28 February 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Over Olympia Food Co-op Boycott Of Israeli Goods
IMEMC – Today, (Monday) in a lawsuit brought against current and former members of the Olympia Food Co-op board of directors for their decision to boycott Israeli goods, a Washington State court dismissed the case, calling it a SLAPP – Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation – and said that it would award the defendants attorneys’ fees, costs, and sanctions. The judge also upheld the constitutionality of Washington’s anti-SLAPP law, which the plaintiffs had challenged. …
Gaza Power Plant Goes Offline Due To Fuel Shortage
IMEMC – Palestinian officials told IMEMC on Tuesday that the lack of fuel has caused the only Power Plant in Gaza to go offline for the second time in two weeks; blackouts could reach up to 13 hours day in some areas of the Gaza Strip. …
PLO Considers Halting Security Coordination with Israel
IMEMC – Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), announced Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority is considering halting security coordination with Israel in response to the ongoing settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. …
Army Clashes With Gunmen At Border With Egypt
IMEMC – The Israeli Army Radio reported Tuesday that Israeli soldiers exchanged fire with a group of gunmen on the Egyptian-Israeli border, adding that one gunman was killed during the clashes. …
Detainee “Adnan” Undergoes Surgery
IMEMC – Sheikh Khader Adnan, who ended his hunger strike last week after 66 days after Israel agreed to release him this April, was under a night-long Gastrointestinal surgery at the Zeef Hospital in Safad due to blockage in his intestines. …
The Israeli Military Arrest Five civilians; Settlers Attack a Palestinian Village
IMEMC – Israeli forces invaded on Tuesday morning Jenin refugee camp, in northern West Bank and arrested five civilians while in a separate incident settlers attacked the village of Halhul near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. …
Israeli government confirms plan for segregated settler train system
IMEMC – On Monday, Israeli officials announced their intention to construct a train system for Israeli settlers living in violation of international law in the West Bank. …
Dozens Of Settlers Attack Home In Burin, Cut Olive Trees
IMEMC – Palestinian sources reported that dozens of armed Israeli settlers attacked, on Monday evening, a home in Burin village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and chopped several olive trees. …
Khader Adnan ‘stable’ after surgery
2/29/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Khader Adnan is in a stable condition after undergoing surgery on his intestine after his 66 day hunger strike, a lawyer for the Palestinian detainees’ center said Tuesday. Raed Mahamid said after visiting Adnan in Zeev hospital in northern Israeli town Safed that his condition is good, and he is….
Witnesses: Settlers raid Hebron village
2/28/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of Israelis entered Hebron village Halhul overnight Monday, sparking clashes with locals, witnesses said. No injuries were reported. Witnesses told Ma’an the group attempted to pray near Nabi Younis Mosque in the east of the village and threw stones at worshippers performing the dawn prayer. Israeli forces….
PA calls on Israel to release Hana Shalabi
2/28/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday called for Israel to release a female detainee who has been on hunger strike in Israeli jail for 13 days. Hana Shalabi started a hunger strike on Feb. 16 after she was re-arrested by Israeli forces, despite being freed in a prisoner swap deal in October…. Related:Israel police: Aqsa status quo still applies
Gaza power plant closes again
2/28/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza’s only power plant has been forced to shut down for the second time in two weeks due to a fuel shortage, the energy authority in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday. Energy officials appealed to Egypt to provide Gaza with a sufficient amount of fuel to allow regular…. Related: Egypt thwarts attempt to smuggle fuel into Gaza Strip
Israeli forces kill man along Egypt border
2/28/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot and killed a man overnight Monday along the Egypt-Israel border, Israel’s army said. Israeli soldiers patrolling the border with Egypt identified a group of suspects who had reportedly entered the country illegally. After failing to comply with orders to stop, soldiers and the group exchanged gunfire….
Arrests reported in Jenin refugee camp
2/28/2012 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained five locals from Jenin refugee camp at dawn on Tuesday, among them an Islamic Jihad leader from the camp, locals said. Jihad leader Sheikh Mahmoud As-Saadi and Muhammad Barakat, Khaled Abu Zeina, Muhamad Mahamid and Ali Al-Saadi were identified as among those arrested. An Israeli army representative did….
Fatah armed wing claims Ashkelon attack
2/28/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The military wing of Fatah said Tuesday that its operatives fired a locally made projectile at the Israeli city of AshkelonThe Al-Aqsa brigades said in a statement that the rocket was fired at 8:30 p. m. in response to Israeli attacks on Jerusalem. Israel’s Ynet news site….
PA urges top cleric to annul Jerusalem fatwa
2/29/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs on Tuesday urged a top Muslim cleric to annual his recent fatwa which ruled that non-Palestinian Muslims should not visit Jerusalem while it remains under occupation. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, a respected Sunni Muslim cleric, gave the decree after President Mahmoud Abbas urged Arabs and….
PA: No decision on security coordination
2/29/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The the Palestinian Authority’s minister of civil affairs, denied on Tuesday that the government had decided to end security coordination with Israel. Hussein al-Sheikh told the PA‘s Voice of Palestine radio that all options were under consideration, but decisions will wait until the president returns from abroad….
Israeli forces ‘place blocks’ around property in Hebron
2/28/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces have put cement blocks around the land of Thabet Abu Ekhdeir, which is 4 dunums in Surif, allegedly for containing mines since the Jordanian era. Muhammad Awad, the spokesman of the popular committee against settlements in Beit Ummar, told Ma’an that in 2000 Israeli forces removed landmines….
Ashrawi: Netanyahu reaction to Jerusalem summit ‘malicious’
2/29/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO official Hanan Ashrawi on Tuesday called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to a conference on Jerusalem a “malicious campaign of distortion and other inflammatory statements.” At the conference in the Qatari capital on Sunday, President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of conducting ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem, prompting….
Israel police: Aqsa status quo still applies
2/29/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Israeli police chief, Niso Shaham, is continuing a ban which forbids non-Muslims from praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque site, a police representative said Tuesday. Luba Sumari said in a meeting that the police would not permit any efforts to violate the status quo at the site, nor will it allow…. Related: PA calls on Israel to release Hana Shalabi
Egypt thwarts attempt to smuggle fuel into Gaza Strip
2/28/2012 – EL-ARISH (Ma’an) –Egyptian security forces on Tuesday thwarted an attempt to smuggle large quantities of diesel fuel into the Gaza Strip via underground tunnels, Ma’an’s correspondent said. Egyptian military and police forces stopped four trucks containing more than 7,000 liters of diesel fuel bound for the Gaza Strip. Four…. Related: Gaza power plant closes again
Commission head says elections above politics
2/29/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hanna Nasser, head of the central elections commission, said Tuesday the commission is based on elections law only and not related to any political understandings between factions. Nasser as challenging statements by Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil, who said that the election commission’s work was determined by the PLO leadership….
Jerusalem cinema reopens after 26 years
2/29/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A five-minute walk from the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, Al-Quds cinema has resumed screening movies after a 26-year halt following the outbreak of the first intifada. The 81-seat theater was packed out on Saturday, with viewers squeezing into the staircases to watch two Palestinian movies directed….
Qatari group aids UN micro credit for young Palestinians
2/28/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Qatari-based social enterprise organization will provide a partial guarantee for micro grants for young Palestinian entrepreneurs, a statement said Monday. The ‘Mubadarati’ loan program, financed by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, will provide funding for income generation projects by Palestinians aged 18-30 through the Middle East….
Police: Man dies after falling from Hebron roof
2/28/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A 53-year-old man died in Hebron on Tuesday after falling from a shopping center rooftop while hanging an advertisement, police said. Abdul Fattah Qawasmeh was taken to hospital but died from his injuries….
Bethlehem social workers elect union delegates
2/28/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Union of Social Workers and Psychologists in Bethlehem held elections for its governing bodies on Monday, a press statement said. Over a hundred members voted for the new seven-member administrative committee and eight member-general conference, which will sit until 2014….
Activists: 20 killed as Syrian army shells town
2/28/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syrian forces killed at least 20 people when they shelled a town in Hama province that has become an opposition stronghold in the near year-old uprising against President Bashar Assad, activists said on Tuesday. They said security forces bombarded Helfaya from two sides. Helfaya became a center for anti-Assad protests after the military….
Egypt upper house picks Islamist as speaker
2/28/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egypt’s Islamist-led upper house of parliament chose a Muslim Brotherhood deputy as its speaker on Tuesday, cementing the group’s dominance in the legislature after elections handed it a majority of seats. The Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party controls 59 percent of the seats in Shura Council (upper….
UN: Syrian forces killed ‘well over’ 7,500
2/28/2012 – AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) — Syrian forces have killed more than 7,500 civilians since a revolt against President Bashar Assad began, a UN official said on Tuesday, and Hillary Clinton, the top US diplomat, suggested the Syrian leader may be a war criminal. The military again bombarded opposition strongholds, killing at least 25 people, Syrian activists said….
Uproar over arrest of Palestinian activist
AlJazeera 28 Feb 2012 – Fadi Quran, a Palestinian activist, set to appear in an Israeli court for the second time since his arrest on Friday.
International Solidarity Movement
Clashes and arrests in the town of Tur
2/28/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Asmaa Thaher, 28 February 2012, Jerusalem Center for Media – Broke out this evening clashes in the town of Tur East Jerusalem and the occupation forces arrested two young men from the region. Our correspondent said that the clashes broke out near Al-Maqased hospital and Tur club down to the Sawwanah neighborhood crossroads. He said…. Related: Jerusalem Center for Media
Only Negotiated, Two-State Solution Will Fully Restore Jerusalem to Rightful Place as Symbol of Sanctity, Fraternity, Peace for Entire World, Says Secretary-General
Relief Web 27 Feb 2012 – Source: UN Secretary-General Country: occupied Palestinian territory SG/SM/14130 Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Jerusalem International Forum, delivered by Robert Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Representative of the Secretary-General to the…
Young Palestinian entrepreneurs to receive loans through UN-backed initiative
Relief Web 27 Feb 2012 – Source: UN News Service Country: occupied Palestinian territory Thousands of young Palestinians will receive access to financial loans to support their new businesses through a United Nations-backed initiative announced today, which seeks to stimulate the creation of new jobs in…
Award-winning musicians perform in Ramallah for music therapy fundraiser
Relief Web 27 Feb 2012 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory Ramallah, West Bank “I want to bring a smile to the faces of the Palestinian people,” explained John McLaughlin, and he delivered on…
French court backs TV report on Palestinian boy’s death
The National 28 Feb 2012 – France’s highest court overturns the acquittal of a commentator who accused a TV journalist of fabricating a report on the killing of a Palestinian child in Gaza during the second intifada.
UN and USD criticises the Syrian regime’s ‘unspeakable violations’
The National 28 Feb 2012 – Tunisia’s president offers Al Assad asylum in bid to end violence, which the UN says more than 7,500 people have been killed since the Syrian uprising began.
Guns from Beirut: Syria uprising good business for Lebanese arms dealers
The National 28 Feb 2012 – In a dingy store room in Beirut, weapons and ammunition lie ready to be supplied to Syrian rebels. Zoi Constantine, Foreign Correspondent, reports.
Iran election highlights Ahmadinejad and Khamenei power battle
The National 28 Feb 2012 – Ruling hardliners who united behind Iran’s president to crush the reformist challenge are now locked in fierce competition for Friday’s parliamentary elections.
Offensive Mickey Mouse cartoon lawsuit dismissed in Egypt
The National 28 Feb 2012 – Naguib Sawiris, a Christian tycoon, had angered by relaying a cartoon of Mickey Mouse in a beard as a parody of Islamist influence since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Appointment of Ethiopian envoy doesn’t represent community’s standing
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
Foreign Ministry names first Israeli as Ethiopian origin as ambassador
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
Palestinians set fire to structure in West Bank outpost
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
Netanyahu: I will block bills aiming to undermine Israel’s court system
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
Israel’s Supreme Court must maintain its independence, says outgoing president
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
U.S. policy aimed at ‘buying time’ with Iran, says senior official
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
IDF kills smuggler in gun battle on Israel-Egypt border
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
Israel wouldn’t warn U.S. before Iran strike, says intelligence source
Ha’aretz – 28 Feb 2012
Palestinian Authority threatens to ‘reevaluate’ its agreements with Israel
Ha’aretz – 27 Feb 2012
‘Naked Archaeologist’ finds signs Jerusalem cave was used to bury Jesus’ disciples
Ha’aretz – 27 Feb 2012
Hamas-affiliated student group accuses PA of raiding event
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Students at Bir Zeit University claim security officers also harassed Palestinian journalists.
US drafts outline of new UN Syria resolution
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – New resolution would be 3rd on Syria; White House: Focus on actions that can succeed; ‘Russia, China may back humanitarian text.’
Islamic Jihad woman stages hunger strike over detention
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Hana Shalabi’s father calls for further kidnapping of soldiers to secure release of Palestinian prisoners.
Gasoline prices expected to hit record high
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – On back of sharp rise in global oil prices amid tensions over Iran, gasoline prices set to reach NIS 7.99 per liter.
Athens, J’lem announce joint diaspora conference
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Unique conference to take place this summer; Greek deputy foreign minister key factor in vastly improved relations.
‘Israel can defend itself against barrages from Iran’
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Missile defense chief tells ‘Post’ that Iranian advancements allow for 2,000-km. range; Defense Ministry upgrading Arrow 2, will test Arrow 3 this year.
Macedonia – the new Kosovo?
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Both demographically and politically, the republic has a precarious present and an uncertain future.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s antics – good or bad?
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – He could be a far more effective comedian if he did do more humor about his Jewishness, his Israeli heritage and the often conflicting relationships between Jews and Arabs.
Anti-Semitism in Sweden and the year of Raoul Wallenberg
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – The far-right is day-by-day gaining popularity in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe.
Change we can’t believe in
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Incremental change will allow the Israeli public to continue enjoying the clear advantages of a parliamentary democracy, while repairing and decreasing the structural flaws of that system.
Cut gas taxes!
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – The state should not be using taxation to coercively reeducate its citizens to drive less and use more fuel efficient cars.
Dutch donation to boost Palestinian trade
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Netherlands to supply 2 state-of-the art container scanners; sign of Israeli-PA cooperation despite talks’ breakdown.
PM slams Abbas in meeting with Norwegian FM
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Netanyahu brands Abbas’s J’lem comments “junk” and “libelous,” says int’l community should tell PA president to “cut it out.”
Dempsey denies advising Israel against Iran strike
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – US military chief tells US Senate panel he spoke to Israel about “the issue of time,” did not counsel J’lem against attacking Iran.
Deal at first sight? Foreign cash meets Israeli ideas
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Tel Aviv dealmakers conference brings together start-ups, multinationals, investors.
IDF arrests 3 Palestinians after Gilad Farm arson
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Suspects allegedly set home in West Bank outpost on fire prompting settlers, Palestinians to throw rocks at one another.
‘Pro-Gingrich Super PAC gets more Adelson cash’
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Jewish billionaire has given $11 m. to group funding Gingrich; source says additional “substantial” sum has been donated.
UN: Syria’s civilian death toll well over 7,500
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Clinton says an argument can be made that Assad is a war criminal; activists claim forces kill 20 in Hama shellings.
Police arrest 3 more in Haifa soldier attack
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – New arrests bring total number of suspects to ten; police request remand extension to continue investigating the incident.
Factbox: Michigan Republican presidential primary
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Democrats could shake up the results by casting votes for Romney rivals, as Michigan is open primary.
‘Supreme Court will set example under Grunis’
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Netanyahu and Peres welcome new Supreme Court president and praise outgoing president Beinisch.
Economy, not the vote occupies Iranians
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Sanctions bite ordinary Iranians, businesses; shaky businesses overshadow parliamentary election; subsidy reform law fosters discontent among people.
‘Gaza energy crisis remains despite Egypt deal’
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Egypt has not determined route to provide fuel to Gaza, Ma’an reports; Gaza sole power plant shuts down 2nd time this month.
Tel Aviv council, MKs clash on Shabbat buses
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Supporters of allowing public transport on Shabbat say it is an issue of good public policy, not religious and secular.
Police arrest 2 more in Haifa soldier attack
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – New arrests bring total number of suspects to nine; police request remand extension to continue investigating the incident.
High Court overturns ‘discriminatory’ law
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – On final day in role, retiring Supreme Court president approves petitions against law denying income support to those with cars.
Amnesty: Iran executions up four-fold in 2011
Jerusalem Post 28 Feb 2012 – Crackdown against political opposition figures, groups intensifying ahead of parliamentary elections, rights group says.
Clergy: Attacks on churches ‘cross red lines’
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Vandals sprayed the slogans “Death to Christians” on the Jerusalem Baptist Church last week.
Beinisch ‘had courage, will to strike down laws’
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Legal experts laud outgoing court president’s stance on human rights.
Retiring Beinisch could annul ‘discriminatory law’
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Retiring Supreme Court president to rule on petitions against law denying income support to those with cars.
Prepare now for a safe and happy Purim
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Hospital emergency rooms get 3.5 times as many burn cases before and during Purim than during the rest of the year.
Residents protest apartments in Jerusalem valley
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – The residents of Givat Masua and their supporters have until March 8 to file objections to both the regional and local planning committees.
MKs denounce segregation in maternity wards
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – The meeting was held at the initiative of Labor MK Ghaleb Majadle, who was upset by reports of segregation requests.
Police arrest suspect W. Bank car-jacking wave
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Police launch stakeout following wave of car thefts in the past month, eight of which occurred in the past week.
JAFI giving emergency relief to Greek Jews
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Jewish Agency’s executive decides to grant NIS 4 million over two years to provide for activities of communal Jewish institutions.
Yad Sarah: Gas hikes hurt voluntary organizations
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – Unlike private businesses, voluntary organizations are not compensated for taxes on petrol.
Media Matters hurts Obama
Jerusalem Post 27 Feb 2012 – American Jews who support current Israeli policies are accused of dual loyalty.
Israeli audiences flock to Iran’s Oscar-winning A Separation
The Guardian 28 Feb 2012 – A Separation draws large audiences in Israel as director Asghar Farhadi’s Oscars acceptance speech airs on Iranian state TV When Oscar-winning Iranian film-maker Asghar Farhadi spoke of the importance of recognising his country’s glorious and essentially…
Iraq: The Forgotten Uprising Lives On
Uruknet February 28, 2012 – While Arab and international media dedicate countless hours of airtime to Arab uprisings from Tunisia to Syria, Iraq’s populist movement for change is almost completely ignored. Nevertheless, the push for Iraq’s freedom and independence amid increasingly corrupt and sectarian forces has manged to survive… “People have good reason to be afraid of…
Video: On Kuwaiti TV, Tom Wilner and Andy Worthington Discuss the Last Two Kuwaitis in Guantánamo
Uruknet February 28, 2012 – Following up on my visit to Kuwait last week, to assist the lawyers and activists and family members pushing for the release from Guantánamo of the last two Kuwaiti prisoners, Fayiz al-Kandari and Fawzi al-Odah, I’m pleased to make available below a series of videos of the 70-minute program that was broadcast…
Israel steps up repression in occupied Palestinian territories
Uruknet February 28, 2012 – On Friday, Israeli forces fired on Palestinian protesters at a checkpoint near Ramallah in the West Bank, killing one young man and injuring four more. Further clashes broke out at the funeral procession in north Jerusalem the following day that resulted in 12 injuries. In Jerusalem, angry clashes broke out between Muslim…
Rebuilt Gaza Music School hopes to reach more children
Uruknet February 28, 2012 – Sarah, Abdelaziz and Anda have found a welcome distraction from Palestine’s troubles: music. They and 120 other girls and boys are enrolled in the Gaza Music School, a program of the A.M. Qattan Foundation launched in 2008. Standing in front of a choir of dozens of children, 11-year-old Sarah sang an English-language…
Israel set to destroy European-funded solar energy project
Uruknet February 28, 2012 – The Israeli occupation authorities have issued notices of their intention to demolish a solar energy project which provides the only source of electricity for a number of Palestinian villages south of Hebron. The head of the People’s Committee in Yatta confirmed that the Israelis told the residents of the plan to destroy…
012 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – Today, Monday, ended with 144 martyrs including 64 in Baba Amr neighborhood who were slaughtered in Abel area in Homs, a family of six, 4 defected recruits, 4 women and 5 children. In Homs city alone 104 martyrs, 11 in Aleppo suburbs, 17 in Idlib suburbs, 4 in Hama suburbs, 4 in…
Gaza power plant closes again
Uruknet February 28, 2012 — Gaza’s only power plant has been forced to shut down for the second time in two weeks due to a fuel shortage, the energy authority in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday. Energy officials appealed to Egypt to provide Gaza with a sufficient amount of fuel to allow regular operation of the plant,…
Palestinian prisoners welcome call for international day of action on 17 April
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – Political prisoner Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and civil society leader currently held in Gilboa prison, says that Palestinian prisoners welcome the call for an international day of action on 17 April, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. He also says that Palestinian political prisoners at Gilboa held a one-day hunger strike on…
Military Resistance: 10B19 Inside Job
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – …. In particular, we examine the claims of critics of the Iranian regime who have advocated the use of “targeted sanctions” against human rights violators in the Iranian government as a method of solidarity. Despite their name, these sanctions trickle down to punish broader sections of the population. They also stand as a…
Palestinian Who Was Repeatedly Rammed By Settler Vehicle Sentenced To 12.5 Years
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – The Israeli Ofer Military Court sentenced on Sunday resident Waseem Maswada, from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, to twelve and a half years as he faced “attempted murder” charges for stabbing two settlers. After the stabbing, Waseem was attacked by several settlers, one of whom rammed him with his vehicle,…
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Over Boycott of Israeli Goods
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – Today, in a lawsuit brought against current and former members of the Olympia Food Co-op board of directors for their decision to boycott Israeli goods, a Washington State court dismissed the case, calling it a SLAPP – Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation – and said that it would award the defendants attorneys’…
The NYPD’s war on Muslims
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – NEW DOCUMENTS made public recently reveal that the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) program of spying on Muslims has reached far beyond New York City. The existence of the program, run by the secret Demographics Unit within the NYPD Intelligence Division, was exposed before, though the NYPD has never admitted its full…
Britain leads dash to explore for oil in war-torn Somalia
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – Britain is involved in a secret high-stakes dash for oil in Somalia, with the government offering humanitarian aid and security assistance in the hope of a stake in the beleaguered country’s future energy industry. Riven by two decades of conflict that have seen the emergence of a dangerous Islamic insurgency, Somalia is…
012
Uruknet February 27, 2012 -Chaos and violence continue, a song-and-dance is performed before a bewildered House Subcommitee, Nouri and Moqtada al-Sadr are at odds again, Michael Ratner talks about the Bradley Manning arraignment last week, US Senator Patty Murray wants answers about whether or not the Defense and more… Many fled from Baghdad starting in 2006 due…
012 : A Video Roundup
AP Interview: No. 2 in Hamas says movement’s leaders have left Syria, unity deal in trouble
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – The Hamas leadership has left its longtime base in Syria because of the regime’s crackdown on opponents there, the No. 2 in the Islamic militant movement said in an interview Sunday at his new home on the outskirts of Cairo. Moussa Abu Marzouk also told The Associated Press that a unity deal…
Hunger Striking for Justice
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – Behind bars, prisoners have few ways to resist injustice. Refusing food’s a common tactic. Khader Adnan’s the latest detainee to attract attention. His heroism made it worldwide. After 66 days, he began eating after a deal was agreed to release him in April. It’s not without strings, may unravel, or find him…
Tawergha: the Town Destroyed by Libya’s Revolution
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – The northeast Libyan town of Tawergha, formerly home to about 40,000 people, is now a “ghost town” after intense fighting last year ended in the city’s capture and the total displacement of its population… According to Human Rights Watch, 30,000 people from Tawergha were forced to leave the city after the revolution…
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers show up in village targeted for demolition (Video)
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – At dawn last Wednesday, February 22nd, between 250 and 300 Israeli soldiers came through the occupied Palestinian village, Al Aqaba, as part of their training. They were going on little to no sleep, so they took the opportunity to sleep in their jeeps, on the street, and between village houses. After they…
Israel’s Political Persecution of Palestinian Parliamentarians
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – In 2001, the Israeli parliament the Knesset passed a bill forbidding members of the Knesset (MKs) from travelling to “enemy” states, as a response to Balad leader Azmi Bishara’s Syrian trip that year. Consequently, along with being charged with speaking at a public gathering in the Palestinian town of Um Al-Fahem and…
Lawsuit Takes Aim at CIA’s “Covert” Attack on Transparency
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – Last September, the CIA quietly changed its long-standing policy for how it would process certain records requests by implementing a new fee structure that will essentially discourage the public from trying to get the agency to declassify secret government documents because the costs are too high, open-government advocates have charged… “Overnight, without…
PCHR Calls upon the International Community to Pressurize IOF to Release Palestinian Detainee, Hana’ Shalabi, Who Has Been on Hunger Strike
Uruknet February 27, 2012 – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is concerned for the life of Hana’ Shalabi, a detainee in Israeli jails who has been on hunger strike for approximately 2 weeks. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressurize Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to release Shalabi, who has been placed under administrative detention,…
Libya militia urged to free Iran’s Press TV journalists
Daily Star 28 Feb 2012 A Libya militia holding two journalists working for Iran’s Press TV should immediately release them or transfer them to the authorities, a rights group said Tuesday.
Israel wouldn’t warn US on Iran strike
Daily Star 28 Feb 2012 Israeli officials say they will not warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iraq group: we gave up US soldier’s body in goodwill act
Daily Star 28 Feb 2012 A Shi’ite militia that handed over the body of the last U.S. service member missing in Iraq said it had done so as a goodwill gesture to mark the end of the U.S. occupation.
Rabbi Elyashiv’s condition deteriorates
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – ….
Turkish FM: Iran talks may be in April
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – ….
WikiLeaks: Russia gave Israel Iranian system’s codes
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Document by intelligence company suggests Israel, Russia contracted deal several years ago under which Israel provided Russia with codes for UAVs it sold to Georgia in exchange for Iranian aerial defense system codes ….
Palestinians invite UN Security Council to visit
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – ….
WikiLeaks: Russia gave Israel codes for defense system sold to Iran
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – ….
Pentagon: Remains of some 9/11 victims went to landfill
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – ….
Israel chides UN over its silence on rocket fire
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Ambassador Prosor’s letter to Ban Ki-moon reads ‘Ten days. Ten rockets. Not one word of condemnation from the Security Council’ ….
3 Palestinians suspected of arson in Havat Gilad
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Dog who was inside torched structure burns to death; clashes break out following arson. Police arrest three suspects ….
FM appoints first Ethiopian-born ambassador
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Belaynesh Zevadia, who made aliyah from Ethiopia as a teen, appointed Israel’s envoy to Addis Ababa ….
Hebron funeral becomes target of ‘skunk’ weapon
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Video documenting funeral procession in Hebron shows family members asking soldiers to cross road to get to cemetery after riots in area. Security forces nevertheless employ crowd-dispersal weapon to clear mourners ….
Grunis sworn in as Supreme Court president
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Asher Grunis notes that judges’ independence cannot be compromised, says his work lead by sense of vocation ….
World is silent, again
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Op-ed: Syria slaughter turning into full-scale genocide, yet world makes do with empty talk ….
MKs say Beinisch promoted ‘political agenda’
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Rightist lawmakers say retiring Supreme Court president tried to dictate its values to all of society: ‘Now all she can do is join opposition’ ….
Say no to Jewish Hezbollah
YNet News, 28 Feb 2012 – Op-ed: Instead of drafting haredim into army en masse, we should aim to reduce their birthrate ….
Palestinian Information Center
Haneyya: RoR will never be relinquished
PIC – Palestinian premier in Gaza Ismail Haneyya has asserted that the return of Palestinian leaders was an indication of their insistence on the right of return to the homeland.
Abu Marzouk: US-Israeli veto obstructing reconciliation
PIC – Deputy political bureau chairman Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk has said that the US and Israel were impeding the progress of Palestinian national reconciliation.
Violent clashes in Jerusalem, Qardawi prohibits visiting it for non-Palestinians
PIC – Israeli occupation police forces arrested five Jerusalemites on Monday night during violent confrontations with young men in Tur suburb.
PLC delegation leaves Gaza on Arab tour
PIC – A delegation of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC) led by first deputy speaker Dr. Ahmed Bahar left the Gaza Strip on Tuesday on an Arab tour.
Israel planning railway in West Bank
PIC – Israel Railways company has set up a plan to build a railroad in the occupied West Bank to link its major cities at the request of the Israeli ministry of transportation.
Gaza power station shuts down
PIC – The sole electricity generation station in Gaza has come to a complete halt on Tuesday after all fuel quantities in the company’s stores ran out plunging the Strip into total darkness.
IOF soldiers arrest 390 Palestinians in February
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested 390 Palestinians in February from various West Bank areas, a Palestinian human rights group said on Tuesday.
IOA moves detained academician to hospital
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) transferred detained Palestinian academician Dr. Mohammed Salibi from Ofer jail to hospital after his health condition declined.
Jewish settlers storm Al-Khalil village to offer rituals
PIC – Jewish settlers stormed the village of Halhul, to the north of Al-Khalil, under protection of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Tuesday and offered rituals.
Abbas Arrives in Ankara for Official Talks
WAFA – 28 Feb 2012
Netherlands to Donate Scanner to Allenby Crossing to Boost Palestinian Trade
WAFA – 28 Feb 2012
Japan Supports People, Children with Disabilities in Bethlehem, Hebron
WAFA – 28 Feb 2012
Hamas Prevents Elections Commission from Working in Gaza, says al-Ahmad
WAFA – 28 Feb 2012
US Judge Rules Boycott Israel Campaign Legal
WAFA – 28 Feb 2012
Syria says constitution approved; scores of deaths are reported
LA Times 28 Feb 2012 – Syrian officials say voters overwhelmingly approved a new constitution backed by President Bashar Assad. Meanwhile, the opposition reports a massacre in Homs. Syrian authorities said Monday that almost 90% of voters had approved a controversial, government-backed new draft constitution, while an opposition group reported that…
Diplomats Warn Syria of Consequences for Violent Crackdown
New York Times 28 Feb 2012 – A long list of governments urged an immediate ceasefire while Paul Conroy, a Western journalist who had been trapped in Homs, escaped the country.
Clinton Says Talks Continue Over Egyptian Trial of Americans
New York Times 28 Feb 2012 – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the two countries were engaged in “very intensive discussions” over the prosecution of staff from four American-financed non-profit organizations.
Yemeni Protesters Set New Goal: Fixing the Military
New York Times 28 Feb 2012 – After Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster, Yemen’s protesters are not yet content and now want to overhaul a military still largely controlled by Mr. Saleh’s relatives.
Iran Calls Nuclear Arms Production ‘a Great Sin’
New York Times 28 Feb 2012 – Amid heightened tensions with the West over its nuclear program, Iran on Tuesday called for negotiations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons.
Memo From Baghdad: Maliki Wields More Power in Iraq After Crisis
New York Times 28 Feb 2012 – Worries remain that Iraq is sliding toward one-man, one-party rule under Nuri Kamal al-Maliki amid a sectarian divide.
Syria Says New Constitution Passed Overwhelmingly
New York Times 28 Feb 2012 – As violence continued to rage, officials said voters had overwhelmingly approved a new Constitution in a referendum that Western leaders labeled a farce.
Jewish group hails BDS legal victory
Jewish Voice for Peace –
Israel steps up repression in occupied Palestinian territories
WSWS – On Friday, Israeli forces fired on Palestinian protesters at a checkpoint near Ramallah in the West Bank, killing one young man and injuring four more.
US, Britain gear up for war on Iran
WSWS – The military commands in both the US and Britain have sought increased funding and stepped up deployments of arms and personnel in preparation for an anticipated war against Iran.
Oakland carries Khader Adnan to Occupy San Quentin
Mondoweiss – (Photo: Marin Independent Journal) On Monday, February 20, 700 activists with Occupy Oakland descended upon San Quentin State Prison . Palestinian and Arab activists organized a small contingency to focus on hunger striker Khader Adnan. Occupiers were surrounded by police as they held signs and distributed…
Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Coop to take the first step towards a boycott of Israeli goods on March 27
Mondoweiss – Members of Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Coop will be voting on more than work shift arrangements at the Coop’s monthly General Meeting in March. They’ll be deciding on whether they’ll be having a co-op wide referendum about the Coop’s stance on human rights. On the…
Ten reasons why AIPAC is so dangerous
Mondoweiss – Graphic from the Occupy AIPAC website – www.occupyaipac.org The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most powerful lobby organizations in the country. AIPAC’s clout helps fuel a never-ending cycle of violence in the Middle East. Here are ten reasons why AIPAC is…
Israelis sanction a march of incitement against Hanin Zoabi in her hometown
Mondoweiss – link to www.maannews.net link to www.kibush.co.il ‘–> link to www.maannews.net link towww.palestine-info.co.uk ‘–> link to palsolidarity.org link to www.palestine-info.co.uk link towww.aljazeera.com link to www.maannews.net link to www.maannews.net link to www.palestine-info.co.uklink to www.imemc.org link to www.hrw.org link to www.richardsilverstein.com link to english.al-akhbar.com Report: Police…
Gorenberg on why one state is a non-starter: Jews would have to pay higher taxes or receive fewer services
Mondoweiss – It seems the Harvard One State conference really has Israel’s supporters – both liberal and conservative – running for cover. Jeffrey Goldberg does his part today in his column for Bloomberg : This group argues for the “one-state solution,” the merging of the Palestinian and Jewish populations…
Obama Promises Israel Use of U.S. Bases for Iran Attack If It Will Wait
Tikun Olam – There have been endless recent visits to Israel from high-ranking U.S. officials regarding the Iran issue, including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and most recently National Security Advisor Tom Donilon. The AP reports that during the last set of meetings the Israelis defiantly told the U.S. that…
19th French agent arrested in Syria
Voltaire Network 28 Feb 2012 – Voltaire Network has learned from reliable source that a French officer was taken prisoner by the Syrian National Army on Monday, 27 February 2012, at Azouz (Idlib district, near the Turkish border). The arrest brings to 19 (nineteen) the number of French prisoners held by Damascus….
Syrian army delays operation in Homs to avoid civilian casualties
Voltaire Network 28 Feb 2012 – Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says the Syrian army has delayed its military operation against armed groups in some parts of the besieged city of Homs in order to avoid civilian casualties. “I know one thing — that the military operation was delayed because there are…
Nigeria: Nation, Israel Partner On Emergency Medical Services
allAfrica.com 28 Feb 2012 – [Vanguard] The Federal Ministry of Health is partnering with the Israeli government towards capacity and structural development of Emergency Medical Service, EMS, in Nigeria.
Anthony Shadid’s “House of Stone” Released Today
Arab American Institute 28 Feb 2012 – Anthony Shadid has been widely hailed as the best foreign correspondent of his generation. For Arab Americans, he was much more than that. How many times did we send one of Anthony’s dispatches from Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya or Syria to our friends so that…
MJ Rosenberg on Targeted BDS
The Magnes Zionist 28 Feb 2012 – The indispensable MJ Rosenberg has written a nice piece railing against those politicians who are progressive except for Palestine.He then endorses what I have called “ Targeted BDS ,” i. e., boycott, divestment, and sanctions that focus on the Occupied Territories. But he goes on to…
Israel ‘charity’ accused of racism suffers another blow
Global BDS 28 Feb 2012 – The Jewish National Fund (JNF), a British charity implicated in human rights violations in Israel, received yet another blow when Green Party of England and Wales members voted overwhelmingly to support an international call for action against JNF practices in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,…
Lawsuit against Olympia Food Co-Op declared illegal lawsuit against public participation
US Campaign to End the Occupation 28 Feb 2012 – VICTORY FOR OLYMPIA FOOD CO-OP, PALESTINE AND BDS MOVEMENT: Judge: Lawsuit Violates Washington Free Speech Protections February 27, 2012 – Olympia, WA – In a landmark ruling, Judge Thomas McPhee has declared a lawsuit against the Olympia Food Coop illegal under Washington State law and awarded…
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Over Boycott of Israeli Goods
US Campaign to End the Occupation 28 Feb 2012 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jen Nessel, CCR,press@ccrjustice.org Jayne Kaszynski, Olympia Food Co-op, publicrelations@olympiafood.coop Court Finds Suit Is Effort to Chill Boycotters ’ Public Statements On Issue of Public Concern February 27, 2012, Olympia, WA and New York, NY – Today, in a lawsuit brought against…
Articles
Israel’s ‘New West Bank’
Lia Tarachansky, The Real News 2/28/2012
New plan reveals gov’t relocating Bedouins in Negev Desert to create Jewish contiguity south of the West Bank.
In recent years, the government has adopted the so-called Prawer Plan, reversing several earlier decisions to recognize unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev Desert. The new plan, explained by Association for Civil Rights in Israel lawyer Rawia Abu Rabia, will relocate 40,000 Bedouins in southern Israel for the establishment of 10 Jewish villages in their place. The Real News’ Lia Tarachansky speaks with Haia Noach, Executive Director of the Forum for Co-existance in the Negev, and Salim Abu Kian, from Umm el Hiran, one of two villages (along with A Tir) slated for evacuation.
Transcript
LIA TARACHANSKY, JOURNALIST, THE REAL NEWS NETWORK: The Negev Desert, Southern Israel. This vast, diverse landscape is at the forefront of the new fight for land in Israel. In recent years, millions were invested in bringing Jewish citizens to this part of the country, and moving non-Jewish citizens out. Over 200,000 Bedouins live here in seven municipalities and over thirty unrecognized villages. A new plan that involves multiple branches of government, semi-governmental bodies, and corporations is starting a campaign of demolition, displacement, and forced urbanization. Rawia Abu Rabia is a lawyer with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. She explains the impact of this project.
RAWIA ABU RABIA, LAWYER, ASSOCIATION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN ISRAEL: 60% of the country’s territory is the Negev Desert. The Bedouins are asking for only five percent of the Negev’s territory. Most of the lands the Badouins have lived on since before the establishment of the state, before all the laws, they were there. Some are villages of the internally displaced who were moved there in the 50s, what this plan proposes is less than one percent for them, of the Negev’s territory. — See also: Israeli Tree Campaign “Judaizes” Expropriated Land more.. e-mail
Israel ups demolitions in controversial Palestinian territory
Mya Guarnieri, +972 Magazine 2/28/2012
Less than two months into 2012, the pace of Israeli demolitions and displacements of Palestinians is already outstripping the same period in 2011. Israel seems to be taking advantage of the American election cycle to push settlement expansion in the E1 territory, which even the former Bush Administration halted due to threat it poses to two-state solution.
The Bedouin village of Jabal al Baba (sometimes called Ras al Baba) isn’t the kind of place that makes headlines. In fact, it’s the kind of place that doesn’t always make maps.
Located in the E1 area between East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim—a zone that Israel is developing to break up Palestinian contiguity in the West Bank, making a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital impossible—Jabal al Baba is a tiny collection of tin and scrap shacks, built between smooth, white boulders. On one side: the wall. On another: the wall. Ma’ale Adumim, with its neat rows of red rooftops, stands in the distance. A trash-strewn, dirt road is the only way in and out of the village, which is perched on a hill.
Despite the fact that Jabal al Baba is hemmed in by the separation barrier, there are no weekly protests here like those in Bilin and Nabi Saleh. So, for the most part, the media doesn’t come. Because, you know, if it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead.
Two weeks ago—while journalists were busy with Israel’s screeching about Iran and the mindless chatter of American presidential candidates—Israeli authorities delivered evacuation orders to nine families in Jabal al Baba. Villagers estimate that approximately 60 people will be affected. That’s just this time round. If the international community doesn’t step in and put the brakes on Israeli expansionism—the unchecked growth on occupied territory that goes hand-in-hand with displacing Palestinian and Bedouin—locals anticipate that, some day, the soldiers and Border Police will come for the whole village. more.. e-mail
The Mossad Has Long Given Marching Orders to AIPAC
Grant Smith, Antiwar.com 2/28/2012
AIPAC’s Washington policy conference next month is drawing intense scrutiny and unprecedented resistance. AIPAC has worked quietly for years to tripwire the United States into war with Iran. Soon it will “ask” Congress and the president to define “nuclear weapons capability” as the threshold for war, essentially demanding an immediate attack. Because Iran presents no military threat to the United States, many Americans wonder exactly where such costly and potentially disastrous policies are formulated. Recently declassified FBI files reveal how Israeli government officials first orchestrated public relations and policies through the U.S. lobby. Counter-espionage investigations of proto-AIPAC’s first coordinating meetings with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the head of Mossad provide a timely and useful framework for understanding how AIPAC continues to localize and market Israeli government policies in America.
Although AIPAC claims it rose “from a small pro-Israel public affairs boutique in the 1950s,” its true origin can be traced to Oct. 16, 1948. This is the date AIPAC’s founder Isaiah L. Kenen and four others established the Israel Office of Information under Israel’s U.N. mission. It was later moved under the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The IOI opened offices in New York City, Washington, and Los Angeles, which became testbeds for working out how Israeli government leaders would promote lobbying initiatives through public relations harnessing the power and financial support of American organizations and supporters. Although the FBI nervously noted IOI founder Kenen had become a member of the Communist Party in 1937 while working as a newspaperman at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, he was never the subject of a criminal investigation. Only because Kenen interacted with so many U.S. and foreign nationals who were targets of espionage, foreign counter-intelligence, and domestic security investigations (such as super-lobbyist Abraham Feinberg, Israeli diplomats, and assorted Mossad officers) did Kenen’s movements appear as cross-references in hundreds of pages of recently declassified FBI documents — See also: IRMEP more.. e-mail
Transforming Finkelstein BDS attack into opportunity
Electronic Intifada: 28 Feb 2012 – David Letwin 28 February 2012 Norman Finkelstein’s attack on the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is an opportunity — particularly for those of us who are Jewish — to affirm our unequivocal support for Palestinians’ fundamental rights.more
Rebuilt Gaza Music School hopes to reach more children
Electronic Intifada: 28 Feb 2012 – Rami Almeghari Gaza City 28 February 2012 Sarah, Abdelaziz and Anda have found a welcome distraction from Palestine’s troubles: music. They and 120 other girls and boys are enrolled in the Gaza Music School, a program of the A.M. Qattan Foundation launched in 2008.more
The Egyptian Revolution Should Not Be Subsidized
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Feb 2012 – By Ramzy Baroud The initial clarity of Egypt’s revolutionary discourse has been replaced by perplexing discussions involving a range of issues from ‘Islamists vs liberals’ to football violence. The latest such issue involves the rift between the US and the Egyptian government over the latter’s crackdowns on organizations with questionable sources of funds. Following the ousting of Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak last February, a brief period of euphoria ensued. Then shortly after, Egypt once more fell into disarray, if not complete chaos. This time round, pinpointing the culprits was no simple task. Some blamed the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) — accused of championing the same corrupt and violent legacy of Mubarak’s. Others spoke of counter-revolutionaries and remnants of the Mubarak era, or a conspiracy involving Islamic political forces — which secured clear majority in the country’s parliamentary elections — Scaf, and outside parties. Scaf on the…more
Free Hanaa Shalabi, End Administrative Detention
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Feb 2012 – By Mahmoud El-Yousseph Hanaa Shalabi is on hunger strike. She is a Palestinian female political prisoner from the village of Burgin near Jenin. She was kidnapped from her home on February 16, 2012 by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the middle of the night. Hanna’s family was ordered outside the house, she was blindfolded and handcuffed. All cell phones and computers in the house were confiscated and a photograph of her brother hanging on the wall, who was killed by IOF in 2005, was torn up and stepped upon by one of the soldiers. Hanaa was also beaten and sexually harassed by the IOF. Her attorney stated, “she is demanding the end of administrative detention and that the soldiers who beat her up and undressed her to carry out a body search be put on trial.” Administrative detention is a procedure that allows the Israeli military to hold prisoners indefinitely…more
Gap between Humanitarian and Development Aid
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Feb 2012 – By Meagan Kay When emergency relief turns into a protracted crisis, what happens to the aid that falls between short-term humanitarian relief and development assistance over the medium-term? Who should deliver it? Who should oversee it? In the current aid architecture, it’s not always clear who is responsible for ensuring funding and resources in complex humanitarian situations. The result is that funding gaps persist between where humanitarian relief ends and development assistance begins. It’s also unclear who should deliver the protracted humanitarian aid. Often it’s NGOs, and sometimes it’s UN agencies. Or some combo. Also for the oversight or macro-management of complex humanitarian aid, again it’s many NGOs, and the UN agencies as overseer – with backing from the bilateral donors. In short, the system is very messy – with numerous gaps, and overlaps and other inefficiencies. The result is a complex landscape – where we are unprepared to face…more
Are Palestinians Victims of Terror and Displaced Guilt?
Palestine Chronicle: 28 Feb 2012 – By Dallas Darling It was on this day, February 29, 1948, that 28 British soldiers were killed as a mine exploded under the Cairo-Haifa train. Lehi, also known as Stern Gang, a Zionist terrorist group, claimed responsibility. But the Cairo-Haifa attack was only one of several acts of terrorism that Israeli Zionists employed. And the Stern Gang was just one of several terrorist organizations working to establish a Jewish-Israeli state in Palestine. Israel, then, was born on a wave of Zionist terrorism. Some the West would like to see Palestinians and Palestinian statehood quietly go away, to suffer in silence and to die in darkness. But even now as electricity is slowly being cut from the Gaza Strip, not to mention a harsh economic blockade that for years has caused immense suffering, terror comes to mind. And even now as the West collaborates with Israel on how to sabotage a…more
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Over Boycott of Israeli Goods
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Feb 2012 – By The Center for Constitutional Rights – Olympia, WA and New York, NY Today, in a lawsuit brought against current and former members of the Olympia Food Co-op board of directors for their decision to boycott Israeli goods, a Washington State court dismissed the case, calling it a SLAPP – Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation – and said that it would award the defendants attorneys’ fees, costs, and sanctions. The judge also upheld the constitutionality of Washington’s anti-SLAPP law, which the plaintiffs had challenged. In a court hearing last Thursday, lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP argued that the court should grant the defendants’ Special Motion to Strike and dismiss the case because it targeted the constitutional rights of free speech and petition in connection with an issue of public concern. “We are pleased the Court found this case to be what it…more
10 Reasons Why the Israel Lobby AIPAC is So Dangerous
Dissident Voice: 28 Feb 2012 – The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most powerful lobby organizations in the country. AIPAC’s clout helps fuel a never-ending cycle of violence in the Middle East. Here are ten reasons why AIPAC is so dangerous. 1. AIPAC is lobbying Congress to promote a military confrontation with Iran. AIPAC – like the Israeli government – is demanding that the U.S. attack Iran militarily to prevent Iran from having the technological capacity to produce nuclear weapons, even though U.S. officials say Iran isn’t trying to build a weapon (and even though Israel has hundreds of undeclared nuclear weapons). AIPAC has successfully lobbied the U.S. government to adopt crippling economic sanctions on Iran, including trying to cut off Iran’s oil exports, despite the fact that these sanctions raise the price of gas and threaten the U.S. economy. 2. AIPAC promotes Israeli policies that are in direct opposition to…more
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The New Dark Age 