15 March 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
PCHR Weekly Report: “24 Palestinians Killed, 74 Wounded”
IMEMC – The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), based in Gaza, published its weekly report on Israeli violations in the occupied territories in the period between March 8 and 14, 2012, and stated that Israeli soldiers killed 24 Palestinians, and wounded 74, including children and women. …
Zahhar: “Resistance Is Solid, Ongoing”
IMEMC – Hamas political leader, Mahmoud Zahhar, stated Thursday that resistance against the Israeli occupation, and all of resistance strategies and methods are strong, solid and ongoing. …
Army Bombards Farmlands In Gaza
IMEMC – The Israeli Air Force bombarded, on Thursday evening, Palestinian farmlands in Sheikh Ejleen area, west of Gaza city; no injuries were reported. …
Female Israeli Soldier Stabbed In Jerusalem
IMEMC – Israeli media sources reported Thursday that a female soldier was stabbed while riding the light rail in Jerusalem. The person who stabbed her, said to be a Palestinian, was attested later on. …
Palestinian Detainees To Hold Hunger Strike
IMEMC – The Media Office of the Waed Society for Detainees and Ex-Detainees reported that Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention camps intend to declare, in April, one of the largest open-ended hunger strikes. …
Airstrikes target Gaza Strip
3/15/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel launched airstrikes on two sites in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday, less than 48 hours after agreeing to an Egypt-brokered truce. Witnesses said that Israeli missiles landed on agricultural land, causing a fire and severe damage. No injuries were reported. In a statement, the Israeli army said its warplanes…. Related: Aircraft open fire west of Gaza City
Shalabi’s hunger strike tests Israeli jailing policy
3/15/2012 – RAMALLAH (Reuters) — The deteriorating health of a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike for the past month is focusing international attention on Israel’s decades-old use of detention without trial. Shrouded by winter gloom, protesters clutching pictures of Hana Shalabi gathered on Thursday outside Ofer prison, the largest in the occupied West Bank, and shouted….
Local official: Army uproots olive trees in Nablus village
3/15/2012 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces uprooted olive trees in the Nablus village of Beit Dajan on Thursday, a local official said. Village council head Naser Abu Jesh told Ma’an that Israeli military jeeps accompanied by bulldozers razed 12 dunums of land in the eastern part of the village on the pretext that….
Aircraft open fire west of Gaza City
3/15/2012 – GAZA CITY (MA‘an) — Israeli helicopters opened fire toward farmland in the Sheikh Ajlen area west of Gaza City late Thursday, witnesses said. No injuries were reported. An Israeli military spokeswoman said aircraft fired warning shots in response to rocket fire. Earlier, several rockets were fired toward the western Negev, Israeli media reported. A…. Related: Airstrikes target Gaza Strip
Soldier stabbed near Jerusalem
3/15/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli soldier was stabbed Thursday as she boarded the Jerusalem Light Rail in Pisgat Zeev settlement, the Israeli army said. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Ma’an the soldier sustained moderate to serious injuries after she was stabbed in the upper part of her body. She was taken….
Israel arrests 11 across West Bank
3/15/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained 11 people in the West Bank overnight Wednesday, the army said. Five people were detained in Ramallah, four in Dhahiriya, Hebron, and two in Azzun, Qalqiliya. All those arrested were taken for security questioning, an Israeli army spokesman said. Witnesses told Ma’an that a woman was….
Medics: 1 killed, another hurt by gunfire at funeral
3/15/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — One Palestinian was killed and another injured by gunfire during a funeral for one of the victim’s of the latest escalation between Israel and armed groups in Gaza, a medical official said Thursday….
Syrian security forces ‘warn Palestinian camp’
3/16/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Sources in Damascus say Syrian security forces threatened to raid the Yarmuk refugee camp due to Fatah’s alleged support of demonstrations against Syrian leader Bashar Assad.”Yarmuk is not more precious than (Homs neighborhood) Baba Amro, and it will be raided if the demonstrations which Fatah movement organizes” continue….
World Bank: PA fiscal crisis undermines state-building
3/15/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A new World Bank report warned Thursday that a financial crisis in the Palestinian Authority is severely undermining state-building progress. The report entitled “Stagnation or Revival? “found that a decline in donor assistance and Israeli restrictions are “jeopardizing gains” made in building state institutions. Efforts by the PA to improve domestic….
Arab parliamentary convoy arrives in Gaza
3/15/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — An Arab parliamentary convoy arrived Thursday in Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Abdul Qader Samary, chairman of the Arab committee to lift the siege on Gaza, said, “we will continue struggling to liberate Palestine from the enemy who acts outside any laws.” He stressed the necessity to achieve the Palestinian….
Islamic Jihad says committed to truce
3/15/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Islamic Jihad remains committed to a truce with Israel but will retaliate to any attacks on the Palestinian people, leader Ahmad al-Mudallal said Thursday. The Egypt-brokered ceasefire took hold at 1 a. m. Tuesday following four days of Israeli airstrikes which killed over 20 Palestinians and injured more than 80….
Abed Rabbo: Unity deal may ‘fade away’
3/15/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Senior PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo said Thursday that the national unity agreement will “fade away” without public pressure. Speaking to Ramallah-based Voice of Palestine radio, Abed Rabbo blamed Hamas for the failure to implement a reconciliation agreement signed last May to end years of division between the West Bank and….
Armed Bedouins enter Sinai peace force camp
3/15/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Armed Bedouins have entered a military base used by international peacekeepers in Egypt’s Sinai region to pressure local authorities to release fellow tribesmen from jail, security and tribal sources said on Thursday. Sinai Bedouin complain of unfair treatment and government neglect and press their demands by blocking roads and occasionally taking….
Analysis: Why Israel attacked Gaza
3/15/2012 – By Ramzy Baroud – The first Israeli missile sped down to its target, scorching the Gaza earth and everything in between. Palestinians collected the body parts of two new martyrs, while Israeli media celebrated the demise of two terrorists. Zuhair Qasis was the head of the Popular Resistance Committee. He was killed alongside a Palestinian prisoner….
Gaza police detain suspected smugglers on coast
3/15/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Police on Thursday detained a group of suspected smugglers at the coast near Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. After receiving information about suspicious activity on the coast near Deir al-Balah, security forces investigated and found a group of smugglers hiding in the area, a police statement said. The….
Army gains ground on anniversary of Syria uprising
3/15/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syria marked the first anniversary on Thursday of an increasingly bloody uprising against President Bashar Assad, with recent army gains unlikely to quell the revolt and no diplomatic solution in sight. Official media announced government forces had cleared “armed terrorists” from the northwestern city of Idlib and said supporters of Assad would hold….
Syrian ‘heartache’ given twist by Assad emails
3/15/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — “I’ve been a walking heartache; I’ve made a mess of me” — the first words of a country music lament which, it seems, Syria‘s president e-mailed to his wife as his army shelled the rebellious city of Homs last month. For many Syrians, little gifts of iTunes downloads….
UN says joint team to visit besieged Syrian towns
3/15/2012 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — The Syrian government, the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation team will begin a joint humanitarian assessment of besieged towns in Syria this weekend, the UN aid chief said on Thursday. The mission, after a year of bloody turmoil in Syria, will be led by the government and “observe first-hand….
US, UK set to agree emergency oil stocks release
3/15/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) — Britain has decided to cooperate with the United States on a release of strategic oil stocks that is expected within months, two British sources said, in a bid to prevent fuel prices choking economic growth in a US election year. A formal request from the United States to the UK to join forces….
Gaza truce holds despite exchange of fire
AlJazeera 15 Mar 2012 – Israel carries out two air raids as Palestinian fighters fire rockets amid shaky ceasefire.
Arab health ministers set aside USD 1.2 mln for Syria, Yemen, Palestine
Relief Web 15 Mar 2012 – Source: Kuwait News Agency Country: Syrian Arab Republic (the) , occupied Palestinian territory , Yemen AMMAN, March 15 (KUNA) — The 37th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, held here Thursday, decided to allocate USD 1.2 million for an…
UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination Expresses Concern at Obstacles Faced by Palestinians Seeking Compensation for Cast-Lead Violations before Israeli Courts; Calls upon Israel to Lift Closure of the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 15 Mar 2012 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory On 9 March 2012, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) closed its 80th session in Geneva, Switzerland. CERD is mandated to review State Parties’ periodic reports…
Israel, Palestinians trade fire but truce largely holding
Relief Web 14 Mar 2012 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 03/14/2012 23:27 GMT JERUSALEM, March 15, 2012 (AFP) – The Israeli air force and Gaza militants traded sporadic fire on Wednesday night but a fragile truce between the sides that ended four days…
PA Fiscal Crisis Jeopardizes Institution-building Progress
Relief Web 14 Mar 2012 – Source: World Bank Country: occupied Palestinian territory News Release 2012/317/MENA Constrained private sector growth holds back sustainable recovery JERUSALEM, March 14, 2012 — The World Bank’s latest report on the Palestinian economy warns that a severe fiscal crisis will deepen…
NGO Statement on the Middle East and North Africa
Relief Web 14 Mar 2012 – Source: International Council of Voluntary Agencies Country: Syrian Arab Republic (the) , Egypt , Iraq , Lebanon , Libya , occupied Palestinian territory , Tunisia , Yemen EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S PROGRAMME STANDING COMMITTEE 53rd Meeting 13-15 March 2011 Agenda Item 3. a) iv. This…
Back to Basics: Israel’s Arab Minority and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Relief Web 14 Mar 2012 – Source: International Crisis Group Country: Israel , occupied Palestinian territory Nazareth/Jerusalem/Ramallah/Brussels, 14 March 2012: Israel should take urgent steps to integrate its Arab minority into the country’s civic order, but Israeli Jews and the Palestinian national movement need also to agree…
All sides must protect civilians in Gaza and Israel following ceasefire announcement
Relief Web 14 Mar 2012 – Source: Amnesty Country: occupied Palestinian territory Following a ceasefire announcement after four days of attacks that endangered civilians throughout the Gaza Strip and a large part of Israel, Amnesty International again called on Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups to…
Palestinians prepare to lose the solar panels that provide a lifeline
Relief Web 14 Mar 2012 – Source: Guardian Country: occupied Palestinian territory Israel is planning to demolish ‘illegal’ solar panels that are the only source of electricity for Palestinians in West Bank villages Read the full article in the Guardian .
Timeline: Syria uprising enters a second year
The National 15 Mar 2012 – Syria marks the anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Al Assad.
Assad emails: callous exchanges in time of Syrian uprising
The National 15 Mar 2012 – Amid the slaughter in Homs, President Bashar Al Assad and his wife Asma appear insulated by reality.
Houthi official denies receiving arms from Iran
The National 15 Mar 2012 – Financial and political support from Iran has “greatly increased” in the past three months, the quasi-Shiite militant group confirms.
IT education ‘has failed Arab youth’
The National 15 Mar 2012 – The Arab Knowledge Report found 61.2 per cent of youth in the UAE, Yemen, Jordan and Morocco scored less than 50 per cent in a test of their IT skills.
Egypt charges 75 people in deadly Port Said football riot
The National 15 Mar 2012 – Scores of fans face murder charges and nine police officers were accused of complicity in murder, in the February 1 riot.
Infiltrator dead following shooting incident on Israel-Egypt border
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired by Gaza militants at Israeli city
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Top Israel official: Move to cut Iran from SWIFT network is ‘mortal blow’ to Tehran
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Iran official: Israel isn’t powerful enough to fulfill military threats
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Strained ties with Turkey hurt Israeli defense contract with U.S. firm
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Netanyahu is preparing Israeli public opinion for a war on Iran
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Israeli soldier stabbed on Jerusalem light rail
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
India issues warrants for Iranians suspected in attack on Israeli embassy
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Three rockets fired at Be’er Sheva on seventh day of Israel-Gaza violence
Ha’aretz – 15 Mar 2012
Residents and greens foil development plans for Habonim Beach
Ha’aretz – 14 Mar 2012
‘Sexy and I Know It’
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Emails leaked to ‘The Guardian’ reveal Syrian President Assad’s taste in music and affection for his wife.
Education program for Ethiopian olim faces closure
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – The prime minister meets with community leaders to discuss growing discrimination.
Israel: Fire UN official over false Gaza photo
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Prossor calls for dismissal of OCHA official who posted photo of bloodied Palestinian girl during latest escalation.
Reporter’s Notebook: The race must go on
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – I never imagined that I’d be asking the same question exactly a year later, after another terror attack, a day before the marathon.
Panel: J’lem of incidental importance in Islam
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Holy city’s importance in Islam varies through history according to political circumstances, Jewish scholars say at panel.
Americans wash dishes to support the South
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – “It is heartwarming that you from America have come to give Israelis support and a hug,” Kaplan Medical Center director says.
Dutch public TV pulls ‘anti-Semitic’ game from site
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Decision follows ‘Post’ exposé on game in which settlers use an “Anne Frank card,” “Jewish stinginess” to colonize West Bank.
Survivors mark Argentina embassy attack 20 years on
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Israeli-Argentiean survivor of 1992 suicide attack says failure to try any of the culprits remains a sore issue.
IDF thwarts attempt to infiltrate Israel from Egypt
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – 1 killed in exchange of fire after suspected smugglers seen trying to enter Israel; IDF, Egyptian forces open fire on group.
Buenos Aires’s lesson
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – The recent spate of Iran-sponsored attacks punctuates how little has changed in the two decades since the Buenos Aires bombing.
When the chips are down, Israel stands alone
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Today’s Israel and its leaders cannot rely on the sublime or idealized prospect of divine intervention if the Tehran regime unleashes nuclear-armed missiles.
Headliners: Rockets and lies
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Our challenge is the hard work of putting the story into the proper perspective so that it receives appropriate media attention.
Savir’s Corner: Facebook and leadership
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Bibi has not entered the real Facebook world, which is a borderless one, but communicates mainly inside Israel’s borders.
Palestinians fire 4 rockets from Gaza into the South
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Rockets land in open areas in Ashdod region, Ashkelon Coast, Eshkol Regional Council areas; Iron Dome intercepts a fourth rocket fired toward Ashdod; Palestinians report IAF, Navy fired missiles at Gaza coast.
Salehi: If Israel strikes Iran, it will meet its end
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Iran’s foreign minister stresses that an Israeli military strike on nuclear sites in Iran would elicit a “full force” response.
Iran banks face cut-off from SWIFT network
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Netanyahu welcomes move, US official says it’s like being kicked out of “the financial equivalent of the UN.”
Israel concerned UNIFIL heading toward collapse
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Concern follows France, Italy decide to withdraw significant number of troops from the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
Iran pledges continued support to the Palestinians
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Hamas official Zahar holds talks with Iranian FM Salehi in effort to improve relations between the two sides.
Iran food stockpiling grows as grain ships near port
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Iran bought around 2m. tonnes of wheat over past couple of months; Islamic Republic finding ways around credit freeze.
Palestinian hunger strikes protest jailing policy
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Protesters, clutching pictures of Hana Shalabi outside Ofer prison, shout slogans at IDF soldiers guarding the facility.
Hit TV show ‘Homeland’ to film in Israel
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – US show based on Israel’s ‘Hatufim’ to use Israel as backdrop for scenes in new season.
Police suspect 2 Arab Israelis shot dead Ramle man
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Homicide detectives have not ruled out that shooting of George Sa’ado was nationalistically motivated.
Two Israeli universities named among world’s best
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University break the top 100 list on the ‘Times Higher Education’ annual ranking.
75 to stand trial in Egypt over soccer deaths
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Head of security in Port Said city also on trial, as lax policing blamed for the stampede that killed at least 74 fans.
Iran promises Hamas support during Zahar visit
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Iranian Foreign Minister Salehi says Iran “fully” backs Palestinians in meeting with Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, says he is “confident the Palestinians will win the struggle.”
Teen sentenced to 20 years for murder
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Defendant was aged 14 when he fatally stabbed his friend to death following an argument between the two.
Ask the Barman: Bringing down the house
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Tsahi Hermony mixes the drinks with style at Beeper, a celebrity-endorsed bar with a retro New York theme.
Turkey says 1,000 Syrians fled in last 24 hours
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Syria‘s government offensive in northwest sharply increases flow of refugees to Turkey; Numbers of refugees expected to grow.
Off the Beaten Track: Golan in all its glory
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Wild flowers this time of year are multicolored and abundant all along the trails and mountainsides.
Chosen Bites: Spring fling
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Simple and quick to prepare, stuffed chicken breasts dress up chicken and add a burst of flavor.
The Weekly Schmooze: Sing out, Streisand!
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – JPost column on hottest Jewish news: Brangelina may summer in Tel Aviv; Sean Penn, Nazi Hunter.
J’lem mayor calls for calm after stabbing attack
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – MK Danny Danon says attack is example of Palestinian terror – catch the terrorist, level his house.
Serial rapist convicted for escaping from custody
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Benny Sela is serving a 35-year sentence for a series of terrifying rapes and assaults dating back to 1994.
Haifa man convicted of sexual assault on daughters
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Abuse started when kids were 4, continued for many years in what judge calls “conspiracy of silence.”
Analyzing psychology
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Kagan mounts a bold and blistering critique of the current methods of experimentalists and clinicians.
Terrorist stabs female soldier in light rail car
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Teenage attacker apprehended at Kalandiya crossing; Jerusalem on alert ahead of the city’s marathon.
Businessman Dudi Appel loses appeal
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Appel to commence 3.5 year sentence handed down in 2010 for bribing Lod mayor to advance real estate project.
Rainfall returns after brief respite
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – North and Center to experience showers throughout day, snow expected to fall over Mt, Hermon.
Assad emails show he took Iran’s advice
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Emails published by ‘Guardian’ appear to show Iran told Assad to focus on Israel to divert attention; protests mark year since uprising began.
‘Israeli restrictions deepen PA’s fiscal crisis’
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Unless donor support increases, PA might not be able to continue to provide services to its people, World Bank warns.
‘State water technology seen as extraordinary’
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – Energy and water minister Landau at global water forum, hopes to see partnership with Electricite de France.
Israel passes US, Europe in bottle recycling
Jerusalem Post 15 Mar 2012 – In total, Israel collected about 77% of all beverage containers in 2011, exceeding the government’s target of 73%.
Canada MP urges MKs to back anti-prostitution bill
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Joy Smith sends letter to MKs calling on them to support legislation that would make paying for sex services a criminal offense.
DNA leads police to arrest rape suspect 7 yrs after attack
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Evidence taken from the scene of a home burglary in Rehovot helps lead to breakthrough in unsolved crime.
J’lem eatery won’t have female servers Thursdays
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Kashrut certification request infuriates activists.
Health Ministry: Infants get Legionnaires’ disease
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Disease caused by standing water usually affecting adults diagnosed in 3 babies in the Center and coastal regions.
Annan receives reply from Syria, but still seeking answers
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Assad’s forces turn guns on Deraa, cradle of yearlong revolt.
Nasrallah meets Hamas delegation in Beirut
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Lebanese paper quotes sources as saying that the two sides agreed to cooperate to improve Iran’s relations with Arab states.
Student to market Shabbat elevator tracker
Jerusalem Post 14 Mar 2012 – Engineering student finds commercial solution to endless Shabbat elevator wait.
Gilad Shalit’s father: I would kidnap Israelis if I were Palestinian
The Guardian 15 Mar 2012 – Row erupts after comments by Israeli election hopeful Noam Shalit, whose son was held in captivity by Hamas for five years The father of an Israeli soldier held in captivity for more than five years by…
Spielberg’s Munich: earnestly searching for truths that refuse to be found
The Guardian 15 Mar 2012 – The contentious story of the Mossad cell searching for perpetrators of the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972 is stylish and well acted, but the subject is nearly impossible to scale Munich (2005) Director: Steven Spielberg Entertainment…
‘Green Morocco Plan’ Fails to Confront Climate Change
IPS An unprecedented cold spell that struck Morocco in February and continues to linger well into March has raised serious questions about the country’s national agricultural development programme, which will fail to achieve its desired results if climate change continues to be mismanaged.
Palestinian detainee’s health in danger; hunger strike spreads
Uruknet March 15, 2012 – Today is the 29th day of Hana Shalabi’s hunger strike, and her physical condition is worsening. Shalabi, a 29 year old woman from the West Bank village of Burqin, was formally held for 25 months in administrative detention, was released last October in the Schalit prisoner swap, and re-arrested within four months…
012)
Uruknet March 15, 2012 – … Summary: Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (08 – 14 March 2012): Shooting: Israeli Offensive on the Gaza Strip: On Friday evening, 09 March 2012, IOF initiated a new offensive on the Gaza Strip, which continued until Monday evening, 12 March 2012,…
Syrian security forces ‘warn Palestinian camp’
Uruknet March 15, 2012 – Sources in Damascus say Syrian security forces threatened to raid the Yarmuk refugee camp due to Fatah’s alleged support of demonstrations against Syrian leader Bashar Assad. “Yarmuk is not more precious than (Homs neighborhood) Baba Amro, and it will be raided if the demonstrations which Fatah movement organizes” continue, a security agent…
Why did Israel stop me from visiting the West Bank?
Uruknet March 15, 2012 – The standard line trotted out by Israeli politicians is that Israel is the only democracy among a sea of repressive Arab autocracies. Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz claimed recently that “Israeli democracy is alive, liberal and breathing; I don’t know many better democracies in the world” (“Government ministers react sharply to Clinton’s…
Israeli aircraft open fire west of Gaza City
Uruknet March 15, 2012 — Israeli helicopters opened fire toward farmland in the Sheikh Ajlen area west of Gaza City late Thursday, witnesses said. No injuries were reported. An Israeli military spokeswoman said aircraft fired warning shots in response to rocket fire. Earlier, several rockets were fired toward the western Negev, Israeli media reported. A Grad rocket…
012 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – The number of martyrs has risen to 60 thus far, including 3 children and 2 women; 29 in Idlib, 10 in Homs, 5 in Daraa, 3 in the Damascus Suburbs, 7 in Hama, 4 in Aleppo, 4 in Damascus Suburbs, and 1 in Damascus… Idlib: Jabal Zawyeh: The number of martyrs in…
Elite Israeli sniper squad’ raids Palestinians in prison, injures 11
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – Early Monday morning an elite “control and restraint” unit and a massive number of soldiers raided Palestinians in an Israeli prison with tear gas and rubber bullets, leaving 11 injured. The raid took place just one week after a group of Palestinian women submitted affidavits charging Israeli security officials with torture. The…
Obama’s personal role in a journalist’s imprisonment
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – Jeremy Scahill, The Nation s national security correspondent, is easily one of America’s best and most intrepid journalists. He spends his time in dangerous places in order to uncover what the U.S. Government is doing around the world. He often produces vital scoops that, during the Obama presidency, are – for reasons…
Israel: the Permanent-War State
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – It’s no accident that as soon as Bibi Netanyahu returned from Washington DC, where he apparently was rebuffed yet again in his attempts to wage war on Iran, Israel decided to wage war on Gaza instead. Gaza serves as a punching bag for Israeli leaders when they need some two-bit country to…
Ban Ki-Moon Condemned For Israeli Bias
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – On Wednesday March 14, Brussels based European Campaign to Raise the Siege on Gaza, strongly condemned the attitude of UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, regarding the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which continued for four days and resulted in the death of 26 Palestinians and more than 80 wounded including, women…
012
Uruknet March 14, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, Moqtada orders no protests during the summit, Iraqi youth continue to be targeted, the State Dept and White House continue to be silent, the Senate hears about homeless veterans, and more … While the so-called adults in government cut class, the tragedy continues for Iraqi youths. Peter Graff (Reuters) reports…
Gaza – Occupied Lives: Switching off hospitals
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – … The Director of Engineering and Maintenance in Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, Eng. Bassam Ali al-Hamadeen, deals with the consequences of the fuel and electricity crisis every day. “The patients most at risk are those in the intensive care unit, the babies in the nurseries, kidney dialysis patients and those in need of surgery….
Ali Hili, Iraq LGBT Leader, Condemns Gay ‘Emo’ Killings, Lack Of U.S. Response
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – The leader of London-based Iraqi LGBT expressed concern and anger about the lack of U.S. response to reports of a rise in killings of gay men as well as young men perceived to be gay. And he urged Americans to contact the U.S. State Department and Secretary Hillary Clinton to demand a…
012 : A Video Roundup
Uruknet
Israeli Apartheid Week connects Gaza with South Africans, Palestinians in exile
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – Everything in Gaza testifies to its deep-rooted culture of resistance against a ruthless system that continues to besiege, murder, and expel the Palestinian people who, instead of lamenting their endless losses, refuse but to find life in its fullest sense. As Israel’s F-16 aircrafts dropped its bombs on whoever it deemed a “…
Perceptions of the Syrian uprising from Shatila camp
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – The uprising in Syria has re-opened some old wounds in Shatila camp and between the Baathist Assad regime, now in its 41st year, and Lebanon’s Palestinian refugees. Today the Palestinian refugee community in Lebanon appears divided over the credibility of pledged “regime reforms” and whether more patience is warranted. A growing number…
A Palestinian Christian response to Michael Oren
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – As the parish priest of Ramallah, an op-ed by Israel’s envoy to the US gave me pause for thought. Michael Oren’s article spoke volumes of Israel’s unending misrepresentation of Palestinian daily life. The presence of our 13 Latin Patriarchate Schools throughout the West Bank and Gaza, for over 150 years, is a…
I wanted to die’: Syria’s torture survivors speak out (Full report )
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – People caught up in the massive wave of arrests in the wake of the Syrian uprising have been thrust into a nightmarish world of systemic torture, a new report by Amnesty International says today. The scale of torture and other ill-treatment in Syria has risen to a level not witnessed for years…
Beit Furik, Nablus: Family unable to attend funeral for son killed in recent Gaza air strikes
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – It has just been a few days since Mahmoud Hanini was killed by an Israeli rocket while in a car in the Gaza Strip. “He was suspected of being affiliated with a militant group in the West Bank in 2005 and was forced to flee to Jordan and then on to Egypt…
For Three Days the Fire Blazed
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – Since Talat Ramia’s murder tranquility had yet to be restored to the streets of Ar-Ram. For the past three days the younger residents had been going out to the streets and protesting against the murder of their friend, while the army pushes them back with a barrage of fire and gas grenades. “…
Israel’s Latest Ritual Slaughter
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – …Four days of Israeli terror bombings were unprovoked. Assassinating Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) head Zuhir al-Qaisi and PRC member Mahmoud Hanani began them. Both men died when two IDF missiles struck their car… Usually, Haaretz produces responsible journalism. Not on March 13. An editorial headlined, “War in Israel’s south will not defeat…
Why Is President Obama Keeping a Journalist in Prison in Yemen?
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – March 14, 2012 – On February 2, 2011, President Obama called Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The two discussed counterterrorism cooperation and the battle against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. At the end of the call, according to a White House read-out, Obama “expressed concern” over the release of a man…
Guantánamo and Recidivism: The Media’s Ongoing Failure to Question Official Statistics
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – Last week, the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Director of the CIA and the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, issued a two-page unclassified summary, entitled, “Summary of the Reengagement of Detainees Formerly Held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba” (PDF), which provided information about the purported “recidivism” of former prisoners….
Gaza: Boy Dies of Wounds Sustained on Monday; Jetfighters Bomb Gaza City
Uruknet March 14, 2012 – Seven year-old, Baraka Al Mughrabi, died, on Wednesday midday, after succumbing to wounds he sustained during an Israeli air raid targeting Gaza City on Monday. His death brings the death toll due Israeli military escalations targeting the costal enclave since last Friday to 26. The latest round of escalation started after the…
Daily Star
Israel stops infiltration from Egypt, 1 killed
Daily Star 15 Mar 2012 The Israeli military says soldiers have stopped an infiltration attempt along the Israel-Egypt border. One infiltrator was killed and three wounded.
Israel, Palestinians trade fire but truce largely holding
Daily Star 15 Mar 2012 Palestinian militants fired three rockets at southern Israel, but a fragile truce between the two sides that ended four days of violence appeared still to be largely holding.
Turkish journalists in Syrian intelligence hands: report
Daily Star 15 Mar 2012 Two Turkish journalists missing in neighbouring Syria have been handed over to Syrian intelligence by pro-regime militia, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.
NYPD anti-terror exposes split between NYC, others
Daily Star 15 Mar 2012 Ten years after the 9/11 terror attacks, the NY Police Department’s surveillance of Muslims has exposed a bitter divide between New Yorkers and their neighbors across the Hudson River.
US senator plays down row with Egypt over activists
Daily Star 15 Mar 2012 A U.S. senator visiting Cairo played down the row between Egypt and the US over pro-democracy activists charged with receiving illegal funds as a “bump in the road”.
Sanctions vice tightens on Iran over nuclear dispute
Daily Star 15 Mar 2012 The sanctions vice is tightening on Iran, cutting it out of key global financial networks, but Tehran is taking urgent steps to withstand the pressure over a nuclear programme the West suspects is intended to produce…
US denies sending warning to Iran via Russia
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – ….
Israel, land of absurd
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Op-ed: Only in Israel, a prime minister who has done nothing is assured of another term in office ….
Cuba dissidents vow to stay in church
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – ….
Escalation in south makes portable shelters all the rage
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Mifram, an Israeli protection, security systems solutions company swamped as escalation leads to surge in interest among civilians, institutions for portable shelters ….
US Navy to double presence in Persian Gulf
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – ….
Smuggler killed, 3 injured on Israel-Egypt border
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – ….
Sarkozy foe Villepin drops out of French election race
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – ….
Rockets fired at south
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Brittle ceasefire rattled again as three projectiles are fired at southern cities. Grad fired as Ashdod intercepted by missile defense system; Qassams hit Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon ….
Soldier with 188th Armored Brigade left behind – again
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Mere month after soldier was accidently forgotten in Ramallah same brigade leaves another solder near Palestinian village of Rantis. IDF inquiry launched ….
A new anti-Israel tactic
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Op-ed: New tactic aims to silence pro-Israel professors at US colleges through claims of intimidation ….
‘Rocket fire on Beersheba will become routine’
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Eshkol Regional Council Head Haim Yelin says sporadic rocket fire on Negev is the ‘language of terrorists’; warns that they ‘aim to make such fire the norm’ ….
Jerusalem: Soldier stabbed on Light Rail
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Female soldier sustains moderate wounds after being stabbed in her chest, hand as train pulled into station. Suspect arrested in Qalandiya, confesses to stabbing ….
French millionaire declared deserter by IDF
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – David-Guy Lesueur, sole heir of French business empire arrives at military induction center asking to enlist, IDF not thrilled with gesture, arrests him for desertion ….
Zionist? Take a stand!
YNet News, 15 Mar 2012 – Op-ed: Jewish State’s supporters should be advocates for Israel’s rights in Judea and Samaria ….
Palestinian Information Center
Death of child raises toll to 26 Palestinians
PIC – The number of Palestinian victims who were killed during the recent Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip rose to 26 martyrs after a 7-year old boy died of serious injuries on Wednesday morning.
Political detainees in PA jail threaten hunger strike
PIC – Political detainees in the Palestinian Authority jail in Jericho are threatening to go on hunger strike if court orders for their release were not carried out.
IOF troops storm West Bank areas
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Al-Khalil and Jenin provinces at dawn Thursday and rounded up three youths in Dhaheria village, local sources said.
Palestinian prisoners to launch open hunger strike next month
PIC – Wa’ed society for detainees and ex-detainees said the Palestinian prisoners coordinated their efforts to start the largest open hunger strike next April in all Israeli jails.
Violent raid on Ofer jail, injuries reported
PIC – Metsada and Nahshun units violently stormed on Wednesday evening Ofer prison west of Ramallah amid intensive firing of tear gas grenades and embarked on assaulting the prisoners.
Jerusalem Awkaf director turns down invitation by Knesset to discuss Aqsa affair
PIC – Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, the director of the Jerusalem Awkaf (Endowment), has refused to attend a special Israeli parliamentary session allocated for discussing Aqsa mosque affairs.
Malaysian FM: No relations with Israel
PIC – Malaysian foreign minister Hanifa Aman has affirmed that his country’s policy would not change regarding establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israel launches fresh air raids on Gaza
PIC – Israeli warplanes launched two air raids on the Gaza Strip at dawn Thursday but no casualties were reported, local sources said.
Erekat: Quartet Must Hold Israel Accountable for Stalled Peace
WAFA – 15 Mar 2012
Rally In Support of Striking Prisoner Shalabi Suppressed
WAFA – 15 Mar 2012
Mother with Baby Arrested while Crossing Checkpoint in Hebron
WAFA – 15 Mar 2012
Groups Demand Lifting Restrictions on Palestinian Mobility
WAFA – 15 Mar 2012
Palestinian suspected of Stabbing Soldier Arrested
WAFA – 15 Mar 2012
Syria Puts On Mass Rally in Support of Assad
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – On the first anniversary of protests that marked the start of the uprising in Syria, thousands gathered in the capital of Damascus Thursday to rally for the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Egypt Charges Top Police Officers Over Soccer Riot
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – Egypt’s top prosecutor charged nine senior police officers Thursday with assisting a murderous mob of soccer fans who killed 74 rival supporters last month after a match in the Mediterranean city of Port Said.
Swift, a Banking Network, Agrees to Expel Iranian Banks
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – The action means Iran cannot electronically repatriate billions of dollars worth of earnings from the sale of oil and other exports.
Aiding Yemen Rebels, Iran Seeks Wider Mideast Role
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – While some Yemeni officials are skeptical of the impact of shipments of weapons to the Houthi rebels, American officials see the aid as part of a broader Iranian “shadow war.”
Mosul Journal: Mesopotamia Ruins at Risk From Iraqi Residents
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – Thousands of Iraqis have taken up residence among the poorly guarded ruins of Mesopotamia in illegally built homes, shops, greenhouses and garages, and they do not want to leave.
Iranian Parliament Questions Ahmadinejad
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – The questioning of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over economic mismanagement was the first interrogation of its kind since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
U.S. Military Aid to Egypt to Resume, Officials Say
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – To restart the aid, the Obama administration plans on sidestepping a new Congressional requirement that directly links military assistance to the protection of basic freedoms.
Syria’s Faceless Voices Risk Their Lives by Speaking Out
New York Times 15 Mar 2012 – More citizens are playing dangerous dual roles as activists and journalists to inform mainstream media about the crackdown in Syria.
Muzzling Roundup: Attacking Iran, Dershowitz v. MJ Rosenberg, Harvard One-State Conference
Muzzlewatch
Democratic congressional candidate: 90% Democrat, 100% Israel
Mondoweiss – Brad Schneider I always say that the Israel lobby transcends party, it is bigger than party. Dennis Ross doesn’t care whether he’s working for a Republican or a Democratic administration, and neither did Stuart Levey at Treasury. The overriding agenda was, Help Israel. Another case: A…
Gilad Shalit’s father says, ‘If I were Palestinian I’d kidnap soldiers’
Mondoweiss – Noam Shalit Noam Shalit, father of former prisoner Gilad Shalit announced on Israel’s Channel 10 he would kidnap an Israeli soldier in his quest for freedom, if he were a Palestinian. Guardian : The father of an Israeli soldier held in captivity for more than five years…
Are solar panels an existential threat to Israel too?
Mondoweiss
Israel will attack Iran– and Obama gave tacit approval (Haaretz)
Mondoweiss – Obama entering Oval Office yesterday photo by Pete Souza This is frightening. The editor of Sheldon Adelson’s Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, has a frontpage piece in that newspaper pushing an attack on Iran “with or without the Americans”: “Difficult, Daring, Doable. Yes, we can strike Iran….
Marvin Kalb and Maryland senator join to combat ‘venomous’ delegitimization of Israel
Mondoweiss – Marvin Kalb Max Blumenthal sent us the announcement below of heavyhitters coming to a Chevy Chase, MD synagogue in ten days , to support a lobby group dedicated to backing the U.S.’s stance in favor of Israel at the United Nations. The event will honor the Nauru…
Maariv Reports Cabinet Favors Iran Attack, U.S. Delivers Iran ‘Final’ Ultimatum
Tikun Olam – Tweet Just when you thought it was safe to come out from your air raid shelter after Bibi returned from his U.S. foray to stoke up war fever, Maariv raises the temperature to a boiling point. Ben Caspit reports (Hebrew) that the cabinet now has,…
Gulf Arabs offered bribe to Russia for yes vote on Syria
Voltaire Network 15 Mar 2012 – Informed diplomatic sources have reported to the Wayne Madsen Report (WMR) that Bahrain, representing the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), offered Russia a bribe of $5 billion if it did not use its veto in the Security Council to defeat an Arab League-sponsored resolution calling for…
Tarpley: Egyptian Parliament votes Israel out as Moslem Brotherhood opens door to IMF austerity
Voltaire Network 15 Mar 2012 – The newly elected Egyptian Parliament has passed a measure to halt natural gas exports to Israel and to expel Israel’s Ambassador in Cairo. A Parliamentary report describes Israel as Egypt’s number one enemy. Moreover, Egypt’s new Islamic-majority parliament has decided to vote on ending aid from…
Key Al Jazeera journalists resign over cooked-up Syrian drama
Voltaire Network 14 Mar 2012 – Some mainstream news channels have been recently caught carrying dubious footage from Syria. It fuels the debate over media’s role in legitimizing possible military intervention in the country. ‘Danny’ is a Syrian opposition activist who reports from Homs for CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya….
Egypt: Iranian Film Banned From Screening in Cairo University
allAfrica.com 15 Mar 2012 – [HRInfo] Cairo – ANHRI denounces the administration board of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, for banning the Iranian film “A Separation” from screening in the Faculty’s premises on 8 March 2012, failing to state reasons.
Egypt: Fatah, Jihad Thank Country for Fostering Cooling Off Agreement
allAfrica.com 15 Mar 2012 – [Egypt Online] Palestinian Fatah and Islamic Jihad movements thanked Egypt for fostering a cooling off agreement with Israel by which the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip which started on Friday has been ceased.
PSP Activists Plant 50 Trees in South Hebron Hills
Palestine Solidarity Project 15 Mar 2012 – On Wednesday, March 14th, 2012, activists from Palestine Solidarity Project planted 50 olive and almond trees in Jabal Al-Sandab, in the south Hebron hills. The land belongs to Yusri Al-Jamal, and the planting of olive and almond trees allows him to protect his land from settlers…
UN humanitarian mission to Syria
BBC 15 Mar 2012 – On the first anniversary of Syria‘s uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the UN announces it will send a humanitarian mission this weekend.
Egypt charges over football riot
BBC 15 Mar 2012 – Egypt charges 75 people with murder or negligence over a riot which left at least 74 people dead following a football match in Port Said.
Iran cut off from global commerce
BBC 15 Mar 2012 – The body that handles global banking transactions says it will cut Iran’s banks out of the system on Saturday to enforce EU sanctions.
Further Gaza clashes test truce
BBC 15 Mar 2012 – The truce in Gaza may be fraying as the Israel carries out air strikes and Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets into Israel.
Articles
All signs point to Israel’s weak democracy
Mya Guarnieri, +972 Magazine 3/15/2012
The assassination of Zuhair al-Qaissi, which sparked the escalation in the south, points to Israel’s weak Supreme Court, a lack of transparency and accountability, and the state’s flip attitude towards its judicial branch–as do some street signs in Tel Aviv.
The recent escalation between Israel and Gaza began after Israeli forces assassinated Zuhair al-Qaissi, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a militant group composed of members of various Palestinian parties. Haaretz noted that the PRC was “the organisation that captured Gilad Shalit”, the Israeli soldier who was freed in October 2011. The army says that al-Qaissi was behind the August 2011 attack that took place on the Israeli-Egyptian border – even though the PRC denied involvement and it was later revealed that the militants came from Sinai, not Gaza.
While army sources took care to point out al-Qaissi’s alleged involvement in the August 2011 incident, his assassination wasn’t just an act of punishment. No, Israel killed him on the basis of secret evidence – evidence that is not subject to legal or judicial review – that supposedly proves that al-Qaissi was planning a terror attack. Never mind that the Israeli supreme court’s December 2006 ruling placed numerous restrictions on such assassinations.
Fatmeh el-Ajou, an attorney with Adalah, the legal centre for Arab minority rights in Israel, explains that while the judgment did not place a blanket prohibition on targeted killings, it stated that the decision to carry out an assassination must be made on a case-by-case basis, “depending on the evidence that [security forces] have”. But, without seeing the security forces’ secret evidence, it’s impossible to know if al-Qaissi was indeed planning an attack, and if the army was in line with the 2006 ruling. There’s no transparency in this so-called democracy and, without transparency, there is no accountability to the state’s highest court…. more.. e-mail
Gaza, Iran should not divert US from seeking peace
By George S. Hishmeh, Ma’an News Agency 3/14/2012
After failing to twist the arms of Barack Obama over Iran’s alleged nuclear arms potential, Benjamin Netanyahu thought he could do better with the Palestinians especially those in the Gaza Strip.
But, if anything, the four-day oppressive bombardment by the Israeli Air Force which killed 26 Palestinians and wounded about 80 others, has once again underlined that the number-one issue in the Middle East remains Israel’s failure to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Palestinians, most of whom lost 78 percent of their homeland since 1948.
Without hesitation, the American president refused to accept the new Israeli “red lines” vis-a-vis Iran and warned the Israeli leader that an Israeli attack at present is risky and will undermine American interests.
Obama stressed that he prefers to apply diplomatic pressure on Iran and that any bombing has to be approved by the US administration. Otherwise Israel will have to go it alone.
Much to Netanyahu’s obvious disappointment, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, reported this week that a poll showed that 58 percent of Israelis oppose an Israeli strike on Iran without US backing.
Similarly, a American new poll released a few days later reported that only one in four Americans favors Israel conducting a military strike against Iran’s nuclear program.
Otherwise, seven in ten (69 percent) favor the United States and other major powers continuing to pursue negotiations with Iran…. more.. e-mail
Palestinian writers disavow Gilad Atzmon
Ma’an News Agency 3/14/2012
For many years now, Gilad Atzmon, a musician born in Israel and currently living in the United Kingdom, has taken on the self-appointed task of defining for the Palestinian movement the nature of our struggle, and the philosophy underpinning it. He has done so through his various blogs and Internet outlets, in speeches, and in articles. He is currently on tour in the United States promoting his most recent book, entitled, ‘The Wandering Who.’
With this letter, we call for the disavowal of Atzmon by fellow Palestinian organizers, as well as Palestine solidarity activists, and allies of the Palestinian people, and note the dangers of supporting Atzmon’s political work and writings and providing any platforms for their dissemination. We do so as Palestinian organizers and activists, working across continents, campaigns, and ideological positions.
Atzmon’s politics rest on one main overriding assertion that serves as springboard for vicious attacks on anyone who disagrees with his obsession with “Jewishness”. He claims that all Jewish politics is “tribal,” and essentially, Zionist. Zionism, to Atzmon, is not a settler-colonial project, but a trans-historical “Jewish” one, part and parcel of defining one’s self as a Jew. Therefore, he claims, one cannot self-describe as a Jew and also do work in solidarity with Palestine, because to identify as a Jew is to be a Zionist. We could not disagree more. Indeed, we believe Atzmon’s argument is itself Zionist because it agrees with the ideology of Zionism and Israel that the only way to be a Jew is to be a Zionist.
Palestinians have faced two centuries of orientalist, colonialist and imperialist domination of our native lands. And so as Palestinians, we see such language as immoral and completely outside the core foundations of humanism, equality and justice, on which the struggle for Palestine and its national movement rests. more.. e-mail
Why did Israel stop me from visiting the West Bank?
Electronic Intifada: 15 Mar 2012 – Patrick Keddie 15 March 2012 What kind of liberal democracy bars human rights activists in an attempt to stifle the truth about its behavior?more
Bibi Stirs Trouble with Attack on Gaza
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Mar 2012 – By Ramzy Baroud The first Israeli missile sped down to its target, scorching the Gaza earth and everything in between. Palestinians collected the body parts of two new martyrs, while Israeli media celebrated the demise of two terrorists. Zuhair Qasis was the head of the Popular Resistance Committee. He was killed alongside a former Palestinian prisoner from Nablus who had recently been freed and deported to Gaza. Then, another set of missiles rained down, this time taking Obeid al-Ghirbali and Muhammad Harara. Then, a third, and a forth, and so on. The death count began on March 9 and escalated through the day. The Hamas government urged the international community to take action. Factions vowed to retaliate. In these situations, Western media is usually clueless or complicit. Sometimes it’s both. The Israeli army was cited readily by many media outlets without challenge. The first round of attacks was justified based…more
Myth of Israel’s Favorable Treatment of Palestinian Christians
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Mar 2012 – By Fida Jiryis Amb. Michael Oren’s article, ‘Israel and the Plight of Mideast Christians,’ presents Israel as a tolerant, dove-like, and peaceful democracy. This is belied by the facts. I am one of those Palestinian Christians living inside Israel to whom Oren refers. At no time in my life have I ever felt the ‘respect and appreciation’ by the Jewish state, which Oren so glowingly references. Israel’s Christian minority is marginalized in much the same manner as its Muslim one or, at best, quietly tolerated. We suffer the same discrimination when we try to find a job, when we go to hospitals, when we apply for bank loans, and when we get on the bus – in the same way as Palestinian Muslims. Israel’s fundamental basis is as a racist state built for Jews only, and the majority of the Jewish population doesn’t really care what religion we are if…more
South Africa Must Resist Sanctions on Iran
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Mar 2012 – By Iqbal Jassat South Africa’s latest corruption scandal is once again linked to high profile politicians and their close business associates. However, unlike earlier cases of fraud, the murkiness of current allegations implicating deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe’s partner Gugu Mtshali is entirely clouded as a result of the involvement of a foreign intelligence agency, the CIA. And amazingly, instead of being alarmed or at the least being curious, media seems to have ignored the questionable role of America’s spooks in South Africa. The foremost question that requires probing is the timing of leaks in relation to an Israeli-inspired frenzy led by the Obama administration to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran. As this scandal allegedly centers on so-called sanctions busting, it is entirely inappropriate to accept a narrative framed by the American government that would have South Africa believe it is guilty of a heinous crime by doing…more
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The New Dark Age 