27 June 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli government fails to carry out terms of prisoner agreement
IMEMC – Palestinian and international rights groups have condemned the Israeli government’s failure to live up to the agreement made one month ago in order to end the month-long hunger strike of over 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. …
Abbas-Mofaz Meeting Not Confirmed, P.A Says
IMEMC – The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank reported that the planned Sunday meeting between Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli vice prime minister, Shaul Mofaz, was not confirmed, adding that should such a meeting take, it would be for explaining stances, exchanging opinions, and not a resumption of peace talks. …
Palestinian Man Shot Near Maale Adumim Settlement
IMEMC – Israeli media sources reported that Israeli settlement guards shot and wounded a Palestinian man near Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon. …
Israel Plans Demolition of Entire Palestinian Village
IMEMC – The Palestinian village of Susiya faces demolition orders for all of its 50 buildings after years of relative calm. The decision was contested with official and physical protests. …
Army Breaks Into PLC Office In Salfit
IMEMC – Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the office of elected Hamas parliament members, in the West Bank district of Salfit. They also broke into the home of the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Salfit, the Palestine News Network (PNN) reported. …
Moscow Seeks New Middle East Role
IMEMC – Russian President Vladmir Putin visited Israel and the West Bank on Tuesday as part of a whirlwind tour of the Middle East. The administration in Moscow has lost some credibility in the region as a result of its support of the Assad regime in Syria. It now hopes to rebuild its reputation by brokering a regional peace conference. …
Soldiers Kidnap Several Palestinians In The West Bank
IMEMC – On Wednesday at dawn Israeli soldiers invaded several areas in the occupied West Bank, broke into and searched dozens of homes, and kidnapped and detained several residents. …
Israel Approves 180 New Units For Settlers In Jerusalem
IMEMC – The Construction and Planning Committee in Jerusalem approved Tuesday the construction of 180 units for Jewish settlers in the Armon HaNetziv settlement in East Tel Peut. Israel will construct five huge residential buildings, in addition to a sixth building for public use, and three buildings for the Engineering Department of Armon HaNetziv. …
Report: Settler guard shoots Palestinian near Jerusalem
6/27/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — A security guard at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank shot and seriously injured a Palestinian man Wednesday, Israeli media reported. The man, in his 30s but not otherwise identified, suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach after being shot by a guard at the illegal Maale….
ICHR demands release of prisoners in PA jails
6/28/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Independent Commission for Human Rights says it is concerned about the lives of prisoners who are on hunger strike in a detention center of the general intelligence in Bethlehem. The commission visited the center this week to check up on the detainees after several announced a hunger strike as they…. Related: UK lawyers say Israeli child detention practices illegal
Israeli forces raid northern West Bank, detain 6 in south
6/27/2012 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained six Palestinians in the southern West Bank overnight Tuesday, a military spokeswoman said, while locals reported raids in northern villages. Witnesses said Israeli forces detained Abed Al Rahman Mahmud Sbeih in Kafr Rai, near Jenin late Tuesday. Forces raided the home of freed prisoner Ibrahim Nawahda in al-Yamun….
Susiya defiant against threat from namesake settlement
6/27/2012 – SUSIYA, West Bank (Reuters) — Susiya the Israeli settlement enjoys well-watered lawns, humming electricity, and the protection of a mighty state. One rocky hill away, Susiya the Palestinian village is parched and doomed. The cluster of around 50 breezeblock hovels and tents, erected without the elusive building permission of Israel’s occupying authorities in the…. Related: Fayyad praises ‘steadfast’ village threatened by Israel
Report: Israeli forces seize 6 in East Jerusalem raid
6/27/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities on Wednesday detained six Palestinians in East Jerusalem who they say are affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Israeli media reported. The group, from Isawiya neighborhood, were seized by police and internal security agency officials on suspicion of throwing stones at security forces and assaulting….
Official: Egypt to allow more Gaza passengers through Rafah
6/28/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egypt has agreed to increase the number of passengers passing through its Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip to 1,000 per day, the Palestinian crossings director said Wednesday. Maher Abu Sabha told Ma’an the terminal — the only entry and exit point for travelers from Gaza — currently has 500….
In photos: The annexed tomb
6/27/2012 – MaanImages / Florian Ladstaedter – Soldiers and Jewish pilgrims maintain a permanent presence at Rachel’s tomb, believed to be the burial place of the biblical matriarch Rachel — a holy place for Muslims, Christians and Jews. Once was an idyllic mausoleum style tomb surrounded by olive trees inside Bethlehem, Israel’s separation wall now entirely….
Israel intercepts rockets fired from Gaza
6/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel were intercepted by an Israeli missile shield on Tuesday evening, a military spokesman said. Before a truce brokered late Saturday, Gaza militant groups fired dozens of rockets into Gaza as Israeli airstrikes pounded the coastal enclave, killing at least 12 Palestinians during….
Israeli forces ‘raid Islamic deputies office in Salfit’
6/28/2012 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the office of Hamas-affiliated deputies in northern West Bank city Salfit early Wednesday, deputies told Ma’an. Troops raided the office, confiscating computer devices, before searching the home of the office director Izz al-Din Fatash, they said. The Israeli forces verbally requested that Fatash permanently close the….
Mosque doubles as work haven to Israel’s Bedouin women
6/28/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Attired in traditional dress, Bedouin women gather in a desert mosque in Israel. They find their seats in a room near the prayer hall and then, speaking confidently in Hebrew, take calls from customers seeking help with phone problems. The mosque also doubles as a call center and is a joint venture between….
Cast out of Israel, S.Sudanese face risky future
6/27/2012 – JUBA (Reuters) — Wearing low-slung ripped jeans, a silver cross and diamond-studded earrings, Marshan Mai cursed as he stepped off the aircraft back on to the land he left years ago. He was in the second group of South Sudanese migrants who arrived at Juba airport on Tuesday after being deported from Israel and who face….
Israel army court convicts Palestinian of 46 murders
6/28/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man arrested in 2006 by Israel was convicted Wednesday of 46 counts of murder carried out while commanding Hamas‘ military wing in the West Bank, Israeli media reported. Israel’s Ynet news site reported that Ibrahim Hamed, 47, a former commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades….
Report: Hamas leaders plan Jordan visit
6/28/2012 – LONDON (Ma’an) — Senior Hamas officials will visit Jordan in the coming days, media affiliated with the party reported Wednesday. The delegation, led by political bureau chief Khalid Mashaal, will take place after preparations are finalized, likely within two weeks, the pro-Hamas Palestinian Information Center website reported. Quoting a “reliable source,” the website said….
Report: Mofaz to meet Abbas Sunday
6/27/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz will meet President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday, Israeli media reported on Tuesday. Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu gave the meeting a go-ahead in order to keep Mofaz’s Kadima party in the governing coalition, Israel’s Channel Two reported. Mofaz….
UK lawyers say Israeli child detention practices illegal
6/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A delegation of senior British lawyers on Tuesday released a report saying Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children in custody breaks international law. The independent study, backed by the UK government, documents testimony by the UN, Israeli and Palestinian NGOs, former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian children that minors are subject…. Related: ICHR demands release of prisoners in PA jails
Fayyad praises ‘steadfast’ village threatened by Israel
6/27/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The prime minister in Ramallah praised on Wednesday a village facing demolition by Israel, calling the Susiya hamlet a symbol of Palestine’s steadfast resistance to occupation. Salam Fayyad said Israel’s plans to demolish the tiny West Bank village demonstrated “to the whole world” that it is willing…. Related: Susiya defiant against threat from namesake settlement
Election officials to launch awareness campaign in Gaza
6/28/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The central elections committee will start Thursday an awareness campaign to update the electoral register in 256 centers in the Gaza Strip, an official said Wednesday. Hisham Kahil, the executive director of the central elections commission, said that the campaign was the first such initiative to update the registers since….
Mursi win to distract Hamas from unity, analysts say
6/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Egypt under a Muslim Brotherhood presidency is unlikely to alter its foreign policy outlook, but could impact Palestinian politics by encouraging Hamas to seek international recognition, political analysts told Ma’an. After Brotherhood candidate Muhammad Mursi was announced the winner of Egypt’s first democratic presidential vote, Hamas official….
5 Palestinians prepare to compete in Olympics
6/27/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Five Palestinian athletes are preparing for the London Olympics in intensive training camps, the head of the Palestinian Olympics committee said Tuesday. Jibril al-Rajoub said Palestine’s swimming team has trained in Barcelona while the athletics team is getting ready in Qatar, adding that it was the first time Palestinian….
Gaza man falls to death at building site
6/28/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A young construction worker was killed in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after he fell from a building site in the south, locals said. Yousif al-Sadi, 28, fell from the fourth floor of the building he was working to building in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah city, they said….
Israel accuses Iran of anti-Semitism in drug speech
6/27/2012 – JERUSALEM(Reuters) — Israel said on Wednesday Iran was governed by fanatical anti-Semites after its vice president told a UN forum that Zionists were inciting drug trafficking and Jewish religious law called for the annihilation of non-Jews. The verbal clash highlighted festering tension in an international stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear program. A third round….
Kuwaitis protest after elected parliament thrown out
6/28/2012 – KUWAIT (Reuters) — Thousands of Kuwaitis protested on Tuesday against a court ruling that effectively dissolved a parliament dominated by opposition Islamists and reinstated the previous, more government-friendly, assembly. They packed Erada square opposite parliament in the OPEC-oil producer and chanted “we will not surrender,” after lawmakers decried the ruling as a coup against the constitution….
Egypt’s Islamist president-elect seeks wide support
6/28/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi began talks on Wednesday with groups nervous about where he will take Egypt after the generals who have ruled since Hosni Mubarak’s fall make way for the republic’s first civilian leader. Among Mursi’s first visitors as president may be US Secretary of State….
State TV: Gunmen storm pro-govt Syrian TV channel
6/27/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Gunmen broke through the gates of a pro-government Syrian TV channel headquarters on Wednesday, bombing buildings and shooting dead three employees, state media said, in one of the boldest attacks yet on a symbol of the authoritarian state. President Bashar al-Assad declared late on Tuesday that his country was at war and the….
Tunisia politicians seek to bring down Islamist-led govt
6/27/2012 – TUNIS (Reuters) — Tunisian parliamentarians are pushing for a no-confidence vote in the Islamist-led government, whose divisive decision to extradite Moammar Gadhafi’s prime minister has caused the country’s deepest political crisis since last year’s elections. Tunisia extradited Al Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi to Libya on Sunday, making him the first senior….
US agencies ordered to preserve records in leak probes
6/27/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US intelligence and defense officials have been ordered to preserve documents and emails that could be relevant to national security leak investigations being pursued by federal prosecutors, Obama administration officials said Tuesday. A US defense official said the order to Defense Department personnel applies to any documentation — emails, faxes and paper documents — that….
Syria’s Assad faces growing rebel, foreign threat
6/27/2012 – With a high profile attack on a government TV station, escalating fighting around Damascus and talk of increasing covert foreign support, Syria‘s rebels are bringing the fight ever closer to Bashar Assad. In a speech on Tuesday night, Assad said the country was now “at war” and that all sectors of the government….
Egypt’s president-elect to sue Iranian news agency
6/27/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — The office of Egyptian president-elect Mohamed Mursi will file a lawsuit against the Iranian news agency Fars for making up an interview with him which said he promised to improve ties between the two countries, Mursi’s spokesman said Wednesday.” President Mursi was never interviewed by Iran’s Fars news agency….
Caterpillar cut from social index over Israel
AlJazeera 27 Jun 2012 – US company removed from socially responsible share index over Israeli use of its bulldozers for demolition in Palestine.
A Prisoner Recalls a Brutal Israeli Attack on Prisoners in Eishel Prison
Palestine News Network
Israeli Occupation Forces Arrest Six Palestinians from the West Bank
Palestine News Network
The Muslims I Know
Palestine News Network
UNESCO To Vote On PA Bid To Make Bethlehem Sites World Heritage This Week
Palestine News Network
The Islamic – Christian Commission: Talmudic Charts and Buildings Designed to Change the Reality of Jerusalem
Palestine News Network
Erekat Denies News about Possible Meeting between Abbas and Mofaz
Palestine News Network
Barriers Hindering Women’s Economic Participation on the Agenda of ESCWA
Palestine News Network
MADA Welcomes EU Adoption of Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy
Palestine News Network
Summer Camp for Children with Cancer Delivers Hopes and Smiles
Palestine News Network
Al Manasseh – Get on Stage
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Welcomes the Results of Egyptian Elections, and Considers it to be a Milestone for Democratic Transformation in Egypt and the Arab World
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Alternative Information Center
Caterpillar removed from TIAA-CREF’s social choice funds
Alternative Information Center – Pension fund giant TIAA-CREF has removed Caterpillar, Inc. from its Social Choice Funds portfolio. As of May 1, 2012, financial data posted on TIAA-CREF’s website valued Social Choice Funds shares in Caterpillar at $72,943,861. Today it…
012
Alternative Information Center – In the first four months of 2012, settler violence against Palestinian residents has increased dramatically since last year. In the recent months, the Palestinian communities in the north and south of the West Bank are faced…
Syria’s war call escalates violence
The National 27 Jun 2012 – Security guards and journalists killed in attack on TV station.
Mohammed Morsi plans to appoint woman deputy
The National 27 Jun 2012 – Egypt’s Islamist president-elect plans to name a woman and a Christian among his deputies.
Lebanon steps up security over unrest
The National 27 Jun 2012 – The security plan comes during a period of heightened tension in Lebanon and following an attack on the Beirut headquarters of the Al Jadeed Television station by several armed men on Monday night.
‘Peace pipeline’ deal in ruins as energy officials await their fate
The National 27 Jun 2012 – Four years after the first unit of gas was pumped through what has been called the ‘peace pipeline’, a gas deal between Egypt and Israel collapsed in a confusion of regional politics, bombings, corruption charges and lawsuits.
Court case centres on whether regime got the best price for energy
The National 27 Jun 2012 – The most controversial element of the now-defunct gas deal between Egypt and Israel was the perception that the gas was subsidised by Egyptians.
Israeli officer faces trial for shooting 10-year-old boy
The National 27 Jun 2012 – Officer in Israel’s Border Police was travelling in a bulletproof vehicle when it came under a barrage of stones thrown by Palestinian demonstrators. He opened the door and shot twice, killing a 10-year-old boy instantly.
Assad: Syria is in ‘state of war’
The National 27 Jun 2012 – An attack on a pro-government television channel’s offices near Damascus killed three staff today after President Bashar Al Assad said Syria was in a ‘state of war.’
Putin courts Jerusalem while cringing over U.S. bill
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Netanyahu calls on Shas to be flexible on IDF draft law
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
One-third of moms have post-trauma after childbirth
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Kinneret invaded – by leeches
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Ultra-Orthodox take aim at military draft
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Israel lags far behind West in firefighting resources
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Israel to invest NIS 355m to improve sewer systems in Arab towns
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
New post-traumatic stress research attempts to ‘inoculate’ IDF soldiers against anxiety
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Aharonovitch accuses Tel Aviv protesters of violence against police
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Will Rabbi Amar eventually end up like the Archbishop of Canterbury?
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Report: Syria may have downed Turkish jet after mistaking it for Israeli aircraft
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Right-wing MK: Israeli social activists seek to turn Rabin Square into Tahrir Square
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
German Foreign Minister urges Olympic chair to commemorate ‘Munich 11’ victims
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Lieberman, Arab MK exchange insults during foreign minister’s visit to Bedouin village
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Hamas commander found guilty of killing 46 Israelis
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Israel’s university heads oppose upgrade of West Bank education center
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
One-third of Israeli women experience post-traumatic symptoms after giving birth, study finds
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Two IDF officers killed when vehicle overturns on Route 4
Ha’aretz – 27 Jun 2012
Israeli official: Egypt likely to preserve peace treaty with Israel
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
Four rockets fired at Netivot
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
Netanyahu wants to soften Haredi draft guidelines
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
MDA study: Israeli ambulances make fewer drug errors than ERs do
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
Israeli kibbutzim lure young families away from Kiryat Shmona
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
White Night fades to black as Israeli cultural icons boycott Tel Aviv event
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
Police chief: TA protesters intended to act violently and illegall?
Ha’aretz – 26 Jun 2012
Moscow to evict SPNI from ‘Sergei’s Courtyard’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Environmental organization must find new home in next three months after 38 years in Russian Compound.
Hamas announces senior member is assassinated in Damascus
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Palestinian terror group says it’s investigating the death of Kamal Ranaja, but senior Hamas official tells AFP the group suspects the Mossad responsible; official message vows that his blood will “not be wasted.”
18 more Ulpana families to relocate
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Families will join 15 others who already peacefully relocated to modular homes inside the Beit El settlement.
MK lambasts delays in human experimentation rules
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Tirosh criticizes Health Ministry for failure to speed up bill in Knesset committee; clinical trial requests are on the rise.
McCain criticizes Turkey for broken ties with Israel
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – US senator calls diplomatic break painful for the US as it counts both Israel and Turkey as vital allies.
Coalition crisis brewing over ‘Tal Law’ replacement
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Kadima, Shas, UTJ spar over quotas, penalties; Mofaz insists on stringent law with sharp penalties for those who don’t serve.
Antisocial protests
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – The social protest ringleaders exposed their motives and thereby alienated Mr. and Ms. Average Israeli.
Moshe Ya’alon: Strategic thinker and leader
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Candidly Speaking: Ya’alon is perhaps the most understated minister in the government and is considered a highly untypical Israeli leader.
The revolution of the left wing
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Regardless of her reasons, Yechimovich’s ultimate victory in the primary indicates a new trend.
Washington Watch: Stumbling on Egypt’s road to democracy
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Standing in the way are leaders of military junta who don’t want to surrender power and the Muslim Brotherhood with an autocratic outlook that is embodied in its slogan, “Islam is the Solution.”
Egypt’s president-elect to sue Iranian news agency
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi began talks with groups nervous about where he will take Egypt.
Here comes the Islamic Republic of Egypt
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Fundamentally Freund: This is the first time that an avowed Islamist has been elected to lead an Arab state.
Inside Out: A politically volatile summer
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – The threat of alienating his haredi partners is going to be very difficult for Netanyahu to avoid.
Terra Incognita: Battir-ing down the gates to UNESCO
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – With the Palestinians finally having a chance to suggest their own sites to UNESCO, it’s egregious that Battir was ever considered as their first choice.
Media Comment: Media Doublespeak
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Has media literacy become a difficult task rather than a celebration of democracy and freedom of expression?
Givati trains for war ahead of Gaza deployment
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – “We are prepared for war,” says commander of IDF’s Givati Brigade following grueling week-long brigade exercise.
The Jewish Agency and aliya
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – This summer, more than 1,000 young adults will be bringing Israel to Jewish summer camps.
United States-Israel discuss Iran nukes, Syria WMDs
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Israel seeks US aid on missile defense budget, maintaining edge militarily; massive joint missile test set for October.
Israel is swamped with singles
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Growing number of singles is creating anthropological havoc; Haifa University sociologist: Researching the phenomenon of singles is actually researching the transformation of the human system.
‘Germany must pass law to protect circumcision’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Rivlin tells Bundestag president that court ruling against circumcision cannot go unchallenged.
Russian media reports: S-300 sale to Syria cancelled
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Russian paper ‘Vedomisti’ says Russia chose to withhold sale estimated at about $100 million from 2011 Syria deal.
Aharonovich: Police are not media’s ‘punching bag’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Public Security Minister says opposes all violence, whether directed against social protesters or against police.
Poll: Israelis divided on US role in peace process
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Survey commissioned by B’nai Brith finds Israelis strongly support gov’t investment in Diaspora.
W. Bank: Guard shoots Palestinian in scuffle
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Suspect rams vehicle into police car at entrance to Ma’aleh Adumim, runs toward security guards, trying to snatch gun.
Settler youths clash with Ulpana outpost residents
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – One resident lightly injured after group of around 20 arrive at West Bank outpost to protest peaceable evacuation.
‘Barghouti would beat Abbas, Haniyeh in election’
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Survey of Palestinians in W. Bank, Gaza shows Hamas popularity on rise while Fatah dropping.
The happy couple and a couple of others
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Family Matters: Shimrit Nothman gives advice on how to have the happiest of Huppas.
University heads pressure PM on Ariel status
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Presidents say adding university would harm higher education; academics had previously petitioned on political grounds.
Spend the night
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Despite a number of cancellations, TA‘s White Night celebration runs gamut from music, artwork to dancing, drinking.
Cast out of Israel, S. Sudanese face risky future
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – George Eyenyori, wearing a Jewish skullcap, said he was away from South Sudan for 27 years and had converted to Judaism in Israel.
2 IDF officers killed in crash near Rishon Lezion
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – 2 additional officers injured when car flips and hits truck; four officers were en route to Ashdod naval base where they served.
Falling oil prices put Iran over US sanctions barrel
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Late June US sanctions, early July EU embargo to punish Iranian economy in attempt to halt contentious nuclear program.
Canada favors tech cooperation with J’lem
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – ‘Israel is a hotbed of innovation, technological activity,’ Canadian resources minister says before meeting with Uzi Landau.
Heirs to Nazi-seized assets sue Claims Conference
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Plaintiffs say Jewish organization ‘maliciously’ withholding NIS 2.5 million, request compensation.
Relative of Raoul Wallenberg likens W. Bank to Syria
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Grand-nephew of Swedish diplomat famous for rescuing 100,000 Jews during Holocaust visits Israel, says “silence in the face of evil is evil.”
Erdan: No concrete outcome from Rio+20 summit
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Israeli delegation, technology well received at Brazilian sustainability conference.
French center, science ministry expand ties
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – Expansion of cooperation will allow researchers from Israel to travel to France for conferences, courses, joint research.
Social justice activists hail budget decision as win
Jerusalem Post 27 Jun 2012 – PM decides to double next year’s budget deficit ceiling instead of new tax hikes; Stav Shafir says move is result of social protest.
Man arrested for plotting to kill his lawyer
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2012 – Suspect allegedly took decision to shoot attorney after accusing him of embezzling money from him during a deal.
Iran’s media ‘optimistic’ about relations with Egypt
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2012 – Regime-linked news sites say Cairo-Tehran links ‘central issue’ on president-elect’s foreign policy agenda.
Egypt: Brotherhood, army agree on leader’s powers
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2012 – Mohamed Morsy pledges to appoint woman, Christian and others from non-Brotherhood groups to vice presidential posts.
Israeli musician performs at Obama fundraiser
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2012 – Miri Ben-Ari plays “Symphony of Brotherhood” before US president at Boston’s Symphony Hall.
MDA creates rabbinic body for religious guidelines
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2012 – MDA has come under intense pressure from haredi community in recent years to prevent haredi men serving together with women.
Danino denies excessive response to protests
Jerusalem Post 26 Jun 2012 – Police chief says disturbances were planned; activist calls claims of violence by protesters “ridiculous.”
Former ambassador says settlements should be denied Made in Israel label
The Guardian 27 Jun 2012 – Former Israeli ambassador to South Africa says consumers should be allowed to decide whether to boycott goods A former Israeli ambassador to South Africa has backed international efforts to prevent produce originating in Jewish settlements in…
Palestine seeks world heritage status for Church of the Nativity
The Guardian 27 Jun 2012 – Application is first since Palestinian authority was granted membership of Unesco, a move that led Israel and the US to withdraw their funding to the body The dusty gloom is barely relieved by dimly lit coloured…
For Israelis, Palestinian oppression is out of sight and out of mind | Alon Liel
The Guardian 27 Jun 2012 – Exported products that are labelled Made in Israel but grown on illegal settlements typify Israel’s self-deception The Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems more stuck than ever. In the present stalemate, recent efforts by several foreign governments – including…
Conflict Heats Up in the Sahara
IPS “We’ve been building a lot of new walls lately,” says Polisario Front commander Ahmed Salem as he drives his 4 X 4 across Tindouf in Western Algeria. But the newly introduced security measures may not be enough to ensure the survival of the Western Sahrawis. Salem Ahmed drives along the…
Uproar over Ariel settlement university highlights Israeli academia’s hypocrisy
Uruknet
Israeli Army Demolishes Sheds, Confiscates Water Tanks, In Wadi al-Maleh
Uruknet
Prominent Americans urge Ecuador to accept Julian Assange’s asylum request
Uruknet
I’m A Cast Lead Survivor
Uruknet
012
Uruknet
012 : A Video Roundup
Uruknet
Jordan Valley: Palestinian family’s water confiscated, internationals arrested
Uruknet
US Drone Strike Against North Waziristan Kills Six, Wounds Two
Uruknet
Israel Demolishes Historic Islamic Sites In Jerusalem
Uruknet
Law of the jungle in post-Gadhafi Libya
Uruknet
Jury weighs fate of Saudi man in US bomb case
Daily Star 27 Jun 2012 A jury was weighing the fate Wednesday of a Saudi man accused of plotting terror bomb attacks against Americans.
Rwanda regrets UN decision to publish Congo report
Daily Star 27 Jun 2012 Rwanda said on Wednesday that it was ‘deeply regrettable’ that the UN Security Council has decided to publish a document alleging Rwanda was backing armed groups.
Mubarak morale down after Morsi victory: sources
Daily Star 27 Jun 2012 Egypt’s ailing former strongman Hosni Mubarak is slipping in and out of a coma and his morale has plunged after news of Mohamed Morsi’s victory in the presidential polls.
Obama, UAE prince talk Iran, Syria, oil -White House
Daily Star 27 Jun 2012 U.S. President Barack Obama discussed conditions in Iran and Syria as well as global energy prices with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
Taliban video shows 17 beheaded Pakistani soldiers
Daily Star 27 Jun 2012 The Taliban released a video Wednesday that they say shows the heads of 17 Pakistani soldiers captured in a cross-border raid from Afghanistan this week and beheaded.
Bomb in railway station kills 5 in Pakistan
Daily Star 27 Jun 2012 Police say a bomb has exploded in a railway station in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least five people.
Syria opposition: Assad behind assassination of Hamas man
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – ….
US clears first new weight-loss pill in 13 years
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – ….
Morsi a disaster for Egypt
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Open letter to Egyptians: Do you really think new president will end corruption, save your economy? ….
Report: Hamas operative killed in Syria worked with Mabhouh
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – ….
Texas jury convicts Saudi bomb plot suspect
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – ….
Teen robs Haifa bank using toy gun
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – The 16-year-old robber was arrested at his home; wielded plastic gun to steal thousands of shekels ….
Iran says ready to help solve Syria crisis
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – ….
Tel Aviv: Drunk teen attacks 69-year-old man
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Man in serious condition following brutal assault that followed argument with intoxicated teenager ….
MK Regev: Social protesters want Tahrir Square in Tel Aviv
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Likud lawmaker says leaders of social justice movement concerned more about making headlines’ than bringing change, adding ‘you don’t solve problems by shattering windows.’ Meretz MKs: Police brutality unjustified ….
New Gaza policy needed
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Op-ed: Israel needs to recognize Gaza Strip as de facto state, even if it’s ruled by the ‘bad guys’ ….
Jerusalem fire called ‘spontaneous terrorism’
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch says he suspects arson in at least some of the recent spate of fires in and around the capital; Ministry releases alarming numbers on the State of Israel’s fire service and firefighting equipment ….
Ma’ale Adumim: Guard shoots Palestinian who tried to snatch gun
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Bethehem evacuated to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center with severe injuries; entrance to Ma’ale Adumim closed ….
FM to MK El-Sana: Terrorist, I’ll take care of you first
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – During visit to Bedouin village to inspect illegal construction, FM Lieberman attacks MK El-Sana: Arab leadership represents terrorists; Arab MK accuses Lieberman of being member of mafia ….
Hamas terrorist convicted of killing 46 Israelis
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades commander in West Bank convicted of launching several terror attack in Jerusalem. State seeks 56 life terms ….
Haredi service? No way
YNet News, 27 Jun 2012 – Op-ed: Israel’s seculars should realize there is no chance to enlist ultra-Orthodox for army service ….
Palestinian Information Center
Sawasiya center to prosecute PA health ministry for causing Gaza drug crisis
PIC – Sawasiya center for human rights said it has prepared a lawsuit against the Palestinian authority health ministry in Ramallah for its direct responsibility for the pharmaceutical crisis in Gaza.
Hamdan: upcoming meetings between Hamas and Fatah over reconciliation
PIC – The official of international relations in Hamas movement Osama Hamdan revealed that the upcoming days will witness several meetings between Fatah and Hamas delegations..
Haniya: Gaza will be the protector shield for Egypt
PIC – The Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh participated in the first day of graduation ceremonies at the Islamic University which is celebrating the 31st group of undergraduates.
Jordan concerned over Israeli negotiations with the Vatican
PIC – The Jordanian foreign ministry has expressed concern over the reported negotiations between The Vatican and Israel regarding Christian shrines in occupied Jerusalem.
Jerusalemite youth seriously wounded in IOF shooting
PIC – A 25-year-old Palestinian youth was seriously wounded when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him near Ma’aleh Adumim settlement to the east of occupied Jerusalem.
Occupation Forces arrest two students from Al-Khalil Polytechnic
PIC – Occupation forces raided, in the late hours of Wednesday morning, Abu Sneineh neighborhood in Al-Khalil, and arrested a university student from the Palestine Polytechnic University.
Abu Zuhri: We disapprove Russian president’s statement on Buraq Wall
PIC – Hamas spokesman Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri has announced his movement’s rejection of the statement uttered by Russian president Vladimir Putin during his visit to the Buraq Wall in occupied Jerusalem.
Occupation claims arresting a cell for smuggling mobile phones to Prisoners
PIC – The Shin Bet, the Israeli General Security Services, claimed the arrest of a cell comprising a number of Palestinian citizens from the 1948 occupied territories for smuggling dozens of cell phones.
Israeli army tests different sounding sirens for the “non-conventional attacks”
PIC – Hebrew press sources revealed that the IOF has been developing new ways to train the population to deal with “the serious non-conventional threats”
Palestinian Injured Seriously by Settlement Guard’s Fire
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Meeting between Abbas and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Uncertain, says Official
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Israeli Forces Close Legislative Council Office in Salfit after Storming It
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Russia to Back Naming Bethlehem on World Heritage List
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Bethlehem Urges UNESCO to Recognize it as World Heritage Site
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Israel Arrests Five in West Bank
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Producer Price Index Up in May, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 26 Jun 2012
United Nations to hold emergency session on Syria
LA Times 27 Jun 2012 – Diplomats from the U.S. and several other nations will attend a session in Geneva on Saturday to try to salvage envoy Kofi Annan’s plan for peace in Syria. BEIRUT — With a new warning that strife-torn Syria confronts a “catastrophic” fate, the United Nations said…
Rebels and Syrian Government Trade Blame for Attack on Broadcaster
New York Times 27 Jun 2012 – Syria said that rebels stormed a pro-government television station, but opposition fighters said the attackers were in fact defectors from the loyalist Republican Guard.
Annan Convenes Meeting on Syria — Minus Iran and Saudi Arabia
New York Times 27 Jun 2012 – The United States, Russia, China and the Arab League were included in the meeting to revive the peace plan, but Iran and Saudi Arabia, allies of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, were absent from the list of invitees.
At Iran Koran Competition, Reciters Vie for Honors
New York Times 27 Jun 2012 – National champions from 65 countries, including a 15-year-old from Uganda, traveled to Tehran for the competition.
Egypt Court Suspends Decree Imposing Martial Law
New York Times 27 Jun 2012 – The ruling suspending the authorization of soldiers to arrest civilians was the first time that a civilian court had directly challenged the power of Egypt’s governing military council.
Hillary Clinton’s Last Tour as a Rock-Star Diplomat
New York Times 27 Jun 2012 – What’s the future for the secretary of state? Given the problems facing the world, it’s hard to look past the next six months.
Specialty Food Makers Adopt a ‘Made in U.A.E.’ Label
New York Times 27 Jun 2012 – Small European-in-origin food businesses, from cheeses to chocolates, are discovering a favorable business climate in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates.
Joint Mossad-Shin Bet Team Interrogated Iranian Terror Suspect in Kenya
Tikun Olam – Tweet AP is reporting that Israeli intelligence agents interrogated an Iranian terror suspect in Kenya. The suspect, who was arrested and found with explosives in his possession, claimed he’d also been tortured by the agents. Another Iranian suspect was also arrested. A high level Israeli source…
The New Anti-Semitism and the International BDS Conspiracy
Tikun Olam – Tweet Let them eat hummus–Israeli hummus, that is There is a creeping Hatred in the land and its name is the New Anti-Semitism . The Paul Reveres (and Josef Trumpeldors ) of the anti-anti-Semitism movement are Great Souls like David Horowitz, Daniel Pipes, Ken Marcus and Judea…
Nazism, Zionism, and the Arab World: Countering myths
Muzzlewatch – Holocaust survivor Annette Herskovits has written an important article— Nazism, Zionism, and the Arab World : Countering the myths spread by pro-Israel ideologues. She describes the tactics and goals of pro-Israel campus watchdogs and the harm wrought by their unabashed falsification of history and of current realities…
FOIA request nets U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency video on Jonathan Pollard
Mondoweiss – Today, the IRmep Center for Policy and Law Enforcement released a internal briefing video produced by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency that it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The video, called “Jonathan Pollard: A Portrayal,” was produced to convince American government employees to “report…
Censored billboards opposing aid to Israel give Berman chance to grandstand
Mondoweiss – On June 18th CBS Outdoor censored 23 LA billboards , calling for an end to aid to Israel. CBS Outdoor did so on the (absurd) pretext that the billboard sponsors had “used the ‘CBS Outdoor’ name without permission” when they called on their supporters to thank CBS…
Help replace @WelshinGaza’s camera destroyed by the Israeli navy
Mondoweiss – On Monday, we published a harrowing account from @WelshinGaza about their standoff with the Israeli navy off the coast of Gaza. During the encounter, Welsh’s camera was destroyed by a stream of water the navy shot at the human rights observation boat Welsh was traveling on….
An all-consuming occupation
Mondoweiss – The following post first appeared on MERIP.org . On June 6, 2012, the Jerusalem Development Authority launched its fourth annual Jerusalem Festival of Light in the Old City. The previous year’s show had been a resounding success, according to sponsors quoted in the Jerusalem Post, with over…
How I discovered the Nakba
Mondoweiss – A Palestinian man overlooks a school in a refugee camp, 1948. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons ) I grew up in a Jewish family in the North London suburb of Muswell Hill. This is the story of how my family rejected Zionism and how I discovered the truth about…
Exploiting Jewish Fear on Iran
The Forward Leonard Fein 27 Jun 2012 –
Reform Chief Rabbinate, AJC Urges Israel
The Foward Breaking News 27 Jun 2012 – The American Jewish Committee called on the Israeli government to reform the institution of the Chief Rabbinate. Click here for the rest of the article…
Iran Official Blames Drug Trade on Jews, Talmud
The Foward Breaking News 27 Jun 2012 – An Iranian vice president blamed “Zionists” for the global drug trade and said the Talmud encourages promoting addiction in non-Jewish communities. Click here for the rest of the article…
Amid Swirl of History, Egypt Steps Back From Brink of Chaos
The Foward Breaking News 27 Jun 2012 – Cairo was awash with rumors, yet in the end even the military couldn’t stand in history’s way. Chaos was averted and Egypt’s new president set the country on democratic path. Click here for the rest of the article…
Charles Barron Loses Race for Congress
The Foward Breaking News 27 Jun 2012 – City Councilman Charles Barron, a fierce critic of Israeli policy who was opposed by Jewish lawmakers and top party officials, lost in his bid to secure the Democratic nomination in a Brooklyn congressional race. Click here for the rest of the article…
Cote d’Ivoire: Country to Reinforce Israeli Ties
allAfrica.com 27 Jun 2012 – [U.S. Embassy Abidjan] A front-page headline in Fraternite Matin quotes President Alassane Ouattara as saying that “cooperation between Cote d’Ivoire and Israel is to be reinforced.” The president said this yesterday upon arrival from Israel at the end of a four-day visit. Another banner headline in…
Egypt: FM Stresses Egypt’s Support for Palestinian Cause
allAfrica.com 27 Jun 2012 – [Egypt Online] Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr received on Tuesday 26/6/2012 UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry to discuss the current situation in the Middle East and the stymied Palestinian political process.
Gunmen storm pro-Assad Syria TV
BBC 27 Jun 2012 – Seven people have been killed at a Syrian pro-government TV channel, state media report, as the UN calls a key meeting for Saturday.
Egypt suing over ‘fake interview’
BBC 27 Jun 2012 – The office of Egypt’s president-elect is to take legal action against Iran’s Fars news agency for allegedly fabricating an interview with him.
Kuwaitis protest at court ruling
BBC 27 Jun 2012 – Kuwaitis protest against a court ruling dissolving the opposition-dominated parliament and reinstating the previous pro-government legislature.
Israel ‘breaching’ child rights
BBC 27 Jun 2012 – A UK government-backed report accuses Israel’s security forces of regularly breaching the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Anti-BDS Propaganda Fail
US Campaign to End the Occupation 27 Jun 2012 – The anti-BDS crowd has been dealt a major blow to their propaganda attempts this week after MSCI made it clear that Israel was a major factor in its decision to remove Caterpillar from three of its popular indexes that track socially responsible investments. Last week several…
Join TIAA-CREF Vigil in Chicago!
US Campaign to End the Occupation 27 Jun 2012 – Chicago Divests , a coalition that includes US Campaign member groups American Friends Service Committee , The Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine , and Jewish Voice for Peace , is holding a vigil this Friday, June 29 at 12pm in Chicago ( 200 N LaSalle Street) to…
Assad Foreign Policy (II): Strategies of Confrontation
Al-Akhbar Opinion 27 Jun 2012 – A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), shows President Bashar al-Assad addressing his new cabinet during a swear-in ceremony on 26 June 2012. (Photo: AFP – HO – SANA) A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA),…
Brotherhood, SCAF, and US: The Three Way Tango
Al-Akhbar News 27 Jun 2012 – Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy carry a banner of him as they celebrate his victory in the presidential elections in Cairo 24 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Asmaa Waguih) Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy carry a banner of…
Jim’s Ghost and Pre-War Beirut
Al-Akhbar News 27 Jun 2012 – Photo Blog by Marwan Tahtah Text by Hassan Chakrani It’s not Jim Morrison and The Doors but Willie Scott and The Doors Alive attempting to recreate the scene with impeccable accuracy. DRM in Beirut felt like Whisky a Go Go. A veteran rock fan infatuated with…
Maan Mahmoud: Friend to the Trees Since 1979
Al-Akhbar News 27 Jun 2012 – Maan is furious because people have been damaging the trees, putting the remaining ones at risk of drying up and dying. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Maan is furious because people have been damaging the trees, putting the remaining ones at risk of drying up and dying. (Photo: Al-Akhbar)…
Lebanese Labor Minister: Palestinians Are Doing Just Fine
Al-Akhbar News 27 Jun 2012 – Unemployed and disillusioned youth can be found on every corner, on every balcony, and in front of every house and party headquarters. (Photo: Shuaib Abu Jahal) Unemployed and disillusioned youth can be found on every corner, on every balcony, and in front of every house and…
Beirut: Not Phoenician After All
Al-Akhbar News 27 Jun 2012 – Photo Blog by Marwan Tahtah Venus Real Estate Development Company, owned by Lebanese and Arab financiers, successfully set their bulldozers to destroy the Phoenician port in Mina al-Hosn. The archaeological treasure, discovered in the property across from the Monroe Hotel, was placed on the protected list…
Phoenician Port Sold Down The River in Beirut
Al-Akhbar News 27 Jun 2012 – The Cultural Minister Gaby Layoun sees no reason for his decision to be challenged. As he sees it, the site is a “rock quarry and is of no importance!” (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The Cultural Minister Gaby Layoun sees no reason for his decision to be challenged….
Rumsfeld’s Papers: Lebanese Leaders Beg for Help
Al-Akhbar Politics 27 Jun 2012 – Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrives at a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on Capitol Hill, 14 June 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP – Getty – Mark Wilson) Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrives at a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on Capitol Hill, 14 June 2012…
Mohammed Mursi: An Oath of Obedience
Al-Akhbar Politics 26 Jun 2012 – Merchandise bearing images of Muslim Brotherhood’s President-elect Mohamed Mursi are displayed for sale at Tahrir Square in Cairo 25 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Amr Abdallah Dalsh) Merchandise bearing images of Muslim Brotherhood’s President-elect Mohamed Mursi are displayed for sale at Tahrir Square in Cairo 25…
Al-Qaeda In Syria: New Leader at the Helm
Al-Akhbar Politics 26 Jun 2012 – A silhouette of an soldier at the entrance on Ein al-Helweh camp in Sidon. (Photo: Hassan Bahsoun) A silhouette of an soldier at the entrance on Ein al-Helweh camp in Sidon. (Photo: Hassan Bahsoun) Radical Islamist groups are evolving in Syria. An audio recording has been…
Articles
Susiya defiant against threat from namesake settlement
Noah Browning, Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2012
SUSIYA, West Bank (Reuters) — Susiya the Israeli settlement enjoys well-watered lawns, humming electricity, and the protection of a mighty state. One rocky hill away, Susiya the Palestinian village is parched and doomed.
The cluster of around 50 breezeblock hovels and tents, erected without the elusive building permission of Israel’s occupying authorities in the West Bank, has been condemned by the Israel’s high court. It faces imminent demolition.
Little but a name and mutual contempt bind the 1,200 conservative Jewish and 350 Bedouin neighbors, their imminent divorce reflecting the mismatched strength and the despair for coexistence in a divided land.
“They’re thieves and aggressors, living on stolen ground with the help of a criminal government,” said Muhammad Ahmed Nawajah, a greying goat herder in flowing robes and white headress who prides himself on being older than the state of Israel.
Nuwajah and his kin used to roam freely with their flocks and pick olives even after Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and slowly began to sow Jewish settlements there.
But after the Susiya settlement was founded a quarter century ago, he says settlers began attacking the Bedouin as they went about their daily work, and the Israeli army, citing security reasons, limited their olive harvest to one day a year.
His calloused finger traced the path of power lines which rise high above the village’s cacti and bypass it completely on their way toward the settlement. — See also: Fayyad praises ‘steadfast’ village threatened by Israel more.. e-mail
‘Decent, honest and truthful’? How the pro-Israel lobby fails this simple test
Stuart Littlewood, Redress 6/26/2012
Have you read this? [see link below]
It is not difficult to figure out why the executive director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) feels he has to write such nonsense. The real puzzle is why a publication with the standing of the Wall Street Journal feels the need to print it.
“No universities existed in the West Bank until Israel opened them after the 1967 war,” claims Mr Harris.
This will surprise the Vatican and many Catholics in the US. The first university in the West Bank was Bethlehem, opened in 1973 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers with the cooperation of the Vatican’s Congregation for Oriental Churches. It has been closed at least 12 times by the Israeli invader and shelled by Israeli tanks. Its staff and pupils are continually harassed by the Israeli occupation forces.
Birzeit became a university in 1975 after offering first- and second-year university courses while still a college. It too has suffered repeated closure by the Israeli occupation. In 1988 Israel shut it down for 51 months (until 1992) and the university had to operate underground, off-campus, with students taking up to 10 years to complete their degree. Can you see the good folks of Harvard, Yale, Brandeis, etc, sitting still for that kind of abuse?
And, just to be bloody-minded, Israel won’t allow students from one part of Palestine, Gaza, to attend university in another part, the West Bank, even though the two territories are considered contiguous under international law. War on students is part of Israel’s obnoxious policy mix.
“There was no Palestinian state before 1967. The West Bank was in Jordanian hands…”
I often hear this. So what? Before 1948 there was no Israeli state and the West Bank was in British hands…. — See also: David Harris in WSJ: Mr. Ariekat’s Partial Remembrance more.. e-mail
Blowback, or Impossible Dilemmas of Declining Powers
Immanuel Wallerstein, Common Dreams 6/15/2012
Don’t President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu understand this?
Blowback is a term coined by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that originally meant the unintended negative consequences to a country of its own espionage operations. For example, if a secret CIA operation led to a revenge attack on U.S. individuals who were unaware of the CIA’s operation, this was considered “blowback.” But these days, many of the operations are not all that secret (for example, the U.S. use of drones in Pakistan or Yemen). And the “revenge” attacks are often publicly avowed. Nevertheless, countries don’t seem to cease engaging in such operations.
We need a more useful definition of blowback to explain how and why it’s occurring all over the place. I think the first element is that the countries engaging in such operations today are powerful, yes, but less powerful than they used to be. When they were at the acme of their power, they could ignore blowback as minor unintended consequences. But when they are less powerful than before, the consequences are not so minor, yet they seem to feel the need to pursue the operations even more vigorously and even more openly.
Let us look at two famous instances of blowback. One concerns the United States. In the 1980s, the United States wished to push the Soviet Union’s military forces out of Afghanistan. They therefore supported the mujahidin. One of the most famous leaders of the groups they supported was Osama bin Laden. Once the Soviet troops withdrew, Osama bin Laden created Al-Qaeda and began to attack the United States.
A second famous instance concerns Israel. In the 1970s, Israel regarded Yasser Arafat and the PLO as its principal opponent. Seeking to weaken the strength of the PLO among Palestinians, they gave financial aid to the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, known as Hamas. As Hamas grew, it did weaken the PLO somewhat. But at a certain point, Hamas became an even more vehement and effective opponent of the Israeli state than had been the PLO. more.. e-mail
Israel denies Palestinians in Gaza right to study in West Bank
Electronic Intifada: 27 Jun 2012 – Jillian Kestler-D’Amours Jerusalem 27 June 2012 For twelve years Israel has imposed sweeping bans on Palestinians wanting to travel from Gaza to the West Bank for education.more
On Human Identity
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Jun 2012 – By Richard Falk Early in my blog life I wrote about Jewish identity. It was partly an exercise in self-discovery, and partly a response to those who alleged that I was a self-hating Jew, or worse, an anti-Semite. These attacks on my characterwere hurtful even as I felt their distance from my actual beliefs and worldview. In my mind and heart criticisms of Israel and support for the Palestinian struggle for their rights under international law and in accord with fundamental ideas of justice had to do with taking suffering seriously,which for me is the most solid foundation of human identity. It is my conviction that in a globalized world human identity should serve as the moral trump card in relation to conflict situations. Of course, the optic of human identity can produce a variety of interpretations of a particular situation, and is not meant to eclipse other experienced identities….more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 
Leave a comment