwest of Zuwara….

Libya council: We won’t hand over Lockerbie bomber
8/28/2011 – TRIPOLI (Reuters) — Libya will not extradite Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing, a minister in Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Sunday.” We will not give any Libyan citizen to the West,” Mohammed Al-Alagi, the NTC justice minister, told reporters in Tripoli.” Al-Megrahi has already been….

Iran warns NATO against entering Syria ‘quagmire’
8/28/2011 – TEHRAN (Reuters) — Iran warned NATO on Sunday against any temptation to intervene in Syria, saying that rather than defeating a regime it would be bogged down in a “quagmire” similar to Iraq or Afghanistan. Syria’s closest ally in the Middle East, Iran has in recent days tempered its strong support for President Bashar….

Assad reforms press law, envoys head for Syria
8/28/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — President Bashar Al-Assad reformed Syria’s repressive press laws on Sunday as activists called a day of prayers for the “martyrs” of the uprising against his rule and top envoys headed for Damascus. The Arab League, meanwhile, announced a peace initiative for crisis-hit Syria, where government forces killed at least four more….

Egypt delegation to visit Libya this week
8/28/2011 – CAIRO (Reuters) — A senior Egyptian diplomat will lead a delegation to Libya this week to offer help to its new rulers, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported on Sunday. Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Mashrafa said Egypt was ready to help its neighbor rebuild after six months of civil war and would assist it in areas….

Official: Suicide attack at Baghdad mosque kills 28
8/28/2011 – BAGHDAD (AFP) — A suicide bomber killed 28 people and wounded 37 others at a Sunni mosque in western Baghdad on Sunday evening, an interior ministry official said.” A suicide bomber entered Umm al-Qura mosque and blew himself up, killing 28 people and wounding 37,” the official said….

Aljazeera

Fresh deaths in Syria crackdown
AlJazeera 28 Aug 2011 – Activists say government forces kill five protesters as Syria rejects Arab League statement demanding end to bloodshed., Iraqi lawmaker among those killed as suicide bomber detonates explosives inside Sunni mosque in the capital.

US envoy ‘threatens to slash aid to PA’
AlJazeera 28 Aug 2011 – US consul in Jerusalem says Palestinian Authority could lose funding after statehood vote at United Nations.

Bahrain king pardons some protesters
AlJazeera 28 Aug 2011 – King Hamad offers compensation to victims of February crackdown, but says protest-related trials will continue.

Palestinian Center for Human Rights

Offices of Union of Health Work Committees in Gaza Stormed and Robed
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Sunday, 28 August 2011

Alternative Information Center

Israel to Cut Relations with Qatar, Sanction Al Jazeera: Israeli Media Report
Alternative Information Center – Israel is planning to cut relations with Qatar due to the latter’s “extensive anti-Israeli actions”, reports the Israeli online news source nrg . Israel is further considering not allowing in reporters from the Qatari-based Al Jazeera news…

Israeli Supreme Court Authorises Surrounding of al-Walaje Village by Separation Wall
Alternative Information Center – On Monday 22 August, the Israeli Supreme Court authorised completion of the Separation Wall to the northwest of the Palestinian village of al-Walaje, located south of Jerusalem. Upon completion of this section, the Separation Wall will…

Car Park for Jewish Worshippers Planned on Palestinian Land in East Jerusalem
Alternative Information Center – The Jerusalem Municipality has confiscated 4 dunams of privately owned Palestinian land in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, near the tomb of Shimon Hatsadik (Simeon the Righteous).

Palestine Telegraph

President Mahmoud Abbas calls on EU to support State of Palestine
28 Aug 2011 – Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) – President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday called on European Union foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, to support Palestinian bid to get United Nations membership and recognition, according to Saeb Erekat, member of the PLO Executive Committee.

Amnesty Int. (IS) remember Gilad Shalit’s Birthday, ignore Palestinian civilian Prisoners
27 Aug 2011 – London, (Pal Telegraph) – Palestinian detainees have been suffering for almost 61 years. Hundreds of thousands were arrested, some of them were freed and others died in their prison cells. International organizations do highlight their plight and trauma but the expression lacks strong condemnation against atrocities vis-?†-vis other individual cases worldwide.

The National

Israel’s UN envoy says Palestinian recognition will not be blocked
The National 28 Aug 2011 – Israeli officials have expressed concern about the diplomatic implications of statehood recognition and have carried out an intensive lobbying effort against it.

Libya needs water despite Qaddafi’s Great Manmade River
The National 28 Aug 2011 – More than half of Libya is without running water and a humanitarian crisis is looming in Tripoli even though the country has Muammar Qaddafi’s Great Manmade River.

Israel starts deporting children of some foreign workers
The National 28 Aug 2011 – An Israeli court causes panic in the migrant labourer community after it rejects a petition to delay the state’s plan to deport an Israeli-born, four-year-old daughter of an illegal Filipina worker.

Ha’aretz

Israel defense official: It would take more than one strike to halt Iran’s nuclear program
Ha’aretz – Both Israel and the United States have hinted they might consider taking military action as a last resort to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Assad to implement media reform as Syrian protesters vow to continue struggle
Ha’aretz – Assad promises to loosen restrictions on access to information; decree bans journalists from publishing ‘any content that would prejudice the national unity and security’.

Egypt reportedly mulling buffer zone on Israel border in wake of recent bloodshed
Ha’aretz – Egyptian daily says Egyptian security agencies poised to start demolishing tunnels used in smuggling arms and goods, due to heavy digging equipment spotted for removing the tunnels.

Iran hands death sentence to man accused of killing nuclear scientist for Israel
Ha’aretz – Majid Jamali-Fashi pleaded guilty to murdering Massoud Ali-Mohammadi in January 2010, the first of several attacks on Iranian scientists.

UN envoy Prosor: Israel has no chance of stopping recognition of Palestinian state
Ha’aretz – Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office say Netanyahu is considering sitting out this year’s General Assembly, sending Peres to face likely diplomatic barrage in his stead.

Libyan rebels refuse to extradite man behind Lockerbie bombing
Ha’aretz – National Transitional Council says Abdel Basset al-Megrahi ‘has been judged and will not be judged again’; rebels close in on Gadhafi’s home town.

Sarkozy: France has not forgotten Gilad Shalit
Ha’aretz – In a letter to captured IDF soldier, Sarkozy expresses solidarity with Shalit, reiterating that thousands across the world are detemined to see him free.

Hurricane Irene downgraded to ‘tropical storm’
Ha’aretz – Irene blamed for at least nine deaths in North Carolina, Virginia and Florida as it headed up the East Coast. About 3.3 million homes were without electricity and several million people were under evacuation orders.

Syrian opposition decides to take up arms against Assad regime
Ha’aretz – Leader of Revolutionary Council tell London-based As-Sharq al-Awsat that the only solution to regime’s violence is armed uprising.

Netanyahu: Israel shouldn’t hurry to alter peace treaty with Egypt
Ha’aretz – PM says such a move would require approval by cabinet after examination of security situation; recent reports indicate Israel may be interested in allowing Egypt to station more troops in Sinai, which violates the 1978 peace treaty.

Grad rocket fired from Gaza falls near Be’er Sheva
Ha’aretz – Militants have launched four rockets at Israel since the Islamic Jihad agreed to an Egyptian mediated cease-fire with Israel early Friday.

Jerusalem Post

Egypt’s press blames Israel for Eilat terror attack
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – ‘Al-Ahram’ editorial: Resulting security crisis ‘premeditated’ by Jewish state, peace with Israel forced on Egyptian people.

Sarkozy to Gilad Schalit: ‘France has not forgotten you’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Hundreds mark soldier’s 6th birthday spent in captivity in march from Erez crossing to northern Gaza.

‘UN recognition won’t stop PA’s demand for right of return’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Abbas tells Jordanian newspaper that PLO will continue fight for Palestinian refugees even if a Palestinian state is recognized on the pre-1967 lines; says he strongly opposes armed intifada against Israel.

Sects on TV? Not in Iraq
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Historical drama ‘Hassan and Hussein’ about two of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandsons angers Shi’ites and prompts calls for ban.

Jewish Ideas Daily: Who speaks for Israeli Arabs?
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Papp?©’s implacable hostility distinguishes him even in the pantheon of Blame-Israel-First revisionists.

Israeli efforts move to influencing wording of PA state bid
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Barak on Palestinian turn to UN: “It is very important that all the players come up with a text that will emphasize the quick return to negotiations.”

Lower car prices
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – There has been little outrage at this lopsided problem: Israelis make less and yet pay more for cars.

The case for Israeli intervention in Syria
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – There is no question Israel will have to deal with a post-Assad Syria, so why not start that process now?

My problems with hasbara
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Not everybody needs to — or should — be a hasbara activist. There are many other ways for Jewish students to be involved in Jewish campus life.

The devastating truth about water and Palestinian statehood
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Documents prove PA claims are all wet.

PMO mum on report gov’t requests Marmara report delay
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Channel 2 reports Netanyahu told US that in 6 months time he expects to be stronger politically, better able to deal with consequences of report.

The Region: What Middle East pundits get wrong
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – A British writer named David Hearst has suggested in the ‘Guardian’ that Israel will disappear because Arabs and Muslims continue to “resist” its existence.

Candidly Speaking: Justifying murder — an abomination
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Even before the Middle Ages, we encountered marginal Jews who turned against their own people.

‘Egypt mulling buffer zone on Gaza border’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Egyptian military officials finalizing plan for combating smuggling from Sinai; last protesters dispersed from Israeli Embassy in Cairo.

‘Single strike would not halt Iran’s nuclear program’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Senior defense official says Iran’s nuclear program not easily derailed like Iraq or Syria; claims Iranian regime’s biggest fear is US.

Libyan NTC: We won’t hand over Lockerbie bomber
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Neighbors describe Megrahi, a man charged with orchestrating Pan Am 103 attack that killed 270, as a wealthy recluse surrounded by guards.

New Yorkers come out to inspect aftermath of Irene
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Weather front which was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm did not come close to wreaking the havoc many feared it might.

Hundreds gather at Gaza border for Schalit’s birthday
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Likud MK Hotovely reportedly booed by crowd at rally; Sarkozy, Juppe write letters to Noam, Aviva Schalit to mark Gilad’s 25th birthday.

Young doctors vow to resign despite IMA, Treasury deal
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Group of medical residents and young specialists says agreement to end doctors’ dispute insufficient; call on Netanyahu to save health system.

Libya threatens to become terrorist arms depot
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Post-Gaddafi chaos exposes arsenals of small arms and chemicals to raids by smugglers and militants.

Iranian FM warns NATO against intervening in Syria
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – “Syria is the front-runner in Middle Eastern resistance (to Israel) and NATO cannot intimidate this country with an attack,” Salehi says.

Sarkozy, Jupp?© mark Gilad Schalit’s 25th birthday
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – French leaders write letters to captive soldier’s parents saying they would do everything in their capacity to free him.

Police free southern mob boss linked to Tzanani probe
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Lawyers say Shalom Domrani’s arrest unnecessary from the outset; indictment against “Star is Born” judge expected this week.

‘Gaddafi fighters may have shot Libyan rebel prisoners’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – HRW: Evidence strongly suggests that Gaddafi government forces went on a spate of arbitrary killing as Tripoli was falling.

Libyan rebels: No talks unless Gaddafi surrenders
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Official: “No negotiation is taking place with Gaddafi. If he wants to surrender, then we will negotiate and we will capture him.”

Turkish president: We have lost our confidence in Syria
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Gul expresses sadness over number of deaths during anti-Assad rallies; Arab states urge end to bloodshed, send envoy to push for reforms.

Egypt’s Brotherhood declares war on the bikini
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – “Freedom and Justice” party leader: “We must place regulations on tourists wishing to visit Egypt.”

Arab states urge end to Syria bloodshed, send envoy
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Move comes as Syrian forces fight gun battles near Damascus with army defectors who refused to shoot at a pro-democracy protest.

‘Netanyahu, a birthday present for Gilad – his life back’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2011 – Captive soldier’s parents hold signs at protest to mark his 25th birthday; dozens of activists join them outside PM’s J’lem office.

The Guardian

Israeli activists squat empty Jerusalem buildings to protest over costly housing
The Guardian 28 Aug 2011 – Social justice campaigners unveil ‘People’s House’ in abandoned state-owned building and call for ‘national squatting movement’ Social justice activists have embarked on a series of lightning squats of unoccupied buildings as part of a six-week protest…

Samira Hassassian obituary
The Guardian 28 Aug 2011 – My friend Samira Hassassian, who has died of cancer aged 57, worked tirelessly for the rights of the Palestinian people and supported several charities connected with the art world, in particular the El-Shashat charity devoted to…

Uruknet

Tripoli: Now fears of disease rise as bodies pile up on the streets
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – …The shortages are of water, electricity, medicine and fuel, all the basic necessities….Some claimed that what little food was available was being denied to them. At a tiny market near Green Square, a group of women was looking forlornly at an empty row of stalls. They were originally from surrounding countries in the region,…

Syria in crisis with Arab League over peace plan
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – Syria’s ties with the Arab League were thrown into crisis Sunday over a proposed peace plan, as it reformed press laws while activists called a day of prayers for “martyrs” of the anti-regime uprising. As security forces killed at least five more people across the country, according to activists, Damascus said an Arab League…

How Israel takes its revenge on boys who throw stones
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – The boy, small and frail, is struggling to stay awake. His head lolls to the side, at one point slumping on to his chest. “Lift up your head! Lift it up!” shouts one of his interrogators, slapping him. But the boy by now is past caring, for he has been awake for at least…

Libyan rebels may recognize Israel
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – WASHINGTON – The rebels of Libya’s National Transitional Council are prepared to recognize Israel diplomatically, and Israeli businessmen already are arriving in Libya to establish future business activities with the “new government,” informed sources have told Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. “This area may just become Israel’s new best friend in the Middle East,” the…

Never Forgive, Never Forget
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – After covering Libya’s rape since last winter in dozens of articles, no forgiving or forgetting is possible for one of history’s great crimes. Nor is ignoring those responsible, condemning them forthrightly, and explaining why all wars are waged. NATO outdid Orwell on this one, killing truth by calling war the responsibility to protect -…

Libya crisis: Rebel leaders hoping to starve Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte into submission
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – Opposition fighters claim to have moved to within 20 miles of the coastal city on its western side and were yesterday also closing in from the east, where they have taken control of Bin Jawad, the last major town before Sirte. With Tripoli in rebel hands, the city is the biggest remaining base of…

Two Sunni Leaders Among 18 Iraqis Killed; 41 More Wounded
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – At least 18 Iraqis were killed and 41 more were wounded in attacks across the country. The north seemed particularly vulnerable, with a number of casualties occurring in and around Mosul. Meanwhile, three Sunni leaders were the targets of assassins in Anbar province. Only one of them survived. In Baghdad, two roadside bombs killed…

Jerusalem parking lot ‘to be built on private Palestinian land’
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – – Israeli authorities in Jerusalem are to build a parking lot on privately-owned Palestinian land in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the city, a local resident told Ma’an. The compound is to be built on 4,000 square meters of land owned by Kamal Ubeidat, who told Ma’an that he has a deed from the…

Apt Pupils: Lynch Law in Libya
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – It seems the Freedom Fighters in Libya are upholding one of the most venerable historical traditions of their American mentors: killing black men. The Independent reports: The killings were pitiless. They had taken place at a makeshift hospital, in a tent marked clearly with the symbols of the Islamic Crescent. Some of the dead…

The Tripoli Massacres (Updated)
Uruknet August 28, 2011 – Investigations are called for. Seriously. Blood samples should be taken, forensic work on government vehicles and rebel ones, and the like – all science, all access. I don’t trust what the BBC called “the existing Commission of Inquiry on Libya” that will naturally oversee an “inquiry.” These are terrible things happening, and I fear…

Syria News – August 27, 2011 (Videos)
Uruknet Damscus Suburbs: Harasta: fall of martyr Samer Afandi due to heavy shooting on a big demonstration that was heading to the highway leading to Damascus to prevent it from moving to the capital despite the protesters attempts, news about splits in the army on the entrances of the city… Homs: martyrdom of Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Najar (60 years old),…

New Wikileaks cable shows Israel’s West Bank blockade
Uruknet August 27 2011 – ….A recently released Wikileaks cable reveals another aspect of the Israeli control over the gates to the West Bank: the control over international workers for the Palestinian Authority. The document details the story of an American citizen who was detained at Allenby Crossing (the main gateway to the Palestinian Territories, on the Israel-Jordanian border)….

Video: NATO-led rebels – Plundering in peaceful neighborhood in Tripoli – 08-25-.2011
Uruknet

Doctors unleash legal challenge over inquest Dr David Kelly never had
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Doctors are preparing to challenge the Government’s decision not to hold an inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly. In June, Attorney General Dominic Grieve ruled one out after telling Parliament evidence that the weapons inspector killed himself was ‘overwhelmingly strong’. He was responding to legal papers sent to his office by the…

Aipac uses fear of Palestinian statehood initiative to raise money
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – From an AIPAC fundraising letter: In the coming weeks AIPAC and its members will be working with our leader in Washington to: Ensure the United States makes clear to the Palestinians that it will veto any such resolution at the U.N. Security Council. Urge our government to press the PA to return to the…

As Expected, Widespread Racist Murders In Libya At The Hands Of Rebel Forces Revealed
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – …I was watching the Qatari propaganda outlet Al Jazeera earlier today and I witnessed a fascinating exchange between a homogenous panel of “experts” discussing the future of Libya and the relations with the African Union. One member of the panel was a spokesman for the illegitimate Libyan NTC. This individual parroted every single thoroughly…

Thousands Protest In Front Of Israeli Embassy In Cairo
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Thousands of Egyptians continued their protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Cairo, to stop gas exports to Tel Aviv and to void the Camp David peace deal between Egypt and Israel. The protest started on Friday morning while thousands continue to express their…

Secrecy, leaks, and the real criminals
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Ali Soufan is a long-time FBI agent and interrogator who was at the center of the U.S. government’s counter-terrorism activities from 1997 through 2005, and became an outspoken critic of the government’s torture program. He has written a book exposing the abuses of the CIA’s interrogation program as well as pervasive ineptitude and corruption…

Photogallery: NATO will bring democracy into your home… (into graveyard?)
Uruknet

Nations sanitize Libya lingo for the war weary
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – On March 19, a coalition of nations allied with rebel fighters in Libya to help drive Muammar Gaddafi from power. NATO forces, including Britain, France, Canada and the United States began with sorties, a naval blockade and the firing of deadly Tomahawk cruise missiles. On that day, all became participants in a bloody fight,…

Witnesses: Settlers attack olive trees in Salfit
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Settlers on Saturday cut down Palestinian-owned olive trees in Salfit in the northern West Bank, witnesses said. A group of settlers destroyed eight olive trees and damaged two lemon trees belonging to farmer Abdel Razzaq Khaled Mansour in the Wadi Qana area of Deir Istaya, locals told Ma’an…

The fruits of elite immunity
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Less than three years ago, Dick Cheney was presiding over policies that left hundreds of thousands of innocent people dead from a war of aggression, constructed a worldwide torture regime, and spied on thousands of Americans without the warrants required by law, all of which resulted in his leaving office as one of the…

Trafficked to Baghdad’s Green Zone
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Ukrainian and Bulgarian workers are currently camped out on a construction site of half-built luxury villas in Baghdad’s elite “Green Zone” – a vast security enclave housing government offices, embassies and international NGOs – demanding their salaries before being shipped back home. Although the 2005 Iraqi constitution bans human trafficking, Iraq has no anti-trafficking…

Female Trafficking Soars in Iraq
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – Many virgin teenage girls are sold for around 5,000 dollars, and trafficked to popular destinations like northern Iraq, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Non-virgins are about half that price…. Rania and two other girls visited a house in Baghdad’s Al-Jihad district, where girls as young as 16 were held to cater exclusively to…

A First Person Account of Al Quds Day at Qalandiya
Uruknet August 27, 2011 – As I approached Qalandiya checkpoint, the anticipation and uncertainty overwhelmed me. I distinguished familiar houses and shops in which we sought refuge from the Israeli forces on the protests of 15 May and 5 June. At one particular point, as we drew nearer to the checkpoint, I recognized a distinct smell. I immediately turned…

Daily Star

Libyan rebels advance on last Gadhafi bastion
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Libyan rebels closed in on Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte from both the east and west Sunday, a senior military commander said…

Syria snubs friends’ advice
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Syria’s ties with the Arab League were thrown into crisis Sunday over a proposed peace plan…

Mikati’s return met with scathing attacks
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Prime Minister Najib Mikati shrugged off an escalating crisis that threatens the solidarity of his Cabinet…

Mansour urges NTC envoy to follow up Sadr’s fate
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour called on the envoy of Libya’s National Transitional Council to the Arab League to follow up on the issue of disappearance of cleric Imam Musa Sadr, the state-run National News Agency reported…

Sleiman visits Jumblatt, discusses current events
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 President Michel Sleiman visited Sunday evening Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and discussed with him recent political developments in Lebanon and the region.

Kahwagi calls for caution and readiness
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Lebanese Army commander General Jean Kahwagi called for caution and readiness in light of the developments taking place throughout the Arab world, the state-run National News Agency reported Sunday.

Future Movement MPs show support for army and Daher
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 A group of Future Movement lawmakers in north Lebanon visited Akkar MP Khaled Daher Sunday, in a show of support for his comments on the independence of the national army last week…

Government wants to exclude expatriate vote: MP Harb
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Batroun MP Butros Harb accused the Foreign Ministry of attempting to exclude the expatriate vote from the next parliamentary elections, adding that it was in the interests of the government to do so.

Lebanon to vote in favor of Palestine
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 With Lebanon due to take over the United Nations Security Council presidency this week, the biggest issue of its month-long tenure is anticipated to be a vote for Palestinian statehood.

Protesters block Gaza aid on Shalit’s birthday
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Israelis protested Sunday near Israel’s southern border with Gaza to mark the 25th birthday of soldier Gilad Shalit, who was snatched by Palestinian militants in June 2006, an organizer said.

Palestinian ‘legal formula’ to change after U.N.
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that the full U.N. membership which his leadership is seeking next month would change the legal formula of Palestinian situation.

Al-Qaeda branch says it was behind twin Algeria attacks
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said Sunday it had carried out a twin suicide attack on an Algerian military academy that killed 18 people including officers in training from Syria and Tunisia.

Death sentence for Iranian scientist’s killer
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 An Iranian accused of assassinating a scientist on behalf of Israel has been sentenced to death, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported Sunday.

Egypt police arrest militant linked to string of attacks
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Police arrested one of Egypt’s most-wanted Islamist militants as he arrived back in the country Sunday following an order to leave Iran, airport security sources and state media said.

Iraq under greater threat as Al-Qaeda resurfaces
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Al-Qaeda has resurfaced in former Iraqi strongholds, adding to the threat from more powerful Shiite militias just as U.S. troops prepare to leave, Iraqi officials say.

Deadly bombings, shootings cap bloody weekend in Iraq
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Bomb and gun attacks across Iraq Sunday killed five people, among them two policemen, and wounded another five, security officials said.

Turkey returns confiscated property in gesture to minority groups
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Turkey’s government is returning hundreds of properties confiscated from the country’s Christian and Jewish minorities…

Mass killings signal rough future for Libya
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Mass killings that have taken place in Tripoli since the fall of Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi provide a harrowing warning that more carnage may lie ahead.

Rebels will not hand over Lockerbie bomber
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Libya will not extradite Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing, a minister in Libya’s rebel National Transitional Council said Sunday.

Abandoned homes tell tales of Gadhafi kids
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 The homes of fallen Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi’s children tell of the siblings’ privileged and security-conscious lives but do not display the extravagance of ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s sons.

Witness identifies suspect in London Libyan Embassy killing
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Eyewitness reports emerged Saturday identifying a prime suspect in the 1984 killing of a policewoman outside the Libyan Embassy in London, as Britain said the downfall of Moammar Gadhafi might help solve the case.

3 Syrian opposition figures banned from travel
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Michel Kilo, Loay Hussein and Fayez Sara on their way to Lebanon to take part in a televised discussion when told by Syrian immigration authorities at the border they were prohibited from leaving out of concern…

Cabinet discussions over electricity bill constructive: Mikati
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Prime Minister describes Cabinet’s ongoing discussions about the draft electricity bill as constructive, expresses hope that the draft might be finalized during Cabinet’s next meeting on Sept. 7.

Iran condemns ‘Israel spy’ to death
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Iran sentenced to death a man accused of playing a key role in the 2010 murder of a top nuclear scientist and of spying for Israel, IRNA reported Sunday.

Syria’s Assad issues decree on media law: SANA
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Syrian President issues a decree on a new media law that would ban journalists being jailed and also give them access to information, the official news agency SANA reported.

Israel ‘will consider’ any request for more Sinai troops
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that if Egypt asked to increase its troops in the Sinai peninsula, the request would be brought before the security cabinet, according to public radio.

Libya rebels tighten noose on Gadhafi bastion
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 Rebel forces move to within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of Sirte from the west and capture Bin Jawad 100 kilometres to the east, rebel commander in Misrata, Mohammed al-Fortiya, tells AFP.

Government wants to exclude expat vote: March 14 MP
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 MP Butros Harb accuses the Foreign Ministry of attempting to exclude the expatriate vote from the next parliamentary elections, adding that it is in the interests of the government to do so.

Iran lawyer seeks appeal for jailed U.S. hikers
Daily Star 28 Aug 2011 The lawyer of two American hikers sentenced to eight years in jail on charges of espionage said he has appealed the verdict, stressing his clients are innocent.

YNet News

Israeli diplomats train on ‘Twitter PR’
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Staff members in Israeli missions worldwide are learning how to bolster their messages on the internet and social networks in preparation for September’s UN vote on the … ….

Obama on Irene: ‘This is not over’
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – President Barack Obama says Sunday that while Tropical Storm Irene is weakening, it is still a threat to those communities in its path. Speaking from the Rose … ….

Israel ‘could not stop’ nuclear Iran with one strike
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Israel would not be able to halt Iran’s reported quest for atomic weapons with a single strike, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday. Israel and the West … ….

September report to remain secret
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC) voted Sunday against the publication of a controversial report criticizing Israel’s readiness for September … ….

Hundreds mark Shalit’s 25th birthday
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Hundreds of people marched from the Yad Mordechai Junction to the Erez Crossing on Sunday where a rally marking captive soldier Gilad Shalit’s 25th birthday was held. … ….

Man gets death in killing of Iran physicist
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – A man was sentenced to death on Sunday in the killing last year of a Tehran physicist, an assassination that authorities blamed on Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the … ….

Report: Shalit talks to resume next week
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – London’s Al Hayat says efforts to secure release of Hamas-held soldier to….

Libya: Gaddafi planned to crown himself king
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Brief unearthed by Britain’s Daily Telegraph reveals fallen regime’s plans to….

PM: Cabinet will rule on changes in Egypt peace deal
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Benjamin Netanyahu tells cabinet Israel remains vigilant vis-?†-vis security….

Glen Beck: Hurricane Irene is a blessing
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Grade one storm has already claimed 10 lives but controversial US radio….

ACRI eyes ‘social justice legislation’
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Association for Civil Rights in Israel aims to see social rights anchored among….

Analysts: Al-Qaeda’s core virtually finished
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Intelligence experts say killing Atiyah abd al-Rahman a serious blow to terror….

‘Give Gilad his life back for his birthday’
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Noam and Aviva Shalit mark their son’s 25th birthday, his sixth in captivity,….

Hurricane Irene pounds East Coast; 10 dead
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – New York City braces for barreling storm as 1.8 million people remain without….

IDF gears for outpost removals
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Military brief circulated among Judea and Samaria sector regiments outlines IDF….

Arab League tells Syria to end bloodshed
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Pan-Arab association sends Secretary-General Elaraby to Damascus to push for….

Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired at south
YNet News, 28 Aug 2011 – Sporadic fire at western Negev continues despite armistice declared by Gaza….

Palestinian Information Center

Abbas: I am ready to resume peace talks with Israelis
PIC – Mahmoud Abbas declared his willingness to listen to any international proposal that can convince him to resume peace talks with Israelis and refrain from resorting to the UN.

Israeli court places mother, her three sons under house arrest
PIC – An Israeli court in occupied Jerusalem arbitrarily issued a verdict of house arrest against Palestinian activist Abeer Abu Khadir, three of her sons and one of her relatives.

Haneyya: No turning back on Palestinian reconciliation
PIC – Prime minister of the government in Gaza Ismail Haneyya reiterated on Saturday evening that there is no turning back on Palestinian reconciliation, describing national unity as a “safety valve”.

Wife banned from visiting Gilbo’a prisoner for six months
PIC – A Palestinian woman has been banned from visiting her husband in the Israeli Gilbo’a prison for six months after she refused to visit him by herself two months ago.

PA security storm home of senior Islamic Jihad member
PIC – The Palestinian Authority security services Saturday afternoon stormed the home of senior member of the Islamic Jihad Palestinian resistance group Bassam al-Saadi, 50, in Jenin.

Cairo called to oversee reconciliation after Ramadan prisoner deal breached
PIC – The families of the West Bank political prisoners committee has released an important report documenting statistics on the West Bank security services in Ramadan as the holy month comes to a close.

WAFA

Abbas: UN will be our Reference Once we Gain International Recognition
WAFA

Israeli Forces Assault Palestinian, Arrest Five and Raid Villages in West Bank
WAFA

Settler Runs Over Palestinian Child in Hebron
WAFA

King of Saudi Arabia to Hosts at his Own Expenses 2000 Palestinian Pilgrims
WAFA

Israeli Forces Hinder Passage of Palestinians at Crossing in Jericho
WAFA

Israel Traffics Palestinian Body Parts, Says Qaraqe’e
WAFA

Arab League Donates 11400 Food Packages to Prisoners’ Families
WAFA

Russia Understands, Supports Palestinian Bid to UN, Said Shaath
WAFA

Israel Exploits 90% of Shared Water Resources, says Official
WAFA

Newspaper Review: Abbas Reiterates Palestinian Bid to UN
WAFA

Ashrawi Presses for EU Support for Palestinian UN Bid
WAFA

Los Angeles Times

Libya rebels bask in victory and look to the future
LA Times 27 Aug 2011 – Two working-class cousins who took up arms against Moammar Kadafi’s forces reflect on their improbable victory and the challenges facing the country they helped remake. The two cousins still couldn’t believe it. Just six months ago, they were working-class guys in the coastal town of…

Syria moves to halt spread of unrest into central Damascus
LA Times 27 Aug 2011 – Syrian security forces step up checkpoints and patrols in Damascus, a stronghold for President Bashar Assad. Iran, Syria’s closest ally, presses Assad to heed ‘legitimate’ public demands. Security forces in the Syrian capital increased checkpoints, troop deployments and helicopter patrols Saturday in a bid to…

Libya rebels solidify hold on Tripoli amid discoveries of bodies
LA Times 27 Aug 2011 – With Tripoli apparently subdued, attention turns to the coastal city of Surt, Moammar Kadafi’s hometown and last major stronghold of support. Bodies are found at several sites in Tripoli. Libyan rebel forces consolidated their control of Tripoli on Saturday, even as the discovery of bodies…

New York Times

Turkish Leader Says He Has Lost Confidence in Assad
New York Times 28 Aug 2011 – President Abdullah Gul of Turkey stopped just short of calling for Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to step down.

29 Reported Dead in Suicide Bomb in Iraq Mosque
New York Times 28 Aug 2011 – An attack on a Baghdad mosque was similar to the one that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war five years ago.

Misc

Minnesota sheriff to buy Verint system
Neged Neshek – Cass County, Minnesota has approved the purchase of Verint’s Audiolog call recording system for the county sheriff’s office. The Audiolog system is used in numerous US police and emergency services departments.

IMI small arms seized in Guatemala
Neged Neshek – 17 Galil rifles have been seized this year in Guatemala during police investigations into the thousands of murders committed to date this year. There was no information on the source of the rifles, but Israel sold 15,000 Israeli Military Industries Galils to Guatemala in November, 1977…

‘What was that?’ my sister cried. ‘Thunder,’ I lied. That night they killed 3
Mondoweiss – Far away from my noisy sisters fighting over a broken remote control, a desperate attempt to escape my death-entrenched life seeped through a rusty window as I gazed at a glittering sea. Somewhere on the other end, live another people with no “collateral damage” or “Rafah…

Serious questions on Palestine UN bid raised in legal opinion
Mondoweiss – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has called the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) bid for United Nations recognition of a state of Palestine next month a diplomatic “tsunami.” The United States has threatened to cut off aid to the PA if they proceed with the UN gambit….

Ahmad Tibi rips AIPAC junket in Salon
Mondoweiss – Palestinian Knesset member Ahmad Tibi took special aim atJesse Jackson Jr. of the Congressional Black Caucus partaking in AIPAC’s Israel junket after qualifying that he never expects anything else from “shillings” Cantor or Hoyer. And at Salon , no less: The real story, tweeted by one wit,…

Bad interventions, and a few good ones– which was Libya?
Mondoweiss – The Qaddafi family is apparently about to fall in Libya, and I am still not sure exactly what I think about the Western military intervention to support the rebels. What does it matter what I, an American citizen with no special knowledge of Libya, think? Libyan…

Israel will hear your confession now
Mondoweiss – ‘ From stabbing IDF soldiers to having them as teammates, Palestinian uses football for peace ‘has to be the most disingenuous headline for an article on the colonizer-colonized relationship, even by the standards of JTA, The Global News Service of the Jewish People . It refers to…

Lieberman Accuses Abbas of Seeking ‘Takeover of Israel from Within’
Tikun Olam – Avigdor Lieberman: Wikileaks cable notes proposal to eliminate Israeli Palestinian citizens Poor Avigdor Lieberman: he “can’t get no respect” from Mahmoud Abbas , who won’t concede that Israel is, and must forever be a Jewish state (regardless of how many non-Jews are citizens): Lieberman said‚Ķthat a statement…

Of Gremlins, Liars and Pro-Israel Hoaxsters
Tikun Olam – Several friends have received false claims (and a would-be commenter on this blog tried to publish this as well) that I lied about the dismissal of the libel charge against me filed by Rachel Neuwirth. In order to lay this to rest (except for the Birthers…

Israel’s UN Ambassador: No Chance of Stopping Palestinian Statehood, Bibi to Stay Home in September
Tikun Olam – Haaretz reports that Israel’s UN ambassador alerted his colleagues in the foreign ministry that Israel faces no chance of stopping the juggernautfor Palestinian statehood in the General Assembly next month: Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, sent a classified cable to the Foreign Ministry…

Misc 2

Voltaire Network journalists have left Libya
Voltaire Network 28 Aug 2011 – Team of Voltaire Network journalists have left Tripoli Sunday, 28 August 2011, 06:10 pm GMT – According to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs crisis center, the three journalists of French nationality are aboard a rescue ship and have already left Libya. Voltaire Network wishes to…

Israeli Women Visit Beit Ommar
Palestine Solidarity Project 28 Aug 2011 – This past Saturday, twenty-eight Israeli women visited Beit Ommar at the invitation of the Beit Ommar Women’s Committee. The event was organised to give the women a chance to eat together, mingle, and discuss the challenges that citizens of Beit Ommar face on a daily basis….

Israeli protests fight injustice — as long as it’s convenient
Joseph Dana 28 Aug 2011 – Last weekend, more than 300,000 Israelis protested for economic reform throughoutthecountry. In Tel Aviv,theepicentre ofthehousing protests, 250,000 Israelis marched tothedefence ministry chantingtheslogan “thepeople want social justice”.Thedemonstrations were some ofthelargest in Israel’s history and have pumped new life intothecorpse of Israel’s leftist political movement. Buttheone issue glaringly…

J14: The exclusive revolution
Joseph Dana 28 Aug 2011 – How the largest social justice movement in Israel’s history managed to ignore the Palestinians This piece was co-written with Max Blumenthal . A shorter version originally appeared on Alternet . The men and women who set out to build a Jewish state in historic Palestine made little secret…

Rebels fear for Gaddafi prisoners
BBC 28 Aug 2011 – Rebels in Libya say they are concerned over the fate of thousands of prisoners who were held in jails in Tripoli by the Gaddafi regime.

Lockerbie bomber found ‘in coma’
BBC 28 Aug 2011 – Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is at death’s door in the care of his family at home in Tripoli, CNN says.

Arab League chief to visit Syria
BBC 28 Aug 2011 – The Arab League says it will send Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi to Syria to try to resolve the crisis in the country.

Death for ‘Israeli spy’ in Iran
BBC 28 Aug 2011 – An Iranian man is sentenced to death for killing one of the country’s nuclear scientists, according to state media.

Articles

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The Rise of the Intifada Generation
Nadia Hijab, Agence Global8/25/2011
For more than sixty years, the Palestinian struggle for liberation has inflamed and inspired Arab peoples around a common goal, however maddening the divisions or unattainable the end might at times have appeared, and despite the high cost in lives and resources.
Lebanese agronomist Rami Zurayk, who travels widely in the Arab world and is the author of the recently published Food, Farming, and Freedom: Sowing the Arab Spring, observes that a common culture has persevered even during times of political enmity. “Cultural genes are passed on. The issue of Palestine is always present, an integral part of the way Arab regimes failed the people and failed the Arab nation. Was I around in 1948? Of course I wasn’t. Do I cry for the Nakba? Of course I do,” he says, referring to Israel’s dispossession and exile of the Palestinians in 1948.
Given these sentiments, it’s reasonable to ask whether the Palestinian struggle has influenced today’s Arab Awakening — and whether the Arab Awakening has, in turn, energized the Palestinian struggle. The answer to both questions is yes; inspiration has flowed in both directions.
The May 15 Return to Palestine marches, undertaken by Palestinians and their supporters in neighboring countries and within both the occupied territories and Israel, were clearly inspired by the uprisings elsewhere, and they marked the first time the Nakba has been commemorated in this way since Israel dispossessed and exiled the Palestinians in 1948. They have not only given visible public expression to the refugees’ demand to exercise their right of return but are also reclaiming the vision of a Palestinian people united by a struggle that goes beyond the so-far fruitless quest for a sovereign, independent state. more.. e-mail

Interview with Fatah PLC Member Kokali: September, Unity Government and Fatah-Hamas Relations
Alternative Information Center8/25/2011
The Alternative Information Center (AIC) interviewed Palestinian Legislative Council Member Fuad Kokali about the PLO initiative in September, the fledgling Palestinian unity government and Fatah-Hamas relations. Kokali, the head of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council, is a former mayor of the West Bank city of Beit Sahour (2000-2005), a social worker and veteran prisoner of Israeli jails.
AIC: We talked to a member of Hamas, who believes they have a stronger card on the negotiating table with Israel due to their use of violent resistance. What do you think are the strongest cards on the table for the PLO at the moment?
Kokali: Hamas wants to continue its military struggle, but even if they fight for another 40 years, what will they get? Military struggle is a tool that can only be used during specific situations. I don’t believe in armed resistance anymore. I used it the past when I was part of a secret organization that undertook armed actions against the occupation, for which I spent many years in prison. Armed resistance is a tool but not a goal.
Don’t forget that Fatah was the first to take up arms against the occupation. The reason we used military resistance 30 years ago was that we were being ignored back then, we were not on the map and not recognized as a people. Especially the Israelis ignored us, but also the international community said there were no Palestinians, that we are just Arab tribes. But through our resistance we convinced the world that we are people with history, with dignity, with culture. We resisted and showed them that we are not tribes that will disappear. The Palestinians are the future — and this occupation will pass, like so many have passed before. more.. e-mail

Israel wages war on Iranian scientists
Mahan Abedin, Asia Times8/27/2011
As the trial of Majid Jamali Fashi, the confessed murderer of Iranian physicist Massoud Ali Mohammadi, gets underway in Tehran, more light has been shed on the secret but intense Israeli war against Iranian scientists.
Amid the confusion, rampant speculation and propaganda, two issues are clear. Foremost, the four-year Israeli assassination campaign exposes the weaknesses in Iranian protective security measures. Second, if the campaign continues apace, Iran will come under increasing pressure to strike back.
Posthumous hero
In many ways, Ali Mohammadi fits the profile of the dozens of Iranian scientists that have been targeted for recruitment, coercion or in his case assassination by Western and Israeli intelligence services. With a long and distinguished academic career, during which he published 53 research articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, Ali Mohammadi was also engaged in undeclared projects that were clearly of immense interest to intelligence services.
A quantum field theorist and a professor of elementary particle physics at Tehran University, Ali Mohammadi was assassinated by means of a booby-trapped motorbike on January 12, 2010, immediately outside his home in the Gheytariyeh neighborhood of northern Tehran.
Although Ali Mohammadi is not known to have any declared links to Iran’s nuclear program or any other sensitive project, it is clear from the trial of his alleged murderer that he was involved in work that was deemed to be of great national importance. more.. e-mail

My Father’s Note: Our Inalienable Rights
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Aug 2011 – By Midhat Ayyad Recently I obtained a note entitled ‘Dangerous Lookout’, written in Arabic by my deceased father, Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyad (May he rest in peace). The note resembles a legal document; and I say this because translating it proved to be a difficult task. This note was written during the years when my father was employed as a secretary and as an accountant at the township where my family resides. And this was at least a decade ago, so it may reflect different circumstances. The note addresses the Palestinian refugees, and its points are of relevant importance. One point in this note is a warning, which I will elaborate over in the conclusion part of this article. As for the note in its entirety, I did the translation myself. I could have spent more time interpreting and connecting the note to this article, or even gotten professional translation, but…more

The Apartheid of Identity: Lifting Zionism’s Cloak
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Aug 2011 – By Shafiq Morton — Cape Town, South Africa The other day a mainstream newspaper published a piece I wrote exhorting Israelis to throw off the cloak of Zionism. They had to do this, I said, to see the integrity of recent Palestinian efforts towards unity, negotiation and peaceful statehood. Egyptian-brokered efforts endorsed by Syria to bring Hamas and Fatah together after a four year impasse, had met with some success, especially after Turkey’s intervention in May this year. I also said that the recent Arab Spring had changed the face of the Middle East. In the same way the Arab street had lost its fear of its dictators, it was now equally unfazed by Israel. The diplomatic stage would never be the same again, and subservient actors such as Egypt’s Omar Suleiman were no longer on the scene. In my piece I pointed out too that informed commentary on the…more

Slaughter in Gaza Amid World Silence
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Aug 2011 – By Richard Lightbown In the words of Julie Webb-Pullman (reporting from Gaza) ‘civilians are once again being slaughtered by Israel in a blatant act of collective punishment for the Eilat crimes they did not even commit’. Indeed, as politicians and the military in Israel and Egypt seem unsure of how to react to the attacks of 18 August, they do at least seem confident in being able to turn the screws on the captive population of the Palestinian enclave. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak is reported saying “This is a delicate situation and there is a real risk of endangering the [1979 Egyptian-Israeli] peace treaty, which is a precious strategic asset for Israel”. Egypt remains rankled by the incident in which five members of its security forces were killed in two separate incidents by Israeli forces, while its popular opinion at least is also concerned about attacks in Gaza. One…more

Arrigoni: Suspects to Be Tried in September
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Aug 2011 – By Michele Giorgio In recent days we have truly felt the loss of Vittorio Arrigoni. The man we loved to call ‘Vik’ spoiled us with accurate real time information on what was happening in Gaza, without neglecting the smallest of details. His contribution would have been invaluable during these hours that the Gaza Strip is reliving the fear of Israeli bombing, “targeted” attacks which are not really so targeted and tanks ready to engage in devastating raids deep into the strip of Palestinian land which always ends up paying for everyone. Even now Vik could have told us much, but young assassins allegedly from the Salafist group “Tawhid Wal Jihad” — apparently wanting to establish themselves as an armed group by means of the important kidnapping last 15 April, ripped Vittorio away from his family and friends and to many others in Italy (and not only Italy) who followed his…more

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