12 December 2011 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli settlers cross Jordanian border in protest at Christian holy site
IMEMC – Around thirty Israeli settlers crossed the border between the West Bank and Jordan and threatened to set up a settlement outpost there on Monday. …
Israeli Official Calls For Closing the Al Aqsa Mosque
IMEMC – An official at the Jerusalem City Council called for closing the Al Aqsa Mosque for all Muslim worshipers in an attempt to pressure the Muslims into accepting the demolishing of the bridge of the historic Al Magharba Gate that leads to the mosque. …
Israeli Settlers Continue Their Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Their Property
IMEMC – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns attacks launched by groups of Israeli settlers in the early morning in two Palestinian villages to the southeast of Nablus. PCHR calls upon the Israeli Occupation Forces to open investigations into these attacks and bring perpetrators to justice. …
Israeli Military Issues statement, Tweets On The Killing Of Non-Violent Protester
IMEMC – In an official statement by the Israeli military, regarding the shooting of a Palestinian protester in the head with a tear gas canister at on Friday, military officials claimed that the shooter, an Israeli soldier in a jeep “did not see” Mustafa Tamimi when he shot him in the face. On Twitter, Israeli military officials tweeted pictures of a slingshot that Tamimi allegedly had in his possession, along with comments implying that the killing was justified because of the slingshot. …
Protests Held In Jerusalem Against Plans Targeting Bedouin Villages
IMEMC – Thousands of Palestinians from the 1948 territories held a protest on Sunday in front of the Jerusalem office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to protest the so-called “Braver Plan” targeting at least thirty Bedouin villages in the Negev, home to more than 100,000. …
Israel approves 40 settler homes near Bethlehem
12/12/2011 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel has approved construction of 40 homes and a farm in two new settler enclaves near the southern West Bank town of Bethlehem, Haaretz daily reported on Monday.” Israel’s military establishment has approved the establishment of a new, permanent neighborhood and a farm near the West Bank settlement of Efrat,” the….
Hundreds of settlers attack Nablus village
12/12/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Hundreds of settlers stormed the Nablus village of Asira al-Qibliya overnight Sunday, causing damage to Palestinian property. Witnesses told Ma’an that around midnight more than 200 settlers from the notorious Yitzhar settlement entered the village and threw rocks at Palestinian homes. Local resident Ibrahim Makhlouf said that the settlers….
Israel demolishes East Jerusalem home
12/12/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities demolished a home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina on Monday. Witnesses told Ma’an that the home belonged to Nidal al-Razim, whose brother was freed as part of the October prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. Israeli forces raided the neighborhood on Monday morning….
Israeli authorities inaugurate new checkpoint in Shufat
12/12/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities officially inaugurated a new military checkpoint on Monday at the main entrance to the Shufat refugee camp in north Jerusalem. Israeli forces had clashed on Sunday with youth in the camp on Sunday, as residents protested against the construction of a checkpoint which they say will cut the 45,000….
UN: Refugees excluded from economic growth
12/12/2011 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Modest economic gains propelled by a growing construction sector are leaving Palestinian refugees behind, according to a UN report released Monday. Refugee unemployment in the West Bank grew 10. 3 percent in the first half of this year compared to 2010, and new employment lagged 3. 7 percent behind non-refugees, according….
Rocket fired towards Israel injures Lebanese villager
12/12/2011 – TYRE, Lebanon (AFP) — A woman was injured after a rocket fired in southern Lebanon landed in a Lebanese village near the border with Israel, a senior security official told AFP. The Katyusha rocket, fired from Lebanon’s Bent Jbail valley, landed in the village of Hula, Lebanon near the border with Israel, said the….
Report: Gaza rocket lands in southern Israel
12/12/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Gaza militants fired a rocket into southern Israel on Monday evening, the Israeli news site Ynet reported. The projectile landed in an open area and no injuries or damage were reported, Ynet said….
Israel closes Al-Aqsa compound footbridge
12/12/2011 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel on Monday closed a footbridge at Jerusalem’s holiest and most volatile religious site after deeming the structure unsafe. The wooden ramp was erected as a stopgap after a snowstorm and earthquake in 2004 damaged a stone bridge leading up from the Western Wall to the sacred compound where the al-Aqsa…. Related: Israeli settlers raid Jordan border
Gaza FM: Israeli aggression must end
12/12/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Awad on Monday said the Hamas-run government was in talks with Egypt and the UN to end Israel’s deadly attacks on the coastal enclave. Five people have been killed and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City since Wednesday. A 12….
Israeli forces detain PFLP activist near Nablus
12/12/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested a man on Sunday evening at Huwwara checkpoint in Nablus. Hassan Ishtayya, an activist with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was detained on his way from Ramallah to Nablus, prisoners affairs official Muyassar Atiyani said. Ishtayya, 45, was released from an Israeli jail two years….
Report: Netanyahu endorses loudspeaker ban in Mosques
12/12/2011 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday expressed support for a bill to ban mosques from using loudspeakers for the Islamic call to prayer.” There’s no need to be more liberal than Europe,” Netanyahu said during a Likud ministers meeting, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The ban….
Israeli forces detain 7 in West Bank
12/12/2011 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained seven people in the West Bank on Monday, security officials said. In Nablus, witnesses told Ma’an that three men were detained at the Beit Furik military checkpoint, on suspicion of carrying explosives. Locals in Hebron said forces detained Haroun Radwan Abu Turkey after raiding his home….
Detainees expect word of releases in days
12/12/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinians detained in an Israeli jail say they expect to be informed on Tuesday which of them will be released in the second stage of a prisoner release deal between Hamas and Israel. Detainees in the Negev prison told Ma’an on Monday that the timeline for the releases has….
Israel’s growing wall of steel fences off Egypt
12/12/2011 – NETAFIM, Israel (AFP) — Far from the uproar of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Israel has been doubling its efforts to erect a giant, impenetrable security barrier along its 240-kilometer border with the Egyptian Sinai. Work on the new border fence began a year ago, in a project initially aimed at stemming the growing tide….
PLO official invites Gingrich to Palestine
12/12/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO official Hanan Ashrawi on Monday invited US Republican Newt Gingrich to visit Palestine as her guest, after the presidential candidate said the Palestinian people were “invented.””I personally offer to host Mr. Gingrich,” Ashrawi said in a statement. In an interview Friday with the Jewish Channel, Gingrich said Palestinians were….
Israeli settlers raid Jordan border
12/12/2011 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers raided the Jordanian borders on Monday evening in protest over Amman’s involvement in a dispute over a footbridge to Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque. An Israeli military spokeswoman said initial reports indicated that 30 Israelis crossed the security fence and entered a closed military zone on the…. Related: Israel closes Al-Aqsa compound footbridge
Hamas: Political detentions threaten reconciliation
12/12/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Committees working on the terms of a reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas have made little progress, and increasing political detentions may threaten the accord, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Monday. At the last meeting in Cairo, Hamas gave the Fatah delegation a list of 104 affiliates detained in…. Related: Hamas police ‘release Fatah affiliate’
Hamas police ‘release Fatah affiliate’
12/12/2011 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Police in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Monday released a 40-year-old Fatah affiliate detained a day earlier on his return from Egypt, the man’s relatives said. Salim Muhammad Zaanon was detained Sunday at the Rafah border crossing as he returned to Gaza after receiving a PhD in…. Related: Hamas: Political detentions threaten reconciliation
Allenby Bridge crossing to close for maintenance works
12/12/2011 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan will close on Tuesday at 3 p. m, the Palestinian Authority said Monday. The ministry of civil affairs urged Palestinians who wish to travel to Jordan, or those entering the West Bank, to arrive early as the last bus will leave….
Syrians vote as violence rages
12/12/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrians were voting Monday in municipal elections even as violence raged in some parts of the country where security forces were pressing a deadly crackdown against dissent. Opposition activists meanwhile urged citizens to intensify a civil disobedience campaign launched on Sunday in a bid to bring down the government of President Bashar Assad….
Syria denies link to attack on French UNIFIL forces
12/12/2011 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syria on Monday denied involvement in a bombing that wounded five French UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, a day after France said Damascus was probably behind the attack.” Syria has no link whatsoever with this act which we condemn,” foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi said in a statement that also criticized French Foreign….
Saudi woman beheaded for ‘sorcery’
12/12/2011 – RIYADH (AFP) — A Saudi woman was beheaded Monday after being convicted of practising sorcery, which is banned in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the interior ministry said. Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar was executed in the northern province of Jawf for “practising witchcraft and sorcery,” the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency. It….
Israel approves houses in illegal settlement
AlJazeera 12 Dec 2011 – Forty new units to be built in an illegal settlement as EU and US voice disappointment.
Settlers Throw Stones at Houses near Nablus
PNN – PNNOn Monday, extremist settlers from the settlements of Yitzhar attacked the Palestinian village of Asireh al-Qibliya, south of Nablus. Local sources said that a number of settlers came from one of Yitzhar,…
Israeli Forces Arrest Seven Palestinians from West Bank, Hand Notices to Others
PNN – PNNOn Monday, Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that Israeli forces arrested seven citizens from Palestinian cities in the West Bank. Israeli forces raided al-Bireh, nearby Ramallah, as well as the refugee camp…
Israeli Bulldozers Demolish House in Jerusalem, Efrat Settlement to Expand near Bethlehem
PNN – PNNOn Monday, Israeli bulldozers started demolishing a house belonging to a Palestinian citizen in Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, under the pretext that it had been built without an Israeli-issued permit. Eyewitnesses…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Israeli Settlers Continue Their Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Their Property in the West Bank
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Monday, 12 December 2011
In the Context of Efforts to Create Jewish Majority in Occupied East Jerusalem, IOF Transform Shu’fat Checkpoint into International Crossing
Palestinian Center for Human Rights Monday, 12 December 2011
International Solidarity Movement
Burin: Youth football surrounded by monuments to Israeli occupation
12/12/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Ben Lorber, 12 December 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On the 7th of December, a windy Wednesday morning behind the boys’ school in the Palestinian village of Burin, 15 teenagers, dressed in red uniform, took to the football field under the coach’s whistle. As the team began its warm-up exercises….
I was Mustafa Tamimi
12/12/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Refaat Alareer, 12 December 2011, In Gaza, My Gaza! – Fifteen years ago I was Mustafa Tamimi. Two months before that it was a relative who had his skull smashed by an explosive bullet from an Israeli sniper. Later that same week another neighbor lost his eye. Before and since then, the same situation has…. Related: In Gaza, My Gaza!
No miracle yesterday in Nabi Saleh: Mustafa Tamimi murdered
12/12/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Linah Alsaafin, 10 December 2011, The Electronic Intifada – “Ambulance! Ambulance!” So far, there were three people who had suffocated from the tear gas, and three people injured by rubber bullets. I saw gas, and so assumed that it was another case of suffocation. But the cries got louder, urgent, desperate “” quite unlike the previous….
Palestine mourns another real legend, a symbol of motherhood
12/12/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Shahd Abusalama, 11 December 2011, Palestine from My Eyes – My voice is muted but every feature of my face speaks sorrow and anger. There is no need to wonder why. It’s Palestine, the rich land where smiles can turn to tears and laughs can turn to sighs in a second. It’…. Related: Palestine from My Eyes
Qalandia: White sky of tear gas looms over apartheid wall construction
12/12/2011 – International Solidarity Movement – By Rana H. , 9 December 2011, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – Peaceful protesters came face to face with Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in Qalandia on Friday before soldiers began to fire tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the civilian group including children, women, and elders. Qalandia village is protesting the construction of the apartheid….
Alternative Information Center
Israeli democracy watch: local university to host meeting discussing religious regulations for killing gentiles
Alternative Information Center – After Haifa University canceled a lecture on the book “King’s Torah” (Torat HaMelech)—which discusses religious regulations on killing non-Jews—the event will be held Monday, December 12, 2011 at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.
Resisting the occupation, one match at a time
Alternative Information Center – It looks like a football game. But, in the occupied West Bank, it’s a quiet act of resistance, rooted in a long history of building up Palestinian society via sports
Eyewitness describes Mustafa Tamimi’s last moments
Alternative Information Center – Ibrahim Bornat, artist and activist from Bil’in, was standing next to Mustafa Tamimi when Tamimi was shot in the head with a tear gas canister at close range by an Israeli soldier (Bornat can be seen…
UNRWA: Palestinian Refugees unemployment increase
12 Dec 2011 – Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) – The unemployment rate for Palestinian refugees reached 27.4%, which is about 5% above the average of the West Bank as a whole, an UNRWA report said Monday.
European Union: New Israeli settlements an obstacle to Peace
12 Dec 2011 – Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) – The Acting Representative of the European Union in the West Bank and Gaza, John Gatt-Rutter, Monday reiterated in an interview with Voice of Palestine radio, the EU’s refusal of the Israeli settlements expansion in the Palestinian Territory that “does not serve peace.”
Iran in ‘final stages’ of cracking software secrets of captured US drone
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Tehran will reverse-engineer the US drone it has in its possession, according to the head of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee.
Saudi woman executed for ‘sorcery’
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar was executed in the northern province of Jawf for “practising witchcraft and sorcery,” the Saudi interior ministry said.
Shawan Jabarin is an activist to some, a terrorist to others
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Profile For the director of Al Haq, human rights are what count, but Israel’s travel ban over alleged terror links confines him to the West Bank.
‘If you want to die, go to Syria’
The National 12 Dec 2011 – The city of Homs is a war zone and security forces are targeting civilians, witnesses say.
Egypt set to count the votes cast by expatriates in second round of elections
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Of the estimated eight million Egyptians abroad, 350,000 registered to cast absentee ballots in the first free elections since Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president in February.
King of Bahrain in talks with UK prime minister
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Britain’s prime minister and the king of Bahrain meet in London as part of a fence-mending exercise after British disapproval of Bahrain’s violent suppression of protests in the spring.
UN panel told Muslim-West relations back at 9/11 low
The National 12 Dec 2011 – An opinion poll carried out by United Nations Alliance of Civilisations last summer, in the midst of the Arab spring, concluded that “on balance relations are bad”.
Rocket fired from Lebanon at Israel falls short
The National 12 Dec 2011 – The attack follows rising concerns that conflict in Syria may spill into Lebanon, where the public is deeply divided between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime.
Tunisian assembly elect Moncef Marzouki as interim president
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Leader of the Congress for the Republic Party became interim president with 153 out of 217 votes in the assembly.
Iraq war is over but Obama pledges US to retain ‘presence’ in region
The National 12 Dec 2011 – The US president heralds the end of the divisive Iraq war, but warns that it will remain a major player in the region even as it brings its troops home.
Syrian opposition refuse to stand in ‘utterly meaningless’ elections
The National 12 Dec 2011 – Syria hold municipal elections amid continued violence that killed at least 10 people, and a boycott of voting by opposition groups.
West has no evidence of Iran atomic bomb program, senior Turkish diplomat says
Ha’aretz – Head of Organization of Islamic Cooperation tells Haaretz at Doha conference that Tehran has right to peaceful nuclear program, rejects military intervention.
Israel to mull task force to enforce gender equality in the job market
Ha’aretz – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Equality between men and women is total.
UN says nearly 5,000 dead in Syria as activists fear Assad massacre
Ha’aretz – As reported 72-hour ultimatum and siege on flashpoint city of Homs is about to expire, activists fear a large-scale bloodshed reminiscent of the 1982 attack on the province of Hama.
Obama asks Iran to return downed U.S. surveillance drone
Ha’aretz – In press conference with Iraqi PM, U.S. President says: We have asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond; Tehran cites capture as Iranian victory.
IDF scrambles as right-wing activists seize structures near Jordan border
Ha’aretz – In planned provocation, about 25-30 activists enter sealed-off tract of land near border holy site, saying the incident is message to Jordan to keep out of Temple Mount affairs.
Hezbollah reveals identities of CIA operatives in Lebanon
Ha’aretz – Names of U.S. spies made public in a broadcast Friday night on the Lebanese television station, al-Manar, linked to the militant group.
Israel museum puts Eichmann artifacts on display
Ha’aretz – Exhibit contains cameras used by Mossad agents, the briefcase in which they carried fake license plates, the keys to Eichmann’s Buenos Aires apartment among other artifacts.
Iran seeks legal actions against U.S. ex-officials over threats of military strike
Ha’aretz – Official news agency Press TV cites Iran Prosecutor General as urging Interpol intervention following comments by former American security officials.
Syria, Hezbollah deny link to attack on UN force in Lebanon
Ha’aretz – Denials follow accusation by France FM Juppe following southern Lebanon blast that wounded five French peacekeepers.
Iranian group: Attack on U.K. embassy in Tehran the result of spontaneous rage
Ha’aretz – Protester group taking responsibility for the embassy raid says civilians were moved to express their at London’s meddling in Iranian affairs.
Israel hosts Greek Air Force for joint excercise
Ha’aretz – In recent effort to strengthen cooperation with NATO allies, Israel has been carrying out large-scale drills in foreign skies, as well as hosting foreign air forces to train in its training facilities.
Hamas: Israel declaring war on Muslim holy sites with closure of Jerusalem bridge
Ha’aretz – Wooden ramp leading from Western Wall Plaza to Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa mosque closed due to concerns it may collapse; Hamas condemns move as ‘Zionist aggression.’
Lieberman: Russia elections not perfect but such errors also occur in Israel
Ha’aretz – FM comments on bill proposing to ban mosques from using loudspeakers to call worshippers to prayers, saying the proposal was ‘legitimate,’ has ‘precedents in the West.’
Netanyahu: Equality between women and men in Israel must remain absolute
Ha’aretz – PM speaks at award ceremony commemorating the fight against human trafficking, saying that exclusion of women is a ‘minor phenomenon’ that contradicts Jewish traditions.
Israel State Comptroller: Interior Ministry overfunded Hebron Jewish settlement
Ha’aretz – Report criticizes ‘flawed’ decision making process in funding of Israeli local councils, including several West Bank settlements.
Israel’s Channel 10 faces closure after Knesset rejects delay of debt repayment
Ha’aretz – Move comes less than three months after affair in which Netanyahu ally and billionaire Sheldon Adelson pressured the station into apologizing for a piece it aired on him.
Stuck in emergency mode
Ha’aretz – Eight months after the murder of actor-director Juliano Mer-Khamis, his widow Jenny Nyman is grappling alone with raising their children – including infant twins – and adamant that they ‘grow up experiencing him through the people who knew him’
Jerusalem closes Mughrabi Bridge leading to Temple Mount
Ha’aretz – Due to safety concerns, Western Wall Heritage Foundation shuts down historic bridge, which has become a sensitive issue for both Egypt and Jordan.
Dozens of Israeli businesses sign modesty agreement after ultra-Orthodox push
Ha’aretz – Haredi group ‘asks’ shops in Sderot to tell female employees to dress ‘dignified’; dress code also applies to ads and notices for the businesses.
Israel’s AG seeks to keep press from reporting criminal investigations
Ha’aretz – Proposal would contradict fundamental principles of democracy, says attorney representing Haaretz and other media outlets protesting the proposal.
New incident at Beit Shemesh girls’ school
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – 15 haredi extremists reportedly shouted insults at classrooms and attacked an activist photographing the incident.
Court rules Naomi Ragen plagiarized in best-seller
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – American-Israeli haredi author says she’s victim of campaign aimed at silencing her criticism of ulra-Orthodox community.
UN human rights chief: Syria death toll reaches 5,000
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Navi Pillay confirms earlier reports of growing violence; German FM Westerwelle says he’s “shocked” by atrocities committed against people asking for their freedom.
Channel 10 may shut down after Knesset rejects debt payment
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – MK Shama-Hacohen: Station isn’t watchdog of democracy – it’s a poodle; Kadima says move is personal vendetta by PM.
Analysis: Dismantling Iran’s clerical regime
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – The Obama administration, to the chagrin of many advocates of a free Iran, did not align itself with the 2009 democratic movement.
The Republicans
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – As it has in the past, support for Israel should not divide Americans, rather it should unite them – whether they be liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican.
Our World: Gingrich’s fresh hope
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Gingrich’s statement about the Palestinians was entirely accurate. That is, the Palestinian people were invented 91 years ago.
UN: 40 new Efrat homes prejudice the peace process
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Ban says move comes at “critical juncture” of Quartet peace efforts and urges parties to refrain from “provocative action,” responding to publication of tenders for homes in Gush Etzion.
No Holds Barred: The rebellious man of faith
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – It is time for the emergence of the new, defiant man of faith, steeped in the tradition of Jacob.
German FM: Syria death toll reaches 5,000
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Westerwelle speaks with UN human rights chief, says he’s “shocked” by atrocities of people asking for their freedom.
Encountering Peace: Half-way there
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Our prime minister has learned to say the things the world wants to hear, but only his father really understands the truth: He doesn’t mean it.
Gays and bearded rabbis in the military
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – How ironic for the US Army, an institution that fights for the rights of Americans to practice their faiths openly, would curtail those very same rights.
No news from the front of the bus
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Sitting at the front of a ‘mehadrin’ bus was the ultimate anti-climax: No violence, no rude comments and no harassment.
Egyptian elections: The military’s window of opportunity?
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – With Islamist’s hands tied by their ongoing success in parliamentary elections, the army has one last chance to secure its influence in Egypt’s future government before it’s too late.
To make Mideast peace, West must drop basic assumptions
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – International community must recognize we are all parties in the conflict, we all will have to suffer the consequences of doing nothing.
‘We’ve asked Iran to return downed US drone’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Obama says US gov’t asks Tehran to hand over drone, declines to discuss if loss could compromise US security.
A death that could have been avoided
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Rights groups have been warning for years that tear gas canisters can kill. Last Friday, it finally happened.
Libyans protest in Benghazi against new leaders
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Over 20,000 gather, demand changes in biggest demonstration in eastern Libyan city since Gaddafi was overthrown.
Settlers try to establish outpost on Jordan border
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – “Hilltop youth” break into closed military zone along border to protest Jordanian condemnation of Mugrabi Bridge closure.
IDF video shows Hamas weapons stores near civilian homes
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Video documents IAF strike on weapons cache located in the “middle of a residential area in northern Gaza.”
‘We can’t avoid another Gaza confrontation’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – 3 years after Cast Lead, IDF commander warns that new operation is inevitable, says IDF must be prepared.
Netanyahu, Peres champion women’s rights
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Prime minister: Segregating genders against democratic, Jewish values; president: If a man doesn’t want to get on a bus, then he shouldn’t get on.
Iranians blame UK embassy raid on rage
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Group claiming responsibility for incident says ‘unplanned’ attack was result of anger at London’s meddling in Iranian affairs.
New checkpoint opened at entrance to Shuafat
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Police say new structure intended to make passage “more comfortable”; residents fear move aims to disconnect them from J’lem.
Syria votes, activists say polls a sham
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Syrians urged to vote despite violence; clashes, shootings claim more victims; government says opposition strike a failure
Attacks on medical staffers often disregarded
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Many doctors, nurses afraid to complain of abuse, avoid doing so because they think nothing will come of it, Gamzu says.
Hezbollah denies role in attack on UNIFIL troops
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Group responds to French FM Juppe’s claim that Syria urged roadside bomb which injured 5 French peacekeepers.
Bibi’s Jerusalem syndrome
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Is Netanyahu destined to repeat the bellicose mistakes of a former US president?
‘Israel’s rivers could take 100 years to restore’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Environment Ministry must focus shift river, stream rehabilitation to higher place in its priorities, Comptroller report says.
‘Barak’s assessment on Iran was correct’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Former US defense chief Perry calls for biting sanctions on Iran; former IAEA head Blinx warns against military strike.
Comptroller: Meron still poses safety concerns
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Lindenstrauss also says that conditions have improved some; tomb of Rabbi Yochai is ill suited for 1.5 annual visitors.
Comptroller: Safety still an issue at Meron
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Lindenstrauss also says that conditions have improved some; tomb of Rabbi Yochai is ill suited for 1.5 annual visitors.
Lindenstrauss: Bar should improve pro bono program
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – In report, State Comptroller says legal assistance program should reach out to more low-income Israelis.
‘Indecision cost Health Ministry NIS 70mil. a year’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Health Ministry failure to reach decision over equipment reuse for 15 years could cost up to NIS 70 million, says State Comptroller.
Comptroller: Set policy on medical equipment reuse
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Health Ministry failure to reach decision over equipment reuse for 15 years could cost up to NIS 70 million, says State Comptroller.
‘Bureaucratic infighting blocking fuels market reform’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – State Comptroller says government infighting impedes competition in fuels market, hampers infrastructure development.
‘Poorly-run c’tees erode public confidence in gov’t’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – State Comptroller report on ministerial committees says their recommendations are ignored, they waste resources.
Police, prosecutors ‘close cases without good reason’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – State Comptroller says police and state prosecutors decide to close “a significant” portion of cases without good basis.
Comptroller slams police, state attorney in report
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – In unusual second audit report, Lindenstrauss says police, state attorney needlessly close cases; criticizes inter-ministerial committees for “wasting resources”; details failures in Bar Association, Health Ministry.
Channel 10 request to delay debt repayment rejected
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – The Knesset Economics Committee votes 8 – 5 in favor of rejection; Channel 10 to close unless it can repay debt by end of 2011.
Sinochem, Gulfsands shut down Syria oil ops
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – State-controlled Chinese group Sinochem caught in EU sanctions; Syria will continue to produce oil from the fields.
Druse leader urges Hezbollah distance from Syria
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Lebanese Druse leader Jumblatt says Hezbollah should not be “completely attached” to Syria, denounces Iranian influence.
‘Iran will definitely strike Turkey if attacked’
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Iranian official reiterates anger over Turkish agreement to house NATO facilities, threatens “grave consequences.”
Korzits back on top of windsurfing world
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Israeli captures second career gold, with help from Davidovich; Zubari, Mashiah set.
Knesset unveils new visitors’ center
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – “The Democracy Experience” offers tours in eight languages and for a variety of groups, from kindergarteners to IDF soldiers.
UN calls on Israel to amend custody law
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Rights committee highlights need to ease burden on fathers seeking full or partial custody of their children.
Yeshiva University paper sex story creates uproar
Jerusalem Post 12 Dec 2011 – Student paper loses funding after publishing anonymously authored account of one-night stand between students.
Mugrabi Bridge closed due to safety concerns
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2011 – J’lem city engineer warns that temporary bridge leading from Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount is unsafe.
Court delays ruling in Israeli ‘double jeopardy’ case
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2011 – Legal oddity remains unresolved after ruling not issued on whether to continue reviewing appeal of conviction in stabbing death of police officer in 2008.
Syria holds elections amid crackdown – Monday 12 December 2011
The Guardian 12 Dec 2011 – • Clashes between Syrian defectors and army spread • Low turn-out expected in local vote as opposition calls for boycott • Speculation of Homs assault mounts ahead of ‘deadline’ • Read the latest summary 8.46am: Good…
Newt Gingrich calls Palestinians ‘terrorists’ – video
The Guardian 12 Dec 2011 – Leading Palestinian officials have rounded on the Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich for his description of Palestinians as an “invented” people and “terrorists”
New Israeli ambassador arrives in Cairo months after embassy was ransacked
The Guardian 12 Dec 2011 – Yaakov Amitai’s predecessor left when protesters stormed the Israeli embassy after the deaths of six Egyptian soldiers Israel’s new ambassador to Egypt has arrived in Cairo three months after rioters ransacked the Israeli embassy there. Yaakov…
LIBYA: Old Ways Under a New Flag
IPS “They would call you a Gaddafist if you drove one of those 4 X 4 cars,” says Bashar, emerging from one of those traffic jams in Tripoli. “Today almost every rebel commander has one.”
ISRAEL: Togetherness Takes Wings
IPS Hasn’t anyone dreamt once of taking refuge under the shelter of a bird’s wings, coiled up in its feathers, catching a bird’s eye view of what looks from above like paradise?
Gingrich would “instruct” CIA to “hunt down” freed Palestinian prisoners
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – After declaring that Palestinians are an “invented people,” US presidential hopeful and former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, has said that he would instruct the CIA to hunt down Palestinian prisoners released last October in an exchange negotiated by Israel and Hamas, presumably to kill them. Gingrich made the comments in…
Family of man killed by tear gas canister to sue Israeli army
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – The family of Mustafa Tamimi will sue the Israeli army following the death of the 27-year-old who was struck in the head by a tear gas canister by a soldier on Friday during a peaceful demonstration against Israeli colonial activities in the West Bank village of Al Nabi Saleh. Wrapped in a…
‘To Exist is to Resist’: On Intifada and Sumud
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – As I write this, I’m listening to ‘Ween el Malayeen’ song, meaning ‘where are the millions’, a revolutionary song which used to stir the patriotic emotions inside millions of raging Arabs at the time of the first Intifada. This song is the Intifada’s trademark which is reminiscent of vivid bittersweet memories of…
Military Resistance 9L9: What a Surprise
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – U.S. troops are on track to leave Iraq before the end of December, but the U.S. involvement there is anything but over – meaning local resistance to Americans, and the security challenges that come with it, will continue. In place of the military, the State Department will assume a new role of…
Israel ‘stops 80-year-old exiting Gaza with wife body’
Uruknet December 11, 2011 — An elderly cancer sufferer was banned from accompanying the body of his dead wife through Israel’s Erez crossing from Gaza, family members said on Sunday. Huda al-Nmoura, from Hebron, died while visiting her sons in the Gaza Strip. Anees and Akram al-Nmoura were exiled from the West Bank after they were released…
Palestinian Civilian and his Two Children Wounded in Israeli Attack on al-Zaytoon Neighborhood in Gaza City
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – At dawn Sunday, 11 December 2011, two Palestinian children and their father were wounded as a result of an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, one of a series of recent Israeli attacks against densely populated civilian areas. According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately…
Take Your Hands off Palestine
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – On 9/12/2011, the opening ceremony of the Arab Games in Qatar, in the presence and under the approval of the Palestinian delegation -representative of the Palestinian Authority of Oslo- the organizers, with the utmost audacity, displayed a disfigured map of Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza). As we are surprised by their…
Huge numbers of Iraqis still adrift within the country
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – As many as 2 million Iraqis – nearly 6 percent of the country’s estimated more than 31 million population – are thought to have been forced from the cities and towns where they once lived and are housed in circumstances that feel temporary and makeshift. More than 500,000 of those are “squatters…
Muslim Charity Principals Denied Justice
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – On January 25, 1995, Bill Clinton issued Executive Order 12947 – Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process. The same year, Hamas was declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). It’s still one today, so any individual or group charged with providing it material support (true or…
44 years of the Popular Front: Building unity through resistance and challenging the occupation
Uruknet December 11, 2011 marks forty-four years of struggle since the day a group of revolutionaries, led by Comrade Dr. George Habash and his comrades, formed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to struggle for the liberation of our homeland and our people, insist on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes…
The Syrian Regime’s Violations File Covering the Period November 16-30, 2011
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – Not a day goes by without the Syrian regime committing numerous types of gross violations of human rights in different cities and regions of Syria. While the Syrian regime has long been renowned for having among the worst human rights records in the world, the intensity and frequency of the current violations…
Libyan army, militia clash, leaving 1 dead
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – Revolutionary fighters clashed with national army troops near Tripoli’s airport, leaving one person dead, officials said Sunday. The violence reflects the difficulties Libya’s new leaders face as they try to stamp their authority on the disparate militias that overthrew Muammar Qaddafi… El-Zintani said the revolutionaries are ready to hand the airport to…
Secret US-French drone base in Libya?
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – The website Algeria ISP reports (citing unnamed “Arab” sources) Dec. 11 that the US and France have jointly established a secret drone base in the Libyan desert, near the area of Katroune. Craft from the secret base are allegedly flying missions to Niger, Mali and Mauritania, with the ostensible mission of seeking…
Persistence behind Shadows…
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – I am constantly confronted with people’s shadows…it is usually a mix of light and obscurity, and at times, most of the time – just pure obscurity. Seeing through the obscurity is not easy…it takes much focus, much senses, much intuition — to feel your way through… Painstakingly so. If anything or anyone…
Report: “19 Children Killed, 200 Injured, By Israeli Shells In 2011”
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – Adham Abu Salmiyya, spokesperson of the Higher Committee for Medical and Emergency Services In Gaza, reported that, in 2011, Israeli soldiers killed 19 children, and injured more than 200, in Air strikes and bombardment targeting the Gaza Strip since the beginning of this year. Abu Salmiyya added that the youngest of the…
Ministry of Hasbara: IDF Has Become Israel’s Chief Delegitimizer (satire)
Uruknet December 11, 2011 – In the aftermath of the murder of Mustafa Tamimi, Israel’s Ministry of Hasbara (that IS what they call it in Hebrew, in English it’s called the Minsitry for Public Diplomacy) last night issued an unprecedented statement acknowleding for the first time that the worst delegitimzer of Israel in the world today is…
Syria News – December 10, 2011 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet December 10, 2011 – The “Doctor of the Revolution,” Dr. Ibrahim Nahel Othman, from Hama, was martyred today due to gunfire. He was one of the co-founders of the Physicians’ Coordinating Committee in Damascus, internationally known as Khaled Al-Hakim, and one of the most important physicians in the Syrian Revolution. He was killed on the Turkish…
UK urges Bahrain to embrace reform after protests
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Bahrain’s king on Monday to quickly implement reforms recommended in a scathing report into human rights abuses during the Arab nation’s uprising.
Iran must chose between a bomb or survival: Israel
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 A senior Israeli cabinet minister on Monday said Iran must be forced to face an existential question over its nuclear drive: choose between getting an atomic bomb, or survival.
Obama demands Iran return downed US drone
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 President Barack Obama said Monday the United States has asked Iran to return a US drone that Tehran said it brought down while overflying its territory.
Ex-opposition leader Marzouki elected Tunisia president
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Tunisia’s veteran opposition leader Moncef Marzouki was elected president Monday, a month and a half after the north African country held its first post-revolution election.
Canada bans burka at citizenship swearing in
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Canada’s immigration minister says new Canadians will have to remove any face-coverings, such as the Islamic niqab or burka, while they take the oath of citizenship.
Arab uprisings reshape map of US influence
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 The case is often made that Washington was caught flatfooted and now must adapt to diminished influence in a Middle East with new priorities.
Hamas in Gaza says it’s learning from Arab Spring
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Several senior members said Hamas has matured in five years in power and learned lessons from the Arab Spring.
Detained Syrian blogger charged with three crimes
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Razzan Ghazzawi, the Syrian blogger who was detained earlier this month, tried in front of the magistrate and charged with three crimes.
Documentary looks at life of Palestinian leader
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Associates of Yasser Arafat offer personal recollections in a documentary screened in Dubai this week on his search for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that descended into violence and failed to lead to a Palestinian state.
Blast kills 7 in steel mill in Iran
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 A blast caused by leftover ammunition killed at least seven workers including foreign nationals at a steel mill in the central Iranian city of Yazd.
Obama meets Iraq’s Maliki at White House
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 President Barack Obama welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to the White House on Monday, showcasing the end of the American war in Iraq as he campaigns for reelection next year.
Lindsay Lohan says has learned from mistakes
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Actress Lindsay Lohan, in her first interview since being sent to jail last month for a probation violation, tells Playboy that she has learned to be accountable for her mistakes.
A few Chinese hacker teams do most US data theft
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 As few as 12 different Chinese groups, largely backed or directed by the government there, do the bulk of the China-based cyberattacks stealing critical data from U.S. companies and government agencies.
Siniora, Qabalan affirm need for unity among Muslims
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, vice-president of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, met with Future Movement MP Fouad Siniora to affirm the need for unity among Muslims and condemn all acts of sectarianism.
Baby dies after being rushed to hospital by daycare employees
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Three-month-old baby boy dies after being rushed to hospital by employees at a Beirut daycare center.
Iran says it’s almost done decoding US drone
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Iranian experts are in the final stages of recovering data from the U.S. surveillance drone captured by the country’s armed forces, state TV reported Monday.
GLC announces general strike Dec. 27
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Head of the General Labor Confederation confirms general strike across Lebanon to be held Dec. 27 in protest against Cabinet’s decision on pay hikes.
Hezbollah: CIA agents hold open meetings in north Beirut
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Hezbollah MP Nawaf Musawi Monday said there were open meetings taking place by U.S. intelligence agents in the Metn area gathering information that serves the interest of Israel.
Hariri meets new Saudi defense minister
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri met Monday with Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Abdel-Aziz to congratulate him on his new post.
Lebanese Army denies clash with Israeli troops
Daily Star 12 Dec 2011 Lebanese Army denies reports that soldiers clashed with Israeli troops along the border.
Photo Story: The last honours for Mustafa Tamimi
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign This photo story has captured some of the moments of the funeral of Mustafa Tamimi from Nabi Saleh. Mustafa Tamimi, 27, died on Saturday December 10 of wounds sustained after the Israeli occupation forces shot him in the face on Friday at the weekly popular…
Settlers gear for outposts’ eviction
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Tensions were high among West Bank settlers Monday night, ahead of the possible eviction of several illegal outposts. Hundreds of police officers and IDF soldiers … ….
UN: Syria death toll over 5,000
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Close to 5,000 people have now been killed in the Syrian government’s crackdown on protests, UN rights chief Navi Pillay told the UN Security Council on Monday. More … ….
Iran: Steel mill blast caused by gas leak
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – The blast which killed eight workers at an Iranian steel mill may have been caused by a gas leak, Tehran’s ILNA news agency reported on Monday night. Foreign media … ….
Time readers name Erdogan their ‘person of the year’
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – The person who we love to hate and hate to love – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been selected as the People’s Choice for Time’s 2011 Person of the Year. … ….
Peres, Netanyahu speak out against women’s exclusion
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – The Ministerial Committee for the Advancement of Women in Israel is expected to convene Tuesday in order to set up an inter-ministerial team to fight against the … ….
IAF strikes Gaza arsenal
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – A video released Monday by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit depicts all too well how Gaza terror groups operate from within the Strip’s civilian population. The footage … ….
Testimony in nuclear plant damages case hints to cover-up
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Workers at the Negev Nuclear Research Center underwent superficial and inadequate radiation exposure tests, an expert on radiation safety told the Petah Tikvah District … ….
Jerusalem tourists irked by closing of Mughrabi Bridge
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Decision to bar public access to Temple Mount through rickety bridge makes….
Who are the Sinai infiltrators?
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Are Interior Ministry’s lack-luster attempts at dealing with infiltration,….
Did Iran blast target steel needed for nuke program?
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Iranians need maraging steel to produce new uranium enrichment centrifuges and….
Iranian throws shoes at Ahmadinejad
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – News website claims jobless man threw shoes at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to protest….
Rome’s mayor meets Shalit in Mitzpe Hila
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Italian delegation presents Gilad Shalit with honorary Roman citizenship as well….
Jerusalem’s Mughrabi Bridge closed
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Western Wall Heritage Foundation closes bridge connecting Kotel and Temple Mount….
IDF ponders how to handle mass burial scenario
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Home Front Command asks Chief Rabbinate whether to bury soldiers, civilians who….
New Israeli ambassador arrives in Egypt
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Yaakov Amitai will join a small number of Israeli diplomatic staff still in….
Iran: 7 killed in steel factory blast
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Another explosion hits Islamic Republic, however no links reported between….
Syria, Iran: We will never give in to foreign pressure
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Syria’s opposition may have plans to cut ties with Ahmadinejad’s Iran but for….
Israeli ambassador’s tattoo fascination
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Israel’s Ambassador to the Vatican has been researching history of tattoos for….
Lebanese woman hit by Katyusha
YNet News, 12 Dec 2011 – Rocket apparently fired towards Israel hits south Lebanese village, wounds….
Palestinian Information Center
Report: The IOF kidnapped 50 Palestinians in Al-Khalil last month
PIC – The Palestinian prisoner society said the IOF kidnapped during last November 50 Palestinians including three children, four students and six patients in Al-Khalil city and its adjacent areas.
Israeli court orders demolition of Umm Hayran village in Negev
PIC – An Israeli court on Sunday re-issued a decision to demolish the Palestinian village of Umm Al-Hayran in the Negev desert area.
Resheq slams Gingrich’s remarks against people of Palestine
PIC – Member of Hamas’s political bureau Ezzat Al-Resheq strongly denounced Newt Gingrich for the heretical remakes he made lately to a Jewish TV channel labeling the Palestinians as invented people.
IOA to build new settlement suburb near Bethlehem
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority has endorsed the establishment of a new suburb near Efrat settlement in the Bethlehem province.
Dweik: Parliamentary blocs hold consultative meeting
PIC – Speaker of the PLC Dr. Aziz Dweik has said that a consultative meeting for parliamentary blocs would be held at the premises of the independent committee for human rights in Ramallah.
Israeli ministers threaten new war on Gaza
PIC – The Israeli government has held Hamas responsible for the rocket attacks on Israeli targets and threatened a new war on Gaza to halt those attacks, which were in response to Israeli deadly raids.
IOA isolates 50000 Jerusalemites
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has officially opened the Shufat crossing that would isolate 50000 Palestinians in the Shufat refugee camp from occupied Jerusalem.
Interior ministry: No Qaeda elements in Gaza
PIC – The Palestinian interior ministry has denied Hebrew press reports claiming that elements of Al-Qaeda had entered Gaza from Sinai through the tunnels.
Awad: Israel insists on retaining Gaza under pressure
PIC – Palestinian foreign minister Mohammed Awad has charged that the escalating Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip fell in line with a policy of keeping it under constant pressure.
Jewish settlers wreak havoc in West Bank village
PIC – Jewish settlers attacked Assira Al-Qabaliya village, south of Nablus, after midnight Sunday and threw stones at Palestinian homes and cars.
Gingrich’s obscene canard
PIC – 11/12/2011 – 11:02 PM
EU Supports PA in Two Focal Sectors of Intervention
WAFA
Ashrawi Offers to Host Gingrich to Learn Palestinian Culture, History
WAFA
Rights Organization Condemns Establishing Shu’fat International Crossing
WAFA
European Parliament Adopts Proposal to Release Palestinian Prisoners
WAFA
EU: Israeli Settlements Expansion Does not Serve Peace
WAFA
Refugees’ Unemployment Rate Reaches 27.4%, says UNRWA
WAFA
Palestinian Organization Wins 1st Place in Intercultural Innovation Award
WAFA
Netanyahu Backs Bill that Prevents Mosques from Calling to Prayer
WAFA
Newspapers Review: Protester’s Funeral, Clashes in Shu’fat Camp Dominate Dailies
WAFA
How Low Can US Candidates go Pandering for Money …
Intifada-Palestine: 11 Dec 2011 – “Like America’s national interest, Palestinians are sacrificed by the average voter’s indifference and the utter moral impotency at the highest elected political office in the face of the strongest US foreign interest lobby .” By: Jamal Kanj * The American election signifies… more
Islamist parties’ electoral success in Egypt has Copts worried
LA Times 11 Dec 2011 – Coptic Christians are anxiously watching a theological and political battle between Muslim parties expected to win 60% of parliament seats. The struggle will define an emerging political Islam. Fears and worries murmur like prayers beneath the hammered crosses of the Church of the Virgin Mary….
Major Explosion at Iranian Steel Plant, Israeli Source Calls It Work of Mossad, MEK
Tikun Olam – An Iranian steel plant used for production of military equipment and originally built by Russia suffered a major explosion that killed seven, including “foreign nationals” as reported in Iranian media. Iran has been attempting to produce its own tanks and armored vehicles and it’s possible this…
‘WaPo’ says Block could be casualty of ‘anti-Semites’ accusation
Mondoweiss – Josh Block The Washington Post is reporting that two “top” thinktanks in Washington (whatever top means!) may cut ties with former AIPAC spokesperson Josh Block following Justin Elliott’s story showing that Block had tried to bring down critics of Israel at the Center for American Progress…
Can I dare?
Mondoweiss – The wreckage of a car targeted in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011 (Photo: AP) December 9, 2011 Yesterday, my six year old son Ali went to his swimming hour after school in Wafa hospital for the elderly in the eastern part…
Israeli army excuses on death of Mustafa Tamimi don’t hold up
Mondoweiss – Mustafa Tamimi, a 28-year-old Palestinian from the village of Nabi Saleh, moments before he was shot by the Israeli army and killed. “Circled in red are the barrel of the gun and the projectile that hit him,” according to the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (Photo: Haim…
Lowe’s faces boycott after pulling ads from ‘TLC’ show on Muslims
Mondoweiss – The home improvement chain Lowe’s has come under fierce criticism for pulling its advertisements from the TLC reality show “All-American Muslim” after a right-wing Christian group pressured the company. In response, calls for a boycott of Lowe’s have grown, and nearly 8,000 people have signed…
Let’s say you got to ask Israel’s president 8 questions– what would they be?
Mondoweiss – NPRs Guy Raz Being a journalist and asking important people tough questions is hard. I know, I’ve been one. Especially if you’re talking to someone who’s promoting the foundational myths of a country that faces global criticism for its human rights record. NPR host Guy Raz…
Adelson’s Yisrael HaYom Doing for Gingrich What It Does for Bibi
Tikun Olam – Newt Gingrich on yet another Yisrael Hayom cover. Sheldon Adelson, in effect, contributes $36 million every year to support the election and rule of Bibi Netanyahu. No, you won’t find that figure in any public donation record because he doesn’t give this money directly to Bibi….
Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and the plan to protect Israel
Voltaire Network 12 Dec 2011 – Arab Affairs Editorial: Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and the plan to protect Israel The ongoing developments and events in the Arab region confirm the pivotal character of Israel’s protection from the repercussions of the American defeat in Iraq. This is seen at the level of…
Who can bring down Syria?
Voltaire Network 12 Dec 2011 – • The World Policy Conference, organized by the French Institute of International Relations in Vienna, has turned into an anti-Syrian show. After the bellicose speech of Prince Turki al-Faisal, Ehud Barak predicted the imminent fall of Bashar al-Assad. • But no analyst currently foresees a credible…
Who wants the civil war ?
Voltaire Network 11 Dec 2011 – • The Syrian National Council called a general strike to prevent the militarization of the conflict, that is to say not to be stolen the leadership by the Free Syrian Army. • France and the United States denounced an imminent attack of the Syrian army against…
Key Republican Statements from the Iowa Debate
Arab American Institute 12 Dec 2011 – By Jamila Benkato On Saturday December 12, Republican candidates (with the exception of Jon Huntsman) met in Des Moines, Iowa for a debate on issues ranging from job creation to Israel. Below we have pulled the most interesting quotes from the debate regarding immigration and the…
A year bookended by the death of unarmed activists
The Only Democracy? JVP 12 Dec 2011 – On January 3rd, 2011 protester Jawaher Abu Rahmah was killed by a tear gas inhalatio n at an earlier march in Bil’in. At the time, the Israeli Army made some bizarre claims that her death was caused by cancer, which they later retracted. Now almost a…
Syrian death toll ‘exceeds 5,000’
BBC 12 Dec 2011 – More than 5,000 people are now believed to have been killed in the uprising in Syria, the UN’s top human rights official says.
US asks Iran to give back drone
BBC 12 Dec 2011 – President Barack Obama says the US has requested that Tehran return the surveillance drone captured by Iran’s military earlier this month.
Israel closes Jerusalem walkway
BBC 12 Dec 2011 – Israel closes a wooden walkway to Jerusalem’s holiest site for safety reasons, sparking Palestinian anger.
Iranian factory blast kills seven
BBC 12 Dec 2011 – An explosion at a steel factory in Iran has killed seven people including foreign nationals, Iranian state media say.
Israel-Palestine, Media about the joint struggle in Nabi Saleh and the murder of Mustafa Tamimi*
A-infos 12 Dec 2011 – A stench over the bereaved —— Mustafa was one of the leaders of the struggle; less than a year ago he was arrested with three of his brothers, one of whom, Oudai, was sentenced to nine months in prison. —— By Gideon Levy —— The face…
Articles
I was Mustafa Tamimi
Refaat Alareer, In Gaza, My Gaza! 12/12/2011
Fifteen years ago I was Mustafa Tamimi. Two months before that it was a relative who had his skull smashed by an explosive bullet from an Israeli sniper. Later that same week another neighbor lost his eye. Before and since then, the same situation has been repeating itself again and again: an armored jeep, a soldier armed to teeth, a tiny figure of mere flesh and bones, and a stone smeared with blood on the side of the road. That’s the saga of Palestine. That’s our tale, full of injustice and oppression, whose hero struts and frets and whoever gets in his way is doomed. But we get in his way anyway.
The pain the two rubber-coated bullets caused I can’t feel now. They do not hurt. But the grinning face of the Rambo-like Israeli soldier still does. I was mature enough then to realize that those were enemies, our enemies who are messing up everything in our lives. (I did not need anyone to teach me that by the way because I have eyes that see and ears that hear). Never had I thought then that those soldiers were sometimes doing the occupation thing for “merry sport”. Despite the glaring gazes, the frowns that left their faces wrinkled and the beatings some of my friends and I had for just being there, I had the impression that the Israeli soldiers who hit a Palestinian boy spent their nights mooning about what they did. They apparently did not. And that grin was the proof. And Mustafa Tamimi’s the most recent walking (had not he been put down) evidence.
Yet, I blame Mustafa.
Yes, he is to blame. He is to blame for believing deep in his heart that those trigger-happy soldiers may not shoot directly at him and if they do they might not shoot to kill. He is to blame for not armoring his body with shields of steel. He is to blame for fighting for his rights. 10 thousand dead Palestinians in the past ten years or so prove without doubt that when Israeli soldiers shoot they shoot to kill and when they aim, they aim to hit… — See also: In Gaza, My Gaza! and EI: No miracle yesterday in Nabi Saleh: Mustafa Tamimi murdered more.. e-mail
Palestine mourns another real legend, a symbol of motherhood
Shahd Abusalama, Palestine from My Eyes 12/11/2011
My voice is muted but every feature of my face speaks sorrow and anger. There is no need to wonder why. It’s Palestine, the rich land where smiles can turn to tears and laughs can turn to sighs in a second. It’s Palestine, where series of sad stories mixed with strength, will, and glory never end.
Anees and Akram Al-Namoura are brothers who were released in the first stage of the prisoner exchange on October 18 after spending ten years, originally supposed to be two life sentences, in prison. They joined the resistance by the beginning of the second Intifada, answering the call of their occupied lands and oppressed people to defend them, ready to pay any price that their precious homeland, Palestine, would require. While Israel was aggressively and continuously attacking, killing, wounding, and detaining Palestinian citizens, the brothers took to arms against the occupying army hoping for a better future for their family, their neighbors and their community. They planted a bomb beneath an Israeli tank, killing two Israeli soldiers.
I coincidentally met Anees, the elder brother, in his hotel while I was interviewing some other former detainees. After having a short chat, I learned that he was somehow related to my mother’s family. Then he told me that his imprisonment started five months before his brother’s. I commented innocently, “I can’t imagine how hard it is for your mother to have two sons in prison at the same time. But it is a little fortunate that you and Akram met each other there.” He shook his head, smiling at my naïveté, and corrected me. “No. We were in prison at the same time, but separated by the Israeli Prison Administration for the first five years. We tried legal remedies, but no lawyers and no courts could bring us together. So we started an open hunger strike to pressure them, and we were clear that our hunger strike would end only after they had met our demands. We could eventually meet and live as brothers in Armon Prison, in the same cell, for the last five years of our imprisonment.“ — See also: Palestine from My Eyes more.. e-mail
Why the US & Israel May Agree to Bombing Iran
Franklin C. Spinney, CounterPunch 12/12/2011
Shaping the Popular Psyche in America’s Post-Information Era
The arguments for attacking Iran are crazy, like those for attacking Iraq in response to 9-11. But that does not mean such an attack by the American and/or the Israelis will not occur.
Indeed, I think the political pressure for such an attack is increasing. My reasons for saying this are as follows:
On 11 October, Patrick Seale wrote a very important essay, Will Israel Bomb Iran. Seale described secret internal deliberations in the Israeli government over the twin questions of (1) how short a time window existed for Israel to launch a sneak attack on Iran and (2) how to suck in the United States into supporting such an attack, even if an Israeli attack was launched without US approval or if the US was kept in ignorance beforehand? Seale, who is extremely well connected and very knowledgeable on the Middle Eastern affairs, also reported the Americans knew of the Israeli discussions, and the idea of Israeli decision makers thinking their window of opportunity was closing was causing alarm in Washington.
Seale did not address the speculative question of whether or not Israel, motivated by the opportunities implicit in the US election cycle, was running a ‘perception shaping’ operation on the Obama Administration and/or Obama’s opponents in the Republican party.
Also on 11 October, the US Attorney General Eric Holder held a spectacular press conference announcing the FBI had uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States on US soil and to attack embassies of unnamed third countries. But the story was full of holes, and as I argued here, it smacked of a botched sting operation or, even worse, a false flag operation, perhaps by the Israelis or the Saudis. The story quickly lost its traction and vanished, but the impression was planted in a sound-byte-addicted popular psyche. more.. e-mail
Iran, the Revolution and the Language of War
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Dec 2011 – By Deepak Tripathi A few days ago, I revisited a lecture given by Fred Halliday, FBA, an intellectual giant among scholars of Middle East and Cold War history, at the London School of Economics in 2009. His topic was “The Islamic Republic of Iran After 30 Years.” For nearly a quarter century, Halliday was professor of International Relations at the LSE and recognized worldwide as a leading expert in the study of Islam, the Middle East and great power relations in the region. He died just over a year ago, but for more than three decades before that he was also in great demand in media outlets, including the BBC World Service at Bush House, my professional base next door to the LSE. He often came to take part in World Service programs and I came to regard Fred as a friend. Watching him interpret the Iranian Revolution thirty years…more
Washington’s Alliance with ‘Moderate Islam’
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Dec 2011 – By James Petras The dynamic of democratic, nationalist and class struggles throughout the Muslim world has set in motion a new constellation of alliances between the imperial West (US and European Union) and Islamist parties, leaders and regimes, dubbed “moderate” by US officials, propagandists and academics. This essay analyzes the changing contemporary context of imperial domination, especially the demise of longstanding client regimes. It then examines the previous significant ties between western imperial powers and Islamist movements and regimes and the basis of ‘historical collaboration’. The third part of the paper will outline the political circumstances in which the imperial powers embrace “moderate” Islamists in government and utilize “armed fundamentalists” in opposition to secular regimes. We will critically analyze how “moderate” Islam is defined by the Western imperialist powers. Is this a tactical or strategic alliance? What are the political “trade-offs”? What do imperialism’s neo-liberal clients and their new ‘moderate’…more
‘To Exist is to Resist’: On Intifada and Sumud
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Dec 2011 – By Mohammed ALNadi – Gaza As I write this, I’m listening to ‘Ween el Malayeen’ song, meaning ‘where are the millions’, a revolutionary song which used to stir the patriotic emotions inside millions of raging Arabs at the time of the first Intifada. This song is the Intifada’s trademark which is reminiscent of vivid bittersweet memories of Palestinians in their most courageous images. It is associated with the unarmed, bare-chested Palestinian who stood firmly catapulting his stone at the Israeli killing machine, and who dared to grab the fuming tear gas grenade with his bare hands and throw it back at the Israeli soldier. The first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, began 24 years ago, as an accumulative result of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967, and its mounting brutal, repressive actions against Palestinians in all the occupied territories. Every year on December 8, Palestinians…more
Hanukkah Candles as Collateral Damage
Dissident Voice: 12 Dec 2011 – Judaism.com was attacked, allegedly from an Iranian IP address, on Thursday, December 1 according to Shlomo Perelman, who owns and operates the company. That same evening Mr. Perelman notified my wife via email and a telephone call, suggesting that she inform our credit card company of this. He assured her that the Hanukkah candles that she ordered would be shipped in a timely manner. Judaism.com sells what it calls “essential Judaica,” which includes items such as imprinted kippot (skullcaps) for weddings and bar mitzvahs, kosher wines and a small but amusing collection of “pet Judaica.” The site was completely inaccessible on Friday. On Saturday typing “Judaism” into your browser displayed a message claiming that the site was down because of “routine maintenance” and that Judaism.com would be operational on Sunday. The maintenance must have been more difficult than anticipated. The site was not restored until Tuesday afternoon. There was neither…more
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The New Dark Age 