26 November 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Turkey: Relations Not To Be Normalized until Israel Lifts Gaza Blockade
IMEMC – Turkish Minister of Foreign Affair, Ahmed Dawud Aghlo, reconfirmed that relations between Turkey and Israel won’t be normalized till the latter issues an official statement, apologizing for Israeli attacks on the Turkish “Freedom Flotilla” in bound to Gaza and lifting Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, the Maan News Agency reported Friday afternoon. …
Palestinian students use their bodies to spell out message of peace
IMEMC – In an action inspired by a British artist and a United Nations Agency, a thousand Palestinian refugee youth gathered beneath the Mount of Temptation near Jericho to create an image with their bodies of Pablo Picasso’s ‘Peace Dove’ and spell out the words ‘Love All’. …
European bank pulls out of Israel after pressure from boycott campaign
IMEMC – The French bank BNP Paribas has decided to pull out of its operations in Israel, after the bank was targeted by the international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign, which aims to use economic pressure to get Israel to adhere to its obligations under international law. …
Israel threatens to cut off power, water to Gaza
11/26/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel warned on Saturday that it would cut the supply of water and electricity to the Gaza Strip if rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas form a unity government.” The foreign ministry is examining the possibility of Israel pulling out of the Gaza Strip in terms of infrastructure,” Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon….
Students spell out peace message in Jericho desert
11/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hundreds of students gathered in the Jericho desert on Friday to create a massive aerial image of Pablo Picasso’s Dove of Peace, in a project by British artist John Quigley and UNRWA.”Palestinian youth are sending the message to “Love One Another” and “Love All” so we can find…. Related: Click for image
Jailed officer says 777 PA employees held by Israel
11/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Brigadier General Maysara Abu Hamdiyya is urging the PA to raise the issue of the 777 PA employees and security officers in Israeli custody. Abu Hamdiyya, serving a life sentence in Israeli jail since 2002, sent a letter Friday to the PA ministry of prisoners affairs. The letter says….
Release of 3 prisoners delayed by Israeli authorities
11/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli prison authorities are delaying the release of three prisoners from Gaza who have completed their sentences. The director of a prisoner’s assembly, Muhammad Badr, on Friday named Abdullah Tawfiq al-Kurd, Wael Mousa Sharbaji and Wade Khamis Tamman as the prisoners who have had their release postponed. Both….
Lebanese court convicts man of spying for Israel
11/26/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A Beirut military court sentenced a Lebanese man accused of spying for Israel to seven years in prison on Friday. Lebanese officials said Sami Khouri was convicted of espionage, but can appeal the sentence before the court of cessation, United Press International agency reported in Arabic. A day earlier, the military….
Factions urge Hamas, Fatah to implement reconciliation
11/26/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Palestinian political factions in the Gaza Strip on Saturday applauded the reconciliation meeting between President Abbas and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal. A meeting between the Fida party, the Palestinian Liberation Front, the Arab Liberation Front and the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front confirmed that there was a need to implement what….
Zakarneh: ‘Anger’ after minister insults workers
11/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Palestinian minister is under fire after he was overheard insulting the members of a powerful workers union. Ahmad al-Majdalani, the PA’s labor minister, was speaking to the head of the government employees union Bassam Zakarneh at a local radio station when he made the disparaging remark about the….
Five children killed in Tulkarem fire
11/26/2011 – TULKAREM (Ma’an) — Five children from one family were killed early Saturday after fire ripped through their house in the northern West Bank village of Qaffin. The children, aged between five and twelve, died in their first floor bedroom after candles were lit in the room before they went to sleep, Palestinian civil defense…. Related: 2 fires extinguished in Tulkarem
Army: Rocket lands in southern Israel
11/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A rocket fired from Gaza landed in the southern Eshkol region Saturday morning, an Israeli army spokeswoman said. No injuries were reported, she added….
Ashrawi: Quartet must take power, legality into account
11/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi advised the the diplomatic Quartet to take account of the power asymmetry when pressing Israelis and Palestinians to direct negotiations, as the latest peace talks push gave little sign of moving forward.” If the Quartet wants to achieve any results, it has to deal with negotiations….
Abbas to meet Austria premier in Vienna
11/26/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Austria on Sunday where he will meet with the government head Chancellor Werner Faymann, official media announced Saturday. Presidential adviser Nimir Hammad told the Voice of Palestine radio that Abbas would update Chancellor of Austria and other officials in Vienna on the efforts made to reactivate….
Erekat: No two state solution without reconciliation
11/26/2011 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — PLO official Saeb Erekat said Saturday that there can not be a two state solution without Palestinian reconciliation. Erekat said he considered political reconciliation a “supporting point” of the peace process. The PLO official made the comments in separate meetings with the British Consul, a UN envoy and the Austrian representative….
Palestinian ambassador participates in Moscow charity event
11/26/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian embassy in Moscow participated in a Bazaar in the city on Saturday to raise money for charity. Palestinian ambassador Faed Mustafa and his wife attended the charity event, which is organized by the International Women’s Federation in November each year. A number of other international embassies took….
2 fires extinguished in Tulkarem
11/26/2011 – TULKAREM (Ma’an) —Civil defense crews extinguished two fires on Saturday in the northern city of Tulkarem. A report from the civil defense public relations office said that fire crews had been deployed to the areas of Balah and Allar, in the north of the Tulkarem. The report said that the fire in Allar…. Related: Five children killed in Tulkarem fire
New Egypt PM fails to win over protesters
11/26/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s new prime minister failed to win over tens of thousands of demonstrators packed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square who continued to demand that the military rulers step down. Police dispersed the crowd with teargas and protesters said at least four people were wounded, witnesses said. The brief flare-up was….
Turkey says fears Syria concealing humanitarian crisis
11/26/2011 – ISTANBUL (AFP) — Syria’s failure to respond to an Arab League ultimatum for an observer mission raises concerns Damascus is trying to conceal a worsening humanitarian situation, Turkey said Friday. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had described the ultimatum to accept a mission of several hundred observers or face sanctions as a last chance for….
Yemenis stage rival Sanaa rallies amid violence
11/26/2011 – SANAA (AFP) — Opponents and supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh held rival rallies in the Yemeni capital Friday after pre-dawn fighting between rival security forces dashed hopes an exit deal for the president would end the violence. Youth activists, who have spearheaded 10 months of protests against Saleh’s 33 year rule in which hundreds….
Egypt clashes kill 19-year-old protester
11/26/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — One person died in fresh clashes on Saturday, as the rift between Egypt’s military rulers and activists who ousted Hosni Mubarak deepened just days before landmark polls. The naming of a new prime minister, Kamal al-Ganzuri who once served as premier under Mubarak, failed to satisfy demands for change ahead of….
At least 10 killed as Syrian forces clash with deserters
11/26/2011 – NICOSIA (AFP) — At least 10 troops and security service agents were killed in clashes with mutinous soldiers in the east of Syria, a human rights group said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths occurred late Friday in Deir Ezzor while early Saturday a civilian was also killed in the eastern….
Arabs prepare sanctions to punish Syria
11/26/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Arab ministers gathered in Cairo on Saturday to draw up sanctions against Syria to punish President Bashar Assad’s regime for defying an ultimatum to allow in observers and continuing a deadly crackdown. The finance ministers were to thrash out a package — expected to include the suspension of flights and freezing of….
Egypt protesters call for mass demo on eve of poll
11/26/2011 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian activists called on Saturday for a million-person march on the eve of landmark polls as Egypt’s military leader reached out to key opposition figures amid a deepening political rift. The Revolution Youth Coalition, formed during the uprising that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in February, called on its Facebook page….
International Solidarity Movement
Slide show: A day at sea with Gaza’s fishermen
11/26/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – Photos by Lydia de Leeuw, A Second Glance – Israeli occupation navy forces harassing fishermen…. Related: Source: A Second Glance and Israeli navy hunts Gaza fishermen
Following night raids, Nabi Saleh continues to march for justice
11/26/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Aida Gerard, 25 November 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – The Occupation Forces invaded An Nabi Saleh village three times injuring several people by shooting directly at demonstrators with tear gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets on Friday, November 25th. Three people were arrested Wednesday in a night time raid earlier in the….
Israeli navy hunts Gaza fishermen
11/26/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – 24 November 2011, International Solidarity Movement, Gaza – Video of our international human rights observation boat outrunning the Israeli navy as it attempts to fire a watercannon on Palestinian fishing boats under 3 miles out to sea. Publicly, Israel ‘allows’ fishermen in Gaza 3 miles in which to make a living. Today, as happens…. Related: Slide show: A day at sea with Gaza’s fishermen
Thanksgiving in Gaza
11/26/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Radhika Sainath, 25 November 2011, Notes from Behind the Blockade – It all started with a simple question from Jabar, a Palestinian farmer from Faraheen, during Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.”Is there an American eid (holiday) where you slaughter an animal? “he asked Nathan, a colleague here in Gaza, a few weeks ago…. Related: Notes from Behind the Blockade
International court says it controls who will try Qaddafi’s son
The National 26 Nov 2011 – The cases against Qaddafi regime officials and Libya’s obligation to cooperate with the International Criminal Court stem from a United Nations Security Council resolution issued in February.
Arab League draft Syria sanctions: Cutting trade ties, freeze on assets
Ha’aretz – Document leaked ahead of Sunday resolution shows Arab states mull ending all commercial flights to Syria, halt dealing with Syrian central bank.
Amir Oren / Egypt turmoil may prompt Israel to strike Gaza
Ha’aretz – Israel may well decide to strike Gaza – but that decision will be determined not in Jerusalem, but by events in Cairo.
JNF delays eviction of Palestinian family from East Jerusalem home
Ha’aretz – Eviction order initially issued requiring the 12 members of the Sumarin family to be out of the property by Sunday; Jewish National Fund has been trying to evict them since 1991.
Israel cabinet to propose NIS 265 million anti-obesity program
Ha’aretz – Program would restrict TV ads for high-calorie foods, amend law requiring doctor’s note to use workout facilities.
IDF strikes two Gaza sites after rocket hits Israel
Ha’aretz – A rocket was fired from the Gaza strip into southern Israel earlier Saturday; Israel Air Force struck sites in southern and central Gaza in response.
Scholars slam bill to change makeup of Israel Antiquities Authority
Ha’aretz – Culture Minister Limor Livnat did not approve Israel Academy of Sciences president’s nominations for authority chairman, has submitted Knesset bill that would let her appoint a non-academy member as authority chairman.
Israel marine research center sights dolphin pod off central coast
Ha’aretz – Identification of 10 dolphins, including 2 calves, part of numerous sightings in recent years; scholar: there are 300-400 bottlenose dolphins near Israel’s shoreline.
Pakistan demands U.S. vacate air base within 15 days
Ha’aretz – Demand issued Saturday after NATO helicopters and jet fighters allegedly attacked two Pakistan army posts along the Afghan border, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Yemen president ends 33-year rule; sets date for elections
Ha’aretz – ‘Registered voters and everyone who has reached the legal age … are called on to vote in early elections for a new president of the republic starting at 8 o’clock on the morning of Tuesday, February 21, 2012,’ said the official decree.
Iran to hit Turkey if nuclear program targeted by Israel, U.S., general says
Ha’aretz – Threat by senior Revolutionary Guard commander comes after another Iranian general says Tehran would strike Israel’s nuclear facilities if it was attacked.
Iran general threatens retaliation against Israel nuclear sites
Ha’aretz – General Yadollah Javano of the Revolutionary Guards says that Iran could attack any part of Israel in response to an Israeli strike on Iran.
Netanyahu says opposes proposed bill to limit Israel High Court
Ha’aretz – PM’s statement comes ahead of a ministerial panel’s discussion of a bill that would bar foreign human rights organizations from appealing state actions in the High Court.
Deputy PM threatens resignation over bill to limit Israel High Court
Ha’aretz – Dan Meridor’s comments come before ministers review Likud bill that would bar human rights groups not registered in Israel from petitions against the state.
Five Palestinian children die in fire in West Bank village
Ha’aretz – Preliminary investigation finds that fire broke out after candles were lit due to power failure; four others hurt in blaze.
Analysis: Egypt – A house divided
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – The army cannot relinquish power because there is no one to take over.
Muslim Brotherhood rally vows to ‘kill all Jews’
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Organizers at Cairo’s iconic al-Azhar Mosque warn against “Judaization of Jerusalem.”
Libyan protesters block jet from taking off
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – No violence reported in Tripoli protest calling for probe into clash in which militia members killed in pro-Gaddafi bastion.
ElBaradei ready to lead transition gov’t in Egypt
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Pro-democracy advocate’s campaign team says he’s willing to abandon presidency bid if asked formally to form gov’t.
Where’s UNIFIL?
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – The international community cannot credibly feign ignorance of the incontestable evidence of turbulence brewing in Lebanon.
Out There: Seeking maturity
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Life is funny, in that the stages of life never quite fit your idealized version of them; how you think they will be.
Azerbaijan in the UNSC – new items on the global agenda
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Its membership in the UN Security Council may place the situation and rights of ethnic minorities in Iran on the int’l agenda.
My World: Weighing in on the Middle East
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Peace in the Middle East seems further away than ever, but that does not mean we need to lose our peace of mind.
Iran says it’d hit Turkey missile shield if attacked
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Tehran officials threaten to hit NATO defense, Israeli nuclear sites if Iran is attacked.
Arab League plans to freeze Syria economic ties
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Draft document of sanctions prepared after Damascus missed deadline includes a travel ban on senior officials, a halt to commercial flights into the country, dealings with Syria’s central bank.
Meridor threatens to quit if Hight Court harmed
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Deputy PM says he returned to politics in part to stop attacks on court; Netanyahu says he’ll oppose bills that harm court.
Palestinian kids create human sculpture for peace
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Aerial artist John Quigley, with the help of 1,000 children from UNRWA schools, recreates Picasso’s Peace Dove outside Jericho.
Analysis: Islamists strong ahead of Egypt poll
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Muslim Brotherhood is seen as able to mobilize voters despite ongoing violence; unrest has made organizing harder for new parties.
NASA rover launched to see if Mars can sustain life
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Journey to reach ‘Red Planet’ to take nearly nine months; once landed, rover to probe rock, soil for life ingredients
Israeli football league attracts natives, newcomers
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Entering its fifth year, the IFL traces its history to a group of touch football players who established a football league in 1988.
Palestinian unity stumbles despite positive reports
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Little progress made between Abbas and Mashaal on two main issues: Security forces and gov’t make-up, Fatah, Hamas officials say.
Fatah-Hamas reconciliation hits more bumps
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Little progress made between Abbas, Mashaal on 2 main issues: Security forces and gov’t make-up, Fatah, Hamas officials say.
Report: Iran adds 3 more submarines to fleet
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Iranian Army Navy Commander Sayyari says Ghadir-class submarines designed, manufactured by Islamic Republic’s experts.
Post-Gaddafi era casts shadow over Sahara-Sahel
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Complex mosaic of nations, tribes and militants is hampering strategies by African and Western nations to staunch the flow of weapons and fighters south from the civil war in Libya into the Sahara-Sahel region.
‘Egyptian PM asks protesters for 2 months’
Jerusalem Post 26 Nov 2011 – Ganzouri tells “Al Shorouk” he will try to add representatives from among young demonstrators to government.
Power of positive thinking? Not for guys
Jerusalem Post 25 Nov 2011 – Israeli study finds optimism helps women excel, causes men to underachieve.
Sinai gas line bombed for 8th time this year
Jerusalem Post 25 Nov 2011 – Egyptian authorities say damage is minimal because natural gas pumping had not yet resumed in pipeline.
Jerusalem dance studio is the new frontline in battle for secular liberty
The Guardian 26 Nov 2011 – Art group defies hardliners’ demand to keep women out of sight The concentration on the dancers’ faces was clear through the large windows. In leggings and layers of loose tops, the young women and men arched…
European bank pulls out of Israel after pressure from boycott campaign
Uruknet November 26, 2011 – The French bank BNP Paribas has decided to pull out of its operations in Israel, after the bank was targeted by the international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign, which aims to use economic pressure to get Israel to adhere to its obligations under international law. Although the bank stated that its withdrawal…
Signs of resistance to NATO-installed government in Libya Chaos reigns, human rights violations aboun
Uruknet November 26, 2011 – One month after the official “liberation” of Libya was declared, the authority of the National Transition Council remains tenuous at best and the country remains in a state of chaos. There have been signs of renewed resistance and intense factional struggles within the forces that comprise the NTC. Resentment against rebel militias…
Israel threatens to cut off power, water to Gaza
Uruknet November 26, 2011 — Israel warned on Saturday that it would cut the supply of water and electricity to the Gaza Strip if rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas form a unity government. “The foreign ministry is examining the possibility of Israel pulling out of the Gaza Strip in terms of infrastructure,” Deputy Foreign Minister Danny…
URGENT APPEAL (UA 4/10) – Gaza: Children of the Gravel
Uruknet Between 26 March 2010 and 3 October 2011, DCI-Palestine has documented 28 cases of children shot whilst collecting building material or working near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Please appeal to stop the targeting of unarmed children working near the border in Gaza….
Syria News – November 25, 2011 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – 26 martyrs fell today so far from being shot by security forces and regime’s army, 14 martyrs in Homs, 6 martyrs in Karnaz in Hama, 2 martyrs in both Deir Ezzor and Damascus Suburbs, and a martyr in both Daraa and Damascus…Deir Ezzor: The martyrdom of the young Abdallah Al Ammar(17 years…
The Under-Examined Story of Fallujah
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – Seven years after the U.S. invasion of Fallujah, there are reports of an alarming rise in the rates of birth defects and cancer. But the crisis, and its possible connection to weapons deployed by the United States during the war, remains woefully under-examined….Of the current problems in Fallujah, the most alarming is…
Libya: The Making of a Ghost Town
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – Embarka Omar crumbles when she sees the pictures of the Libyan city where she was born and lived until two months ago. “We will be back in Tawargha one day,” the 25-year-old repeats to herself. The images say otherwise. Tawargha had been Muammar Gaddafi’s headquarters during the terrible two-month siege of the…
Video: Israeli forces violently ethnically cleanse Bedouin homes in Beit Hanina
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – A video taken today by photojournalist Fadi Arouri shows Israeli occupation forces demolishing the homes of Palestinians in the village of Beit Hanina north of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank. In the video, an elderly Palestinian man can be seen admonishing Israeli occupation soldiers as his home is torn down by…
A Reply to Michael Be’rube’ The “Decent Left” and the Libya Intervention
Uruknet November 25, 2011 -Even as NATO celebrates its victory over the Gaddafi dictatorship, there is growing unease about the operation. The Libyan intervention was supposed to be a model of legality, but ended up exceeding the terms set forth in Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorized a no fly zone but not regime change. US involvement…
U.N.: Reports of child torture in Syria
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – A U.N. human rights panel expressed alarm at reports it received of security forces in Syria torturing children. The Geneva-based Committee Against Torture says it has received “numerous, consistent and substantiated reports” of widespread abuse in the country… Of particular concern are reports referring to children who have suffered torture and mutilation…
Libya leaders supported by “money, arms, PR”: ex-premier
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – One of the most senior figures in Libya’s outgoing government has denounced its leaders as an unelected elite, supported by “money, arms and PR,” and warned that 90 percent of Libya is politically voiceless. Outgoing acting Prime Minister Ali Tarhouni’s comments were the strongest criticism to date by a senior politician of…
The Abbas-Mishaal encounter: what is next?
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – Despite its inconclusiveness, the Cairo meeting between Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Misha’al was a positive step toward the restoration and even solidification of Palestinian national unity. It is hoped that subsequent efforts promised by Fatah and Hamas will finally put an end to this erratic and…
Coming: Big Austerity Cuts
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – The congressional August Budget Control Act of 2011 established the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction – aka Supercommittee. Doing so was extralegal. The Constitution’s Article 1, Section 8 explains congressional powers. None of them include supercommittee authority to resolve America’s debt crisis. 1, Section 8, Sub-section 18 lets Congress “make all…
Iraq snapshot – November 25, 2011
Uruknet November 25, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, Basra sacks its top security commanders, the Turkish government offers an apology to Kurds, Iraq’s Parliament postpones a vote on US withdrawal, the latest round of negotiations involve thousands of US military, and more….Alsumaria TV reports, “State of Law Coalition didn’t take long to explain Iraqi government’s abstinence from…
Israel Demolishes Mosque in South Hebron Hills, Homes in Beit Hanina, Arrest Two Teenage Girls
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – Israeli forces carried out a demolition campaign across West Bank on Thursday, destroying a mosque and several other buildings in the village of Susya in the South Hebron Hills, as well as several Bedouin homes in the town of Beit Hanina, near Ramallah. Soldiers also arrested two girls and demolished a cave…
The “Left” and Libya
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – …NATO intervention started on March 19 with air attacks to “protect” people in Benghazi from massacre by advancing pro-Gaddafi troops. There is no doubt that civilians did expect to be killed after threats of vengeance from Gaddafi. During the first days of the uprising in eastern Libya, security forces shot and killed…
Revolutionary movements name Baradei prime minister in national salvation government
Uruknet Friday 25 Nov 2011 – Gathered before the Cabinet offices on Kasr El-Aini Street, representatives of revolutionary movements announced to several thousand protesters, who had earlier marched there from nearby Tahrir, the names of 5 people they would like to form the core of the national salvation government that a million-strong protest in Tahrir and tens…
ICC Prosecutor’s Career Move Switches Horses and Legal Theories in Libya The Troubling Case of Saif Gadhafi
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – Despite the claims of the National Transitional Council of Libya (NTC) that Saif al Islam Gadhafi, the apprehended subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant that ordered his transport to The Hague, is in a secure hidden location near Zintan, Libya, a town approximately 85 miles southwest of Tripoli, this is…
Inside the jails home to Libya’s ‘enemies’
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – For four months, Ali Jumaa Tahir’s parents had a funeral tent pitched outside their home in a small town 15km from Tripoli, as they mourned the son they thought had died fighting for Gaddafi. It wasn’t until October, when he was able to call them from a borrowed mobile phone lent by…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (17- 23 Nov. 2011)
Uruknet November 25, 2011 – Summary : Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (17-23 November 2011): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded 3 Palestinians, including a media worker, who were participating in a peaceful demonstration in protest against settlement activities in al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah….
Syria News – November 24, 2011 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet November 24, 2011 -Thursday passed with 35 martyrs that have been identified by name, among them a pregnant woman and two children. 34 people were killed in Homs alone, while one person was killed in Dael… Homs: Martyrdom of Faris Radwan (27 year-old). He was arrested yesterday morning by shabiha and last night people found his…
Egypt’s ElBaradei willing to head cabinet
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei is prepared to drop his bid to be head of state if he is asked to lead a transition government to steer the country to … ….
Arab League to freeze Syria economic ties
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Arab states plan to cut commercial ties with Syria’s government and freeze its assets as they step up pressure to end months of political violence in the country, a draft … ….
PM opposes bill limiting High Court petitions
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said that he will oppose a bill aimed at limiting the ability of groups and foundations to petition the High Court of … ….
Syria: 47 soldiers killed over weekend
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – The Syrian army has suffered a major blow this weekend with 47 soldiers killed in clashes with deserters since Thursday. Twenty-six soldiers were killed on Thursday, 13 … ….
Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – A senior commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard says the country will target NATO’s missile defense shield in Turkey if the US or Israel attacks the Islamic … ….
Iran launches 3 new submarines
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Iran has expanded its fleet launching three new Ghadir-class submarines, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced on Saturday. “All parts of … ….
Assad: Turkey seeking to recapture imperial days
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Syrian President Bashar Assad lashed out at his Turkish critics on Saturday, remarking that “some in Turkey are still clinging to the dream of reinstating the Ottoman … ….
Syria ignores Arab League deadline, risks new sanctions
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Damascus snubs Arab League’s demand to accept international observers, stop….
New Egyptian PM urges protesters’ patience
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – Kamal Ganzouri asks protesters in Tahrir Square for two-month grace period;….
5 Palestinian children perish in West Bank fire
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – House in Tulkarem-adjacent village catches on fire leaving five children dead,….
New report suggests Israel linked to Irangate scandal
YNet News, 26 Nov 2011 – New revelations published on 25th anniversary of Iran-Contra affair say Israel….
Palestinian Information Center
Thousands of Jordanians, Egyptians rally in support of Jerusalem
PIC – Tens of thousands of Jordanian citizens rallied on Friday in Suweima village in the Jordanian Valley, only 25 kilometers away from occupied Jerusalem, in support of the holy city.
Israeli soldiers attack Friday’s peaceful rallies against wall and settlement
PIC – Dozens of Palestinians and foreign peace activists were wounded on Friday when they were attacked by Israeli soldiers during weekly anti-wall marches in several West Bank villages and towns.
OCHA: Israel persists in expelling Palestinians from their homes in O. J’lem
PIC – For the second time in two weeks, an Israeli court has ordered the eviction of another Palestinian family by the end of the month from their home in the Silwan area in occupied Jerusalem.
Sabri: an assault on Maghareba gate is an assault on the Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Dr. Ekrema Sabri said that an assault on the Bab al-Maghareba bridge is an assault on al-Aqsa Mosque itself.
IOF troops arrest 60 Palestinians in one week including minors, young women
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested 60 Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem over the past week including ten minors and two young women, a report by Hamas said on Saturday.
Abu Marzouk: Next Hamas-Fatah meeting on 18 December
PIC – Hamas and Fatah delegates would meet in Cairo on 18 December to agree on a number of issues including formation of the elections committee, Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk said on Saturday.
Israeli army holds maneuvers simulating attack on Gaza
PIC – The Israeli army’s Gaza battalion has held maneuvers simulating an attack on the Gaza Strip following chief of staff Benny Gantz’s statement that there was a need for a military campaign against Gaza.
Mishaal in Sudan after meetings in Cairo
PIC – Political bureau chairman of Hamas Khaled Mishaal arrived in the Sudanese capital on Saturday evening to brief president Omar El-Bashir on latest Palestinian developments.
Jordan making contacts to prevent Israeli demolition of Maghareba bridge
PIC – Jordanian minister of Awkaf Abdulsalam Al-Obadi has condemned the Israeli occupation authority’s decision to demolish the Maghareba bridge leading to the Aqsa mosque.
London Boycott Israel Committee Launches ‘Take Apartheid off the Menu’
WAFA
Fayyad Calls for Release of Tax Revenues
WAFA
Foreign Minister Urges Cyprus to Pressure Israel to Release Tax Funds
WAFA
Report: Authorizing Settlers to Use ‘Absentee’ Land in Jerusalem Increases
WAFA
Israel Delays Release of Prisoners to Include them in Swap Deal
WAFA
Five Children Killed in Fire in Tulkarm
WAFA
Syria, Iran and the Balance of Power in the Middle East
Intifada-Palestine: 26 Nov 2011 – By George Friedman U.S. troops are in the process of completing their withdrawal from Iraq by the end-of-2011 deadline. We are now moving toward a reckoning with the consequences. The reckoning concerns the potential for a massive shift in the balance… more
How Palestine was Vanished from the Map
Intifada-Palestine: 26 Nov 2011 – Nakba commemorations By: Jamal Kanj * Every year on 29 November, Palestinians commemorate UN infamous resolution 181 dividing Palestine between European immigrants and native Palestinians. In 1918, Jews represented less than 10 per cent of the Population in Palestine. During the British… more
Misc
Egypt protest against military rulers is biggest yet
LA Times 25 Nov 2011 – Close to 100,000 Egyptians fill Cairo’s Tahrir Square to call for the military generals to cede power to a civilian government. The U.S. also urges the military to step aside. They came by the tens of thousands, swelling through neighborhoods, marching over bridges and pouring…
NBC and the Israel lobby
Mondoweiss – David L. Cohen, exec. vp of Comcast Yesterday I did a shocked post about the fact that Ed Rendell, the telegenic former governor of Pennsylvania, a favorite of Chris Matthews and MSNBC, did a fundraiser for the Israeli army in Philadelphia, at which he said it…
I hold my breath, Haaretz
Mondoweiss – I hold my breath, Haaretz , because of your new ” Black Flag over Israeli Democracy ” series. This series is focused on undemocratic trends in Israel itself (and it does discuss the loyalty oaths and anti-NGO legislation) – but these are symptoms of the terminal illness that is “…
In 5 days the Sumarin family will be evicted from Jerusalem home they have lived in for decades
Mondoweiss – link to www.jpost.com link to www.alternativenews.org link to www.alternativenews.org link to www.maannews.net link to www.maannews.net link to english.wafa.ps link to realisticbird.wordpress.com link to english.wafa.ps link to www.maannews.net link to www.imemc.org link to occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com link to english.wafa.ps link to www.ynetnews.com link to www.ynetnews.com link to 972mag.com link…
Egyptian military defector: ‘I saw people dying and the army gave the orders for us to stand and watch’
Mondoweiss – Amazing video at the Guardian site , of an Egyptian army major who left the army to join the popular uprising. Here you can glimpse the great political intelligence and depth of the Egyptian revolution, the ways that a people throwing off tyranny have had to originate…
A Zionist appeal to western Jews contains racist overtones
Mondoweiss – Avraham Duvdevani “Boost aliyah [Jewish emigration to Israel] to balance Arab growth,” says Avraham Duvdevani of the World Zionist Organization in a British Jewish publication : Of the average 19, 000 annual olim to Israel in recent years, 9,000 have come from the former Soviet Union and…
Amos Schocken: Israel ‘Apartheid Regime,’ ‘Jewish Lobby Addicted’ to Settlement Ideology
Tikun Olam – Haaretz publisher, Amos Schocken Amos Schocken published an eye-opening, remarkably candid op-ed (and Hebrew ) in Haaretz about the extent of the catastrophe that Israel currently faces, which includes a raft of repressive bills and laws threatening everything from freedom of speech to freedom of the…
Egypt police clash with activists
BBC 26 Nov 2011 – At least one person dies as clashes break out during protests in Egypt, two days before the first elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Arab League plans Syria sanctions
BBC 26 Nov 2011 – Members of the Arab League draft a list of economic sanctions against Syria after it fails to end its deadly crackdown on protesters.
Anarkismo.net: In Oaxaca we’re mourning for Cairo, Egypt
A-infos 26 Nov 2011 – Communique # 1: November, 22, 2011 —— Comrades, Brothers and Sisters —— In Oaxaca, we understand, well, what it means to demand the end of a tyrannical government. This demand by the people is just and legitimate, and we know very well how the governing elites of…
Articles
Is Britain Plotting With Israel to Attack Iran?
Jonathan Cook, CounterPunch 11/25/2011
Ex-Ambassador Exposes Government Cover-Up
Last February Britain’s then defense minister Liam Fox attended a dinner in Tel Aviv with a group described as senior Israelis. Alongside him sat Adam Werritty, a lobbyist whose “improper relations” with the minister would lead eight months later to Fox’s hurried resignation.
According to several reports in the British media the Israelis in attendance at the dinner were representatives of the Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, while Fox and Werritty were accompanied by Matthew Gould, Britain’s ambassador to Israel. A former British diplomat has now claimed that the topic of discussion that evening was a secret plot to attack Iran.
The official inquiry castigating the UK’s former defence secretary for what has come to be known as a “cash-for-access” scandal appears to have only scratched the surface of what Fox and accomplice Adam Werritty may have been up to when they met for dinner in Tel Aviv.
Little was made of the dinner in the 10-page inquiry report published last month by Gus O’Donnell, the cabinet’s top civil servant.
Instead O’Donnell concentrated on other aspects of Werritty’s behaviour: the 33-year-old friend of Fox’s had presented himself as the minister’s official adviser and jetted around the world with him arranging meetings with businessmen.
The former minister’s allies, seeking to dismiss the gravity of the case against him, have described Werritty as a harmless dreamer. Following his resignation, Fox himself claimed O’Donnell’s report had exonerated him of putting national security at risk. more.. e-mail
Organized chaos and bare life (*): The non-story of the night raids
Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine 11/24/2011
There exists a general, intentional, cleverly constructed misunderstanding surrounding the true nature of the Israeli occupation. Some say it’s a simple dispute over land, like many others in the world; other think the conflict is about national independence for the Palestinians, prompting statements like, “The Basques and the Kurds aren’t independent either, so why do people pick on Israel?”
But the occupation is something else. It is the ongoing military control over the lives of millions, and everything that comes with it: The lack of civil rights, the absence of legal protection, and perhaps more than anything else, a sense of organized chaos, in which the lives of an entire civilian population is run at the mercy of soldiers 18 to 20 years old. Most of the time, it’s almost hard to explain how bad it is for those who haven’t seen it with their own eyes. Night raid in Nabi Saleh 24 November 2011.
Joseph Dana posted this picture today, of a military raid on the home of an imprisoned Palestinian activist in Nabi Saleh. This is a non-story in the West Bank: The army enters Palestinian homes as it pleases, day or night. No warrant is needed, just like you don’t need a warrant to arrest a Palestinian (even a minor). Once the soldiers are in the house, the nature of the interaction between them and the family living there depends on their good or ill will – and in the 44 years of the occupation, we have had everything: from “polite” visits, to beatings and cursing, all the way up to the murder of civilians in their beds. A Palestinian is never safe – not even in his own home. He can never know what’s coming, the way most of us can even during unpleasant encounters with the authorities. The important point is that both the Palestinian and the soldier know that.
To illustrate this issue, here is a video from a couple of weeks ago. It was taken in Nabi Saleh, the same village where the picture above was taken. The soldiers enter a man’s house at night, and demand he wakes up his children, so they can take their pictures in order to keep them for identification in case of stone-throwing….. more.. e-mail
The right context
Hassan Jabareen, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 11/26/2011
The disingenuity of the Israeli government’s international comparisons is evident when one compares politicians’ rhetoric for audiences within Israel with the diplomatic discourse abroad
The government frequently tries to justify its anti-democratic bills by comparing them to laws in democratic states. For example, it contends that the newly proposed bills regarding the nomination procedures for Supreme Court justices reflect the process used in the United States. When the coalition passes anti-Arab legislation like the “Nakba law,” which lets the finance minister cut the budgets of publicly funded institutions that commemorate the Nakba, it argues that we have to defend Israel’s values as a “Jewish and democratic” state, by citing the German legal principle of “militant democracy.” The government also has made similar comparisons to justify bills that would severely limit foreign funding to local human rights organizations.
It is important for governments to compare themselves with other nations. Given the current state of affairs, it is perhaps even a good sign that the Netanyahu coalition still believes it needs international legitimacy to justify these bills. However, when a comparison does not consider the other nations’ social, political and historical circumstances, it can be inaccurate and misleading. It is true that some of the worst crimes against humanity have been committed by “Western” democracies: the Holocaust, slavery, apartheid and segregation. But today, regimes such as those in Germany, South Africa and the U.S., whatever their defects, are based on fundamental civil rights and respect for separation of powers.
The U.S. Supreme Court has a long and distinguished history of constitutional review; it has intervened in numerous laws passed by Congress and in executive political decisions. A decade ago, in Bush v. Gore, it even decided who would be president, based on a majority vote of just one justice. No political leader called for limiting the court’s power in response to this decision, which was fully implemented. — See also: Source more.. e-mail
The Hypocrisy of Arab League and the West
Dissident Voice: 26 Nov 2011 – After the Arab League hypocritically suspended the membership of Syria amid the mounting pressures of NATO and the United States, the resurgence of violence in Egypt and the increasing use of excessive force in Bahrain and Yemen, and the unrelenting massacre of innocent civilians by the barbaric regime of Al Khalifa and Ali Abdullah Saleh once again attracted the attention of conscientious observers in the international community. According to official figures released by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights website, so far 44 Bahraini citizens were killed at the hands of the mercenaries of Al Khalifa regime. The Bahraini martyrs include the 6-year-old Mohammed Farhan, 14-year-old Ali Jawad Alshaikh and 15-year-old Sayed Ahmad Saeed Shams. The Bahraini organization has reported that many of these martyrs were killed while in custody. The Center has also published documents indicating that more than 1,500 Bahrainis, including about 100 women, were incarcerated since the…more
Assassinating Egyptian Dreams
Dissident Voice: 26 Nov 2011 – Nostalgia for more innocent times is a comforting refuge when hope is scarce. This week, as we inhaled a toxic dose of tear gas in Tahrir Square, we were all gasping for a resurrection of the spirit of the January uprising that led to the spectacular fall of the House of Mubarak. Many Egyptians would give their right arm to relive the spirit of the 18 glorious days that dazzled our collective imagination and filled our hearts with hopes and dreams of a new dawn for young and old. Those dreams have been assassinated and we know the identity of the assassin. For nine long months, we have witnessed an undeclared but unrelenting war of attrition against the Egyptian revolution. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces led by Field Marshall Tantawi has executed one of the most brilliant counter-revolutions in modern history. Even if Tantawi were to step aside…more
The Palestinian Struggle for Water in the Jordan Valley
Dissident Voice: 26 Nov 2011 – Speaking to the American Congress in May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that Israel would maintain a long-term presence in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley. In the months that followed, the Israeli army stepped up its attacks on the water wells of the Palestinians who live there. On November 14th, two water wells were demolished in Baqa’a, east of Tammun, robbing hundreds of families of the ability to irrigate their land. On October 13, farmers received demolition orders on several water wells in Kufr al-Deek, a village in the town of Salfit near Nablus. In September, Israeli military forces demolished 6 water wells belonging to Palestinian Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley, and have threatened to demolish six more. In all these cases, the unilateral IOF actions are explicitly illegal because these wells were built with full permission from the Palestinian Authority, in areas of the Valley supposedly under…more
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The New Dark Age 
