9 May 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Negev Prison Refuses To Admit Jailed MP Due To Health Condition
IMEMC – Detained elected Palestinian Legislator, Mohammad Abu Jheisha, was moved from the Ofer Israeli prison to the Negev detention camp, in the Negev desert, but the administration there refused to admit him due to his bad health condition. …
Israeli Court Orders Release Detained Nonviolent Activist
IMEMC – Palestinian nonviolent activist, Bassem Tamimi, 45, from Nabi Saleh village, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, spent more than 13 months in Israeli prisons; earlier on Friday, an Israeli court rejected an appeal filed by the Israeli prosecution against his release, yet imposed severe restrictions on him including confining him to the Ramallah district. …
Ads Warn Jewish Parents – Keep Daughters Away from Arabs
IMEMC – Ari Gallahar of Ynetnews reports today that advertisements made to look like imaginary wedding invitations have been distributed throughout Jerusalem’s streets in a bid to demonstrate what would happen if Jewish parents fail to keep watch over their daughters …
US To Grant Israel $1 Billion For “Iron Dome”
IMEMC – The U.S. Congress has granted Israel one billion dollars to develop additional “Iron Dome” missile interception systems. The budget of the US Ministry of Defense was $680 billion in 2010. …
Hundreds Protest In Front Of UN Office In Ramallah
IMEMC – Hundreds of Palestinian residents, mainly youths and families of political prisoners, held a massive protest in front of the United Nations office in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and chanted slogans in support to Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and conducting an open-ended hunger-strike. …
Knesset To Discuss Formal Accession of Kadima to Government Coalition
IMEMC – The Palestinian News Network reported that the Knesset will be discussing today the agreement of the Kadima opposition party to join the Likud-led governent Coalition. …
Netanyahu Considers How To Prevent Demolition of Ulpanah Neighbourhood
IMEMC – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has asked his ministers to think again about the legal consequences of Monday’s Supreme Court decision that the settlement outpost, ‘Ulpanah’, close to the settlement of Beit El, should be removed, and within 60 days. ‘Ulpanah’ was built on private Palestinian land. …
Israel Seeks to Bargain With Hunger-Striking Detainees
IMEMC – Fuad Al Khoffash, Head of the Ahrar Center for Detainee Studies, stated that the Israeli Prison Administration started a new method of what he called “cheap bargaining” this week by offering to release detainees who have served two-thirds of their prison sentence in return for ending their hunger-strike. …
Supreme Court Decides to Evict Palestinians from Their Homes In Jerusalem
IMEMC – The Palestinian News Network, PNN, reported that the Israeli Supreme Court has decided to evict the families of Ghazi Zalloum and Ismail Wazwaz from their homes in the neighborhood of Alqurma in the occupied Old City of Jerusalem. The houses wiill be taken over by Israeli settlers. The court claimed that both properties belonged to Jews before 1948, the year Israel was created in the historic land of Palestine. …
Official: Settlers torch trees in Nablus
5/9/2012 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers on Wednesday set fire to hundreds of trees in Nablus in the northern West Bank, a Fatah official said. Ghassan Doughlas said residents of Tappuah settlement chopped down and torched around 250 olive trees in Jammain village. The settlement is built on land belonging to the village. Settlers also….
Protesters call for UN action outside Ramallah office
5/10/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A group of protesters blocked the entrance to the United Nations office in Ramallah Wednesday morning, slamming the UN for not intervening to save hunger-striking prisoners. Around 50 Palestinian youth began the sit-in outside the UN compound at 9 a. m. , carrying banners accusing the UN of collusion with Israeli government…. Related: UN’s Ban urges Israel to charge prisoners or free them
UN’s oldest refugee camps look at sensitive upgrades
5/10/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Reuters) — Three generations of Palestinians displaced by the founding of Israel in 1948 know only life in UN refugee camps, going to schools beneath the blue-and-white UN flag and drawing their food stocks from UN warehouses. For these Palestinians whose long-cherished goal is the right of return to the lands they lost 64 years….
10 years on from Nativity Church siege, deportees ‘forgotten’
5/10/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Ten years after Israel exiled 39 Palestinians taking refuge in Bethlehem’s Nativity Church, deportees say they have been forgotten by Palestinian leaders. On May 10, 2002, Israeli forces ended a 39-day siege on the church after striking a deal with Palestinian leaders to send 39 people given sanctuary….
Ramallah protest planned for Nakba day
5/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The national committee to remember the Nakba is planning a protest in Ramallah on Tuesday to mark Nakba day. On May 15, Palestinians commemorate the Nakba, or catastrophe, of Israel’s founding in 1948, when over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from or fled their homes. Local and popular committees in….
Israeli forces ‘detain 4 teenagers’ in Azzun
5/9/2012 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Wednesday detained four teenagers after ransacking their homes near Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank, locals said. Forces detained Sari Dahbour, 13, Mustafa Riyashi, 15, Ibrahim Shahadeh, 17, and Jaafar Saleem, 18, from Azzun, witnesses told Ma’an. An Israeli military spokeswoman said four were arrested in….
Israeli police: Woman found dead in East Jerusalem well
5/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police on Wednesday found a woman’s body in a well in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem. According to initial investigations, the body is believed to be a Palestinian woman who was reported missing two months ago, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement….
Israeli vehicle fired on near Ramallah, no injuries
5/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli car came under fire north of Ramallah on Tuesday evening, military officials said. No injuries were reported. Locals told Ma’an forces deployed heavily in the area around Sinjil village and briefly barred Palestinian vehicles from the road. An Israeli military spokeswoman said forces had not yet detained….
UN’s Ban urges Israel to charge prisoners or free them
5/10/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged Israel to either charge or release Palestinian detainees “without delay.” Ban expressed concern for Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in protest over their detention without charge and stressed “the importance of averting any further deterioration in their condition,” in a statement issued through his…. Related: Protesters call for UN action outside Ramallah office and Abbas warns of disaster if hunger-striker dies
Abbas warns of disaster if hunger-striker dies
5/9/2012 – RAMALLAH (Reuters) — President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Tuesday that the death of any one of the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israel would be a “disaster” and could trigger a backlash that might slip out of control.” It is very dangerous,” Abbas told Reuters on a day when the Red Cross urged…. Related: Protesters call for UN action outside Ramallah office
Zahhar says Hamas not counting on West
5/9/2012 – AMMAN (Ma’an) — Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahhar said Tuesday that the movement does not pin much hope on contacts with Western countries, Jordanian media reported. Zahhar told Jordanian newspaper al-Dustour: “We don’t count on ongoing contacts, we just talk to who wants to listen.” Party officials told The Associated Press last….
Bethlehem-born cleric Abu Qatada loses European appeal bid
5/9/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) — European judges on Wednesday rejected an attempt by a cleric once described as “Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe” to appeal against Britain’s decision to deport him to Jordan to face trial on terrorism charges. The European Court of Human Rights rejected Abu Qatada’s request for….
Fatah delegation arrives in Gaza
5/10/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A delegation of senior Fatah officials led by Nabil Shaath arrived in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Central Committee members Shaath and Muhammad al-Madaniand Revolutionary Council Secretary-General Amin Maqboul entered Gaza via the Erez crossing on Israel’s border, party offical Yahya Rabah told Ma’an. The delegation…. Related: Fatah delegation to visit Gaza Wednesday
Public universities launch 2-day strike after govt delays
5/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The public university employees union said Wednesday it will hold a two-day strike after the “discouraging outcome” of a cabinet meeting a day earlier. Public university staff have been undertaking strike action since February, primarily calling for a raise in wages to match other Palestinian universities. The union said in a….
Fatah delegation to visit Gaza Wednesday
5/9/2012 – GAZA CITY/BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A high-profile Fatah delegation from the West Bank is scheduled to visit the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to hold talks with representatives of Fatah and other factions in the coastal enclave. Member of Fatah Central Committee Muhammad al-Madani said he and senior officials Nabil Shaath and Amin Maqboul would…. Related: Fatah delegation arrives in Gaza
Former PPP chief’s son ‘killed in Albania’
5/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The son of the former chief of the Palestinian People’s Party was killed Wednesday in an explosion in Albania, his relatives said. Unknown assailants planted a bomb near the gate to Anwar Riziq’s home, his relatives told Ma’an. Riziq, from Beit Jala, had traveled to….
World Bank contributes $3 million to PA business development
5/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The World Bank contributed $3 million to the PA Ministry of National Economy for the provision of business development services, a press statement said Tuesday. The project will create a business development unit at the ministry, and modernize technology infrastructure, services and skills, the World Bank said.” Timely delivery of business….
Abbas visits Erekat in Ramallah hospital
5/9/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday evening visited PLO official Saeb Erekat in a Ramallah hospital after he suffered a mild heart attack earlier in the day. Abbas, accompanied by Minister of Health Fathi Abu Mughli, Ramallah Governor Layla Ghannam and aide Tayyib Abdul-Rahim, toured the cardiac department at the Palestinian Medical….
Fearful nights in Damascus as unrest gets closer
5/10/2012 – DAMASCUS (Reuters) — When darkness falls, streets in Damascus empty as people brace for explosions and crackles of gunfire — once distant threats which now bring fear and sleepless nights to the heart of the Syrian capital. For months the unrest that erupted across Syria last year, when opponents of President Bashar Assad demonstrated for greater rights….
Syria rebels kill 7, explosion hits UN monitor convoy
5/10/2012 – AMMAN (Reuters) — Syrian rebels killed at least seven pro-government militiamen in a Damascus suburb on Wednesday, activists said, and an explosion wounded eight soldiers escorting UN ceasefire observers in the southern province of Deraa. The Damascus attack with rocket-propelled grenades on a bus carrying the fighters through the suburb of Irbin prompted the army to….
In photos: Egypt prepares for elections
5/9/2012 – Eva Pilipp – The first presidential election after the Egyptian revolution now occupies a dominant place in the public sphere on Cairo’s streets. Everywhere, people are contemplating the election’s results. Candidates’ posters, graffiti, demonstrations and discussions in the famous coffee house culture of Cairo are predominant features all around the city….
Alternative Information Center
Palestinian youth to UN: act to end Israel’s violation of prisoners’ rights
Alternative Information Center – A group of Palestinian youth temporarily prevented United Nations’ employees from resuming their work in Ramallah on Wednesday morning, demanding that the UN take immediate and practical steps to save the lives of Palestinian political prisoners…
Iraq’s forgotten refugees fear Syrians take their aid
The National 9 May 2012 – The UN is helping many thousands of families who sought refuge in Jordan – but much depends on which country they fled from. Hugh Naylor and Suha Philip Ma’ayeh report.
After ten years, Israel to release Palestinian prisoner from solitary confinement
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Mayor of southern Israeli city accused of raping worker
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
After surprise unity deal, Knesset approves Mofaz as Netanyahu’s deputy
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Tel Aviv University okays Nakba Day ceremony, despite Student Union opposition
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Lieberman to push new unity government to bypass High Court, legalize West Bank outpost
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Analysis and opinions on Israel’s new government by Haaretz’s top writers
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Possible site of Sixth Century church building miracle discovered in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Report: Turkey completes probe of 2010 Gaza flotilla raid
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Two high-ranking municipal officials arrested on rape, corruption charges
Ha’aretz – 9 May 2012
Abbas says ready to engage with Netanyahu on Middle East peace process
Ha’aretz – 8 May 2012
In overnight metamorphosis, Netanyahu and Mofaz turn from rivals into allies
Ha’aretz – 8 May 2012
Bill would close courtrooms in domestic violence trials
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Hearings regarding women currently open to media; minors involved in sex or violence cases already get such protection.
IEC pole at Gethsemane angers monks
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Electric tower mars view of Old City, Temple Mount from Church of All Nations.
Authorities seize cache of dangerous drugs in P-T
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – For months the Customs Authority, Health Ministry’s unit for pharmaceutical crime have being carrying out a secret investigation.
Haredi kids entertainer jailed for molestation
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – ‘David the Mime’ is sentenced for indecently assaulting a 12-year-old boy on several occasions.
What ‘Post’ readers of conscience need to know about Norway
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – The Norwegian government has consistently proved itself to be a friend of Israel.
Obama: Same-sex couples should be able to marry
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Becomes first president to publicly support gay marriage; Romney opposes same-sex marriage, supports some benefits.
Opportunity to right decades of wrong
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – There is finally a government which does not need the ultra-Orthodox parties in its midst to survive.
Who will rule Sinai?
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Nothing can be accomplished in Sinai before order is restored, the efforts of which are hindered by ongoing power struggles in Cairo.
Ramon quits Kadima as mini-rebellion against unity emerges
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Mofaz loyalists blast Ramon as “father of political tricks” and a “convicted sex offender”; dozens of Kadima members quit party in protest of the coalition deal.
Who is responsible for youth violence?
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – To blame the kids is taking the easy way out.
Lag Ba’omer: Of fires and ‘friers’
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Both groups, the firefighters and reservists, have a “fire” inside of them.
View Point: Confronting child labor
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – A new column featuring a “visual commentary,” in the form of a graphic essay; this week: underage workers in Mahane Yehuda market.
Photos: Lag Ba’Omer bonfires
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Jews around Israel gather to light bonfires in celebration of the Lag Ba‘Omer holiday.
Media Comment: Freedom of the press – who really cares?
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – The “democracy in danger” slogan figures prominently in “Beinartism,” the theory that Israel’s policies threaten its democracy.
Fundamentally Freund: We were robbed!
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Early this past Sunday – much earlier than I would have liked – that is precisely how I was aroused from a deep and satisfying slumber.
Washington Watch: Roadblocks on Egypt’s road to democracy
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Growing violent protests in Egypt cast doubt as to whether Egypt‘s military rulers will hand over power after May presidential elections.
Tintin in the land of Israel
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Fans can get reacquainted with Herge’s comic-book hero during 1-day convention at Cartoon and Comic Museum in Holon.
Kiryat Malachi mayor suspected of rape
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Mayor’s son, 5 city officials under arrest in major investigation based on suspicions of sex crimes, large scale corruption.
Ayalon: Compromise on nukes ‘worse than no deal’
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Deputy FM says Iran has “dictated” terms in nuclear talks despite sanctions, says Israel wants diplomatic solution.
University in Jenin blocks Islamic Jihad activist
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Arab American University prevents Khader Adnan, released from Israeli prison after hunger strike, from entering campus.
Who is the world’s most influential Jew?
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – In anticipation of our upcoming 2012 list of world’s most influential Jews, we’re turning to you to weigh in and help us decide who makes the cut.
Court upholds Hamas man’s administrative detention
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Mahmoud Masalani “poses threat to regional security and public,” High court finds.
PM to Ashton: Iran using talks to gain time
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Netanyahu meets with EU foreign policy chief along with FM, Barak, and newly-minted VP Mofaz ahead of talks.
Off the Beaten Track: Lag Ba’omer Celebrations
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Lag Ba‘omer can be a confusing holiday to those Jews and gentiles who live abroad and come to visit Israel during this time.
Top 5 Lag Ba’omer Activities
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Whether it’s a bonfire you’re looking for or something altogether different, there is plenty to experience in Jerusalem this Lag Ba’Omer.
Images show Iran may be ‘washing’ military site
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – US-based think tank says images taken of Parchin military complex appear to show items being cleansed outside building suspected to contain explosive chamber used to carry out nuclear weapons related experiments.
Liberman: Gov’t must pass law to protect Ulpana
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – FM dissatisfied with Likud suggestions to replace Tal Law, was privy to unity coalition negotiations.
Police suspend officer in Beersheba murder case
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Investigation leads to suspending Officer after revealing she failed to arrive at scene despite having said she had.
Explosion hits UN monitor convoy in Syria
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Blast damages cars, injures Syrian guards in Deraa; head of UN monitors Robert Mood present in convoy, no observers hurt.
W. Bank Fatah group makes unusual Gaza visit
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Fatah official refuses to reveal trip’s purpose, but indicates that delegation may also meet with Hamas officials.
Police: Assassin killed Chevra Kadisha director
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Gun found in mikve leads police to Yitzhak Hazan who they say was paid NIS 50,000 to kill Benny Hesse last year.
Kiryat Malachi officials suspected of sex crimes
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Suspects allegedly raped a female colleague in the municipality, also suspected of extortion, bribery, fraud.
Yishai: IDF does not want haredim in its ranks
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Interior minister says he is not worried that the newly-formed national unity coalition will significantly increase number of haredim being drafted into IDF; states thousands of haredi youth waiting for call-up.
UN: Weapons being smuggled between Lebanon, Syria
Jerusalem Post 9 May 2012 – Lebanese authorities seize 60,000 rounds of ammunition hidden in container ship, source say; Syrian forces kill at least 10 rebels.
Analysis: Good for Barak, bad for Barack
Jerusalem Post 8 May 2012 – Neither Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu nor Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz belong on the list of winners and losers.
‘Litzman’s ‘fifth fund’ reform plan ‘unrealistic’’
Jerusalem Post 8 May 2012 – Expert says Deputy Health Minister’s plan would add fifth health fund consisting solely of private dentists.
Knesset passes laws to help Holocaust survivors
Jerusalem Post 8 May 2012 – Another bill halves NII benefits for terrorists; 15 bills pass in what MKs thought were the final hours of the 18th Knesset.
Vidal Sassoon obituary
The Guardian 9 May 2012 – His imaginative, practical approach changed hairstyling forever Vidal Sassoon, who has died aged 84 of leukaemia, became the most famous hairdresser of the 1960s, creating styles that caught and then boosted women’s new feelings of personal…
Gilad Shalit: the real Prisoner of War
The Guardian 9 May 2012 – The Israeli drama Hatufim is the inspiration for the US hit Homeland. But the ordeal of Gilad Shalit, the young soldier held captive by Hamas for five years, tells an even more complex story Tension. Anxiety….
How a rattled Netanyahu outflanked Likud’s militant settler faction
The Guardian 9 May 2012 – The Israeli PM’s move to scrap elections and shore up his coalition was partly an attempt to curb the power of the right Binyamin Netanyahu’s stunning political coup this week, calling off elections and forming a…
Bedouin land and culture threatened by Israel’s plans for resettlement
The Guardian 9 May 2012 – Bedouins say plans to move them to purpose-built communities sweep aside their culture and centuries-old ties with the land A stench of rubbish wafts over the Palestinian town of As Sawahira from the al-Abdali dump. The…
Bomb Hits Syrian Truck Escorting U.N. Convoy
IPS A roadside bomb struck a Syrian military truck near Deraa, wounding six soldiers just seconds after a convoy carrying the head of the U.N. observer mission passed by.
Egypt-Israel Gas Issue Becoming Explosive
IPS The two weeks since Egypt‘s abrupt cancellation of a Mubarak-era gas-export deal with Israel have seen an exchange of indirect threats and warnings between the two countries, culminating in an apparent Israeli military build-up on the border of Egypt‘s Sinai Peninsula.
European Politics on Palestine
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – David Cronin1 is one of the leading public critics of European policies on Palestine. He has written for a variety of publications across Europe, has served as European correspondent for the Sunday Tribune (Dublin) and as Brussels correspondent for the Inter Press Service news agency, and is the author of Europe’s Alliance…
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Uruknet
Zionism, Israel, and Occupation – Book Review
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – When the South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu paid his first visit to Palestine, he was shocked by the similarities between his former Apartheid South Africa and the dismal situation under which occupied Palestinians have been living since the establishment of the State of Israel. In his foreword to this outstanding collection of…
Israeli authorities ‘uproot trees in Hebron village’
Uruknet May 8, 2012 — Israeli authorities uprooted around 350 trees while leveling fields in a southern West Bank village on Tuesday morning, the Land Research Center said. Bulldozers, escorted by Israeli forces, demolished stone terraces and uprooted around 100 olive trees on 13,000 square meters of land belonging to Hasan Muhammad Abdul-Ghani Al-Amlah in the Attous…
Drones in U.S. Flight Paths: What Could Go Wrong?
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – On March 9th the Federal Aviation Administration requested comments from the public on drone test sites. On May 8th, lengthy comments were submitted by Not 1 More Acre! and Purgatoire, Apishapa & Comanche Grassland Trust. The FAA asked all the wrong questions, but still got a lot of the right answers… I…
Israel issues eviction orders to Sheikh Jarrah home
Uruknet May 8, 2012 — Israeli officials on Monday issued an eviction order to a home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Wafa news agency reported. The eviction notice was issued to Fatima Salamieh, who has lived in the home since the 1950’s. The Salamieh family say that the authorities want to hand the property…
‘Underwear bomber’ was working for the CIA
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – A would-be “underwear bomber” involved in a plot to attack a US-based jet was in fact working as an undercover informer with Saudi intelligence and the CIA, it has emerged. The revelation is the latest twist in an increasingly bizarre story about the disruption of an apparent attempt by al-Qaida to strike…
Statement No. 4 of the Hunger Strikers’ Leadership
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – We vow to live with dignity or die – to our steadfast Palestinian people… We are in a dangerous and sensitive situation, and run the risk of losing our lives for our dignity. Nevertheless, we will not end our strike without achieving our demands, the most important being to end the policy…
Israeli military raids office of human rights organization Stop the Wall’; steals computers and hard drives
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – At 1.30am this morning ten armoured jeeps of the Israeli occupation forces and intelligence surrounded and raided the offices of Stop the Wall in Ramallah. Israeli military stole 2 laptops, 3 hard drives and 10 memory cards containing files and photos as well as archive material relating to the work that the…
Empty Stomach Warriors (IV): Thaer Halahleh All in The Name
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – On Monday May 7, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected the appeals for the release of Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Thiab, who are imprisoned by Israel without charge or trial. The men are on their 70th day of hunger strike. Thaer’s father came to Ramallah from Hebron, and sat in the prisoners’ solidarity…
US bombings kills dozens of Afghan civilians
Uruknet May 8 2012 – US bombardments claimed the lives of dozens of Afghan civilians over the weekend, including women and children, prompting a formal protest from Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai Monday, warning that such actions would render the pact he signed last week with US President Barack Obama “meaningless”. US and NATO spokesmen acknowledged Monday the…
Solitary confinement and administrative detention
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – Administrative detention provides a vehicle for the arrest of Palestinians where there is no genuine reason for them to be taken into custody, even under Israel’s draconian military occupation. Nobody sees the “evidence” provided by intelligence officers apart from the Israeli judge. The lawyers acting for the detainee can’t see what the…
There is no INTERPOL arrest warrant for Iraq’s Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi (despite US begging)
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – …”A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.” Somebody tell the alleged news outlets. I spoke with two friends with INTERPOL this morning. The White House demanded “some action” on Nouri al-Maliki’s request — specifically the National Security Advisor to Joe Biden Anthony Blinken — voiced the White House request. INTERPOL…
The Everyday Evil of America’s Torture State
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – After Daniel Chong was arrested in a federal drug raid, he wasn’t taken to Gitmo. Instead, the Feds thoughtfully arranged to bring Gitmo to him, nearly torturing him to death in the process. Chong, a senior at the University of California-San Diego, was one of nine people swept up in an April…
Palestinian Prisoner Unity
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – -…On April 17, Palestine Prisoners Day, over 1,000 began hunger striking for justice. Up to 2,500 are now involved. More join them daily. Virtually all are political prisoners. Their crime is wanting to live free on their own land in their own country. Israel calls them terrorists.Since 1967, over 700,000 Palestinians were…
Palestinian Prisoners’ “Battle of the Empty Stomachs” Continues: Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Diab Surpass 70 Days on Hunger Strike
Uruknet May 8, 2012 – Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Diab’s petitions to the Israeli High Court regarding their administrative detention orders were rejected yesterday, four days following their High Court hearing on 3 May. Thaer and Bilal are on their 71st day of hunger strike and at immediate risk of death. In complete disregard to their critical…
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Uruknet May 7, 2012 – The number of martyrs has risen to 31 thus far, including 5 children, 2 women and 5 defected soldiers: 11 martyrs were reported in Homs, including 6 martyrs who died earlier and their corpses were found today,7 martyrs in Hama, 6 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 2 martyrs in Idlib, 2 martyrs in…
Guantánamo’s 9/11 show trials
Uruknet May 7, 2012 – I have been going to Guantánamo Bay since 2004 to observe the military commissions originally established by the Bush administration to try accused terrorists. It was painfully apparent on Saturday that despite some improvements, not enough has changed. The commissions remain a cynical tool to obfuscate the fact that the US sanctioned…
Daily Star
Twin Pakistan explosions injure nine: police
Daily Star 9 May 2012 Twin bomb explosions Wednesday in Pakistan’s northwestern town of Akora Khattak injured nine people including policemen and journalists, police said.
Obama backs same-sex marriage
Daily Star 9 May 2012 Barack Obama became the first US president Wednesday to say publicly he was in favor of same-sex marriage.
Libya court to be asked to revoke ‘regressive’ laws
Daily Star 9 May 2012 A Libyan rights group said it will mount a challenge in the supreme court against laws which criminalise the glorification of Moamer Kahdafi’s ousted regime and insulting Islam.
European court refuses Abu Qatada appeal
Daily Star 9 May 2012 Radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada lost his bid to make a final appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against a British deportation order.
Congo ceasefire in east due to expire
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – ….
In praise of unity deal
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Op-ed: Broad unity government the only way to advance peace process, promote equal draft ….
Euro falls to 3-month low vs dollar on Greek fears
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – ….
Rain and marshmallows – Israel ablaze for Lag B’Omer
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Despite rain in North, a Qassam rocket in South, and general fear of violence, hundreds of thousands of Israelis throw oil on the fire. But don’t worry – in the words of one dad from Tel Aviv: We’re the cops, the security guards, and also here to enjoy ourselves ….
Likud minister: 3 elite unit musketeers shamed us
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – After Netanyahu admits more Kadima members may join Cabinet despite no mention of such a possibility in signed unity deal, ruling party member says ‘smug attitude’ will eventually backfire ….
Catholics, Jews unite at Colosseum vs. attacks
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – ….
Likud ministers: Embarrassing conduct lost us public’s trust
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – ….
Firefighters working to extinguish blaze on Golan Heights
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – ….
Derek Roth’s killer to be extradited to Israel
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Argentina to extradite Moshe Ben-Ivgi, who escaped Israel in 2004. Ben-Ivgi is expected to serve out a sentence for a robbery he committed while on furlough from prison, but not for the murder of taxi driver Derek Roth, whom he and his friend Arbel Aloni killed when they were 14 ….
Qassam hits Negev as kids mark Lag B’Omer; none hurt
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Rocket fired by Gaza terrorists explodes in agricultural filed within Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council ….
‘Kadima is done being centrist party’
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Kadima Council head Haim Ramon quits party, says it has strayed from its ideological principles ….
MK to be held in contempt for ‘defamatory’ posters?
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Courts administration seeks investigation against MK Ben Ari for distributing posters depicting judges wearing keffiyehs. MK Ben Ari: ‘Keffiyeh isn’t an insult’ ….
Kiryat Malachi mayor suspected of raping employee
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – According to suspicions, Moti Malka and other top city officials sexually abused employee for prolonged period of time; mayor allegedly extorted sex from another woman in exchange for tax discounts ….
Israel’s political stink bomb
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Op-ed: Mofaz, like Barak before him, emptied Israeli politics of any meaning except survival ….
Privileged to serve nation
YNet News, 9 May 2012 – Op-ed: Every able body (regardless of race, religion or geographical location) in Israel should join IDF ….
Palestinian Information Center
Negev prison refuses to admit MP Abu Juheisha because of bad health
PIC – Negev prison administration refused to receive Change and Reform” bloc MP for Al-Khalil province, Mohamed Abu Juheisha, after he was moved from the Beitunia “Ofer” prison in Ramallah.
The Occupation demolishes a water well in Beit Hanina
PIC – The occupation authorities demolished, on Wednesday 9th May, a water well owned by the citizen Walid Dkidk in Al-Merwaha neighborhood in Beit Hanina in occupied Jerusalem.
Hamas calls on PA to stop arresting supporters of strikers
PIC – The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas called on West Bank authorities to stop arresting supporters of the Palestinian striking prisoners.
Islamic-Christian body calls for urgent action to deter settlement escalation
PIC – The Islamic – Christian Commission in Support of Jerusalem warned of the occupation authorities’ settlement activities that have been escalated recently, especially in Jerusalem..
Liberated captive: Female captives participate in the “dignity†strike
PIC – The liberated captive, student Fatima Zahra Sidr, said that the occupation is unable to confront the Palestinian prisoners’ strong will and their determination to carry on their battle.
Egyptian parliament condemns the systematic torture of Palestinian prisoners
PIC – The Egyptian Parliament condemned , in its session on Tuesday evening, the Zionist crimes against the Palestinian people and prisoners in occupation prisons.
Egyptian businessmen support the endowment project to support Jerusalem
PIC – The Egyptian economic Delegation , visiting Gaza currently, asserted its support for the Palestinian Contractors Union’s project in Gaza which intended to create endowments to support Jerusalem.
Demonstration in Ramallah in support of the striking prisoners
PIC – Dozens of activists and prisoners’ families have closed the main road in front of the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, demanding the PA president Mahmoud Abbas to work for their sons’ release.
Attacks on settlers’ car in Ramallah, soldiers east of O. Jerusalem
PIC – Israeli sources reported that Israeli settlers travelling on a car came under fire last midnight on the bypass road near Benjamin settlement north of Ramallah city without any reported injuries.
Haneyya urges hunger strikers to stay united and steadfast
PIC – Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya urged the hunger strikers in Israeli jails to maintain their united position and steadfastness and stand up against any attempt to disturb their unity.
Erekat Recovers from Minor Cardiac Arrest
WAFA –
Al Qaeda bomb plot was foiled by double agent
LA Times 9 May 2012 – Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency and the CIA used an informant to infiltrate an Al Qaeda cell in Yemen and take its upgraded bomb, officials say. WASHINGTON — The CIA takedown of an Al Qaeda plot to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner involved an international sting…
Blast Near U.N. Convoy in Syria Wounds 6
New York Times 9 May 2012 – A roadside bomb struck a Syrian military truck Wednesday, wounding six soldiers just seconds after a convoy carrying the head of the U.N. observer mission passed by.
Indians Host Hillary Rodham Clinton While Also Wooing Iran
New York Times 9 May 2012 – This week’s diplomatic choreography — with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Iranians in New Delhi — provided a window into the realpolitik of sanctions against Iran.
In Libya, the Captors Have Become the Captive
New York Times 9 May 2012 – The future of Libya depends on mercy or revenge.
Morocco Struggles to Rein in Soccer Hooligans
New York Times 9 May 2012 – The beating death of a fan during riots has put the spotlight on the nation’s systemic youth problems.
IAI names new CEO, Joseph Weiss
Neged Neshek – Leading arms exporter Israel Aerospace Industries has named a new CEO , Joseph Weiss, who is being promoted from a VP position to head one of the world’s leading arms vendors.
IMI appealing Indian MOD blacklisting
Neged Neshek – Israel Military Industries, banned from competing for Indian arms contracts, is suing to appeal its blacklisting. The Deccan Herald reports : IMI had signed a contract to build bi-modular charge system (BMCS) plant for manufacturing an advanced propellant-charge used for firing artillery ammunition after emerging as the…
Haaretz Publishes Pseudonymous Apologia for Torture
Tikun Olam – Tweet Imagine you’re the op-ed page editor of the NY Times and a CIA torturer comes forward who wants to publish an anonymous op-ed not just defending torture, but arguing that any and all acts in which he engages should be retroactively approved by the State…
StandWithUs, UC San Diego Pro-Israel Group, Host Anti-Muslim Conference
Tikun Olam – Tweet Zuhdi Jasser to speak on ‘Muslim terror’ at UC San Diego, May 15th (Seth Wenig/AP) Next week, StandWithUs and the UC San Diego pro-Israel student advocacy group, Tritons for Israel, will host a rather mysterious campus event. According to a speaker contract SWU uploaded to…
How do you lower the price of tomatoes in Israel? Market tomatoes from Gaza
Gisha –
Akiva Tor: Arab Spring at fault for blocking a future Palestinian state
Mondoweiss – Akiva Tor spoke in San Francisco Monday, May 6, 2012. On Monday, Akiva Tor, Israeli consul general of the Pacific Northwest, shed more light on the bitterness Israel feels towards the Arab Spring in a lecture at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Although the event…
Why I Am Not a Liberal Zionist: A response to the Huffington Post’s ‘Liberal Zionists Speak Out’
Mondoweiss – In March 2001 I was interviewed on Israeli TV, on a prime-time talk show, which had the interviewer, Dov Elboim, talking leisurely and deeply with the interviewee for half-an-hour. Lots can be said in half-an-hour. Those were the early days of the second Intifada, a few…
Oren-Asali photo leads to call for Asali to resign from American Task Force on Palestine
Mondoweiss – Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren and the American Task Force on Palestine’s Ziad Asali at an “independence day” celebration organized by the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Controversy has surrounded the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) since Haaretz’s Natasha Mozgovaya tweeted a photo of the Task…
New Pew Center poll highlights growing Egyptian revulsion at peace treaty with Israel
Mondoweiss – An Egyptian protester outside the Israeli embassy last August (Photo: AP) Noam Chomsky’s analysis of US foreign policy after the Arab Spring boils down to this maxim: “The U.S. and its allies will do anything they can to prevent authentic democracy in the Arab world.” A…
Al Jazeera’s ‘The Stream’ tackles racism against African refugees in Israel
Mondoweiss – Over the past five years racism in Israel against Africans, Sudanese and Eritrean refugees, has swelled. In discourse, it rivals that of racism against Palestinians. And with 40,000 to 45,000 refugees entering Israel since 2007, coupled with no comprehensive placement policies for asylum seekers, racism against…
Still a Proud, Disappointed Zionist
The Forward Leonard Fein 8 May 2012 –
With Partners, Bibi Issues New Iran Demands
The Foward Breaking News 9 May 2012 – After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished celebrating the aftermath of the political bombshell that he had dropped on Israel by bringing in Kadima into the government, he freed up Wednesday to deal with a different bomb. Click here for the rest of the article…
Filmmaker Could Be Charged for ‘Jenin’ Documentary
The Foward Breaking News 9 May 2012 – The attorney general will soon decide whether to file charges against Mohammed Bakri, director of the controversial film “Jenin, Jenin,” which implies that Israel Defense Forces soldiers committed war crimes in a 2002 military operation in the Palestinian refugee camp. Click here for the rest of…
Lieberman To Push New Government To Legalize West Bank Outpost
The Foward Breaking News 9 May 2012 – Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday that the main issues facing Israel’s new governing coalition are the Tal Law and the West Bank neighborhood Ulpana. Click here for the rest of the article…
New Study Highlights Israel’s Digital Divide
The Foward Breaking News 9 May 2012 – The digital divide in Israel is shown by the numbers of those who are connected to the Internet, and also in the way that users with different incomes work within it, a new survey has found. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Can Defend Itself, Biden Tells Rabbis
The Forward New 9 May 2012 – Israel doesn’t need America’s permission to attack Iran, Vice President Joe Biden told a gathering of Conservative rabbis May 8. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Israel Gas Issue Becoming Explosive
allAfrica.com 9 May 2012 – [IPS] Cairo – The two weeks since Egypt‘s abrupt cancellation of a Mubarak-era gas-export deal with Israel have seen an exchange of indirect threats and warnings between the two countries, culminating in an apparent Israeli military build-up on the border of Egypt‘s Sinai Peninsula.
Africa: Amid Civil War Concerns in Syria, Envoy Describes Ongoing Violence As ‘Unacceptable’
allAfrica.com 9 May 2012 – [UN News] Amid concerns from the international community over the prospects of a “full civil war” in Syria, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on the Syrian Crisis, Kofi Annan, said today that the ongoing levels of violence…
Africa: Is the Diamond Trade Fuelling the Machinery of War?
allAfrica.com 9 May 2012 – [Penguin Books] The following extract from Terry Crawford Browne’s new book, Eye on the Diamonds examines “how diamonds link the colonial and apartheid histories of South Africa with the close histories of Israel and Palestine”.
Tanzania: Israel to Help Zanzibar Improve Agriculture
allAfrica.com 8 May 2012 – [Daily News] Zanzibar – ZANZIBAR and Israel have agreed to constitute working groups to further promote agricultural cooperation.
Explosion near UN convoy in Syria
BBC 9 May 2012 – An explosion hits a Syrian military truck which was escorting a convoy of UN observers to the city of Deraa, injuring a number of soldiers.
Israeli coalition deal approved
BBC 9 May 2012 – The Israeli parliament approves a coalition deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and the Kadima party of Shaul Mofaz.
Libya PM brands attackers outlaws
BBC 8 May 2012 – Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim al-Keib denounces gunmen who attacked his offices in the capital Tripoli as “outlaws”.
Administrative detainees Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahlah are near death after 70 days of their hunger strike
B’tselem 9 May 2012 – Israel is currently holding 308 Palestinians in administrative detention Today(7 May, 2012) Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected appeals by Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahlah against their continued administrative detention, and ruled that a hunger strike cannot determine the duration of administrative detention. The ruling followed…
Articles
The Emperor Has No Clothes: Palestinians and the End of the Peace Process
International Crisis Group 5/8/2012
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Does anybody still believe in the Middle East Peace Process? Nineteen years after Oslo and thirteen years after a final settlement was supposed to be reached, prospects for a two-state solution are as dim as ever. The international community mechanically goes through the motions, with as little energy as conviction. The parties most directly concerned, the Israeli and Palestinian people, appear long ago to have lost hope. Substantive gaps are wide, and it has become a challenge to get the sides in the same room. The bad news is the U.S. presidential campaign, Arab Spring, Israel’s focus on Iran and European financial woes portend a peacemaking hiatus. The good news is such a hiatus is badly needed. The expected diplomatic lull is a chance to reconsider basic pillars of the process – not to discard the two-state solution, for no other option can possibly attract mutual assent; nor to give up on negotiations, for no outcome will be imposed from outside. But to incorporate new issues and constituencies; rethink Palestinian strategy to alter the balance of power; and put in place a more effective international architecture.
For all the scepticism surrounding the ways of the past, breaking with them will not come easily. Few may still believe in the peace process, but many still see significant utility in it. Ongoing negotiations help Washington manage its relations with the Arab world and to compensate for close ties to Israel with ostensible efforts to meet Palestinian aspirations. Europeans have found a role, bankrolling the Palestinian Authority and, via the Quartet, earning a seat at one of the most prestigious diplomatic tables – a satisfaction they share with Russia and the UN Secretary-General. Peace talks are highly useful to Israel for deflecting international criticism and pressure.
Palestinians suffer most from the status quo, yet even they stand to lose if the comatose process finally were pronounced dead…. more.. e-mail
World powers rush to plunge Syria into war
Pepe Escobar, Asia Times 5/10/2012
(Satire alert)
DAMASCUS – World powers are racing against time to plunge Syria into all-out civil war, United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon advised, as a watchdog reported “thousands” of killings of civilians on YouTube by the Syrian regime.
Speaking after a key United Nations Security Council meeting on Syria, officials described in detail the “brutality” of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and said attacks by opposition groups are “non-existent”.
We are in a race against time to promote full-scale civil war – “death on a potentially massive scale,” officials guaranteed. The UN already estimates that well over 9,000 people have died in the 14-month uprising against Assad while rights groups have put the number at more than 11,000, every single one of them a victim of the ruthless Assad regime.
“The government continues to assault its people,” the UN secretary general said. He also criticized the Syrian government for holding parliamentary elections on Monday. Observers instead evoked the example of the Saudi royal family, when it appointed a committee of princes to decide on their succession. Western powers at the time praised it as the most important step in the history of democracy since the 1789 French Revolution.
Iran, a staunch ally of the Assad regime, said the elections were a step towards reform – something immediately dismissed by world powers as “mullah propaganda”.
At least 100 people were killed on YouTube across Syria by regime forces as the vote was taking place, the one-man, one-legged, London-based, Gulf-financed Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. more.. e-mail
Prisoners Uphold Palestinian Cause
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2012 – By Ramzy Baroud A critical shift in the Palestine-Israeli conflict is now underway. The shift promises an endgame for the Israeli plot in Palestine, and a possible collective response from the Palestinian people. Every Palestinian uprising in the past — from as far back as the late 1920s to the second Intifada in 2000 — has been sparked by a single event, which was a critical accumulation of numerous prior events that forced Palestinians to act en masse. Such a moment is now approaching. Current developments in Palestine include the complete bankruptcy of the Palestinian leadership, futile unity talks between major Palestinian factions, Israeli attempts to finalise its long-orchestrated colonial designs in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, and a failure of the international community to impose any real pressure on Israel. The high hopes some Palestinians pinned on Arab revolutions — and their sense of political clarity — have…more
Empty Stomachs, Palestinian Spring
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2012 – By Patrick O. Strickland – Ramallah, The West Bank Following the examples of Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi, 1,500 Palestinian prisoners have joined a mass hunger strike campaign inside Israeli military prisons. They are calling for an immediate termination of the policy of administrative detention and the excessive use of solitary confinement, and demanding humane living conditions, family visits, and reasonable access to educational materials. In short, Palestinian hunger strikers are reclaiming something which they have been systematically denied—their dignity. It is not Israel alone that stands between Palestinians and their basic human rights: neither the media nor the Western governments have bothered to comment much on the plight of Palestinian prisoners conducting a mass campaign of peaceful resistance. In the media, Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria have been repackaged and price-marked. The highly commercialized depiction of the Arab Spring—large crowds of youngsters overthrowing repressive dictators only with the help of…more
Netanyahu Crowns Himself King of Israel: Will Israeli Left Finally Stir?
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2012 – By Jonathan Cook Israelis barely had time to absorb the news that they were heading into a summer election when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu yesterday pulled the rug from underneath the charade. Rancourous early electioneering had provided cover for a secret agreement between Netanyahu and the main opposition party, Kadima, to form a new, expanded coalition government. Rather than facing the electorate in September, Netanyahu and his hardline rightwing government are expected to comfortably see out the remaining 18 months of his term of office. Not only that, but he will now have the backing of more than three-quarters of the 120-seat Israeli parliament, leading one commentator to crown him the “King of Israel”. The announcement may have taken Israelis by surprise but it fully accorded with the logic of an increasingly dysfunctional Israeli political culture. Shaul Mofaz, who a few weeks ago ousted Tzipi Livni as head of the…more
‘Back-to-Back’ Procedure: Patients at Checkpoints
Palestine Chronicle: 9 May 2012 – By Tamar Fleishman – The West Bank The detainment of a person that is being transferred by an ambulance to one of the six Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem, until the completion of the bureaucratic procedures, falls under the euphemistic title of: “co-ordinations”. These entail nothing more than the authorization of the secret services that grant the patient permission to pass through the checkpoint, but they are only the first step on the Via Dolorosa unfolding before the patient until he does (or does not) arrive at his destination. Despite the fact that the patient’s rights act determines that in cases of medical emergency a person is entitled to receive urgent medical treatment without any preconditions or discriminations, in reality it would take time, in some incidents time that the patient doesn’t have, before he is granted passage. The mechanism of the occupation is organized so as to make the…more
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The New Dark Age 
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