19 October 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Abu Obaida Provides Details On The 2nd Phase of Swap Deal
IMEMC – Thursday October 20, 2011 – 02:56, Abu Obaida, spokesperson of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, stated that the second phase of the prisoner-swap deal will include the release of security detainees who are old, and sick, in addition to several detainees sentenced to 20 years of more.
Army Kidnaps Dimitri Diliani, Member of the Fateh Revolutionary Council
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 15:07, The Israeli Army detained Dmitri Diliani, Member of the Fateh Revolutionary Council, on Tuesday morning. He was moved to al-Maskobiyya detention center for interrogation, the Palestinian news Agency, PNN reported.
Ex-detainee, Muhammad Ziyada, Expels Israeli TV Reporter From Reception Tent
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 13:50, On October 18, ex-detainee, Muhammad Mansour Ziyada, expelled the correspondent of Israeli TV’s Channel One from the reception tent, which was set right next to his house in Al-Waha Al-Khadra’, in Lod city, the Arabs48 News Agency reported.
Fateh And Hamas Call For National Reconciliation
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 13:20, The Fateh movement in the Gaza strip expressed its hope in achieving national unity and reconciliation, by ending the split between the movement and Hamas, after the release of many Palestinian leaders, figures and symbols.
Al-Qentar: “Releasing The Detainees Proves That Hamas Is The Way For Liberation”
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 12:15, Lebanese Ex-detainee, Samir Al-Qentar, stated that the releasing of the male and female detainees from the army prisons is proof that the Palestinian resistance group (Hamas) is the only route leading to the eventual liberation of all the remaining detainees, the Ma’an News Agency reported on October 19.
Upon Releasing the 477 Detainees, Army Kidnaps Four West Bank Residents
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 11:36, The Israeli Army detained four Palestinian residents from the southern part of the West Bank on Wednesday morning, the Maan News Agency reported.
Israel To Enforce Harsh Restrictions On Released Detainees
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 10:43, Israeli daily, Yedioth Aharonoth, quoted Israeli security officials stating that Israel will be imposing harsh restrictions on West Bank former detainees released under the prisoner-swap deal.
Mashal Calls On Abbas To Implement National Unity Agreement
IMEMC – Wednesday October 19, 2011 – 00:51, Khaled Mashal, head of the Hamas Movement’s political Bureau in Damascus, called on President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, to hold a meeting with Hamas in Cairo next week. The object of such a meet is to conclude all outstanding issues, which are delaying the full implementation of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement.
Concerns over Palestinian children in Israeli custody
10/19/2011 – GAZA CITY (IRIN) — While there have been emotional scenes after the release of 477 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, concerns are being raised about the plight of 164 Palestinian children from the West Bank in Israeli custody. They were either sentenced or are being detained, mainly for stone-throwing, according to the UN Children’….
Hamas armed wing: Egypt to finalize swap
10/19/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The armed wing of Hamas on Wednesday announced the second phase of a prisoner swap with Israel would be implemented with Egyptian oversight. The Al-Qassam Brigades will not be involved in negotiations over the list of prisoners, but it expects Egypt will ensure that its interests are carried out, a….
Diplomats: UN bid to be decided in November
10/19/2011 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — The quest for UN membership is likely to come to a head on or around Nov. 11, when Security Council ambassadors plan a final meeting to decide their response, diplomats said on Wednesday. The date represents a delay in dealing with the Palestine application, submitted by President Mahmoud Abbas on Sept. 23….
Israeli forces detain 4 men in southern West Bank
10/19/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in the southern West Bank overnight Tuesday, witnesses and the army said. An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers detained two men from Halhul north of Hebron after rocks were thrown at a bus carrying Israelis. The military official said one man was detained south of Hebron….
PFLP leader suspends hunger strike for 3 days
10/19/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has suspended his hunger strike for three days amid consultations with leaders of the campaign. Ahmad Saadat was informed of the decision in his prison hospital in Ramle jail, an Addameer society attorney said. The attorney met with Saadat in….
Palestinians arrive in Turkey after captive swap
10/19/2011 – ANKARA (Reuters) — Eleven Palestinians made V-for-victory signs as they arrived in Turkeyearly on Wednesday as part of the thousand-for-one prisoner exchange, television pictures showed. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and hundreds of Palestinians crossed Israel’s borders in opposite directions on Tuesday under the swap, one of the biggest ever such exchanges between the two…. Related: Freed prisoners arrive in Qatar
Freed prisoners arrive in Qatar
10/19/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fifteen prisoners arrived in Qatar late Tuesday night after being released as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, a statement by the Palestinian embassy in Qatar said. A reception held for the prisoners was attended by Qatari officials and the Palestinian ambassador, together with members of the…. Related: Palestinians arrive in Turkey after captive swap
Army: Woman held after trying to stab settler
10/19/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian woman was detained Wednesday after she tried to stab an Israeli settler near the Gush Etzion junction in Hebron, an army spokesman said. Soldiers detained the woman, the military official said, adding that no one was injured. Later Wednesday, the army posted video on YouTube that it said depicted….
Ex-prisoner: Resistance the only way to free detainees
10/19/2011 – BEIRUT (Ma’an) — Resistance is the only way to liberate detainees from Israeli jails, former Lebanese prisoner of Israel Samir Kuntarsaid Tuesday. Kuntar was freed in a 2008 prisoner swap deal between Hezbollah and Israel. The deal saw Israel release five men in return for the bodies of two soldiers captured by Hezbollah in….
Released detainees enjoy first day of freedom
10/19/2011 – GAZA CITY (Reuters) — Palestinians freed by Israel in a trade for soldier Gilad Shalit took their morning exercise on Wednesday around a luxury swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean, instead of circling the prison yard as they have done for long years inside. There was none of the usual breakfast-room free-for-all at Gaza’s 4….
Would-be bomber tells Gaza children to be like her
10/19/2011 – GAZA CITY (Reuters) — A would-be suicide bomber freed by Israel in the prisoner swap told cheering schoolchildren in Gaza the day after her release Wednesday she hoped they would follow her example.” I hope you will walk the same path we took and God willing, we will see some of you as martyrs,” Wafa al-Biss….
Released prisoners pledge to continue resistance
10/19/2011 – DAMASCUS (Reuters) — Sixteen Palestinian prisoners arrived in Damascuson Wednesday after being released by Israel on Tuesday as part of a swap deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Fifteen men and one woman, Amna Muna, walked down the steps of an aircraft at Damascus airport to be welcomed by Hamas officials. Muna, an activist from the….
US troubled by Israeli release of some prisoners
10/19/2011 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States has concerns about some of the 477 Palestinians Israel freed on Tuesday in exchange for an abducted Israeli soldier because they killed or injured US citizens, a US official said. The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Obama administration had conveyed its concerns to the Israeli….
Report: Conditions placed on West Bank prisoners freed in swap
10/19/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Under the terms of Tuesday’s prisoner swap, detainees returned to the West Bank will have to check in with the Israeli civil administration from time to time, reports said Wednesday. The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said all the prisoners would have to confirm their presence at one of the….
Blair: Mideast mediators want border proposals
10/19/2011 – LONDON (Reuters) — International mediators will press Israelis and Palestinians to table their ideas on security arrangements and the borders for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict within three months, envoy Tony Blair said on Wednesday. Blair said the mediators would hold separate meetings with the Israelis and Palestinian Authority leadership next week in….
Mansour: US trying to stall UN bid
10/19/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The UN membership bid is likely to come to a head on or around Nov. 11, when Security Council ambassadors plan a final meeting to decide their response, diplomats said on Wednesday. The date represents a delay in dealing with the application, submitted by President Mahmoud Abbas on Sept. 23, amid….
Public holiday in Gaza to celebrate prisoner release
10/19/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The government in Gaza declared Wednesday a public holiday in honor of the release of hundreds of prisoners a day earlier, spokesman Taher al-Nunu said. Israel freed 477 prisoners on Tuesday, most of whom went to the Gaza Strip, in exchange for an Israeli soldier who was released in a….
Fayyad: PA implementing campaign to stop community violence
10/19/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday that his government was implementing a campaign to prevent community violence.” The government announced that October 10th of every year is a national day for community tolerance to support the community initiative to distribute peace and tolerance among citizens” Fayyad said on his….
Police arrest suspected drug dealers
10/19/2011 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Police on Wednesday arrested two suspected drug dealers in Ramallah and Hebron. A man was detained in al-Dhahiriya village south of Hebron in possession of hashish, police said in a statement. Meanwhile, police arrested a man in Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah, after finding cocaine at his home, a police report….
Amnesty: Arab Spring abuses show need to curb arms trade
10/19/2011 – LONDON (Reuters) — Russia, the United States and European countries ignored fears over human rights abuses and sold large numbers of weapons to governments in the Middle East and North Africa in recent years, AmnestyInternational said in a report on Wednesday. Rights group Amnesty said the failings showed the need for a meaningful international arms trade….
UN official urges ban on solitary confinement
10/19/2011 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Governments should ban solitary confinement for juveniles and for people with mental disabilities, a special UN envoy said. The UN special rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez told a UN General Assembly panel that solitary confinement “is a harsh measure which is contrary to rehabilitation, the aim of the penitentiary system.” He said….
Lebanon tries to catch up on Internet
10/19/2011 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Boudy Nasrala runs a successful brand design company in Lebanon, but when it comes to communicating with clients around the globe using the Internet, he knows to arm himself with patience — lots of it.” I recently finished a branding campaign for a new restaurant in Qatar but it would have been easier to….
Syria state media lashes out at Arab League
10/19/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — An official Syrian daily lashed out at the Arab League Wednesday, accusing it of serving US and Israeli interests after the organization urged Damascus to open up to dialogue.” It is no longer surprising to see the Arab League, which is supposed to be concerned with joint Arab action, turn into an instrument….
Yemen’s Saleh wants international guarantees to sign deal
10/19/2011 – SANAA (Reuters) — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Wednesday he was ready to sign a Gulf peace initiative calling for a transfer of power if the United States, Europe and Gulf Arab states provided guarantees for implementing the proposal. Saleh has previously backed down three times from signing the proposal, which calls on the….
PKK kills 24 Turkish troops, Ankara hits back
10/19/2011 – DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) — Turkey launched air and ground assaults on Kurdish militants in Iraq on Wednesday, vowing to take “great revenge” after 24 Turkish soldiers were killed in one of the deadliest Kurdish attacks in decades. Turkish officials said about 100 fighters from the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, mounted simultaneous attacks under cover of….
Egypt’s Moussa fears anarchy if transition drags on
10/19/2011 – By Samia Nakhoul and Edmund BlairCAIRO (Reuters) — Presidential candidate Amr Moussa said Wednesday he feared a prolonged transition to civilian rule could plunge Egypt into anarchy caused by spiraling violence and economic hardship. An uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February has hammered the economy and has sparked a wave of sectarian and other violence….
Death toll rises in Syria, clashes on Lebanon border
10/19/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Activists said at least 15 civilians and seven soldiers were killed on Wednesday in the latest violence sweeping protest-hit Syria, including deadly clashes near the Lebanese border. Syria’s leading opposition grouping, the Syrian National Council, meanwhile, threatened to seek foreign intervention to stop the regime’s deadly crackdown against pro-democracy….
Racing the Sahara to Support Women and Youth in Palestine and Lebanon
Palestine Note 19 Oct 2011 – Earlier this month, Vice President of Worldwide Innovation at Pfizer Inc. Usama Malik took on the monumental task of competing in one of the world’s top endurance races and raise $25,000 for women and youth development for Tomorrow’s Youth Organization (…
Reports of more deaths in Yemeni protest
AlJazeera 19 Oct 2011 –
US awaits inquiry ahead of Bahrain arms deal
AlJazeera 19 Oct 2011 – State department will consider results of ‘rights abuses’ probe in Bahrain before sealing $53m arms deal with kingdom.
Munib al-Masri: Next Step is Reconciliation, Abbas Must Visit Gaza
PNN – PNNPalestine Legislative Council Member and Palestine Forum founder Munib al-Masri said on Wednesday he considered the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in the Israel-Hamas prisoner swap a “great victory” not only for…
Freed Prisoner Christian al-Bandak’s Date with the Sea
PNN – by Hiba LamaTwo days ago, Christian al-Bandak left his cell, saw the sunlight and the sea and smelled the air, his first breath of freedom after nine years in Israeli military prison….
Palestinian Teachers Return to Schools in Libya
PNN – PNNOn Wednesday, the Minister of Education of the National Transitional Council of Libya Sulaiman Ali al-Saheli confirmed that the Council will allow Palestinian teachers to return to Libya and get their jobs…
Israeli Forces Arrest 44-Year-Old in Beit Omar, Search Homes in Yatta
PNN – PNNIsraeli forces arrested one Palestinian from Beit Omar, north of Hebron in the southern West Bank, during nightly raids concluding on Wednesday morning. The spokesman of the Popular Committee Against the Wall…
Israel Arrests Fatah Revolutionary Council Member Dmitri Dalyani
PNN – PNNOn Tuesday morning, as the much-hyped Shalit prisoner swap grabbed headlines, the Israeli army arrested Dmitri Dalyani, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council. He was interrogated in al-Moskobiya compound in Jerusalem….
Hezbollah Says It Expects “Imminent Attack” from Israel
PNN – PNN – The Lebanese newspaper al-Jumhuriyya quoted a secure and unnamed Hezbollah source on Wednesday saying that the Islamist group was on high alert and expecting an “imminent attack at any moment” by Israel….
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (06. – 12 October 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22 – 28 Sep. 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08 – 14 Sep. 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (18– 24 Aug. 2011)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Day 6: DCO overrules Qordoba school
10/19/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 18 October 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On 18th October 2011 teachers from Qordoba school stood in protest at checkpoint 56 for a sixth day of resistance against the increased ‘security’ measures imposed upon them by the Israeli occupying forces. In the past week this peaceful protest has been met with an….
Festival of Victory and Triumph: Families in Gaza welcome return of prisoners
10/19/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 18 October 2011, International Solidarity Movement, Gaza – Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza City’s Qatiba Square yesterday morning, swelling to over 200,000 as news arrived that the prisoners had safely crossed the border from Egypt into Rafah. ISM volunteers waited for hours with local families eager to catch a glimpse of the former….
In Photos: The survival of olives
10/19/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 16 October 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – The olive harvest started in theWest Bankin early October and will continue in some villages until mid-November. Olives have been cultivated in Palestinian land for thousands of years. Around 95% of the harvest is used to make olive oil, with the remainder for pickles, table olives, and….
In Ramallah Palestine tastes freedom at release of prisoners
10/19/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 18 October 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – It was the third time that Omar, 21, tried to write his name and cell number on a piece of paper in vain. His hands were shaking and the fingers, pale as the face, could barely hold the pen. On the fifth try he was able to….
Concerns over Palestinian children in Israeli custody
Relief Web 19 Oct 2011 – Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Israel GAZA CITY, 19 October 2011 (IRIN) – While there have been emotional scenes after the release of 477 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, concerns are being raised about the…
Gaza Strip: Access Restricted Areas – October 2011
Relief Web 19 Oct 2011 – Link: Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip – October 2011 Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Olive Harvest Fact Sheet – October 2011
Relief Web 19 Oct 2011 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: occupied Palestinian territory FAST FACTS About 45% of the agricultural land in the oPt is planted with 12 million olive trees, the vast majority in the West Bank. The olive…
Israeli-Palestinian prisoner exchange a ‘humanitarian breakthrough’ ‚Äì Ban
Relief Web 18 Oct 2011 – Source: UN News Service Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Israel 18 October 2011 ‚Äì Calling today’s exchange of prisoners by Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas a “significant humanitarian breakthrough,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped it would have a far-reaching…
Tunisia holds elections for new national assembly
The National 19 Oct 2011 – Election will determine whether parties that fought over Tunisia’s future can overcome differences to draft new constitution and revive economy.
Turkish troops chase rebels into Iraq
The National 19 Oct 2011 – Turkey’s prime minister says pursuit of Kurdish rebels follow the deaths of 24 soldiers in simultaneous attacks by PKK.
UN expert urges Lebanon to protect maids
The National 18 Oct 2011 – Human rights expert warns that without proper legal protection, household staff remain acutely vulnerable and dependent on their employers.
11 die as ‘thugs’ besiege Sanaa protest
The National 18 Oct 2011 – Police and government ‘thugs’ attack a demonstration demanding that president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, leave power.
Failures stall Iran’s nuclear ambitions
The National 18 Oct 2011 – Lagging technology is hindering the country’s attempts to become an atomic power.
Debate in Israel over ‘high price’ for Shalit
The National 18 Oct 2011 – A PR campaign from Shalit’s parents pressured the Israeli government to make concessions that will lead to the release of 1,027 Palestinians.
Diplomatic sources: Shalit deal hurt chances of renewing Israel-Palestinian talks
Ha’aretz – Diplomats in New York say Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange deal undermined position of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Blair: Middle East Quartet to press Israelis, Palestinians for border proposals
Ha’aretz – Quartet mediators to hold separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jerusalem next week, in latest bid to revive peace process.
Home for the holidays: Gilad Shalit celebrates Simchat Torah with family
Ha’aretz – A day after celebratory return of Gilad Shalit, crowds in Mitzpe Hila begin to lessen; IDF medical officials visit Shalit home.
IDF forces thwart stabbing attack in West Bank
Ha’aretz – Palestinian woman charges with knife towards crowd of soldiers, civilians at Gush Etzion junction; says she waited to conduct attack until after completion of Shalit swap deal.
Freed female Palestinian terrorist to Gaza children: I hope you will become martyrs
Ha’aretz – Wafa al-Biss, who was freed as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, was sentenced to a 12-year term for planning to blow herself up near Be’er Sheva’s Soroka hospital in 2005.
Prisoners deported under Shalit deal arrive in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Qatar
Ha’aretz – Most notorious prisoners being released under Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange deal arrive safely.
NY Times: Shalit deal shows Netanyahu can reach Mideast peace, but won’t
Ha’aretz – In editorial published following prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, NY Times says Netanyahu would rather negotiate with extremist Hamas than with moderate Palestinian Authority.
New virus may herald Stuxnet-style attack on Iran nuclear program, experts say
Ha’aretz – Security software firm Symantec says new program called ‘Duqu’ may be a precursor for an attack similar to that which reportedly crippled Iran’s nuclear program.
Gilad Shalit visited by IDF medical officers on morning after release
Ha’aretz – Freed Israeli soldier takes a walk outside Mitzpe Hila home accompanied by mother Aviva; physical exams come following earlier reports that the freed Hamas captive was feeling unwell during Tuesday’s release.
Israeli policeman charged with selling bombs to criminal elements
Ha’aretz – Suspect says he sold explosive devices to criminals he knew from his neighborhood while he was still in the army, claims sales were cut as soon as he joined the police.
Netanyahu becomes Israel’s Forrest Gump on the Internet
Ha’aretz – The image of PM Benjamin Netanyahu smiling as Gilad Shalit embraces his father after his release from captivity has become a Facebook hit, with the PM’s image added to key moments in Israel’s history.
Hamas: Egypt must guarantee next stage of Shalit swap includes security prisoners
Ha’aretz – Sub: Israel will release a further 550 prisoners in the second phase of the exchange for Gilad Shalit.
U.S. Muslim congressman praises interfaith efforts for Shalit’s release
Ha’aretz – Rep. Keith Ellison says efforts were representative of a new cooperative spirit between Muslim and Jewish communities in the U.S.
Iran orders investigation into U.S. ‘crimes’ following call for tougher sanctions
Ha’aretz – Iranian official says U.S. uses human rights and the ‘war on terrorism’ as ‘hackneyed excuses’ to achieve power, and cover up its own internal problems.
Obama condemns Kurdish rebel attack on Turkish troops
Ha’aretz – Turkish officials said about 100 fighters from the PKK mounted simultaneous attacks under cover of darkness on seven remote army outposts, killing 24 Turkish troops.
Pro-Assad gunmen kill 10 in central Syria
Ha’aretz – Killings occur just as tens of thousands of Syrians demonstrate in Aleppo, giving a huge show of support for the embattled president Bashar Assad.
Check Point beats forecasts, sees strong demand in Q4
Ha’aretz – ‘We are seeing strong demand in the United States, Asia and even in Europe, where there’s economic uncertainty,’ says Check Point Software Technologies founder and CEO Gil Shwed.
Israeli start-up Waze draws investment from Chinese billionaire
Ha’aretz – Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing, greater China’s richest man, invests in Israeli navigation technology start-up.
FDA advisers refuse Teva plea to expand Azilect label
Ha’aretz – Advisory council to FDA remained unconvinced that Azilect (rasagiline) slows the progression of Parkinson’s Disease.
Hamas: Egypt to oversee 2nd phase of Schalit prisoner swap
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Group’s armed wing spokesman says Egypt will mediate deal, make sure Hamas conditions met; explains that list of prisoners won’t include those arrested on non-security charges, priority given to elderly, sick.
Freed would-be suicide bomber tells kids to be like her
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Gaza woman defies warnings not to return to terrorism, says “we will pursue our struggle and Netanyahu knows that.”
Netanyahu: I’m happy Gilad Schalit is returning to routine
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Gilad seen on walk with mother outside family home in Mitzpe Hila; IDF and Defense Ministry medical professionals scheduled to visit Schalit throughout the coming days to help aid in his recovery.
Kuntar urges Palestinians to capture Israeli soldiers
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Former prisoner, freed in 2008 swap for soldiers’ bodies, says Schalit deal proves resistance only way to liberate Palestinians jailed in Israel.
First came Stuxnet computer virus, now there’s Duqu
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Computer virus similar to Stuxnet detected in Europe; designed to capture keystrokes and gain remote access; US issues public alert.
Study: Cell phones exceed FCC exposure guidelines
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – According to article published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, children absorb twice as much cell phone radiation.
Haniyeh awards Palestinian prisoners’ families $2,000
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Hamas PM offers support to prisoners relocated to Gaza; 15 prisoners arrive in Syria, 11 in Turkey, 1 in Jordan, and an unknown number in Qatar.
Jordan PM-designate tries to enlist Muslim Brotherhood
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Khasawneh in talks with opposition, expected to announce new government to King Abdullah II this weekend, ‘Al Rai’ reports.
After Schalit deal, Zahar challenges Abbas to elections
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Senior Hamas official invites Abbas to “measure his popularity in the Palestinian street”; Zahar insists he wants Hamas-Fatah reconciliation.
24 Turkish soldiers killed in attack by Kurdish rebels
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Following border attack, Turkish commandos crossed 3-4 km into northern Iraq in pursuit of rebels; Erdogan, Davutoglu cancel trips abroad.
‘Netanyahu less likely to negotiate after Schalit deal’
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Now that prime minister has negotiated with Hamas, he will prove his toughness by not negotiating with Fatah, PA, ‘NY Times’ writes.
Hamas gains from prisoner swap likely to fade
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Analysts say Islamic movement scores points from Schalit deal, but public will eventually forget issue, as has been the case with PA statehood bid.
Schalit recuperating, returning to normal life
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Gilad seen on walk with mother outside family home in Mitzpe Hila; IDF and Defense Ministry medical professionals scheduled to visit Schalit throughout the coming days to help aid in his recovery.
Police laud operation that went off ‘without a glitch’
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – In dramatic scenes, police vehicles escort a convoy carrying newly-freed soldier Gilad Schalit to his home in Mitzpe Hila.
East Jerusalem welcomes 16 released prisoners
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – “It’s really good they’re being released, but I think there will immediately be two or three more Schalits,” says Fatah member.
Clinton hails ‘Libya’s victory’ on Tripoli visit
Jerusalem Post 19 Oct 2011 – Secretary of state is the most senior US official to visit since Gaddafi’s rule ended; Clinton urges creation of unified military.
‘Plane carrying 11 Palestinian prisoners lands in Turkey’
Jerusalem Post 18 Oct 2011 – Turkish FM says inmates’ crimes erased as a result of exchange, denies claims prisoners may pose threat to Turkey, ‘Today’s Zaman’ reports.
My part in the prisoner exchange deal
Jerusalem Post 18 Oct 2011 – How a ‘Jerusalem Post’ columnist played a key role in back-channel negotiations for the release of Gilad Schalit.
Palestinians who killed for a cause return to a changed battlefield
The Guardian 19 Oct 2011 – Released prisoners divided over passion and stomach for armed conflict as they see their brethren gambling on diplomacy Since the day Wafa al-Bess failed to blow herself apart at an Israeli military post she has not…
Abbas welcomes prisoner release – video
The Guardian 18 Oct 2011 – The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, says another wave of prisoner releases from Israeli jails is due to take place as he welcomes the return of hundreds of people returning to Gaza and the West Bank
Clashes in West Bank as prisoner exchange continues – video
The Guardian 18 Oct 2011 – Palestinians awaiting the release of prisoners at a West Bank checkpoint, hurl rocks at Israeli soldiers, who respond with tear gas, after the military told the crowd the group had been taken to another crossing
Finland to Host Conference for WMD-Free Middle East
IPS After much delay, Finland has been chosen to host a 2012 conference to establish a zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the Middle East. The meeting aims to bring together all Middle Eastern countries, some of which share a long history of disagreement, such as Iran and…
Rights Groups Praise U.S. Hold on Bahrain Arms Sale
IPS A State Department announcement that it will delay the shipment of 53 million dollars in new arms to Bahrain pending the results of an international commission investigating alleged abuses by the kingdom’s security forces earlier this year has evoked mixed reactions from human rights groups here.
Turkish Troops Enter Iraq After PKK Attacks
IPS Turkish forces have launched an incursion into the mountains of northern Iraq following simultaneous attacks by Kurdish separatists in southeastern Turkey that killed at least 26 soldiers.
UZBEKISTAN: Forced Child Labour Kills
IPS A 13-year-old boy has become the latest victim of state-sponsored forced child labour in Uzbekistan as its regime continues to ignore boycotts and international condemnation of its practices during the country’s annual cotton harvest.
Uruknet
“Eleven years later, the wound is still bleeding”
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – On 1 October, thousands of Palestinians marched in Sakhnin to commemorate the eleventh anniversary of the October 2000 uprising during which Israeli police forces murdered 13 unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel over the course of eight days. None of the slain protesters posed a threat to the life of police forces or others and…
Concerns over Palestinian children in Israeli custody
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – While there have been emotional scenes after the release of 477 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, concerns are being raised about the plight of 164 Palestinian children from the West Bank in Israeli custody. They were either sentenced or are being detained, mainly for stone-throwing, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which,…
A harvest of tears: Palestinian agriculture continues to suffer as a result of ruthless Israeli policies
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – It is olive harvest season once again in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and something unusual is taking place, something unique to this region. Unlike most harvests around the world which are collected either by local farmers or migrant workers, in the case of Palestine people are literally flying in from all over the…
‘NATO has bombed Libya back to Stone Age’ (Video)
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – Former MI5 agent Annie Machon says that the US wants to reinforce the myths that public has been told about NATO’s humanitarian’ intervention, while Libya is being bombed beyond the point of no return. During her visit to Libya, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has used unusually blunt terms to describe what the…
Mansour: US trying to stall UN bid
Uruknet October 19, 2011 — The UN membership bid is likely to come to a head on or around Nov. 11, when Security Council ambassadors plan a final meeting to decide their response, diplomats said on Wednesday. The date represents a delay in dealing with the application, submitted by President Mahmoud Abbas on Sept. 23, amid hopes that indirect…
The destruction of Sirte
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – The Libyan city of Sirte is being systematically destroyed by National Transitional Council “rebel” fighters and NATO fighter planes. The operation stands as a monumental war crime, for which primary responsibility rests with the leading forces behind the military intervention in Libya-US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and French President Nicolas…
The Activist Salem Gnan
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – My first encounter with the works of Salem Gnan, activist, was an important call he made to the UK Guardian on February 21, as cited in the post “Bombing His Own People.” Really? Three reports of Libyan gov attacks on Tripoli came in that day, within an hour and a half. The latter two…
Uranium and other contaminants in hair from the parents of children with congenital anomalies in Fallujah, Iraq
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – Recent reports have drawn attention to increases in congenital birth anomalies and cancer in Fallujah Iraq blamed on teratogenic, genetic and genomic stress thought to result from depleted Uranium contamination following the battles in the town in 2004. Contamination of the parents of the children and of the environment by Uranium and other elements…
The cause of congenital anomaly and cancer in Fallujah Iraq is identified as Enriched Uranium from novel weapons systems deployed by the US.
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – Remarkably high levels of congenital anomaly at birth, together with high cancer rates in Fallujah, Iraq were previously found in a joint UK Iraqi epidemiological study published in the International Journal of Environment and Public Health in July 2010 and reported in The Independent. The illnesses and unusual changes in the sex-ratio at birth,…
Palestinian detainees suspend hunger strike ‘for 3 days’
Uruknet October 18, 2011 — Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s Ohalei Kedar jail have agreed to suspend their hunger strike for three days, representatives of the detainees said Tuesday. Detainees suspended the strike after prison authorities agreed to end the policy of solitary confinement, a statement said. Israeli prison officials also agreed to transfer Popular Front for the Liberation of…
Syria News – October 18, 2011 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – Syria: The number of martyrs reached today so far to 11, five martyrs in Herak in Daraa, five martyrs in Homs, and a martyr died affected by his wound in Bokamal.Homs: Morhaf Jaafar, Mohammad Abaza, Faisal Al-Taleb, Ali Najim who is an Alawite activist in Bab Sbaa, were killed today and security forces kidnapped…
Occupy Wall Street: Potentials and limitations of the 2011 American Protests by Fazal Rahman, Ph.D.
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – In absence of organization or direction from a political party or organization, the 2011 American Protests-being called the Occupy Wall Street-can only be described as spontaneous in their origin and nature, a manifestation of rage against high unemployment; extremist economic injustices and inequalities, adversely affecting countless millions of people, in all areas of life;…
The US media reports: Gilad Shalit swapped for 1000 non-people (Updated)
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – By now, Gilad Shalit is back in Israel, while around 1000 Palestinian prisoners will eventually be released from Israeli jails, then scattered to various locations from Jerusalem to Egypt to Syria, where many will live in permanent exile. While some Israelis doubt the wisdom of the prisoner swap, there can be little doubt that…
A Personal Opinion: I Don’t Get It
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – I have to say, I honestly don’t understand why so many ‘dissidents’ want the OWS crowd to either a) overturn the government tomorrow morning, or b) be mowed down by the cops as soon as possible. These seem to be two of the strongest reactions to the Occupy movement from lots of people who…
Ahlam al-Tamimi: among the freed women
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – Ahlam al-Tamimi was born on 20/10/1980 in the Jordanian city of al-Zarqa to a Palestinian family with roots in the Palestinian village of al-Nabi Saleh near Ramallah. Ahlam completed her elementary, junior and secondary education in al-Zarqa before returning to Palestine and enrolling in the Department of Media and Journalism at Bir Zeit University….
* News & Politics * Culture & Society * Economy * Opinion * Series & Features * Interviews & Portraits * Blogs Follow Al-Akhbar on Twitter Like Al-Akhbar on Facebook Subscribe to our RSS Feed The US media reports: Gilad Shalit swapped for 1000 non-people (Updated)
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – By now, Gilad Shalit is back in Israel, while around 1000 Palestinian prisoners will eventually be released from Israeli jails, then scattered to various locations from Jerusalem to Egypt to Syria, where many will live in permanent exile. While some Israelis doubt the wisdom of the prisoner swap, there can be little doubt that…
Freedom Is a Move to a Larger Prison
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – Rawda Odeh had mixed feelings when she heard the news that her son, 33- year-old Loai Mohammad Ahmed Odeh, was going to be released from prison as a result of the recently brokered prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. “I was hoping that I would hug my son when he will be released…
The U.S. in search of an absolute weapon
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – On Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Tripoli bringing with her millions of dollars of U.S. aid to the interim government and a message of peace and encouragement to the Libyan people. As reported by The Washington Post, her talks focus on “how we set the table for a long-term,…
Obama’s Great African Military Safari
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – In 2008, Barack Obama made history as the first black President in the United States of America. Three years later, he has made history again, this time as the first US President to establish a permanent US military presence on the African continent. Obama announced late last week, “I believe that deploying these U.S….
Iraq snapshot – October 18, 2011
Uruknet October 18, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, evacuations take place in the northern mountains of Iraq (creating more displaced), a US ally is caught using child soldiers, another US service member dies in the Iraq War, Michael Ratner and Michael S. Smith discuss the assassination of an American citizen by Barack Obama, and more….
Somalis Under Relentless Drone Attack as U.S. Tightens Military Grip on Continent
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – Africa, under President Obama, is an expanding theater of war for the United States. There are few points on the African map where the U.S. military does not operate, independently, through proxies, or by agreement with local governments and militaries. AFRICOM has penetrated the armed forces of the continent to a degree no single…
Theater of the Absurd’: Netanyahu and His Endgame in Palestine
Uruknet October 18, 2011 – During his deliberately offensive speech on September 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the General Assembly as ‘the theater of the absurd.’ Israel’s few friends at the United Nations – led by the US delegation – listened gleefully and applauded as Netanyahu heralded a steady stream of insults. Netanyahu then returned to Israel…
Life in East Jerusalem
Uruknet October 19, 2011 – Palestinians suffer grievously under occupation, including in East Jerusalem. Israel wants it entirely Judaized as its capital even though legally it’s an international city under UN trusteeship. No matter. Palestinians face daily hardships and abuses, including its elected officials. In June 2010, three Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) members and a former PA Minister of…
One Israeli Human Being v. An Undifferentiated Mass Of Arabs
Uruknet October 18, 2011- According to an AFP report, Nicolas Sarkozy “warmly welcomes the announcement of an agreement that should lead to the release of Gilad Shalit,” and has congratulated Netanyahu for “major success”. We can be sure that Bernard-Henri Le’vy will do the same. In return, if you will, 1027 Palestinians (including 27 women) will be released. Who…
Woman arrested for allegedly assaulting lawyer
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 A woman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a lawyer during a court session at the Justice Palace, the National News Agency reported.
Former minister recognized as ‘Woman of Peace’
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Former Minister Layla Solh Hamadeh has won recognition as the Woman of Peace in Lebanon during a ceremony held at Casino du Liban to celebrate U.N. World Peace Day.
10 people arrested for drug use, police seek dealer
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Ten people were arrested for drug use in Nabatieh Wednesday and police are seeking the dealer who supplied them, the National News Agency reported.
Nurseries given 6 months to obtain licenses
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil is giving the country’s nurseries six months to abide by the law and obtain licenses.
Private schools unmoved by public teacher strike
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 As thousands of teachers and pupils at public schools stayed away from the classroom during Wednesday’s nationwide strike, several private establishments carried on with business as usual.
Court charges 2 men for collaborating with Israel
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Two Lebanese men, including an imam, were charged Wednesday by the Military Tribunal for collaborating with Israel.
Clashes on Lebanese border kill 8 Syrian army defectors: sources
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Eight Syrian army defectors were killed Wednesday in clashes on Lebanon’s eastern border, security sources told The Daily Star.
ISF suspends gas subsidies for all personnel
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 The Internal Security Forces have ordered the full suspension of all transportation subsidies for its personnel, a security source told The Daily Star.
Nammar faces charges for accepting bribes
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza pressed charges Wednesday against the former general director for roads and buildings at the Ministry of Public Works, for accepting bribes while holding office.
MPs drafting domestic violence law: Moukheiber
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Metn MP Ghassan Moukheiber said Wednesday that religious figures who earlier opposed legislation that criminalizes domestic violence are beginning to change their stance.
Rai urges political parties to change their names
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai urged Wednesday Lebanese political parties to change their names and start acting with a new mentality.
State prosecutor submitsprogress report to STL
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza handed over Wednesday a report on the efforts made to arrest the four indicted individuals in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Ban says Syrian incursions deplorable, pose security threat
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Ongoing unrest in Syria and a spate of military incursions into Lebanon could profoundly deteriorate stability throughout the country, the United Nations warned Wednesday.
Geagea: Failure to pay STL dues would bring down Mikati Cabinet
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Thursday the failure of Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government to pay Lebanon’s share of funding to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would result in its collapse.
Hezbollah delegation visits Russian deputy speaker in Moscow
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 A Hezbollah delegation met in Moscow Wednesday with Russian lawmakers on the party’s first official visit to the country.
Ministers trade blows over telecoms revenues
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 The government session Wednesday saw a heated debate over the disputed transfer of funds from the Telecommunication to the Finance Ministry as representatives of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party verbally clash over…
Teachers vow to escalate protest
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Classes in most schools throughout Lebanon were suspended Wednesday as teachers vowed to gradually escalate their campaign after their demand for reconsidering a wage hike was ignored by the Cabinet.
U.N. envoy: Border with Syria must be drawn
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 The government must work toward definitively delineating the border with Syria, Robert Watkins, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Lebanon, said Wednesday.
Turkey launches ground, air incursion in Iraq
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Turkish soldiers, air force bombers and helicopter gunships launched an incursion into northern Iraq Wednesday, hours after Kurdish rebels killed 24 soldiers and wounded 18 in attacks along the border.
Pro-Assad Syrians rally in Aleppo as clampdown continues
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Tens of thousands of Syrians rallied in support of President Bashar Assad in the northern city of Aleppo Wednesday while to the south his troops carried out a sustained offensive to crush the seven-month uprising against…
Striking teachers say their salaries fail to make ends meet
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 The long journey did not stop Arabic teacher Fatima Jammal from traveling from the southern city of Tyre to join a sit-in Wednesday in downtown Beirut.
Teenager caught trying to steal car
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 A police chase ended in the arrest of a 15-year-old boy on charges of car theft in Mount Lebanon, a security source said Wednesday.
Metn residents demand action on tainted water
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Residents of the Metn town of Daishounieh are calling on the government to move swiftly to identify and contain a pollutant they say has contaminated the main spring in the area, which supplies water to hundreds.
French hostage dies as forces eye rebel bastion
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Kenyan and Somali forces were poised to close in on Islamist rebels in their southern strongholds as Paris announced that a Frenchwoman, whose kidnapping spurred Kenya’s cross-border incursion, had died.
Libyan fighters launch renewed push on Sirte
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Anti-Gadhafi fighters launched an all-out assault Wednesday against the ousted strongman’s remaining holdouts, now pinned into a small corner of his hometown Sirte.
Sirte fighter indignant at level of city’s destruction
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Ibrahim Alazhry was one of the few residents of Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte to take up arms against Libya’s strongman but has been angered by the ransacking of his city.
Nobel laureate implores U.N. to not offer immunity to Saleh
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Yemeni Nobel peace laureate Tawakul Karman made an impassioned plea to the United Nations Tuesday to repudiate a Gulf Arab plan that would grant immunity to her country’s “war criminal” president.
Tunis Islamist party warns of uprising if election is unfair
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 The people who took to the streets to oust Tunisia’s president will rise up again if there is evidence of large-scale fraud in this weekend’s election, the leader of the Islamist party which is the front-runner…
Clinton briefly visits Oman to discuss Iran kill plot
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton paid a brief visit to Oman Wednesday for talks with Sultan Qaboos on rising tensions with Iran over its alleged plot to kill a Saudi envoy, officials said.
Journalist denies Shalit interview was forced
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 An Egyptian journalist under fire for interviewing Gilad Shalit as Hamas handed the captured Israeli soldier to Egypt said he was not pressured to give the interview.
Palestinians enjoy post-swap freedom
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Palestinians freed by Israel in a trade for an Israeli soldier Tuesday took their morning exercise in the Gaza Strip Wednesday around a luxury swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean…
Report shows U.S., Europe supplied arms used against protesters
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 The United States, Russia and many European countries that have supported the swell of protests across the Middle East and North Africa this year also supplied some of the weapons used against demonstrators, Amnesty International said…
Egypt presidential hopeful fears chaos if civilian rule delayed
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Presidential candidate Amr Moussa said Wednesday he feared a prolonged transition to civilian rule could plunge Egypt into anarchy caused by spiralling violence and economic hardship.
Syria slams Arab League over call for dialogue
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Syria’s official media lashed out at the Arab League Wednesday, accusing it of serving US and Israeli interests as the regime continued its brutal crackdown on a seven-month popular protest, with 10 civilians reported killed.
Romania approves draft law on U.S. missile shield
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Romania’s government has approved a draft law that permits the building of an anti-ballistic interceptor site in the country as part of a U.S. missile shield.
Ten arrested for drug use
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Ten people arrested for drug use in Nabatieh as security forces seek the dealer who had sold the substances to them.
Clinton in Oman for talks on Iran
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid a brief visit to Oman Wednesday for talks with Sultan Qaboos on rising tensions with Iran over its alleged plot to kill a Saudi envoy, officials said.
10 killed in Syrian protests; huge pro-Assad rally
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Syrian security forces and pro-government gunmen killed at least 10 people in a rebellious central province Wednesday, activists said, just as tens of thousands of Syrians were demonstrating in Aleppo.
Teachers strike, Nahhas says Cabinet to look into wage hike decision
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Lebanon’s labor minister said Cabinet would Wednesday look into reconsidering its decision on boosting worker’s wage, as teachers across the country went on strike over the deal.
Lebanese imam charged for collaborating with Israel
Daily Star 19 Oct 2011 Two Lebanese men, including one imam, were charged Wednesday in a Beirut military court for collaborating with the Jewsih state.
Turkey launches incursion into Iraq
YNet News, 19 Oct 2011 – Turkish soldiers, air force bombers and helicopter gunships launched an incursion into northern Iraq on Wednesday, hours after Kurdish rebels killed 24 soldiers and … ….
Gaza: Luxury hotel hosts freed terrorists
YNet News, 19 Oct 2011 – Palestinians freed by Israel in a trade for soldier Gilad Shalit took their morning exercise on Wednesday around a luxury swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean, … ….
US Republicans: No swaps with terrorists
YNet News, 19 Oct 2011 – WASHINGTON ‚Äì Top Republican figures participating in a debate Tuesday rejected the possibility of emulating Israel’s example of freeing terrorists from Guantanamo in … ….
Would-be bomber tells Gaza kids to be like her
YNet News, 19 Oct 2011 – A would-be Palestinian suicide bomber freed by Israel in the prisoner swap for soldier Gilad Shalit told cheering schoolchildren in the Gaza Strip the day after her … ….
Palestinian Information Center
Ahlam al-Tamimi arrives in Amman to a hero?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s welcome
PIC – Freed Jordanian captive Ahlam al-Tamimi arrived Tuesday night to a hero’s welcome as hundreds of Palestinians and Jordanians waited for her arrival at Queen Alia Airport in Amman.
Thousands greet freed captives in Nablus
PIC – Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Nablus to receive freed captives from Israeli occupation jails and who returned to the Nablus district.
Welcome home, heroes
PIC – They call you terrorists and other nasty names because you dared say NO in the face of brutal force and blatant oppression. But as far as we are concerned, you are our ultimate heroes.
Israel slams Shalit interview
PIC – The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticised the television interview conducted by Egyptian TV with freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and described as “shameful”.
Hamdan: Sarkozy?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s demands out of context
PIC – Osama Hamdan expressed surprise at French president Nicolas Sarkozy?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s statement that the release of Gilad Shalit was not enough and that Hamas has to ?¢‚Ǩ?ìshun violence and recognize Israel”.
Israel threatens to recapture freed prisoners in West Bank
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has imposed strict security measures on freed Palestinian prisoners and threatened to arrest them anew in the event they did not obey those orders.
With joy and tears Jerusalem received the freed captives
PIC – With the Palestinian flag and the green flags of Hamas Palestinians living in Jerusalem received the captives who were freed from occupation jails on Tuesday..
Hasan Salamah hails the prisoner exchange deal
PIC – Imprisoned Qassam Brigades leader, Hasan Salamah said in a message from Askalan prison on Tuesday afternoon: “To get women captives free is an achievement to be proud of..
UN Alliance of Civilizations Initiate Dialogue Caf?© in Ramallah
WAFA
Abbas Receives Call from Colombia’s President
WAFA
Parliamentarians Call on Israel to Release Lawmakers
WAFA
PFLP Head Suspends Hunger Strike
WAFA
Erekat Stresses Halt to Settlements to Resume Negotiations
WAFA
Newspapers Review: 477 Palestinian Prisoners Released
WAFA
42 Released Prisoners Arrive in Qatar, Turkey, Syria
WAFA
Security Council Meeting Expected in November
WAFA
Released Prisoners Arrive in Doha
WAFA
Russia Deeply Concerned at New Israeli Settlement Plan
WAFA
Fatah, Hamas to Meet after Abbas’ Tour to Arab World
WAFA
The Christians of the Orient Stand up Against the New Western Colonialism
Intifada-Palestine: 19 Oct 2011 – by Thierry Meyssan The war against Syria, planned by the United States, France and the United Kingdom for mid-November 2011, has been blocked in extremis by the Russian and Chinese vetoes at the Security Council. According to Nicolas Sarkozy, who informed… more
Newly freed Israeli soldier finds himself in spotlight
LA Times 19 Oct 2011 – With his release in an Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap, Gilad Shalit faces a long road to recovery from problems stemming from his captivity. He will also have to confront his new celebrity status. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was a shy, gangly teenager from a remote northern…
Turkey pushes into Iraq after Kurd militant raids kill 24 troops
LA Times 19 Oct 2011 – The Turkish offensive across the Iraqi border after the two dozen soldiers were killed and an additional 18 wounded includes helicopter gunships, ground commandos and fighter jets, authorities say. Turkey launched land and air assaults into neighboring Iraq on Wednesday after Kurdish militants killed at…
Egypt protesters post their wills on Twitter, Facebook
LA Times 19 Oct 2011 – Anticipating more military violence after the killings of Coptic Christians, protesters show their determination to remain defiant to the end. In keystroke bursts of poetry, defiance and humor, Egyptian activists are posting their wills on Twitter.
U.S. Denies Iran Claims That Saudi Plot Defendant Belongs to Exile Group
New York Times 19 Oct 2011 – Obama administration officials on Wednesday denied Iranian news reports that Gholam Shakuri is an agent of Mujahedeen Khalq, a group Iran regards as a terrorist organization.
Assad Supporters Hold Rally in Aleppo, Syria
New York Times 19 Oct 2011 – Rallies for Bashar al-Assad show that his government can still command support from a substantial part of the population in Syria, seven months after the uprising there started.
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Still Face Peril
New York Times 19 Oct 2011 – The ordeal is far from over for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, who are nervous about their status and fearful of incursions by Syrian forces.
U.A.E. Bolsters Small and Midsize Firms
New York Times 19 Oct 2011 – The initiatives, part of efforts to diversify the economy away from oil revenue, aim to provide entrepreneurs with better access to financing and lower administrative hurdles.
Obama Ends Jobs Bill Bus Tour in Virginia
New York Times 19 Oct 2011 – President Obama announced a partnership with companies that aims to employ 25,000 veterans and military spouses.
More creeping halacha
Mondoweiss – More signs of creeping halacha in New York City. From the New York World : On the morning of October 12, Melissa Franchy boarded the B110 bus in Brooklyn and sat down near the front. For a few minutes she was left in silence, although the other…
UN High Commission for Human Rights Begins Informal Inquiry into Anatot Pogrom
Tikun Olam – Thanks to reporting here and the eyewitness testimony of Stavit Sinai which I translated (she was sexually assaulted during the recent Anatot pogrom), a human rights officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has begun an informal inquiry into the violence that occured…
Iran Reports Alleged Terror Conspirator Actually MEK Leader
Tikun Olam – I’ve been able to confirm with enough comfort level to publish the report from Iranian media that Gholam Shakuri, the alleged Iranian Revolutionary Guard co-conspirator in the Iran terror plot, is a member of the Mujahadeen al-Khalq (MEK). This is the group which engages in acts…
A mother’s story: Om Fares
Mondoweiss – The prisoners’ families make sure not to miss any day of the weekly protest so the number of the people inside the Red Cross is more than usual on Mondays. Therefore, one should expect to see lots of tears and hear lots of tragedies, especially after…
UNICEF pressures Israel on child detainees
Mondoweiss – From Foreign Policy’s Turtle Bay blog : As the Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap got under way this week, the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) appealed late last night to the Israel military to ensure the release of 164 Palestinian prisoners detained as minors, mostly on charges of throwing stones…
Endangered Palestinian village gets int’l media attention‚Äì except from the U.S.
Mondoweiss – Haj Sami Sadeq is a mayor in Palestine. Behind him is the Jordan Valley. Around him are the lands of his little village, Al Aqaba. The entire village is under Israeli demolition orders. In fact, the Israeli army bulldozed the road to his village on Sept….
Netanyahu cuts his deals with Hamas, not Fatah, and here’s why
Mondoweiss – Great editorial in today’s New York Times asking the obvious question: If Benjamin Netanyahu can cut a deal with Hamas of the magnitude he did to win the release of Gilad Shalit, why can’t he pursue a more comprehensive deal with Palestinian moderates such as Mahmoud…
Fox-Werrity UK Scandal Exposes Meeting With Mossad Chief and New Wealthy Pro-Israel Donor
Tikun Olam – The Daily Telegraph added some tantalizing new details to its reporting on the Liam Fox-Adam Werrity case. Fox, you’ll recall resigned last week as defense minister in the Tory led government. He had allowed a close personal friend to masquerade as a trusted aide in meetings…
(en) Spain, Reflections for the US Occupy Movement – from Barcelona.
A-infos 19 Oct 2011 – Before the Spanish call-out for a global day of action on October 15, a few critical notes and words of encouragement from the Barcelona neighborhood assemblies… — After the courageous revolts of the Arab Spring, the next phenomenon of popular resistance to capture the world media’s…
(en) Australia, Brisbane From Below * #1 Winter 2011 – Solidarity – Self Management – Direct Action
A-infos 19 Oct 2011 – Open Letter to Friends and Comrades on the Struggle against Racism amongst the Class. —- Notes in response to the recent anti-burqa protests —— After a few years of relative hiatus right-wing populist politics has re-emerged again on the streets of Australian cities. The largest mobilisations…
Thank you, Hamas
Sabbah report 19 Oct 2011 – The imminent release of some 1030 Palestinians from Israeli bastilles, dungeons and concentration camps is a definitive victory for Palestine and its struggling people by all conceivable standards.
Yes, rejoice for precious Shalit
Sabbah report 19 Oct 2011 – I can’t deny that I’m pleased for Gilad Shalit and his parents. On the other hand why is there such a torrent of sympathy for Shalit when the much-hyped thousand-for-one prisoner swop leaves 8,000 Palestinians still rotting in Israeli jails.
Big pro-Assad rally held in Syria
BBC 19 Oct 2011 – Thousands of people stage a rally in Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, in an apparent show of support for embattled President Bashar al-Assad.
Egyptian defends Shalit interview
BBC 19 Oct 2011 – The Egyptian journalist who interviewed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit just after Hamas freed him defends herself against Israeli criticism.
Don’t Collaborate with Apartheid ‚Äì a call from Palestinian civil society on European universities, academics, students and people of conscience
Global BDS 19 Oct 2011 – The State of Israel practises a system of occupation, colonialism and apartheid over the Palestinian people, but it does not do so unaided.Israeli military companies are the main enablers of Israel’s persistent and grave violations of international law. They provide the weaponry and technology that allow…
Nizar and Ahlam; Fatah and Hamas: from an Israeli cell to a wedding ceremony
Middle East Monitor 19 Oct 2011 – He was sentenced to life in prison and she was sentenced to 16 consecutive life terms. He is affiliated to Fatah; she is a member of Hamas. Today, however, Nizar Al-Tamimi, 38, and his cousin Ahlam Al-Tamimi, 31, are both free and are going to be…
Hamas official claims that exchange deal “includes Israel lifting Gaza siege and not pursuing ex-prisoners”
Middle East Monitor 19 Oct 2011 – The Deputy Director of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has said that the prisoner exchange deal agreed with Israel “includes lifting the Gaza siege and not pursuing and prosecuting the ex-prisoners”. Moussa Abu Marzouk made his comments to local media outlet “Palestine”. “…
Through thick and thin: America continues to support Israel despite the economic crisis and global calls for social and economic justice
Middle East Monitor 19 Oct 2011 – At least a quarter of a million Israelis protested in August over the cost of living. In Tel Aviv alone, 200,000 people took to the streets. The protests, however, were over more than simply against the high cost of basic essentials and housing: “The people demand…
West Bank gives heroes’ welcome to freed prisoners
Middle East Monitor 19 Oct 2011 – EXCLUSIVE PICTURES The freed Palestinian prisoners were received at the various crossing points into the Palestinian Territories by large crowds of well-wishers from across the political spectrum. Prisoners from the West Bank arrived at the Betunia Checkpoint and from there were taken to the district headquarters…
Cooler Heads Fail to Prevail on Iran
Arab American Institute 19 Oct 2011 – Statements and questions from committee members reveal that Congress is growing increasingly hawkish on Iran, especially in response to accusations of a recent Iranian attempt to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador on U.S. soil.
PSP Accompanied Farmers` Olive Harvest in Surif
Palestine Solidarity Project 19 Oct 2011 – October 19th, 2011, PSP, members from The Popular Committees of Beit Ommar and Surif, several international volunteers, and boy shouts from the area supported Palestinian farmers from Abu Shook in Surif while they harvested their olive trees. The olive grove is in area C, only a…
Support Imprisoned PSP Organizer Participating in Mass Hunger Strike
Palestine Solidarity Project 19 Oct 2011 – Majde Za’aqiq, a 38-year-old school teacher from Beit Ommar and a long-time member of both the Palestine Solidarity Project and the Center for Freedom and Justice, has been imprisoned by the Israeli Authorities for nearly two months and is currently hunger striking against inhumane prison conditions….
Articles
Spare a thought for the 8,000 Palestinian prisoners
Stuart Littlewood, Redress10/20/2011
I was once a national serviceman, drafted into the military by a barmy government. So I can’t deny that I’m pleased for Gilad Shalit and his parents. No teenage soldier, especially a conscript, should spend five years in anyone’s prison even if soldiering for the world’s vilest regime.
On the other hand, why is there such a torrent of sympathy for Shalit when the much-hyped thousand-for-one prisoner swop leaves 8,000 Palestinians still rotting in Israeli jails, some of them having languished in captivity far longer than our Israeli hero?
Life in Israel’s prisons
And for those 8,000 it’s no picnic. A United Nations Human Rights Council report (A/HRC/WG.6/3/ISR/3) of December 2008 highlighted some unpalatable truths about life in Israel’s prisons:
* Use of coercive techniques to extract confessions
* Use of confessional evidence obtained illegally to convict
* Lack of effective mechanisms for investigating complaints of torture
* Arrests and detentions are based on secret evidence to which neither the detainees nor their counsels have access
* Neither the prisoner nor his/her lawyer has the right to see the evidence against them
* Repeated extension of initial detention without evidence to justify it…. more.. e-mail
Greater Israel—or Peace?
The American Conservative 10/19/2011
Pathbreaking scholars Norman Finkelstein and John Mearsheimer speak out about the precarious future of the Jewish state.
Shortly before Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New York to seek United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state, TAC’s Scott McConnell sat down with Norman Finkelstein and John Mearsheimer to discuss the deeper currents shaping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since then, President Obama has given a speech shocking in its deference to Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s right-wing coalition, and there is no immediate prospect for renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations‚Äîthe “peace process” begun with discussions in Oslo, Norway in 1991. Israel has announced fresh plans to move settlers into Palestinian areas of Jerusalem it conquered in 1967.
As daunting as the prospects for peace may be, Israel no longer enjoys immunity from criticism within the American media and academy‚Äîthanks in large part to the work of scholars like Mearsheimer and Finkelstein, who have forced a debate among foreign-policy thinkers and the American left over the price Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians all pay for Tel Aviv’s policies.
One of America’s most important dissident scholars, Norman Finkelstein has written six books touching on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2007, after he had been recommended by DePaul University’s political science department and described by the university as an “outstanding teacher,” he was denied tenure thanks to an unprecedented lobbying campaign waged by Alan Dershowitz, who had long sparred with Finkelstein over Israel. Finkelstein is the child of European Jews who survived Auschwitz and Majdanek, which gave added force to his book The Holocaust Industry, critical of ways Israel has exploited the Holocaust for financial and political gain. His most recent work, This Time We Went Too Far, is an analysis of Israel’s 2008-09 war against the Palestinians in Gaza. more.. e-mail
Lebanon’s Palestinians Need UN Action to Obtain Civil Rights
Franklin Lamb, CounterPunch10/18/2011
Despite Newfound “Friends”
Baalbek, Lebanon
Jalil Refugee Camp is located about 90 km east of Beirut near Baalbek in the Bekaa valley and is home to approximately 8000 of the World’s most destitute Palestinian refugees. It is usually referred to as “Wavell Camp”, after the British Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell’s time at the former French military base during World War II.
The French built the base in order to secure help part of their vast chunk of Arab land following the secret May 16, 1915 Sykes-Picot Arab land grab that divided parts of South Western Asia territory previously administered by the Ottoman Turks. The British-French hegemony included illegally carving the State of Lebanon from Syria, during the League of Nations Mandate era and Jilil camp has been housing Palestinians since 1948. Today, the inhabitants live in particularly unhealthy conditions with some families still living in the original French army barracks and horse stables without daylight and ventilation and several families forced to share communal toilets which sometimes freeze up in the Bekaa’s frigid winters.
When I visited the camp last week with a colleague from the Palestine Civil Rights Campaign to discuss the possibility of an American ex-pat Palestinian building a factory near Jilil Camp that could employ 400 Palestinians I was initially surprised by what I saw written on the Kastall Secondary School blackboard. I presumed a teacher had written the words, “Haram, 425 and no benefit to anyone!!” My first thought was that some of the teachers in UNWRA were finally resisting the outrageous prohibition against UNWRA schools teaching refugee children anything about their history or culture or even allowing them to wear a bracelet or pin with the Palestinian flag or Palestinian symbols to school…. more.. e-mail
“Eleven years later, the wound is still bleeding”
Electronic Intifada: 19 Oct 2011 – Budour Youssef Hassan The Electronic Intifada Jerusalem Palestinians with Israeli citizenship continue to mourn family and community members who were killed by Israeli police in October 2000, and demand accountability from Palestinian political leaders.more
Celebration in the Middle East, But for How Long?
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Oct 2011 – By Ershad Abubacker Mitzpe Hila, a small town in northern Israel close to Lebanon border must not have seen such a celebration in the recent years. Similarly the 200,000 Palestinians who assembled in Katiba Square in Gaza city last night did not have anything like this to cheer about for many years. The Egyptian brokered prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel meant that the world would witness an extremely rare moment in the history of Middle East when the people in Israel and Gaza celebrate for the same cause at the same time. For the first time in many years people in Gaza had reasons to celebrate and Hamas will be receiving the kudos for that. Gilat Shalit the Israeli soldier who has been in the custody of Hamas for the past five years and four months has finally released in a historic prisoner swap deal between bitter enemies…more
Yes, Rejoice for Precious Shalit, But ..
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Oct 2011 – …spare a thought (and do something) for the thousands of Palestinians still languishing in Israel’s prisons By Stuart Littlewood I was once a national serviceman myself, drafted into the military by a barmy government. So I can’t deny that I’m pleased for Gilad Shalit and his parents. No teenage soldier, especially a conscript, should spend 5 years in anyone’s prison even if soldiering for the world’s vilest regime. On the other hand why is there such a torrent of sympathy for Shalit when the much-hyped thousand-for-one prisoner swop leaves 8,000 Palestinians still rotting in Israeli jails, some of them having languished in captivity far longer than our Israeli hero? And for those 8,000 it’s no picnic. A United Nations Human Rights Council report (A/HRC/WG.6/3/ISR/3) of December 2008 highlighted some unpalatable truths about life in Israel’s prisons… • use of coercive techniques to extract confessions • use of confessional evidence obtained…more
The Alleged Saudi Envoy Assassination Plot: Mossad at Work
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Oct 2011 – By Ismail Salami Despite its evidently make-believe facade, the cooked-up story of the Saudi envoy assassination plot does not seem to be something which can be easily banished from the minds of the American powers that be. The heat over Iran in the US government is growing rapidly. Some Republican congressmen have expressed their interest in waging an all-out war against Iran, a threat they keep refreshing every time they have an excuse. They have clearly stated that Washington should not dismiss the idea of resorting to military force against Iran, an idea which is being strengthened in Congress. “I don’t think you should take it off the table,” Michigan Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has said. It is quite natural that he was vehemently supported by the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senator John McCain, who have always maintained an antagonistic…more
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The New Dark Age 
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