2 March 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Report: “120 Palestinians To Be displaced Due To Military Orders”
IMEMC – The “Land Research Center” issued a press release, on Friday, stating that 120 Palestinians will be displaced and prevented access to their farmlands due to an Israeli military plan, and a military training drill being conducted in the Jordan Valley. …
Palestinains March In Solidarity With Detainee Hana Shalabi
IMEMC – Dozens of Palestinian marched on Friday at Borqeen village, to express solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners, Hana Ash-Shalabi who has been on hunger strike for 16 days. …
Israeli Troops use Gas to Suppress Anti-Wall Protests
IMEMC – On Friday many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as soldiers suppressed anti wall protests organized in a number of West Bank villages. The protests were in solidarity with political detainee in Israeli Jails Hana Ash-Shalabi, who is on hunger strike for 16 days in protest of her captivity. …
Shalabi Determined To Continue Her Hunger-Strike
IMEMC – Detainee Hana’ Ash-Shalabi, who has been hunger-striking since more than two weeks now, stated that she is determined to continue her strike in order to highlight the plight of all detainees held under administrative detention, and the ongoing all Israeli violations against them. …
Report: “Israel Kidnapped 380 Palestinians In February”
IMEMC – Palestinian researcher, specialized in Detainees’ Affairs, Riyadh Al-Ashqar, stated that Israel heightened the rate of its illegal arrests of the Palestinians in the occupied territories in February, and kidnapped more than 380 Palestinians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, in occupied East Jerusalem, and the 1948 territories. …
Hunger-striker Hana Shalabi’s health ‘at risk’
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hana Shalabi has refused food since Feb. 16 in protest against her detention without charge or trial, and Amnesty International says her health is increasingly at risk. Hana Shalabi‘s family have not been allowed to visit her since she was arrested, and they are currently waiting for permission to…. Related: Shalabi extends greetings ahead of women’s day and Shalabi supporter hospitalized after solidarity strike
Amnesty: Release prisoner of conscience Bassem Tamimi
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Anti-wall protest organizer Bassem Tamimi is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally, Amnesty International reiterated Friday. Tamimi was arrested in March and charged with “incitement and support of a hostile organization, organizing and participating in unauthorized processions, incitement to throwing objects against a person or property….
Haniyeh blames power crisis on Egypt
3/2/2012 – GAZA CITY (Reuters) — Gaza’s top political leader blamed Egypt on Friday for causing a power crisis that has triggered lengthy blackouts in the Palestinian enclave, laying bare tensions between his Islamist group Hamas and Cairo. The outages started in mid February, leaving households with just six hours of electricity a day, provoking widespread….
Shalabi supporter hospitalized after solidarity strike
3/2/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A prisoner on hunger strike in solidarity with Hana Shalabi has been transferred to hospital after he was released from jail, a detainees center said Friday. Suheil Akram Al-Masri, 26, has refused food for 13 days to support the female detainee. Shalabi started a hunger strike 16 days ago to….
Shaath ‘appreciates’ Haniyeh’s invitation to Gaza
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah leader Nabil Shaath said Friday that Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s invitation to party leaders to meet in the Gaza Strip was a positive step, saying he appreciates the move.”We will be happy if this invitation resolves our dispute and corresponds to the agreement of a new….
Shalabi extends greetings ahead of women’s day
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian hunger-striker Hana Shalabi has sent a message to Palestinian women in advance of International Women’s Day, which is next week. Sherine Iraqi, a lawyer for the Palestinian prisoners society, visited Shalabi in Israel’s Sharon prison and distributed the message. Shalabi stresses that she will continue her…. Related:Hunger-striker Hana Shalabi’s health ‘at risk’
Activist: Palestinian detained with hunting rifle
3/2/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained a Palestinian man who had a hunting rifle in Beit Ummar north of Hebron, a popular committee official said Friday. Muhammad Ayyad Awad said the man who was detained was not identified. He had taken advantage of the weather to go hunting but Israeli forces detained him….
Palestinian, US activists head home after Cyprus transit
3/2/2012 – ANICOSIA (Reuters) — Three US pro-democracy activists who flew out of Egypt after authorities lifted a travel ban, set off on the next stage of their journey home on Friday, leaving a transit stop in Cyprus, authorities on the island said. The campaigners, who included Sam LaHood, son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, had been….
Opinion: Obama ought not shun bluntness
3/2/2012 – By George S. Hishmeh – US President Barack Obama appears likely to win a second term because his Republican competitors seem, if nothing else, hopelessly disjointed. Regrettably, however, he remains treading softly, obviously fearing that any pronouncement on any of the key issues in the Middle East — Iran, Syria, Israel and the Palestinians — might tip the….
Hamas deputy: Political operations out of Damascus
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Speaking from Cairo, the deputy head of Hamas’ politburo said Thursday that Hamas’ offices would remain in Syria despite the relocation of all political and media activities out of Damascus. The violent crackdown on protests by Syria security forces have prompted Hamas to review its headquarters in Syria, and….
US, France seek answers after Israel raids TV stations
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli raids on two Palestinian television stations on Wednesday has drawn international concern from media freedom groups and foreign governments who have contributed to the channels. The US is trying to establish the reason for the raids, US State Dept. spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Thursday. US agencies have funded both….
Activists deface posters calling for 1-state solution
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — In what appeared to be a coordinated effort, Fatah youth activists on Friday tore down signs promoting a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Ramallah, Nablus and Qalqiliya images on Facebook showed the youths removing large billboard-sized signs promoting “one democratic state” as an alternative to the Western-backed “two-state solution” supported….
Obama, Netanyahu set to confront tensions over Iran
3/2/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Just days before what could be the most consequential meeting of US and Israeli leaders in years, aides to President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scrambling to bridge stark differences over what Washington fears could be an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. Further complicating Monday’s…. Related: Earlier version: Obama, Netanyahu set to confront divisions over Iran
Woman gives birth in ambulance amid snow block
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A woman gave birth in an ambulance on Friday morning, after snow blocked her route to hospital in southern Bethlehem. The mother and baby girl were later transferred to hospital and both were in good health. Emergency services chief in Bethlehem Abdul Halim Jaafra said ambulances had rushed to the pregnant…. Related: In photos: Snow falls on West Bank, Golan Heights and Flooding damages 8 homes in north Gaza
Flooding damages 8 homes in north Gaza
3/2/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Heavy rainfall and icy temperatures have damaged eight homes in the northern Gaza Strip since Thursday, a civil defense spokesman told Ma’an. Six homes in Jabalia city were flooded with water on Friday morning, and two others were under water in Gaza City, Muhammad Yousef said. Further, seven…. Related: In photos: Snow falls on West Bank, Golan Heights
Obama, Netanyahu set to confront divisions over Iran
3/2/2012 – WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Just days before what could be the most consequential meeting of US and Israeli leaders in years, aides to President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scrambling to bridge stark differences over what Washington fears could be an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. Further complicating Monday’…. Related: Updated version: Obama, Netanyahu set to confront tensions over Iran
In photos: Snow falls on West Bank, Golan Heights
3/2/2012 – MaanImages / Reuters – Snowflakes blanketed the southern West Bank on Friday morning with more than 10 cm of long-awaited snow, the first in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah for four years. Near Syria, the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights was covered in meter-deep snow on Thursday…. Related: Woman gives birth in ambulance amid snow block and Flooding damages 8 homes in north Gaza
Schools reopen in Gaza, still closed in West Bank
3/2/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Schools are reopening in the Gaza Strip while in the West Bank, some classes remain cancelled amid heavy snow and rainstorms across the occupied territories, officials said Friday. In Gaza, classes will resume as normal after being cancelled due to the inclement weather, the education ministry office said. The ministry in…. Related: In photos: Snow falls on West Bank, Golan Heights and Flooding damages 8 homes in north Gaza
Iran votes in parliamentary contest between hardliners
3/2/2012 – TEHRAN (Reuters) — Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election likely to reinforce Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s power over rival hardliners led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iranian leaders were looking for a high turnout to ease an acute crisis of legitimacy caused by Ahmadinejad’s re-election in 2009 when widespread accusations….
Analysis: Death in Syria and the need for UN reform
3/2/2012 – By Bernd Debusmann. – For decade after decade, diplomats at the United Nations have had on-again, off-again talks on how to reform the Security Council, the supreme decision-making panel on international security. The crisis in Syria shows that progress has been minimal and that power politics often trump human rights. At issue is the composition of….
Red Cross aid convoy reaches battered Homs district
3/2/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — A Red Cross aid convoy prepared to enter the shattered Baba Amro district of Homs on Friday after a Syrian official declared the area “cleansed” and the opposition spoke of a massacre by President Bashar Assad’s forces. The residential district became a symbol of resistance to Assad after government troops surrounded….
Factbox: Iran’s parliamentary election process
3/2/2012 – TEHRAN (Reuters) — Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election that amounted to a contest between loyalists to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Sidelined since a disputed presidential election in 2009, leading pro-reform groups did not take part in the vote because, they said, it was not “free and….
Prosecutor ‘issues new indictment over killing of Hariri’
3/2/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — The prosecutor of the UN-backed tribunal investigating the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri has issued a new indictment adding a fifth name to a list of suspects in the 2005 attack, a Lebanese security source said on Friday. The source said the fifth person was a military member of the….
Lebanon’s Shiites skeptical of anti-Assad outrage
3/2/2012 – TYRE, Lebanon (Reuters) — In the souks and squares of mostly Shiite Muslim southern Lebanon anger simmers over Western and Arab pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, seen by most as a bulwark against feared neighbor Israel. Many see double standards in the bullish calls by autocracies Saudi Arabia and Qatar for Assad’s….
Gaza hit by power crisis
Relief Web 2 Mar 2012 – Source: Guardian Country: occupied Palestinian territory An acute fuel shortage is putting hospital patients at risk and increasing hardship among Gaza Strip residents Harriet Sherwood, Gaza City Gaza is in the midst of an acute power crisis, with blackouts lasting…
Nutrition Surveillance Report (Issue No. 2, January–December 2011)
Relief Web 2 Mar 2012 – Source: International Organization for Migration Country: World , Ethiopia , Iraq , Jordan , Kenya , Malaysia , Nepal , occupied Palestinian territory , Thailand This report presents child growth and malnutrition status of refugee children examined by the IOM Health Assessment Programme at seven key locations around…
Divisions, lack of arms underscore weakness of Free Syrian Army
The National 2 Mar 2012 – Soldiers once loyal to Bashar Al Assad pledged to defend the protesters and united to topple the regime. But their cause has been plagued by a rift with the Syrian National Council.
Iran’s leader touts turnout before most people even vote
The National 2 Mar 2012 – Iran’s leaders need strong voter turnout more than ever with the country under unprecedented western sanctions and threats of an Israeli attack over its nuclear programme.
Lieberman: Israel ready to provide aid to wounded Syrians
Ha’aretz – 2 Mar 2012
Netanyahu: Israel reserves the right to defend itself against Iran
Ha’aretz – 2 Mar 2012
Obama: Israel knows that U.S. isn’t bluffing on action against Iran
Ha’aretz – 2 Mar 2012
Seven-year-old girl dies after being swept into West Bank stream
Ha’aretz – 2 Mar 2012
Former top aide: Netanyahu thinks state comptroller wants to destroy him
Ha’aretz – 2 Mar 2012
Heavy snow fall in Jerusalem for the first time in four years
Ha’aretz – 2 Mar 2012
Peres: Obama is a great president, security ties are ‘the best we’ve ever had’
Ha’aretz – 1 Mar 2012
Top Israeli official: Conflicting U.S. remarks hurt efforts to press Iran
Ha’aretz – 1 Mar 2012
PM counters former confidant Arad’s criticism
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Netanyahu says Uzi Arad shouldn’t be judged “in his time of distress” after former adviser slams him in interview.
Netanyahu warns against renewed talks with Iran
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – During visit to Canada, Netanyahu says he is not looking for US “red lines” on Tehran, nor will he spell out his own.
Restoring lost legacies of European Jewish composers
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Michael Wolpe is determined to recover and perform music created by European Jewish composers killed by the Nazis.
UN chief Ban expresses concern about ‘grisly’ Syria reports
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – “The images we have seen in Syria are atrocious,” Ban tells reporters; in a rare show of unity with Western powers, Russia and China join UNSC members in expressing “deep disappointment.”
UN chief fears executions, torture in Syria’s Homs
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – “The images we have seen in Syria are atrocious,” Ban Ki-moon tells reporters; in a rare show of unity with Western powers, Russia and China join UNSC members in expressing “deep disappointment.”
Sharon region: 1 killed, 1 injured in shooting
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Unknown assailants shoot dead a 22-year-old man in Kalansawe, injure approximately 15-year-old youth; police searching for perpetrators.
UN chief Ban pleads with Syria for aid-worker access
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – “The images we have seen is Syria are atrocious,” Ban tells reporters; in a rare show of unity with Western powers, Russia and China join UNSC members in expressing “deep disappointment.”
Jerusalemites embrace the snow around the city
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Children and adults wrap up warm and brave the cold temperatures, to enjoy the snowfall.
In Ohio, GOP pins Senate hopes on young Jewish Iraq vet
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Josh Mandel, 34-year-old US Marine Corps veteran faced challenges but is doing well in polls.
Hamas blames power crisis on Egypt in rare rift
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Hamas criticizes Egypt for blocking oil supplies; fuel crisis has caused lengthy electricity blackouts.
Iran parliament vote seen bolstering Khamenei
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Election could be pointer for 2013 presidential poll; voters preoccupied by economy, not nuclear issue.
Obama seeks concrete resolution to Iranian threat
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – US president tells ‘The Atlantic,’ Iran, Israel aware “I don’t bluff,” Americans “instinctively sympathize with Israel.”
Red Cross prepares to enter Homs, massacre feared
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – France says will shut Syrian embassy after UNSC resolution; Cameron says Syria will face ‘day of reckoning.’
Russian bank shuts down Iranian embassy accounts
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – State-controlled Russian bank shuts accounts of Iranian embassy staff as US ratchets up sanctions.
Cameron says Syria will face ‘day of reckoning’
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – British PM says “dreadful” Syrian regime will be held responsible for violence; European Council meets in Brussels to discuss increasing pressure on Assad, including sanctions.
Israeli Reform rabbis beg Obama to free Pollard
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – US counterparts feel the president is close to action.
Iran religious, political hardliners face off in vote
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Polls expected to reinforce power of Khamenei’s clerical establishment over hardline rivals led by Ahmadinejad.
Snow falls in Jerusalem after days of preparation
Jerusalem Post 2 Mar 2012 – Municipality prepares to clear roads, help needy keep warm; at least 3 cm. of snow fall in nation’s capital.
‘Intifada unsettled Arab-Israelis more than Jews’
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Hebrew University researches survey finds that during five-year 2nd Intifada had “almost no impact” on Jewish Israelis.
Ministry checking UK probe of ‘toxic hip implants’
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Pinnacle implant has not been recalled anywhere in the world, despite reports it leaks toxic metal to bloodstream.
The fruit that ‘saved the world’
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Global experts gather at first-ever Israel International Pomegranate Symposium.
Osborne on Livingston: ‘No friend of UK’s Jews’
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Livingstone, who is challenging incumbent mayor, has a history of strained relations with the Jewish community.
‘Russia, Iran must yield to Syria peace efforts’
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – “I think in time Russia will see its support has been abused by the Syrian regime,” Turkish President Gul says.
Into the Fray: Israel’s Pearl Harbor?
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Unavoidably, as frustration with the two-state principle increases, the quest for alternatives will begin.
UN concerned at possible Syria chemical weapons
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Russia, China join UN Council in voicing “deep disappointment” at Syria; Assad agrees to let Red Cross into Homs.
Another Tack: The context of Mustafa’s misadventures
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – There’ll be no Arab enlightenment until Arabs acknowledge that they’re victimized by their own self-produced disasters.
US NGO activists fly out of Egypt, defusing row
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Group of 15 people, included eight Americans allowed to leave Cairo, likely ensuring $1.3 billion in US military aid.
Go digital!
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – How to save money and keep updated using the e-features you didn’t know your bank offered.
A View from Israel: A Fifth column?
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Israeli Arabs should fight for equality but, in doing so, refrain from breaking the law.
Bomb injures 15 Turkish police near ruling party HQ
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Remote-control bomb on motorcycle detonated as vehicle carrying police officers passes; no immediate claim of responsibility.
Grumpy Old Man: Hear, O Israel
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Sometimes, you’ve just go to close those eyes and raise that microphone high.
In Plain Language: The Jewish war on Zionism
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – In all the protests that came our way… the sign in the crowd which frightened me most was the one which proclaimed “Zionists are not Jews.”
Syria to let Red Cross into embattled district
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – After rebel forces withdraw from Baba Amro neighborhood of Homs, ICRC given green light to deliver much-needed aid.
Think Again: Purim in contemporary guise
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – If so many hate us so much, shouldn’t we Jews at least try to love one another a bit more?
Middle Israel: Bibi’s other strategic challenge
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Rationalizing ultra-Orthodoxy’s place in Israel is no less urgent than containing Iran.
Ex-chief rabbi suspected of false ordinations
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Rabbi Bakshi Doron may be indicted for allegedly granting 1,500 members of IDF, police false rabbinic ordination certificates.
Wearing signs of holiness
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – ‘You shall make [the high priest] a tzitz [head-plate] of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it, engraved like a signet ring, “Holy to the Lord.”
Yeast-risen pastries for Purim
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – While the obvious choice might be hamantashen, there are other options.
Putting the Mideast energy risk in perspective
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Risk analysis shows region’s biggest oil, gas producers not in danger zone.
Singing drums from Cuba
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Percussionist and vocalist Igor Arias Baro will add spicy Latin flavor to the Hot Jazz series.
Teens more vulnerable to concussions than adults
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Study shows that in sports, these kinds of injuries mostly affect adolescents’ working memory.
Syrian rebels leave embattled Homs stronghold
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – After 26-straight days of shelling and into the second day of a ground assault by Assad’s troops, most opposition forces leave the snow-dusted neighborhood of Baba Amro.
‘Cairo airport told US NGO workers can leave’
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – US doesn’t confirm the development but airport sources say a US military plane arrived to ferry the Americans out.
Blast near Turkey’s ruling party HQ injures 10
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Remote-control bomb injures police officers in the Turkish capital, Istanbul police chief says.
PA not planning new intifada, says official
Jerusalem Post 1 Mar 2012 – Despite no plans for uprising, official says Israeli “provocations,” stalemate in peace process could trigger widespread protests.
Why I met the man who tried to kill me
The Guardian 2 Mar 2012 – In 2009, while working in Gaza, Arthur Neslen was attacked on the street by a knife-wielding stranger. Last year, he went back to meet his assailant On 26 May 2009, I had finished an interview at…
Obama warns Iran as he seeks to reassure Israel ahead of crucial talks
The Guardian 2 Mar 2012 – In advance of meeting with Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu, Obama said he hopes Israel understands ‘I don’t bluff’ on Iran Barack Obama has warned Iran that he is not bluffing when he says that the US…
Israel confirms plans to test missile system as Obama meeting looms
The Guardian 2 Mar 2012 – First test of Arrow 3 interceptor system intensifies speculation Israel is planning for military confrontation with Iran Israel is to test an advanced anti-ballistic missile system in the coming weeks, inevitably fuelling speculation about preparations for…
Lady Tonge bites back after Nick Clegg disowns her over her Israel comments
The Guardian 2 Mar 2012 – Liberal Democrat leader acted ‘hastily and ill-advisedly’ says peer punished for saying Israel ‘would not be there forever’ Liberal Democrat peer Lady Tonge has expressed disappointment that party leader Nick Clegg “very hastily and ill-advisedly” disowned…
Will Bibi Have Barack Over a Barrel (of Oil)?
IPS While Israeli leaders historically have enjoyed not insignificant influence with their U.S. counterparts, Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu will likely arrive at the White House next week with a little extra boost in his efforts to get President Barack Obama to toughen his already hard line against Iran.
Hard to Stay in Libya, Difficult to Return
IPS At the battered terminal of Tripoli’s tiny Mitiga airport, over 150 young men and women jostle to be repatriated home to Nigeria on Libya’s Buraq airlines. This journey to Lagos is one of hundreds the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has facilitated since the start of the uprising against Gaddafi’s…
Assad blocks Red Cross aid mission to Homs
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – After a merciless, month-long bombing campaign that has ravaged Homs, Bashar al-Assad’s regime stood in the way of the Red Cross last night as it attempted to bring aid to the now fallen and devastated rebel district of Baba Amr. The humanitarian organisation was blocked from moving in as reports emerged that…
Submission to the 80th Session of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial DiscriminationIsrael’s Serious Breaches of its Obligations under the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – … This report provides detailed information on Israel’s continued policies and practices of institutionalized discrimination. In particular, it highlights how Israel’s distinction between Jewish nationality, Israeli citizenship, and Palestinian Arabs status within Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, provides a basis upon which discriminatory policies are applied to the detriment…
Report: “120 Palestinians To Be displaced Due To Military Orders”
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – The “Land Research Center” issued a press release, on Friday, stating that 120 Palestinians will be displaced and prevented access to their farmlands due to an Israeli military plan, and a military training drill being conducted in the Jordan Valley. The center stated that eighteen Palestinian families received military orders, issued by…
Pentagon Confirms: US Troops in South Yemeni City of Aden
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – Pentagon officials today confirmed that a “security team” of US forces came under attack from Ansar al-Sharia loyalists in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, but denied any injuries as a result of the attack. Ansar al-Sharia claimed one “CIA officer” killed in the exchange. The difference in versions from the two…
Hana Shalabi: Hunger Striking for Justice
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – Israel administratively detains hundreds of Palestinians indefinitely without charge lawlessly. Like thousands of others incarcerated, their “crime” is wanting to live free on their own land in their own country. Israel calls it terrorism. Hana Yahya Shalabi is one of many abused. A young Palestinian woman, 50 Israeli soldiers, an intelligence officer,…
Mortar attack on on peaceful Syrian protesters in Rastan kills 16 (Warning: Extremely Graphic Videos)
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – 16 people, including five children, were killed when Syrian security forces fired a mortar onto a group of protesters in the town of Al Rastan in the Homs province, the Local Coordination Committee of Syria reported. The moment of the attack was captured on video. In the footage a large group of…
‘Torture’ video shows ‘Gaddafi’s black African mercenaries locked in a zoo cage and force-fed flags by Libyan rebels’
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – A shocking video that appears to show Libyan rebels torturing a group of sub-Saharan African detainees has appeared on YouTube. The footage shows a dozen or so men held in what looks like a caged zoo enclosure. They each have their hands tied behind their back and are sat on the cage’s…
Shalabi extends greetings ahead of women’s day
Uruknet March 2, 2012 — Palestinian hunger-striker Hana Shalabi has sent a message to Palestinian women in advance of International Women’s Day, which is next week. Sherine Iraqi, a lawyer for the Palestinian prisoners society, visited Shalabi in Israel’s Sharon prison and distributed the message. Shalabi stresses that she will continue her strike for the Palestinian people’s…
New book deconstructs myth that the Zionist left wants peace
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – Anti-Zionist scholar, writer and longtime activist Tikva Honig-Parnass’s new book False Prophets of Peace: Liberal Zionism and the Struggle for Palestine critically analyzes Israel’s left. Often called Labor Zionism or left Zionism, liberal Zionism is a concept applying to the Labor and Meretz parties, the Histradrut trade union, the Peace Now and…
Going to Palestine After a Lifetime of Longing
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – The road to Rafah is reminiscent of the road to Baghdad. The trees and shrubs lining the road dwindle as we approach the province of North Sinai in Egypt. To the right, there are high voltage power lines. The driver points to them saying: “This electricity is going to Jordan.” It is…
Hamas blames power crisis on Egypt, says Gaza might get fuel for free from Algeria or Iran
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – Gaza’s top political leader blamed Egypt on Friday for causing a power crisis that has triggered lengthy blackouts in the Palestinian enclave, laying bare tensions between his Islamist group Hamas and Cairo. The outages started in mid-February, leaving households with just six hours of electricity a day, provoking widespread criticism within the…
Hana Shalabi vs Israel: Palestinian political prisoner on hunger strike against administrative detention
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – Today Hana Shalabi entered her 16th day of hunger strike against Israeli administrative detention. This is Shalabi’s second round of administrative detention; she was held without charge from 2009-2011 in Israeli administrative detention. Last October Shalabi was released through a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Wednesday, the hunger striker was scheduled…
Hard to Stay in Libya, Difficult to Return
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – …While a few Nigerians look relieved to return home and laugh with comrades, the majority are in despair. After a costly and arduous car trip with smugglers over the desert into Libya, they have spent most days searching for piecemeal day labour, and living in perpetual fear of being harassed, robbed and…
Libya ex-rebels guilty of war crimes, reprisals : UN
Uruknet March 2, 2012 – Libyan forces who battled Moamer Kadhafi’s troops in 2011 committed war crimes and are still targeting alleged backers of the dead dictator and minority groups, a draft United Nations report published on Friday said. In its second report, the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya concluded that “thuwar (anti-Kadhafi forces) committed serious…
PCHR Condemns IOF’s Raids on Watan TV and Al-Quds TV and Confiscation of Their Equipment
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns storming Watan TV and Al-Quds Educational TV in Ramallah and al-Bireh by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and the confiscation of their transmitters, computers, filed and recording taps. The two television stations have stopped broadcasting. PCHR expresses utmost concern over this attack which aims…
Gaza gears up for Israeli Apartheid Week
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – For the third consecutive year, students in Gaza are holding a series of events to mark Israeli Apartheid Week. Gaza’s contribution to this international on-campus initiative is largely the work of the Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel. This group was founded early in 2009, shortly after Operation Cast…
Interview: Palestinian rights defender banned from traveling tastes freedom in Geneva
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – For most of the past six years, Israel has forbidden Shawan Jabarin, a prominent human rights advocate and former administrative detainee, from leaving the occupied West Bank. On exception, he was allowed travel to Geneva this week to meet Frank La Rue, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression. Israel imposed…
Video: Israeli security forces spray foul smelling liquid on a funeral procession in Hebron
Uruknet Maech 1, 2012 – On Friday, February 24, 2012, a demonstration against the closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinian pedestrians and vehicles was held in Hebron. Shortly before it ended, and completely unrelated to it, the Fanun family was preparing to lay Abd al-Mun’im Fanun, who died the day before, to rest in the Muslim cemetery…
Panic as NATO Shells North Waziristan, Six Civilians Injured
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – At least six people, all of them civilian tribesmen, were reported “critically injured” today after NATO forces fired artillery shells against a village in Datta Khel, North Waziristan Agency. Four of the wounded were children. The attack sparked a panic among locals, as well as complaints that the Pakistani national government is…
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Uruknet March 1, 2012 – … Summary : Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (23 – 29 February 2012): Shooting: In the West Bank, on 24 February 2012, IOF used excessive force to kill a Palestinian who was participating in a peaceful demonstration in al-Ram village, north of Jerusalem,…
BICOM: Defending the occupation
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Lorna Fitzsimons believes that Israel’s lurch to the right is just one facet of a global democratic crisis, but I would argue that the Israeli rejectionism that she defended during her time as head of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) was a key factor in creating an era of…
Calling all friends of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Palestinians have been putting their bodies and lives on the line against repeated Israeli aggression in the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Sometimes they have succeeded in pushing back the hordes of illegal Jewish settlers and the Israeli soldiers protecting them; sometimes they have failed. On…
012 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Thursday ended with 45 martyrs, among them 24 in Homs,7 martyrs fell in the town of Jabatha in Qunaitara, 4 martyrs in Idlib,4 martyrs in Damascus Suburbs “Douma, Dumair,Qotaifah and Zabadany”,2 martyrs in Hama “Keranz and Traimseh,2 martyrs in DeirEzzor and a martyr each in Lattakia and Daraa….Homs: The regime’s forces committing…
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Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Chaos and violence continue, a US teacher dies in Iraq, Nouri continues his paranoid ravings, the VA Secretary tells the Senate he has no idea if sequestration would apply to the VA, and more… Iraq is in an ongoing political crisis which began approximately 15 months ago when Nouri al-Maliki signed off…
Readying the Greek Corpse for Burial
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Greece is being systematically raped, pillaged and destroyed. Bankers demand it. What they want, they get, no matter the human toll and economic ruin. Standing armies pale by comparison. Financial oligarchs wage war by other means and take no prisoners. Greece is Exhibit A. More on it below. Last July, Christine Lagarde…
Ash-Shalabi: A Family from Palestine
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Yesterday, I came across this picture. It spoke to me, it told me a story of a Palestinian family from Burqin, it told me the story of thousands of Palestinian families in occupied Palestine. This picture tells the story of a people steadfast in their land, the story of a struggle for…
America’s Death Squads
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – When the Obama administration took office in 2009, it was confronted with an extraordinary problem: what to do about the crimes of the previous administration, in particular its illegal global campaign of kidnapping, torture, and indefinite detention without trial of mostly innocent terrorism suspects. On taking office, President Obama announced that he…
Israel’s Chutzpah Using a Black Icon to Sell Apartheid
Uruknet March 1, 2012 – Hucksters for Israel attempt to make up for in chutzpah what they lack in facts. On opening night of the eighth annual Israeli Apartheid Week at NYU – at an event featuring Omar Barghouti and Noura Erakat, leading Palestinian figures in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign – apologists for Israel’s…
Lebanon need to adopt new mentality
Daily Star 2 Mar 2012 Keep calm and carry on. Lebanon’s 4-2 defeat by the UAE Wednesday left a truly bittersweet taste.
More Russian gasoil reaches Syria as crisis deepens
Daily Star 2 Mar 2012 Syria has received the latest in a series of Russian gasoil shipments just days after Russia’s PM Putin warned against military intervention in Syria and as EU countries evacuated embassy staff in Damascus.
Egyptians angry with military over US NGO case
Daily Star 2 Mar 2012 Egypt‘s ruling generals faced a backlash Friday over the departure of Americans on trial over charges that their pro-democracy groups fomented unrest.
Netanyahu says he won’t set ‘red lines’ for action on Iran
Daily Star 2 Mar 2012 Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he will not set “red lines” for military action against Iran, insisting he wanted to preserve the Jewish state’s freedom to maneuver.
Qaeda moving from Iraq to Syria: PM
Daily Star 2 Mar 2012 Al-Qaeda is moving from Iraq to Syria, where the government is carrying out a bloody crackdown on an uprising, Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki said in an interview published on Friday.
Lebanon’s Shi’ites sceptical of anti-Assad outrage
Daily Star 2 Mar 2012 In the souks and squares of mostly Shi’ite Muslim southern Lebanon anger simmers over Western and Arab pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Chavez says he’s recovering quickly from surgery
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – ….
2 rockets fired at Israel; no injuries
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – ….
UN chief to Syria: Let in aid workers
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – ….
Syrian activists: 75 people killed by security forces
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – ….
Iran leader urges strong ‘message’ from elections
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – ….
7-year-old girl swept away in stream dies
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – Girl hiking with father near flooded Modiin stream falls into water, later pulled out by rescue forces. After failed resuscitation efforts doctors forced to pronounce her dead ….
Syrian rebel connects with IDF spokesman on Facebook
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – Opposition element writes on Yoav Mordechai’s Facebook page rebels don’t want war with Israel, not interested in Golan Heights ….
Blanket of snow covers Jerusalem
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – After two years of disappointment, snow finally hits Jerusalem; residents wake up to white city as public transportation, schools shut down ….
Netanyahu, ministers questioned on ‘Bibi-tours’ probe
YNet News, 2 Mar 2012 – Before leaving for US-Canada visit, prime minister questioned on overseas travels by State Comptroller office ….
Ex-Minister Benizri claims Israel ‘most anti-Semitic state’
YNet News, 1 Mar 2012 – After release from prison, former Cabinet member says ‘incitement campaign’ against haredi public reminiscent of anti-Jewish propaganda during Holocaust ….
Minister: Gov’t reaches agreement with Migron outpost residents
YNet News, 1 Mar 2012 – Benny Begin says settlers agree to move outpost but settlers themselves say no agreement has been signed over fate of disputed outpost ….
Judge: No need to label near-lynching of soldiers in Haifa
YNet News, 1 Mar 2012 – Remand of Arab suspects in brutal beating of two off-duty soldiers extended; judge says they acted ‘as one unit’ ….
Palestinian Information Center
Haneyya: Power crisis will not force us to make concessions
PIC – Ismail Haneyya, the Prime Minister of the government in Gaza, said that the power crisis in Gaza is part of the pressures being exerted in the Gaza government to give concessions..
Protest in Jenin in support of Hana’al-Shalabi
PIC – Hundreds participated in a protest in the village of Burqin to the west of the northern West Bank village of Jenin after the Friday prayers in support of Hana’ al-Shalabi..
Occupation forces raid Tarqumya village near al-Khalil
PIC – IOF troops on Friday entered the village of Tarqumya to the north west of al-Khalil in the southern West Bank and raided two homes belonging to the Haltam family to the south of the village.
Occupation authorities move Ibrahim Hamed from isolation to an unknown place
PIC – Asma’Hamed, the wifer of Ibarahim Hamed, a Hamas leader who is imprisoned in occupation jails said that the occupation prison authority has moved her husband on Wednesday from his isolation ..
Occupation threatens to uproot 120 Palestinians near Tubas
PIC – The Land Research Centre said that 120 Palestinians are threatened with being uprooted from their land after being handed notices to stop building in the hamlet of Khirbet Ibzik.
Health of political detainees in PA jails worsen
PIC – The PA security continue to hold three Palestinians from Qalqilya and Salfit and released six others, including two suffering serious health problems.
Birzeit Students suspend sit-in after promises to meet their demands
PIC – A spokesman for the Student Islamic Bloc at Birzeit university said on Friday that they will suspend their sit in which they started eight days ago and will not go on hunger strike as was planned..
Arab League calls for an immediate end to the siege on Gaza
PIC – The Arab League general secretariat on Thursday called for an immediate end of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for the past six years and called for the reopening of the border crossing.
Egyptian parliament calls for supplying Gaza with electricity and fuel
PIC – The Arab Affairs Committee at the Egyptian Parliament on Thursday recommended making a legal study into the border crossings between Egypt and the Gaza Strip ..
Obama says U.S. serious about using force against a nuclear Iran
LA Times 3 Mar 2012 – He tells the Atlantic magazine that ‘containment’ is not an option if Iran develops a nuclear weapon. His remarks aim to calm Israel’s Netanyahu. President Obama said for the first time that he did not view “containment” as an option if Iran developed a nuclear…
Syria blocks aid convoy from entering devastated Homs district
LA Times 3 Mar 2012 – The Red Cross said a seven-vehicle convoy with medical assistance, food, water and other necessities reached Homs but was denied entry to the Baba Amr sector. Syrian authorities blocked an aid convoy from entering the former rebel enclave of Baba Amr in the city of…
Iran’s first elections since ’09 unrest mark a stark contrast
LA Times 3 Mar 2012 – With reformists kept off the ballot, this vote is largely about hard-liners positioning themselves for the 2013 presidential vote. Iranians cast ballots for a new parliament Friday amid a silent boycott by reformists and exhortations from the nation’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to deliver “…
Syria says troops have overrun rebel enclave in Homs
LA Times 2 Mar 2012 – The occupation of Baba Amr in Homs is a key victory for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces. The U.N. calls for humanitarian access to conflict-ridden areas.
Iran parliamentary elections seen as contest of hard-liners
LA Times 1 Mar 2012 – No one in Tehran seems to think Friday’s contests will culminate in the kind of broad outcry that greeted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed reelection.
Syria Keeps Red Cross Out of Homs After Rebels Leave
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – The Syrian authorities blocked an officially sanctioned convoy laden with food and medical supplies from entering a devastated neighborhood after a monthlong siege.
French Journalists Home After Being Trapped in Syria
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – President Nicolas Sarkozy praised the journalists, one of whom seriously injured, and called the process to bring them home to France “extremely complicated.”
Obama Says Military Option on Iran Not a ‘Bluff’
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – President Obama stiffened his pledge to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but said he would try to convince Israel that a premature assault could strengthen Iran.
Putin Says He Might Run for President Again in 2018
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – Were Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin to serve four full terms as president, he would lengthen his term as Russia’s paramount leader to 24 years.
Iran’s Government Declares Huge Election Turnout
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – Iranians went to the polls in a parliamentary vote on Friday likely to reflect a struggle for influence and position among the country’s top leaders.
Israel Guards Against Terror From Laxly Patrolled Sinai
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – Israeli security officials point to an erosion of Egyptian sovereignty and authority in the vast, sandy expanses of the Sinai desert, particularly in the year since the Egyptian revolution.
For Obama and Netanyahu, Wariness on Iran Will Dominate Talks
New York Times 2 Mar 2012 – President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will meet in Washington Monday to sort out how to grapple with Iran’s nuclear program — while also managing their own strained relationship.
Roane Carey piece in the Nation on “Occupy AIPAC”
Jewish Voice for Peace –
Scott Brown tries to score points on Elizabeth Warren by calling on Harvard to cancel One State conference this weekend
Mondoweiss – From the Boston Globe : Republican US Senator Scott Brown is calling on Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to cancel a conference on a “one-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms Harvard’s sponsorship of a conference exploring a ‘one-state…
Hana Shalabi vs Israel: Palestinian political prisoner on hunger strike against administrative detention
Mondoweiss – Protesters supporting hunger striker Hana Shalabi (Photo: Alternative Information Center ) Today Hana Shalabi entered her 16th day of hunger strike against Israeli administrative detention. This is Shalabi’s second round of administrative detention; she was held without charge from 2009-2011 in Israeli administrative detention. Last October Shalabi…
In 45 minutes with Obama, Goldberg asks repeatedly about Iran, nothing about Palestinians
Mondoweiss – Jeffrey Goldberg As I predicted, in his role as representative of the Jewish people, Jeffrey Goldberg got a one-on-one interview with Barack Obama again , laying on hands to make sure that he wants to attack Iran. In 45 minutes, Goldberg appears to have asked 23 questions,…
If you name your group ‘Emergency Committee for Israel,’ do you get to call people bigots when they say you’re an ‘Israel Firster’?
Mondoweiss – MJ Rosenberg Here’s the latest in the Media Matters controversy. Alan Dershowitz, who teaches constitutional law at Harvard, has gone on Fox News to push his campaign to have MJ Rosenberg fired by the liberal thinktank Media Matters for daring to suggest the Iran war campaign…
‘Under Attack’: the Golani Brigade’s treatment of Palestinians in Al-Khalil/Hebron
Mondoweiss – Israeli soldiers arresting a Palestinian youth at a Hebron checkpoint. (Photo: AFP) A newly released report submitted to the United Nations by international organizations working in Al-Khalil (Hebron) documents a sharp increase in serious human rights violations against Palestinian civilians, particularly youth and children, living in…
Polls Indicate No Israeli or U.S. Consensus Favoring Military Attack on Iran
Tikun Olam – As Bibi Netanyahu heads to Washington for yet another in an endless series of consultations of dubious utility with Barack Obama, followed by yet another appeal to the worshipful multitudes at Aipac’s national conference, it’s important to note that opinion polls both in the U.S. and…
Israeli Justice Minister Exposes Shin Bet Officers’ IDs in Knesset Speech
Tikun Olam – Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, exposes identities of senior Shin Bet officials In Israel, the intelligence apparatus is sacrosanct. Among the many things you can’t do is publicly name a current or former officer (even after death). Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman seems to have forgotten that. Chaim…
DC Graced by AIPAC, Occupy-AIPAC This Weekend
Arab American Institute 2 Mar 2012 – This weekend will be a special one for Washington, DC, as the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is about to host its largest annual policy conference here. In the spirit of Occupy Wall Street, hundreds of activists will be gathering in DC this weekend…
Witch-Hunt Against CAP & Media Matters Escalates
Arab American Institute 2 Mar 2012 – yesterday the witch-hunt against the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Media Matters further escalated in the form of this full page ad in The New York Times. As far as I’m concerned, this ad’s silly attempt at stifling criticism of Israel is reflective of the…
Iran conservatives contest poll
BBC 2 Mar 2012 – Polls close in Iran after voting in parliamentary elections was extended by five hours because of a high turnout, according to state media.
Spain to extradite Egypt tycoon
BBC 2 Mar 2012 – Spain’s National Court orders the extradition to Egypt of Hussein Salem, a close associate of former President Hosni Mubarak.
Obama warns against Iran strike
BBC 2 Mar 2012 – US President Barack Obama says it would be unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon but warns against any pre-emptive attack.
Occupy AIPAC Live-Streaming Summit Tomorrow
US Campaign to End the Occupation 2 Mar 2012 – Occupy AIPAC starts tonight! If you’re in DC this weekend we look forward to seeing you soon! See the UPDATED schedule of actions here . We will be live-streaming the Occupy AIPAC Summit tomorrow, Saturday, March 3, 9:00am-5:30pmEST – watch it live at www.occupyaipac.org or directly on…
Articles
Obama ought not shun bluntness
George S. Hishmeh, Ma’an News Agency 3/2/2012
US President Barack Obama appears likely to win a second term because his Republican competitors seem, if nothing else, hopelessly disjointed. Regrettably, however, he remains treading softly, obviously fearing that any pronouncement on any of the key issues in the Middle East — Iran, Syria, Israel and the Palestinians — might tip the balance against him in the remaining nine months before the presidential election in November.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former National Security Adviser in the Carter administration, had this memorable comment on the Republican presidential candidates in a recent TV interview:
“I must say I literally feel embarrassed as an American when I see those (Republicans) orate. One of them sounds like a medieval Savonarola (a Catholic monk). Another one is trying to explain why he has some of his wealth located (outside the country) in Cayman Islands (to evade paying taxes). And someone else would go back to 1780 (the American revolutionary war). And then there is someone who is using his credentials as a repudiated speaker of the Congress (Newt Gingrich) to be president. I mean, this is just embarrassing …”
Israel is confident that it can pull the rug from underneath Obama‘s shaky feet should he appear more daring against Israel’s aggressive stance vis-a-vis Iran’s nuclear policy or the Palestinians’ struggle to gain independence in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip which form only 22 percent of historic Palestine, or half what they were offered under the partition plan sanctioned by the United Nations.
Obama finds himself in a ticklish position, reminiscent of last year’s occasion when he had to backtrack on his ideas for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement echoing long-held UN resolutions…. more.. e-mail
VIDEO – Hanin Zoabi: Israel has no right to live in security
Ami Kaufman, +972 Magazine 2/29/2012
A Channel 2 interview with Arab MK Hanin Zoabi is making waves – and it might cost her, again
Hanin Zoabi, the Arab MK of the Balad party, can’t seem to get out of the news. Obviously, this is what she’s aiming for. Every politician loves to see their name in the media.
Just today, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said he found “nothing wrong with the Knesset’s decision to revoke some of MK Hanin Zoabi’s privileges” due to her participation in the Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza.
She also managed to anger Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who watched her interview on Channel 2 News on Saturday:
“Speaking during a meeting of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction and quoted by Channel 10 News, Lieberman responded to Zoabi’s comments and said, “I have not seen so much hatred for the Jewish people and for the people of Israel in a long time.”
“I have never seen such zoological hatred towards the country in which she grew up,” added the Foreign Minister. “She doesn’t have even one good word to say. It’s intolerable.”
And if that’s not enough, a student from Sderot has filed a complaint against her, claiming her words were incitement.
Danny Kushmaro, the Saturday news anchor, is a decent enough guy. But some of his questions are very indicative of the old discourse. It could be he was playing the devil’s advocate, I’m not sure.
As for Zoabi, I have to give her credit for having the guts to tell it like it is without fear. But there were some instances where she hurt me, too. more.. e-mail
Bait-and-switch in Syria?
Stephen M. Walt, Stephen M. Walt 3/2/2012
The continued carnage in Syria is leading more people to call for some sort of international intervention, ostensibly to protect Syrian rebels from further attacks by government forces. A prominent example was a New York Times op-ed last week by Anne-Marie Slaughter, former director of policy planning at the State Department, which recommended that the United States and others create “no-kill zones” on Syrian territory, protected by a coalition of outside powers. She also wants these outside powers to give the rebel forces various forms of weaponry, military training, and tactical advice. To avoid the criticism that her policy would fuel a civil war, Slaughter insists that support be conditional on the aid being used “defensively,” though Turkish or Arab League units would be free to use drones or unmanned helicopters “to attack Syrian air defenses and mortars in order to protect the no-kill zones.”
The core problem with this proposal, as Paul Staniland makes clear in this incisive critique, is that it ignores basic military realities. The rebels are trying to overthrow Bashar al-Assad; once we commit ourselves to arming and protecting them, how are we going to stop them from doing whatever they can to bring him down? Once engaged on their behalf, is it realistic that any government could cut them off because they had gone beyond our Marquis of Queensbury rules of engagement? Moreover, Slaughter admits that we cannot protect her “no-kill zones” without degrading Assad’s forces. In practice, therefore, her neat distinction between “defensive” and “offensive” operations would quickly break down.
In fact, her proposal would lead inexorably to an active military effort to overthrow the Assad regime. As in Libya, what sounds at first like a noble effort to protect civilians would quickly turn into offensive action against a despised regime, and in partnership with a host of opposition forces whose character and competence we can only guess at. If that’s what Slaughter and others want to do, they should say so openly, instead of performing what can only be described as a strategic bait-and-switch. China and Russia have figured this ploy out, by the way, which is one reason they’ve been so reluctant to endorse any international action to stop the killing. — See also: Paul Staniland: Should We Intervene in Syria? A Response to Anne-Marie Slaughter and Slaughter: How to Halt the Butchery in Syria more.. e-mail
Detaining Africans latest step in making Israel an ethnocracy
Electronic Intifada: 2 Mar 2012 – Sophie Crowe Tel Aviv 2 March 2012 The African asylum-seekers have been greeted upon arrival in Israel with a hostile government that offers them no support or protection and wants them out.more
New book deconstructs myth that the Zionist left wants peace
Electronic Intifada: 2 Mar 2012 – Jimmy Johnson 2 March 2012 Anti-Zionist scholar, writer and longtime activist Tikva Honig-Parnass’s new book False Prophets of Peace: Liberal Zionism and the Struggle for Palestine critically analyzes Israel’s left.more
Netanyahu Solicits Canadian Support for Iranian Position
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2012 – By Jim Miles While on his way to Washington Benjamin Netanyahu stopped in Ottawa to confer with his patriot in arms, Stephen Harper. Following their morning meetings, of which we know little, the two held a very brief ‘press conference’ that simply highlighted the double standards under which the two operate, especially Netanyahu. Harper Harper began with a brief statement in French and English. The French comments included advice directed towards Assad in Syria, that he should “cesse tue leur proper citoyens” – he should stop killing his own citizens. He ended his French statements hoping for a solution for Israel that would be “juste et durable” – just and durable. When he switched to English, he repeated the standard pro-Israeli fare. He indicated they had discussed “security issues of global concern” in what “are especially challenging times.” He repeated the mantra to “pressure Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear…more
Liberal Democrats Dump Rights Champion Jenny Tonge
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2012 – By Stuart Littlewood It was no surprise to read in The Guardian on 29 February that Baroness Jenny Tonge, a Liberal Democrat peer who has given unstinting support to the Palestinian struggle for freedom, had been sacked after declaring that Israel would not last for ever. She rejected an ultimatum from party leader Nick Clegg to apologise and said she stood by her remarks. The row blew up when Jenny allegedly told a meeting at Middlesex University: “Beware Israel. Israel is not going to be there for ever in its present form… Israel will lose support and then they will reap what they have sown.” She said America would one day get sick of funding what she called America’s aircraft carrier in the Middle East. “One day, the American people are going to say to the Israel lobby in the USA: enough is enough.” Israel’s admirers were soon queuing up…more
Meet the NYT’s New Israel-Palestine News Chief
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2012 – By Alison Weir Michael Lerner, the editor of Tikkun Magazine, is known for his frequent condemnations of Israeli violence against Palestinians. He is labeled ‘pro-Palestinian’ for such statements and is regularly attacked by pro-Israel zealots who charge that he is disloyal to the Jewish state. Yet, in reality, Lerner frequently speaks of his devotion to Israel and states that his actions are taken in considerable part to protect it. A while ago Lerner explained the difference in his feelings about Israelis compared to his feelings about Palestinians. “[T]here is a difference in my emotional and spiritual connection to these two sides,” Lerner said. “On the one side is my family; on the other side are decent human beings. I want to support human beings all over the planet but I have a special connection to my family.” This statement comes to mind when one considers the New York Times bureau…more
Safe Havens for Arab Despots
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2012 – By Ahmed Amr With a year of Arab uprisings in the rear view mirror, there is mounting evidence that Arab despots cling to power to avoid the dismal alternatives. When backed into a corner with no ‘flight’ option on the menu, they have every incentive to fight to the bitter end. So it’s worth speculating whether the carnage in Misrata and Homs could have been avoided if Arab despots had safe havens. Middle Eastern dictators live lives of utter splendor. Short of everlasting life, they’re accustomed to getting their grubby hands on any creature comfort they crave. So when faced with the prospects of a personal apocalypse, there’s little incentive to make hasty appointments with Qaddafi’s lynch mob, Saddam’s executioners or Mubarak’s prosecutors. Before the ascent of the House of Assad, Syria had more than its fair share of deposed presidents. Shukri Al Kuwatli, the first post-independence head of state,…more
Solving the Problem – A Poem
Palestine Chronicle: 2 Mar 2012 – By Nahida Izzat Behind closed doors In big dark rooms Men in black and grey Eating, drinking Laughing and chatting away Gather to discuss our problem The problem of Palestinians! They talked about “Democracy” “Freedom” “Human rights” And a “solution” A “vision” That will bring “peace” To the troubled Middle East! “We can easily solve this. . . If only. . . If only. . . Those terrorists Would stop their violence” They concluded “And as for the refugees That’s no problem At all Just give them some money Compensate. . . And they’ll all be content“ Those “civilized” “Freedom lovers” “Peace protectors” “Human right defenders” “Guardians of ethics“ Did they not know That A man With a knife Against his throat Has the right To push His butcher Away!! Did they not know That A child, Who grew up Far… far away Deprived of the love Gentle touch And warm hugs Of her beloved grandma Given the…more
Homs in the Hell of Armed Groups
Dissident Voice: 2 Mar 2012 – Homs, now, is nothing but a sinister battlefield where government soldiers face armed groups which, according to independent witnesses about the true nature of the rebellion, are blindly firing cannon shots to sow terror and death, then pretending that only government forces are bombarding the city. The Western media continue, for its part, to adduce as evidence the statements of local committees which spread propaganda of the armed “opponents”, in coordination with the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a London-based body created and funded by the rebellion-allied forces[The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights — which collects the statements of various local committees in Syria — has been repeatedly denounced as nothing but a vulgar instrument of disinformation in the service of the revolt. Despite ample evidence of that, it remains the principal source of information from Syria – together with the famous “great reporters” — and the entire Western media…more
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The New Dark Age 