9 October 2011 , 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli Military Takes Precautions To Prevent Leaks Regarding Removal Of Minor Outposts
IMEMC – Sunday October 09, 2011 – 12:54, According to Israeli sources, the military has taken a number of measures to prevent leaks by soldiers about when minor settlement outposts will be dismantled. This is due to recent occurrences of soldiers sharing information with settlers in order to obstruct the Israeli procedures.
Israel To Release Remains of Abu Zent , 35 Years Later
IMEMC – Saturday October 08, 2011 – 13:35, Israeli authorities have decided to release the remains of Hafeth Abu Zent on Sunday at Jaljolia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Qalqilia. The body had been kept for 35 years in the so- called Israeli Cemetery of Numbers, the Ma’an News Agency reported.
PA: Settlers damage land in northern West Bank
10/9/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Settlers caused damage several Palestinian villages’ land in the Qalqiliya and Nablus districts on Sunday, an official said. Palestinian Authority settlement affairs official Ghassan Doughlas told Ma’an that farmers from Farata village, east of Qalqiliya had arrived at their land to find that olives had been stolen. Israeli….
Local official: Bulldozers destroy land in al-Walaja
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli bulldozers on Sunday destroyed agricultural land belonging to the village of al-Walaja, northwest of Bethlehem, local officials said. Head of al-Walaja village council Saleh Khalifa said that a number of bulldozers accompanied by Israeli soliders destroyed land in the Ein Jozeh area of the village to expand the separation wall….
Settlers clash with Palestinian farmers
10/9/2011 – NABLUS (AFP) — Jewish settlers clashed with Palestinian farmers on Sunday, as they tried to pick olives from land owned by relatives of two men convicted of killing a settler family. At least three Palestinians were injured when dozens of settlers from Itamar armed with sticks and stones attacked the group of about 50 workers harvesting….
Minister: Hunger strike about isolation, not chicken
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The main goal of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails is an end to solitary confinement policies, the Palestinian Authority prisoners’ affairs minister said Sunday. The use of isolation cells is the “strategic demand” of prisoners, who have refused food for 13 days, Issa Qaraqe said, accusing Israeli…. Related: Israel approves several hunger strike demands
Israel approves several hunger strike demands
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli prison authorities have decided to meet some of the demands by Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, detainees said Sunday. The prison administration has agreed to allow the transmission of satellite television, has allowed prisoners to go on family visits without handcuffs, and has permitted visits between different…. Related: Minister: Hunger strike about isolation, not chicken
Report: Israeli army tightens settler outpost evacuation procedures
10/9/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — The Israeli army has stopped soldiers who operate in the West Bank from taking part in dismantling illegal settlement outposts, Israeli media reported Sunday. Military commanders will alone be notified of the operations in advance, Israeli daily Haaretz said, adding that the new measures were to prevent leaks that….
Israeli forces arrest 4 men from Nablus
10/9/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested four people overnight Saturday in the village of Beita, south Nablus, locals and the army said. Witnesses in the village said that Israeli forces entered the village overnight and raided several houses. Islam Labeeb, 22, Samer Hamaeel, 30, Zahran Hamaeel, 18, and Abdulmenem Dwikat, 22, were arrested, villagers….
Israel transfers remains of fighter killed in 1976
10/9/2011 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities on Sunday afternoon transferred the remains of a Palestinian fighter killed in 1976 to the West Bank, a Ma’an correspondent said. The remains of Hafez Muhammad Hussein Abu Zant have been held for 35 years in Israeli custody. Abu Zant was killed while participating in an operation….
Israeli forces detain 2 near Bethlehem
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police detained two men in al-Khader in south Bethlehem on Sunday afternoon, witnesses said. Forces raided the family’s house and used spray-gas to disable Raed Salah and Muhammad al-Sarafandi before detaining them, locals told Ma’an. A pregnant relative who tried to intervene was also sprayed, they….
Minister: Tourism won’t be affected by US aid cuts
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Minister of tourism in the West Bank Kholoud Deibes said Sunday that tourism to Palestine will not be affected by aid cuts recently announced by the United States Congress. Tourism projects are largely developed through the private sector, Deibes told Ma’an, and thus the decision by Congress to freeze….
Quartet says will ask Israelis, Palestinians to meet in days
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Middle East Quartet will invite Israelis and Palestinians to meet in “coming days,” envoys said on Sunday after convening in Brussels to discuss their plan to revive negotiations. Quartet representative Tony Blair said Sunday’s meeting “showed the Quartet’s commitment to the timetable for talks set out….
Report: Israeli officials arrive in Egypt for talks
10/9/2011 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Israeli officials arrived in Cairo on Sunday to discuss security arrangements, Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper said. The delegation, which included a top defense official, came by private jet for talks on cooperation at the Israel-Egypt border and developments in Israeli-Palestinians relations, the report said. The officials were not identified, as….
PA: Quartet must act on Israeli settlement ‘provocations’
10/9/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority said on Sunday Israel’s decision to approve new housing units in an East Jerusalem settlement undermined the Middle East Quartet’s proposal for talks.”Israel’s approval of more settlement housing, this time in Pisgat Zeev, is a clear violation of the Quartet’….
Palestinian blogger wins honorary award
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian blogger and writer from the Gaza Strip has been awarded the Honorary Anna Lindh Mediterranean Journalist Award for 2011, a statement from the Anna Lindh foundation said Friday. Asma al-Ghoul was awarded the prize for her “commitment to freedom of expression and her courage in facing repression,” a statement…. Related: AsmaGaza blog (Arabic)
UNRWA calls for teachers to return to work
10/9/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday that teachers in Gaza should return to work permanently, welcoming a suspension in the workers’ union strike. Teachers in UNRWA-run schools in Gaza went on general strike on Wednesday to protest the dismissal of union chief Suheil al-Hindi. The union said it….
Israeli police: Second suspect held in Galilee mosque attack
10/9/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli police said Sunday a second suspect had been arrested following an arson attack on a mosque in northern Israel a week ago.” The suspect will appear in court on Monday for his remand to be extended,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, without providing further details. Media reports said he was a settler….
Israel forces search for settlement intruder ‘false alarm’
10/9/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces flooded checkpoints south of Nablus on Sunday afternoon, as Israeli media reported the army was tipped that an armed Palestinian entered Eli settlement. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an that hundreds of Israeli police and border guards, along with settlers, gathered at the Zatara and Huwwara checkpoints, while Israeli news….
Abbas in El Salvador to pitch UN recognition
10/9/2011 – SAN SALVADOR (AFP) — President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in El Salvador on the latest stop of a Latin American tour to round up support for UN recognition of a Palestinian state. Abbas, who arrived from the Dominican Republic on Saturday, was to meet with the local Palestinian community later in the day ahead of a meeting….
Israeli cabinet approves economic reforms
10/9/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s cabinet on Sunday approved the outline of economic reforms intended to address rising frustrations about the cost of living and income disparity in the Jewish state. The proposals, which passed 21-8, were laid out by a committee appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year, as Israelis took….
Egyptian finance minister: Qatar grants $500 million to help budget
10/9/2011 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egypt’s finance minister, who has been negotiating with Gulf Arab states for financial assistance, said on Sunday that Qatar had given a grant of $500 million to support the budget which has ballooned as a result of political turmoil. Hazem el-Beblawi said last week he was negotiating with Saudi Arabia and….
Syria warns of reprisals for recognition of opposition
10/9/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syria will retaliate against any country that recognizes the opposition National Council, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Sunday.” We will take significant measures against any country that recognizes this illegitimate council,” Muallem told a news conference, as the newly formed opposition group lobbied for support in Cairo….
Demonstrators storm Syrian embassy in Berlin
10/9/2011 – BERLIN (AFP) — A group of about 30 demonstrators stormed the Syrian embassy in Berlin overnight and confronted the ambassador to Germany, police said Sunday, following similar protests in other European capitals. No one was injured, a police spokesman told AFP. The protesters, Syrian nationals, broke through a gate in the fence and then penetrated the….
Mubarak party members demand right to run in polls
10/9/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Members of Egypt’s former ruling party have demanded to be allowed to run in upcoming elections, as officials mull a draft law that could see them banished from politics for a decade. The plea came during a rally organized on Saturday evening by members of the now dissolved National Democratic Party….
At least 19 killed as Copts, police clash in Cairo
10/9/2011 – CAIRO (Reuters) – Nineteen people were killed in Cairo on Sunday when Christians, some carrying crosses and pictures of Jesus, clashed with military police, medical and security sources said, in the latest sectarian flare-up in a country in political turmoil. Christians protesting against an attack on a church threw rocks and petrol bombs and set cars….
Families plea for release of UAE activists
AlJazeera 9 Oct 2011 – At least 23 people reported killed as riots erupt during Coptic Christian demonstration against destruction of a church.
‘Secret memo made case for Awlaki killing’
AlJazeera 9 Oct 2011 – President says he “rejects power” and will meet with parliament to discuss crisis, but opponents remain sceptical.
Yemen’s Saleh says he’ll step down soon, Yemen’s Saleh says he’ll step down soon
AlJazeera 9 Oct 2011 – Joint appeal calls for Emirati authorities to halt activists’ trial and release them, rights group says.
Deadly Cairo clashes over Coptic protest, Deadly Cairo clashes over Coptic protest
AlJazeera 9 Oct 2011 – Foreign minister vows to take “tough measures” against any state that recognises newly-formed National Council.
Alternative Information Center
Israeli Army Demolishes Tents, Barns of Palestinian Farmers in Jordan Valley
Alternative Information Center – The Israeli army and civil administration destroyed tents and barns of Palestinian farmers living in the Jordan Valley community of Malha on Thursday 6 October.
Israeli Government Responds to Settler “Price Tag” Violence with Words, No Actions
Alternative Information Center – “There’s no clear way to stop this violence”, the Jerusalem Post baldly declared in one of its recent editorials. The recent series of settler attacks in the West Bank and Israel is frightening an important part…
Israel Approves Expansion of East Jerusalem’s Gilo Settlement
Alternative Information Center – On Tuesday 29 September, Jerusalem’s Regional Planning and Construction Committee approved a plan to build 1,100 housing units in the 40,000 person strong East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo.
Israel police out in force after Muslim tombs defaced
Relief Web 9 Oct 2011 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Israel JERUSALEM ‚Äî Israeli police deployed reinforcements around Muslim and Christian sites in Jaffa on Sunday after graves in the mixed port town were found to be desecrated, a police spokeswoman said. “Police…
Iran issues warning to Turkey as two compete for influence in Arab world
The National 9 Oct 2011 – Iran watched with envy and dismay when Turkey¬øs prime minister made a triumphal tour of North Africa last month, extolling Turkey¬øs successful brand of secular Muslim democracy as a template for the Arab world.
Public sector strikes in Kuwait set to get worse, trade union chief warns
The National 9 Oct 2011 – Surge in industrial action sparked when government gave oil sector employees, who had threatened to down tools, salary increases of up to 66 per cent.
Syrian government warns other nations not to recognise anti-regime opposition
The National 9 Oct 2011 – Dissidents chip away at Assad’s support, meeting representatives from China and Russia, the US and Spain, as Turkey is expected to announce economic sanctions against Syria soon.
Secret legal document prepared by US ‘justified killing of Anwar Al Awlaqi’
The National 9 Oct 2011 – 50-page document, completed in June last year, said the killing could be lawful only if it was not feasible for Awlaki to be captured alive, says New York Times.
Six killed and 40 injured as Copts protest in Cairo over church-burning
The National 9 Oct 2011 – Trouble began when thousands of Coptic Christians protesting against the latest attack on a church in southern Egypt came under attack as they chanted denunciations of Egypt’s military rulers
Murder of Syria’s Tammo opens dangerous chapter
The National 8 Oct 2011 – The murder of the leading opposition figure ushers in a dangerous chapter in Syria’s seven-month uprising, activists and analysts say.
Quartet to invite Palestinian, Israeli leaders to meet within days
Ha’aretz – Envoys meet in Brussels to mull strategy to restart Mideast peace talks, say they made ‘good progress.’
Peres extends condolences to Erdogan on death of his mother
Ha’aretz – Peres writes letter to Turkey PM asking him to accept his ‘profound condolences and sympathy’; Peres condolences particularly noteworthy in light of recent deterioration in ties between Israel and Turkey.
Report: Egypt imposes Cairo curfew after at least 23 killed in clashes
Ha’aretz – Egypt State TV announces five hour curfew on Tahrir Square and downtown Cairo following deadly clashes between Christians and military police; Egypt cabinet calls emergency meeting for Monday.
Israel returns body of Palestinian militant after 35 years
Ha’aretz – IDF hands body over body of Hafez Abu Zant to Palestinian Authority due to Supreme Court ruling.
Israeli cabinet approves recommendations of socioeconomic panel
Ha’aretz – Trajtenberg recommendations approved by large majority with 21 ministers in support and eight ministers opposed.
Blair aide to Haaretz: Quartet envoy did not speak against Palestinian UN bid
Ha’aretz – Spokesperson for Mideast Quartet envoy tells Haaretz that Blair rejects criticism by Palestinian officials that he must be replaced since he is no longer an unbiased mediator.
Yiddish sign urges ‘precious Jewish daughters’ of Brooklyn to make way for men
Ha’aretz – Plastic signs, posted throughout ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn neighborhood, read: ‘Precious Jewish daughters, please move over to the side when you see a man come across.’
Tal Becker:
Ha’aretz – On Jewish Cynicism and Jewish Hope
Report: 19 killed as Egypt Christians, police clash
Ha’aretz – Dozens injured during demonstration held by Coptic Christians over partial destruction of church in southern province of Aswan last week.
Turkey condemns ‘heinous assassination’ of Syrian Kurd leader
Ha’aretz – Assailants shot Mishaal al-Tammo dead on Friday in the Syrian city of Qamishli, and two people were killed when gunmen opened fire during Tammo’s funeral as mourners began chanting anti-Assad slogans.
Iran FM questioned over Russia cancellation of S-300 missile deal
Ha’aretz – Russia signed a 2007 contract to sell the sophisticated systems that would have dramatically boosted Iran’s ability to defend against airstrikes, but refuses to deliver the missiles claiming that UN sanctions prevent supplying them to Iran.
Report: Top Israeli defense official arrives in Egypt to discuss border security
Ha’aretz – Security ties between Israel and Egypt had been badly rattled since an August terror attack in southern Israel, which according to Egypt resulted in the deaths of five of its men who were caught in the crossfire.
Netanyahu vows Israel will fight religious intolerance, after Jaffa graves desecrated on Yom Kippur
Ha’aretz – Graves in Muslim and Christian cemeteries were vandalized in suspected ‘price tag’ attacks, just days after mosque in northern Israel allegedy torched by rightists.
Palestinian official reiterates call to replace Tony Blair as Quartet Mideast envoy
Ha’aretz – Comments by Abbas aide come after recent PA announcement, according to which the Palestinians were willing to work with Blair despite criticism of his alleged impartiality; Blair: My focus is on activating the Quartet statement’s call for a return to direct peace talks.
Hundreds of Israeli medical residents set to resign after breakdown of talks
Ha’aretz – Representatives of residents walk out of meeting with treasury and Israel Medical Association, claiming no substantive headway being made to resolve outstanding issues.
Netanyahu strikes deal with Yisrael Beiteinu to approve Trajtenberg report
Ha’aretz – FM Leiberman’s party, which originally opposed report recommendations, says it will change stance in return for benefits for public housing as well as for newly-released soldiers.
Sources: Netanyahu confident cabinet will approve socioeconomic report on Sunday
Ha’aretz – Last week, Netanyahu had been caught off guard by the objections of coalition partners, including Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas, and chose not to bring the report for a vote.
Power rates to jump 4%, 2 months after last increase
Ha’aretz – Electricity Authority scheduled to discuss the matter on Monday; final decision likely to be announced after the holidays.
Cabinet to approve new central bank structure
Ha’aretz – Changes come as part of new Bank of Israel law, passed in 2010 at the urging of central bank governor Stanley Fischer.
Iran says may accept Russian deal to end nuclear standoff with West
Ha’aretz – In July, Russia presented a ‘step-by-step’ proposal, in which Iran would address questions regarding its nuclear ambitions in exchange for a gradual easing of sanctions.
Abbas arrives in El Salvador in bid to gain support for Palestinian statehood
Ha’aretz – Palestinian President to meet El Salvador officials following visit to Dominican Republic and ahead of trip to UN Security Council member Colombia.
Jewish Ideas Daily: Who owns Maimonides?
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – However prescient or protean, Maimonides was a medieval thinker.
Inextinguishable fires
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – May Christians, Jews and Muslims unite now in tolerance.
Isolation? What isolation?
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Israel has more embassies and consulates than ever before. Our reoriented foreign policy is opening doors and we are ensuring greater global integration.
Judaism’s call for peace
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – The across-the-board denunciation by Jewish religious leaders of the violent attack on a Muslim site is ample evidence that Judaism does indeed carry a strong message of peace.
PM, President send Erdogan sympathies on mom’s death
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Netanyahu sends letter via diplomatic channels; Peres relates to his sorrow: “From personal experience I know the deep sense of grief.”
Egyptian Christians clash with police in Cairo, 23 killed
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Protesters angry over attack on church throw rocks, petrol bombs at police and set fire to vehicles in Cairo; 150 injured; gov’t urges calm.
EU asks Israel, Palestinians to meet soon
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Announcement follows Quartet meeting on steps to swiftly bring 2 sides back to the negotiating table; Israel indicates they would accept.
‘US is #1 Palestinian enemy as it backs Israeli oppression’
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Senior Palestinian official Tawfik Tirawi says Fatah hasn’t abandoned the armed struggle option against Israel; Erekat tells Quartet PA not opposed to resumption of negotiations.
Ministers skip Yom Kippur War ceremony
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – “It’s an embarrassment for government that they failed to attend” says Head of Yad Labanim Organization which supports bereaved families.
Social protest leaders slam approval of Trajtenberg report
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Daphni Leef says c’tee recommendations offer no solution to housing crisis; Student leader decries “cosmetic changes” report offers.
Iceland: Jewish community celebrates new beginnings
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Reykjavik community holds formal Rosh Hashana services with a rabbi and a Torah scroll for first time since end of WWII.
Gazans rally for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – About 230 security prisoners have joined hunger strike claiming jail conditions are worsening; Israeli Prison Service defends status-quo.
Anti-Assad activists storm Syrian embassies in Europe
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Assassination of Kurdish leader Meshaal al-Tammo by Syrian forces prompts protests in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Geneva.
Study reveals anti-Semitic sentiment in Argentine society
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Majority of Argentinians think Jews’ first concern is making money, they have too much power in business world, Buenos Aires research shows.
Cabinet handily approves Trajtenberg Committee report
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Israel Beiteinu, most of Likud vote for report; 4 Shas, 2 Independence ministers oppose; Barak: Too much money taken from defense.
I saw her standing there . . . outside the shul
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney marries Jewish New Yorker Nancy Shevell in London; couple receive blessing at synagogue.
Hold the (smart) phone for vital signs
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – An iPhone app that measures the user’s heart rate could be turned into a sophisticated medical monitor able to capture, transmit vital physiological data.
More anti-Arab hate graffiti surfaces in Bat Yam
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Police say “connection with Jaffa graffiti being examined”; Danino meets with Jaffa Arab community heads to ease communal tensions.
Sectarian rifts erupt again in Saudi Arabia
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Shi’ite rioting sends warning that Riyadh’s financial largesse doesn’t address grievances.
IPS defends treatment of Palestinian prisoners on strike
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Prison service says prisoners under daily medical supervision; Prisoners launch hunger strike protesting enforced separation.
Earlier circumcision may slow HIV, HPV rates in S. Africa
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – For maximum reductions in HIV and HPV infections in women, researchers recommend male circumcision, HPV vaccination be delivered prior to sexual debut.
‘Syrian Kurds declare ‘intifada’ after assassination’
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – 50,000 turn out to bury critic of Assad, Meshaal al-Tammo; government forces fire on funeral, killing at least four, ‘Asharq Al-Awsat’ reports.
On My Mind: Ignoring Hamas impedes peace
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Rather than deal with troubling Palestinian realities, world leaders seem to pay attention to Gaza only when there is a confrontation involving Israel.
Out There: Pops or the prime minister
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – A serious scheduling problem pitted job dedication against paternal fealty, profession against my dad, employment against family.
My Word: An Israeli autumn
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – It is a special time of year with its own unique feel; an aura, almost.
Debating civil marriage
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Individual liberty must be carefully weighed against the importance of maintaining the Jewishness of the State of Israel.
‘Babi Yar massacre was to test reaction to Jewish genocide’
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – Rabbi Lau says had the world raised its voice in protest at cold-blooded murder of 33,771 Jews in Ukraine, Holocaust may have been curtailed.
Analysis: Egypt’s floundering revolution
Jerusalem Post 9 Oct 2011 – The Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd party say they will boycott the November 28 election unless emergency laws are repealed.
Physician, do not heal thyself
Jerusalem Post 8 Oct 2011 – Israeli doctors who treat and prescribe medications for themselves are at risk and may fail to serve as a role model for their patients.
Muslim and Christian graves desecrated in Israeli city of Jaffa
The Guardian 9 Oct 2011 – Militant Jewish settlers smash tombs and spray stones with graffiti on Yom Kippur and firebomb is thrown at synagogue Dozens of gravestones have been desecrated at Muslim and Christian cemeteries and a firebomb thrown at a…
MIDEAST: Media Throttled From All Sides
IPS As media freedoms throughout the occupied Palestinian territories continue to decline, human rights groups are urging the international community to pressure Israeli and Palestinian security forces to respect and facilitate the ability of journalists to do their work.
Cairo: Army and police massacre protesters at Maspero (Videos)
Uruknet October 9, 2011 – The army and police committed a horrible massacre against peaceful protesters today in Maspero, Cairo. Army vehicles ran over protesters. Live ammunition was used. Extensive rounds of tear gas were fired, and showers of beatings from the military police and the central security forces. At least 19 people have been killed, and more than…
Protest against persecution of Copts in Egypt attacked with bloody force
Uruknet October 9, 2011 – A peaceful march by Copts today against religious persecution gave way to a night of violence after the protesters were attacked. A march of 10,000 Copts began today from Shubra to the State TV building in Maspero turned violent when protesters were attacked by stone throwing mobs from on top of the surrounding walls…
Bush’s Middle East Wars In Keeping With Historic U.S. Patterns, Historian Says
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – President Bush’s “preventive war” strategy in the Middle East not only “comported with what most Americans believed to be desirable at the time” but followed a bipartisan American tradition in such actions, historian Melvyn Leffler writes in the current “Foreign Affairs” magazine. Much of what President Bush did “was consistent with long-term trends in…
Syria News – October 8, 2011 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – (10-08-11) Douma | Damascus | Child, Ameen Khabiya Murdered by Assad Forces at Funeral Procession … Qamishli: martyrdom of Jamal Al-Omar, 67 years suffocation by a gas bomb which were thrown by security forces on the funeral of the martyr Mashaal Tammo, and arresting 16 person…Qameshli: Martyrdom of Jamal Husain Husain who was born in Naf Korah…
Settler homes approved in East Jerusalem
Uruknet October 8, 2011 — The Jerusalem municipality has given the green light for the construction of 11 new apartments in the Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev in the annexed east of the city, a councilor told AFP on Saturday. “The municipality approved at the beginning of the week the construction of 11 apartments, as part of a project…
Israeli Rightists Threaten Arab Civilians
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – Israel’s right-wing leaders feel they can count on U.S. politicians to rubber-stamp pretty much whatever Israel does to the Palestinians, with some extremist rabbis even glorifying the racist mass murderer Baruch Goldstein. Which leaves Lawrence Davidson wondering what it will take to change behavior in Washington and Tel Aviv…
Obama’s Death Panel It’s not what you think …
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – When the Tea Partiers protested President Obama’s healthcare plan, they claimed that, in order to shave medical costs, the healthcare bureaucracy would be setting up “death panels,” which would decide who gets medical treatment and who didn’t. Presumably this would be adjudicated on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis: the cost of care weighed…
Sleep easy, war criminals
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – Israel has violated innumerable UN resolutions and international laws over the past 50 years without any sanction being incurred – whether legal, economic, political or military. Most blatant is its disregard for the overwhelming opinion of the international court of justice in The Hague, which in 2004 declared the erection of a wall through…
Suppressing the truth…
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – …Both the US and Israel have apparently adopted a war machine of drones to eliminate any enemy – real or perceived. With drones, the commanders fly their attack weapons into enemy territory with no risk to a flyer’s life. Nothing more than a remotely guided machine can be lost. The deaths and destruction at…
Anti-Defamation League Assails Palestinian UN Membership
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – For nearly a century, ADL falsely called itself “the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency (fighting) anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry….” In fact, all along it fronted for Jewish supremacy. After Israel’s 1948 creation, it backed Israeli rights over Arabs, including by occupation and belligerently enforced apartheid. One of the 52 Conference of…
NATO bombings, al-Qaeda and the Arab Spring
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – …..But, why attack Libya? Is it the oil? Samir Amin thinks not, no, ‘it’s not oil that they [the US] are after – they already have that. Their goal is to put Libya under their tutelage to establish Africom (US military command for Africa),’ currently based in Stuttgart (Germany). ‘African countries had rejected its…
The Tripoli Massacres: 900 Bodies in Two Suburban Mass Graves
Uruknet October 8, 2011 – Since rebel forces followed the path of NATO’sbombs and entered Tripoli in late August, a rash of brutal and “mysterious” killings has plagued the city. Bodies at first left rotting in the open, stuffedinto a hoslital-cum-slaughterhouse, and then in mass graves appearing weekly. I estimate collectively at least 400 known victims of the takeover…
Israeli Police Captured On Video Violently Attacking Arab Family in Haifa
Uruknet October 7, 2011 – Two days ago, the Israeli Police violently attacked and evicted an Arab family who had been living in a vacant home in Salma Street, Haifa, mistreating the mother and her children…The Israeli Police attacked the home and and the mother, pushing her violently. One policeman also kicked the mother, and another held her by…
Libya’s NTC forces take key objectives in Sirte
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Libya’s new ruling forces were on the verge of claiming full control of Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown Sirte after seizing its showpiece conference center and university from his diehards Sunday.
Syria warns states not to recognize ‘illegitimate’ opposition
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 President Bashar Assad renewed a pledge of reforms Sunday, as Syria threatened retaliation if countries recognize an opposition bloc increasingly active on the international scene.
Sectarian strife threatens Egypt
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Fierce clashes erupted Sunday between Christians protesting a recent attack on a church and the Egyptian military, leaving at least 19 people dead and more than 150 wounded…
Mikati’s many challengesin the days ahead
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Consensus in Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet is being put to the test on the eve of the government’s decision on whether to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon…
GLC rejects proposed 20-percent wage hike
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 General Labor Confederation rejected the Price Index Committee’s recommendations of a 20 percent wage hike Sunday on the eve of the committee’s next meeting.
150 travel to Aleppo to extend sympathies
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 A group of 150 Lebanese women headed to the Syrian city of Aleppo over the weekend in order to pay condolences to the Syrian Mufti Ahmad Hassoun upon the death of his son and express their…
Former MP threatens to close major highway
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Former Kesrouan MP Farid al-Khazen threatened Sunday to block traffic on the main highway tying Beirut to north Lebanon if the government fails to implement urgent development projects in his district.
Riot at Amioun ends with release of prisoner’s mom
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 A riot at Amioun prison in Koura, north Lebanon, ended late Saturday after authorities released the mother of a prisoner who tried to smuggle drugs to her son.
Anonymous activists fail to appear for sit-in
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 An anonymous group of activists from Lebanon and abroad that were set to stage a sit-in in front of Beirut’s Justice Palace failed to show up Sunday after a reported disagreement among members.
Sidon students receive crash course on Israeli sonic booms
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Primary school students in the southern coastal city of Sidon are receiving a crash course on the sonic booms created by Israeli aircraft violating Lebanon’s airspace.
Underage drivers cause loss of lives, threaten road safety
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 In front of the main entrance of a central Beirut school, 15-year-old George is very proud to show he can drive his parents’ big SUV.
Brotherhood rethink campaign after ban on religious slogans
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Egypt’s ruling military council has amended election rules to ban the use of religious slogans, a move the Muslim Brotherhood said Sunday may prompt it to reconsider using its traditional campaign phrase “Islam is the solution”.
Police use tear gas on violent Islamists in Tunis
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Police in Tunis used tear gas Sunday to try to disperse hundreds of Islamists who were attacking them with stones, knives and batons, the biggest clashes over religion in the Tunisian capital for several years.
Iran issues warning to Turkey on its pro-U.S. position
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 A key aide to Iran’s supreme leader said Saturday Turkey must radically rethink its policies on Syria, the NATO missile shield and promoting Muslim secularism in the Arab world — or face trouble from its own…
Turkey’s strategy on Syria presents new risks
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Turkey is piling pressure on Syria with border military exercises, economic sanctions and the harboring of Syrian opposition groups and army defectors, but Ankara must tread carefully to avoid arousing the suspicion of Arab states or…
Yemenis dismiss Saleh’s vow to step down as another ploy
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Yemeni officials rowed back from President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s statement that he would step down within the coming days and opponents dismissed the offer Sunday as yet another delaying tactic to try and stay in power.
Secret memo justified killing of U.S.-born Awlaqi
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 President Barack Obama’s administration crafted a legal document in secret ahead of the assassination of U.S.-born Al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaqi, which permitted the killing of an American citizen without trial, a report said Saturday.
Saleh pledge to quit Yemen is all too familiar
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s declaration in a speech Saturday that he would leave power in the coming days is yet another act of brinkmanship from a leader who has spent much of the Arab Spring…
Riots over church attack in Egypt kill 19
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Massive clashes that drew in Christians angry over a recent church attack, Muslims, and Egyptian security forces raged over a large section of downtown Cairo Sunday night, leaving at least 19 people dead, Health Ministry officials…
Egypt generals ban using religious slogans in vote
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Egypt’s ruling military council has amended election rules to ban the use of religious slogans, a move the Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday may prompt it to reconsider using its traditional campaign phrase “Islam is the…
Gadhafi’s enemies first guests at showpiece hotel
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Rocket holes pockmark its concrete walls, the glass is riddled with bullets and blood stains the marble staircase in what is left of the luxurious seaside hotel in Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte.
Jewish settlers clash with Palestinian farmers
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Jewish settlers clashed with Palestinian farmers on Sunday as they tried to pick olives from land owned by the family of two men convicted of killing a young settler family in March.
Mubarak party members demand right to run in polls
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Members of Egypt’s former ruling party have demanded to be allowed to run in upcoming elections, as officials mull a draft law that could see them banished from politics for a decade.
Tunisia Salafists attack private TV station: official
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Around 300 Tunisian Salafists on Sunday attacked the headquarters of a private TV station that aired a French-Iranian film and organised a debate on religious extremism, the channel said.
Riot ends in north prison after mother’s release
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 A riot at Amioun prison in Koura, north Lebanon, ended late Saturday after authorities released the mother of a prisoner who tried to smuggle drugs to her son.
Yemenis shrug off Saleh’s talk of stepping down
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Yemeni protesters camped out in Sanaa’s central square said on Sunday that President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s suggestion that he would step down in the coming days was another promise that they were sure would be broken….
Syria warns against recognition of opposition council
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Syria threatened Sunday to retaliate against any country that formally recognizes a recently established opposition National Council seeking international support for the six-month-old uprising against Assad.
Lebanon’s public school students face uphill battle
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 Sitting in a small barren classroom in the village of Fnaydiq, in northern Lebanon’s remote Akkar region, 11-year-old Zeynab is eager to tackle the new school year.
Syrian man caught trying to escape Roumieh
Daily Star 9 Oct 2011 A Syrian man with a life sentence was caught over the weekend trying to escape Lebanon’s largest prison complex Roumieh.
Christian Copts, security forces clash in Egypt
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Fierce clashes erupted in Cairo Sunday night between Christians protesting over a recent attack on a church and the military, leaving at least 23 people dead and more … ….
Police vow swift arrest of Jaffa vandals
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Police officials on Sunday met with Jaffa community leaders and vowed to act swiftly in order to apprehend those responsible for the desecration of 25 tombstones, but … ….
IDF warns of budget cut repercussions
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Budget Wars- Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday warned Cabinet members against approving the socioeconomic reforms recommended by the Trajtenberg Committee, but … ….
Gov’t to double soldiers’ discharge bonus
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Yisrael Beiteinu announced Sunday that the government will double the discharge bonus granted to IDF troops, raising the sum to NIS 20,000 ($5,380) in some cases. The … ….
Report: Israeli delegation in Egypt for security talks
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – A delegation of four Israeli security officials arrived in Cairo by private jet for talks with local officials, Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram reported on Sunday. The … ….
Ministers skip Yom Kippur commemoration
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Bereaved families were furious to discover Sunday no government official was present at the memorial ceremonies for 780 fallen soldiers of the Yom Kippur War, held at … ….
Cabinet approves Trajtenberg Report
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – The government approved the recommendations presented in the Trajtenberg Report on Sunday, with 21 ministers voting in favor and eight voting against it. Prime … ….
Probe into Jaffa cemeteries vandalism continues
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Detectives collect fingerprints, as Jaffa residents recall incident, say….
Report: Israel returns body of Palestinian terrorist
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Palestinians say Israel repatriated body of DFLP member who was killed during….
Palestinian inmates to get whole chickens
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Hunger strike at security prisons expands with over 230 going on strike due to….
Anti-Arab hate slogans sprayed in Bat Yam
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – ‘Death to Arabs’ and ‘Kahane was right’ spray-painted on two structures in Bat….
Settler violates house arrest in bid to fly to Uman
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Petah Tikva Magistrates’ Court extends remand of 25-year-old man from Elon Moreh….
Netanyahu: We won’t tolerate vandalism
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Prime minister condemns attack on Arab cemeteries, hurling of Molotov cocktail….
Clashes in Itamar: Fogel killers’ relatives attend harvest
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Settlers claim family members of murderers responsible for Fogel family massacre….
Trajtenberg Report likely to pass cabinet vote
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Government set to discuss recommendations of seriocomic committee. Netanyahu….
Romney vows to increase defense aid to Israel
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says that if elected he would….
Iran says radar can detect small unmanned drones
YNet News, 9 Oct 2011 – Islamic Republic’s air defense units equipped with advanced radars capable of….
Palestinian Information Center
Jewish settlers attack olive harvesters
PIC – Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in Orta village, southeast of Nablus, on Sunday while reaping their olive harvest, eyewitnesses reported.
Health minister says prisoners’ lives at risk amid sanctions over hunger strike
PIC – Bassam Na’im warned the Palestinian captives are in grave danger as the prison administrations have imposed tighter restrictions on the 13th day of hunger strikes including thousands.
Zahhar: Living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon not acceptable
PIC – Mahmoud Zahhar, a political bureau member of Hamas, has described as unacceptable the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Mufti of Egypt condemns Jewish desecration of Muslim, Christian graves
PIC – Dr. Ali Juma, the Mufti of Egypt, has strongly condemned the Jewish fanatics’ attack on Islamic and Christian graves in Yaffa, calling for bringing those responsible to account.
Naim warns of imminent danger threatening Palestinians in Israeli captivity
PIC – Dr. Basem Naim, the health minister in Gaza, has warned of imminent danger threatening the lives of Palestinian captives in Israeli occupation jails as a result of deliberate medical neglect.
Hamas: Israel ‘fully responsible’ for repercussions of Jaffa attacks
PIC – Hamas said Sunday that Israel is “fully responsible” for the repercussions of a series of racial attacks against Palestinians in the city of Jaffa in the 1948-occupied territories.
European politicians rally support for hunger strike in Israeli prisons
PIC – European parliamentarians are participating in the drafting of a petition aimed at rallying support inside the British Parliament as Palestinian prisoners embark on the 13th day of hunger strike.
Violent clashes follow IOF incursion into Ras al-Amud
PIC – Violent clashes broke out in East Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud district after Israeli occupation forces stormed the Arab stronghold in an attempt to carry out arrests.
Israeli Soldiers Raid Town in Qalqilia
WAFA
Arab League Calls for Support of Prisoners on Hunger Strike
WAFA
Israel Returns Remains of Palestinian Fighter after 35 Years
WAFA
Israel Postpones Granting Palestinians Olive-Picking Permits
WAFA
Egyptian Mufti Condemns Vandalism of Cemeteries
WAFA
Newspaper Review: Cemeteries Vandalism Dominates Dailies
WAFA
Israeli Bulldozers Raze Land in Bethlehem
WAFA
Prisoners Continue Hunger Strike for 13th Day
WAFA
Anna Lindh Awards Palestinian Blogger
WAFA
Assembly of Catholic Bishops Condemns Jaffa Cemeteries Arson
WAFA
Tension Rises Following Jaffa Cemeteries Vandalism
WAFA
Paul Balles: Suppressing the Truth
Intifada-Palestine: 9 Oct 2011 – Paul Balles There are some scandals that refuse to die, either because they are never fully investigated or because those responsible for them never paid the price they should have . — Gideon Levy Issues that should concern everyone, but especially in… more
Panetta to Netanyahu:” Israel May not Survive the Current Arab/Islamic Awakening”
Intifada-Palestine: 9 Oct 2011 – Franklin Lamb / Al — Manar Beirut Sayyed Nasrallah: In Next War, Only Fleeing Israelis Will Be Safe Three weeks after being named by President Obama in January 2009 as the 19 th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and during… more
Israel and Those “Real Democratic Rights” — An Analysis by Dr. Lawrence Davidson
Intifada-Palestine: 9 Oct 2011 – Thousands of Bedouins demonstrated in the southern city of Beersheva on Thursday to protest against a government project they say will displace tens of thousands of people from their land. AFP, David Buimovitch) Dr. Lawrence Davidson Part I — What “Real… more
Libyan fighters taking Kadafi’s hometown street by street
LA Times 8 Oct 2011 – Optimism rises in the ranks battling to take Surt from Moammar Kadafi loyalists, but there may still be a hard fight ahead for the final quadrants of the city. After weeks of failed offensives, insubstantial incursions and withering counterattacks, it seemed Saturday that the end…
Syria democracy activists say they are committed to nonviolence
LA Times 9 Oct 2011 – The uprising’s public face as a peaceful movement has helped garner international sympathy. In recent weeks, however, armed clashes have emerged as another facet of the struggle in Syria. More than six months after mass protests began spreading through the streets of Syria, activists say…
Deadly Protests Over Church Attack in Cairo
New York Times 9 Oct 2011 – At least 23 people were killed Sunday when a protest by Christian Egyptians escalated into rioting against military rule.
Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen Clinging to Power
New York Times 9 Oct 2011 – A day after a vaguely worded pledge to step down, new signs the embattled president is not leaving anytime soon.
Syria Warns Countries Not to Recognize Opposition
New York Times 9 Oct 2011 – Syria warned foreign countries on Sunday not to recognize a newly formed opposition group, the Syrian National Council, and threatened to take “strict measures” against any country that does.
News Analysis: Coming Soon: The Drone Arms Race
New York Times 9 Oct 2011 – The hazard on the horizon is the political and legal challenge posed when another country follows the American example of using pilotless aircraft.
Panic and shock sweep Cairo
Mondoweiss – Waves of panic and shock are passing through Cairo tonight along with gusts of smoke and teargas. I was at a friend’s shop near Tahrir Square at 7 tonight when facebook began lighting up with news of the clashes at Maspero, the radio and television building…
The Ninety-Nine Percent
Mondoweiss – To sit in silence when we should protest Makes cowards out of men. The human race Has climbed on protest. – Ella Wheeler Wilcox, I Protest , 1914 With so much effort being exerted by the right-wing lunatic punditocracy and commentariat , Citigroup fianc?©es with CNN programs , know-nothing…
Palestinians have their own Gandhis and Kings
Mondoweiss – I appreciate Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times, because he writes and well and thoughtfully about far-flung areas of the world, including the “ordinary” people who are striving to make a difference. But although his intentions are good, he has a bit of a…
Israeli Navy fires at fishing boats in Gaza & Settlers attack Hebron… just another Saturday in Palestine
Mondoweiss – link to www.youtube.com Israeli Navy Fires At Fishing Boats In Gaza On Friday evening, the Israeli Navy opened fire on a number of Palestinian fishing boats in Palestinian territorial waters near Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip; no injuries were reported. Violent…
Protest encampments take root in Washington D.C.
Mondoweiss – American Autumn has arrived; the encampment in NY that began on September 17th has spread to dozens of cities across the United States. In the nation’s capital, two occupations of public squares have started five blocks apart; Occupy DC and Stop the Machine . For now the…
Yom Kippur and the Death of the Jews
Tikun Olam – No, we Jews aren’t about to go the way of the dodo bird. We’re not going extinct anytime soon. But almost all Jews agree there is a problem, a serious one. We’re losing Jews. Our synagogues, our Jewish federations, our fraternal organizations like the ADL, AJC…
Besieged inside their own fortresses
Voltaire Network 9 Oct 2011 – The only distinguishing feature remaining of a U.S. embassy as such is its diplomatic status. In reality, they are a nest of spies and military command centers. Washington has been aware that it is in breach of the Vienna Convention ever since the siege of its “…
‘Israeli agents operate in Argentina’
Voltaire Network 9 Oct 2011 – A strange episode took place this week in Buenos Aires. A huge radio tower that housed three FM stations collapsed on an area belonging to Argentina’s Security Ministry for, still, uncertain reasons. A local TV news channel, that is also the owner of two of those…
Rebel Claims of Libya ‘Mass Graves’ Come Up Empty, Again
Voltaire Network 9 Oct 2011 – The NTC loses yet more credibility! Since the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi, the rebel claims that the former dictator had killed some 50,000 people in the civil war began to be scrutinized, and suffered from a major lack of actual bodies. The above photo, taken in…
“Land Grab” — a new documentary by PSP
Palestine Solidarity Project 9 Oct 2011 – Do you know where the food you buy come from? Do you know what to answer when people ask you why you boycott Israeli goods? Watch PSP`s new short documentray about Israeli Occupation, lack of water and a new apartheid road . Watch and read more about…
Women Prisoners: WOFPP Newsletter September 2011
Sabr 9 Oct 2011 – WOFPP Newsletter September 2011 There are, at present, 33 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: 17 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), 16 in Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain). Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond) The conditions in the cells It is very hot in the cells. There is…
Hunger Strike Ongoing, Violations Against Detainees Escalating
Sabr 9 Oct 2011 – Sunday October 09, 2011 03:51 by Saed Bannoura – IMEMC & Agencies Palestinian Minister of Detainees, Issa Qaraqe’, stated Saturday that Palestinian political detainees in Israeli prisons are going on with their hunger strike to demand their legal rights, despite Israel’s escalating measures aimed at breaking…
Deaths as Cairo violence flares
BBC 9 Oct 2011 – At least 23 people are killed and scores injured in the worst violence since Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February.
Islamists attack Tunis TV station
BBC 9 Oct 2011 – Police in Tunisia arrest dozens of Islamists who they say tried to attack a TV station in the capital, Tunis, in protest at the showing of the film Persepolis.
Syria warns on opposition council
BBC 9 Oct 2011 – Syria warns it will take “tough measures” against countries that recognise the newly-formed opposition Syrian National Council (SNC).
This Occupation is Brought to You by A Pattern of Racial Bigotry
Sabbah report 9 Oct 2011 – The decision makers in these US institutions have been manipulated into sanctioning the racial bigotry that has allowed the Zionist leaders of the state of Israel to corrupt American foreign policy.
Articles
Opportunity in a Middle East identity crisis
Mark LeVine, Al Jazeera10/7/2011
Exploring his own character as a Palestinian Jew, Israeli filmmaker Udi Aloni says a universal identity is needed.
Udi Aloni is a well-known Israeli filmmaker, theatre director, writer and activist, whose recent work includes such films as Forgiveness, Local Angel, and Kashmir: Journey to Freedom. His new book, What Does a Jew Want?: On Binationalism and Other Specters, is published by Columbia University Press (2011).
Mark LeVine met with Aloni in Ramallah as he was beginning rehearsals for a production of “Waiting for Godot” with students from the Jenin Freedom Theatre and continued the conversation in the United States. The US premiere of the production will take place at the Miller Theatre in New York, on October 18.
Mark LeVine: Your book starts off with a seemingly provocative question, one which would seem to be impossible to answer. How can anyone claim to answer what Jews collectively want, or Muslims or Christians for that matter?
Udi Aloni: The idea for the book arose from the contradictions that I felt exists between my work as an artist, as a writer, and as an activist. In particular, a difficulty in expressing how one can move from one’s particularity – in my case as an Israeli Ashkenazi Jew – to a universal ethic and aesthetic, and to create a new identity in the process. The task, I suppose, is to show people that you can open yourself to your most dreaded “other”, that you can forge relationships outside of your group that are even more meaningful than the ones that have always defined you..
To do that, I had to accept the position of speaking from weakness and vulnerability, in contrast to the strength Israelis and American Jews imagine they have (but are really afraid that they don’t possess). I argue that from this weakness, we can create new possibilities, or openings. more.. e-mail
This local trend of burning mosques
Rechavia “Rick” Berman, +972 Magazine10/9/2011
Rick’s Weekly Wrap
Welcome one and all to the Weekend Holyland Wrap. Israel is the name, self-destruction is the game, and we only pretend to have shame.
The two big events in the past week were the shocking — shocking, I say! — seepage of the disgustingly-named “price tag” pogrom tactic into sovereign Israel, and what some saw as the equally shocking failure of Prime Minister Bibinocchio to pass the recommendations of the Trachtenberg Committee in the cabinet.
As y’all have no doubt heard, some Judeo-fascist or other desecrated the mosque in the Galilean Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangriyya, setting fire to the place and spraying “Death to Arabs” and “Price tag Palmer” — the latter being the settler who was murdered by rock-throwers near Hebron a week or two before.
The choice of Tuba-Zangriyya is of course extremely ironic, since it happens to be home to a tribe of Bedouins who are highly loyal to the State of Israel and have been since its inception, serving with distinction in the IDF and everything. I have to wonder if it wasn’t chosen on purpose, to make the point that, as the racist saying goes, “A good Arab is a dead Arab.”
The act sparked almost universal outrage, with figures from the terrible Abe Foxman to the mortality-defying President of Israel, Shimon (father of the settlements) Peres condemning the act. Why did these luminaries not express similar outrage at identical acts committed against mosques east of the Green Line? Because they realize deep down what this means — that the two state solution is a mirage…. more.. e-mail
Suppressing the truth: US and Israeli cover-ups
Paul J. Balles, Redress10/10/2011
Issues that should concern everyone, but especially in America, have been subverted, degraded, perverted, retracted, eradicated, expunged, obscured, obliterated, squashed or (simply) zapped!
Cover-ups have kept these issues under wraps for all but those whose concern for the truth provokes them to do serious research, primarily on the internet.
The mainstream media rarely touch these topics and, when they are discussed in the alternative media, the discussions are limited to a few who have been following the issues closely.
Obscured issues that deserve more than a passing interest include:
*The USS Liberty cover-up
* Israel’s nuclear programme
* 9/11 truth seekers discoveries
* Big business corruption
* Bush administration crimes
* Plight of the Palestinians
* Murder by unmanned drones.
Unmanned drones provide the one issue receiving major media coverage, because Anwar Awlaki, assassinated in Yemen, was an American citizen…. more.. e-mail
Children of Qalandiya: Sharif’s Future Foretold
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Oct 2011 – By Tamar Fleishman — The West Bank Since September has past and with it the trepidation about a ‘political tsunami’, and the horrifying scripts or bleak prophesies about thousands of people from throughout the West Bank marching towards Qalandiya checkpoint had been disproved, the place is once more governed by that same mundane routine and depressing grayness. The blockages on the way leading to and from Ramallah had been diverted to the side of the road and traffic was once again free (if jams that stretch on for hundreds of meters are a depiction of “free traffic”). The white camera balloon that hovered above during the entire month has disappeared. It has probably been stored somewhere. Once again trash is piling up on the side of the road, children peddlers stock the passersby and the air is once again polluted by dust and gas fumes without the stinging-sweet smell of…more
Honoring Israel for What?
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Oct 2011 – By Mahmoud El-Yousseph Van Buren Board of Education near Findlay, Ohio is holding ‘A Night to Honor Israel’ at its High School on October 27th. The sponsor of the event is nothing other than Christians United for Israel (CUFI). This is an odd thing. A Night of Honoring Israel for what? Honoring someone, or a group, should be reserved for those whose work and contributions help positively impact the quality of life for others and enhance the image of their country. Not Israel! That said, there are however several noted and noble Israelis that are worthy of honor for their efforts end the occupation and help bring peace to the region. Here is my short list: Jeff Halper, Amira Hass, Gideon Levy, Rami Elhanan and Uri Avnery. The first thing I did after reading about this so-called “Honor Night,” was draft a letter and send it to the School Superintendent…more
Hypocrisy Kills: An American Tragedy
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Oct 2011 – By Aijaz Zaka Syed — Dubai Samir Khan was the age of my young brother. Born to reasonably well-to-do parents, he grew up in the United States and went to the best of schools in a privileged neighborhood. How did he then end up in distant Yemen, offering lessons in bomb making to aspiring terrorists? Samir was killed in a US strike last week along with Anwar Al Awlaki, a US-born cleric, and two others. He was 25 and editor of Al Qaeda’s English online magazine Inspire. He had come a long way from Charlotte in the American South to the tribal melting pot of Yemen. In a piece last year, he wrote: “‘I laugh at the intelligence agencies that were watching me all those years. Back in North Carolina, the FBI dispatched a (guy to) spy on me who pretended to convert to Islam. I am a traitor to…more
I Weep for My Nation, Mr. President
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Oct 2011 – By Katherine Barwick Dear Mr. President, I am neither an expert on history nor a political activist; I am just an average American who is gravely concerned about the direction I see my country taking. I know you inherited a snake-pit of problems when you first took the oath just three years ago, but somehow when you said ‘Yes, we can!’ I believed you could find a way to return our country to its basic beliefs in liberty and justice for all. I grew up being proud to be an American, inspired by Patrick Henry’s heroic words of ‘Give me liberty or give me death’, instilling in me a belief that liberty was indeed worth dying for. My grandfather enlisted in the army in 1914, thinking that his involvement would help make it the war to end all wars. Then just twenty-five years later, my father enlisted in the navy…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 