1 July 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
P.A. Security Forces Assault & Detain Protestors, Journalists
IMEMC – For consecutive days protests by Palestinians in Ramallah have been broken up with violence by Palestinian Authority security forces. …
Palestinian Legislator Injured In Jenin
IMEMC – The Palestine News Network (PNN) reported that legislator, Shami Ash-Shami, member of the Revolutionary Council of the Fateh Movement, was shot and wounded on Saturday evening, by unknown gunmen in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. …
Abbas-Mofaz Meeting Postponed Until Further Notice
IMEMC – A senior Palestinian official told the Quds Net online news agency, Saturday, that the planned meeting between Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli deputy Prime Minister, Shaul Mofaz, was postponed until further notice. …
Israeli authorities demolish stores in Old City
7/1/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – The Israeli municipal council of Jerusalem demolished on Saturday night several stores belonging to Palestinian residents of Jerusalem near the Old City’s Damascus Gate. Local residents told Ma’an that four stores were being demolished. The stores were set ablaze suspiciously about a week ago, they noted. One….
Shot lawmaker: Attacker wanted to kill me
7/1/2012 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Fatah lawmaker Shami al-Shami, who was shot early Sunday in his hometown of Jenin, told Ma’an from hospital that he believes the unknown assailants aimed to kill him. Al-Shami was wounded by two bullets in his right thigh and is recuperating in Jenin government hospital. Medics say his wounds….
Gunmen shoot, injure Jenin lawmaker
7/1/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Gunmen in Jenin shot and injured lawmaker and Fatah leader Shami al-Shami late Saturday, the governor of the northern West Bank district told Ma’an. Talal Dweikat said al-Shami was hit by two gunshots to his thigh while he was going back home late Saturday. Medics at the public hospital….
Israeli court extends deadline for removal of settler homes
7/1/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday granted the state a four-month extension to remove five apartment blocks built illegally on Palestinian-owned land in a Jewish settlement on the occupied West Bank. The court had ruled the homes, in the Ulpana outpost of the Beit El settlement, must be torn down by July….
Israeli army: 2 detained in overnight raids
7/1/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained two Palestinians early Sunday from areas near Bethlehem and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said. Forces arrested the Palestinians from the al-Mughayyir village northeast of Ramallah and Duheisha refugee camp near Bethlehem, a military spokeswoman told Ma’an….
Injuries, arrests reported at new Ramallah demo
7/1/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinians protested for a second day Sunday in central Ramallah, calling on the Palestinian Authority to end negotiations with Israel and on the police to respect free speech. Witnesses said several people were briefly taken into custody and others were hospitalized after police sought to quell the protests sparked by since-cancelled…. Related: PA police crush new Ramallah demo
PA police crush new Ramallah demo
7/1/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian protesters said security forces used brutal force Sunday during the second demonstration in as many days protesting Palestinian Authority policy. Police attacked protesters with batons, beating and injuring at least seven people. Another seven protesters were taken to a police station along with at least two journalists, a Ma’…. Related: Injuries, arrests reported at new Ramallah demo
Union condemns police attack on Palestinian journalist
7/1/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Journalists union on Sunday condemned an assault by plainclothes Palestinian officers on a local journalist covering a demonstration in Ramallah a day earlier. Palestinian journalist Muhammad Jaradat was beaten by non-uniformed individuals at the protest, who referred to themselves as members of the security forces, the union said in….
Israel sentences Hamas militant to life imprisonment
7/1/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — A Hamas militant was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Israeli military court on Sunday for killing 46 people in a string of bombings during a Palestinian uprising. Ibrahim Hamed led Hamas‘s military wing in the occupied West Bank until his arrest in 2006, six years after the uprising began. Hamas….
Mashaal meets Jordan Brotherhood leaders amid election boycott
7/1/2012 – AMMAN, Jordan (Ma’an) — Exiled Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal met Saturday with Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Jordan, after the movement threatened to boycott upcoming Jordanian elections in protest of a new voting law. Mashaal met with party leaders at the home of Jordanian Brotherhood chief Hammam Said in Amman, Jordanian daily Al-Ghad said. While….
Israel Holocaust memorial amends text on Vatican
7/1/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel’s national Holocaust memorial has amended its account of Pope Pius XII’s actions during World War Two, after the original text upset the Vatican by implying he did too little to try to rescue Jews from the Nazis. Yad Vashem, the museum and memorial in Jerusalem, said on Sunday….
Sudan blames Zionist-American plot for unrest
7/1/2012 – KHARTOUM (Reuters) — Sudan accused unnamed “Zionist institutions” on Sunday of fanning anti-government protests as it tries to snuff out disturbances which echo Arab Spring unrest elsewhere. For two weeks, anti-austerity protesters have been calling for the resignation of the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, one of Africa’s longest serving leaders. Sudan lost….
Gaza committee calls on prosecutor to arrest Mofaz
7/1/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Gaza-based committee on Sunday called on the Palestinian general prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant for the Israeli deputy premier Shaul Mofaz, who had been scheduled to travel to Ramallah for a meeting with the Palestinian president. The Tawthiq committee said Mofaz was considered to have military responsibility for….
Iran threatens Israel, new EU sanctions take force
7/1/2012 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran announced missile tests on Sunday and threatened to wipe Israel “off the face of the earth” if the country attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions. The European sanctions — including a ban on imports of Iranian oil by….
Netanyahu: Shamir saw truth about Arabs
7/1/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday praised Yitzhak Shamir, one of his predecessors, who died on Saturday after a long illness. Netanyahu referred to Shamir’s controversial statement: “The Arabs are the same Arabs and the sea is the same sea,” regarded as an assertion that Arabs….
Egypt envoy: No date set for reconciliation talks
7/1/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Egyptian envoy to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman said Sunday that there was no meeting date scheduled for talks between Hamas and Fatah. Leaders of the parties were expected to meet 11 days ago to select cabinet ministers for a joint government to end the divided administrations run by the rival….
Police say Jericho tourism strong ahead of festival
7/1/2012 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — The West Bank city of Jericho, slated as the oldest city in the world, is seeing increased levels of tourism, the Palestinian police said Sunday. More than 350,000 tourists visited Jericho during the first 6 months of 2012, the police said in a statement. Jericho police director Mahmud Salah said the….
Egyptian officer killed, 4 injured in Sinai
7/1/2012 – SINAI (Ma’an) — An Egyptian officer was killed and four others were injured Saturday when their vehicle came under fire by unidentified gunmen near the village of al-Hasana in the central Sinai Peninsula. Security sources told Egyptian media that gunmen fired heavily at a military vehicle, and when the driver tried to speed away….
Russia’s Lavrov delighted at Syria meeting outcome
7/1/2012 – GENEVA (Reuters) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was “delighted” at the outcome of crisis talks on Syria held in Geneva on Saturday and that the document agreed on did not imply Syrian President Bashar Assad should step down. Lavrov told a news conference there were no preconditions to Syria‘s transition process….
Egypt says 3 Grad missiles found in Sinai
7/1/2012 – SINAI (Ma’an) – Three Grad missiles were found near al-Reisan village in the Sinai desert Saturday evening, witnesses said. The commander of northern Sinai security services Ahmad Bakr told Egyptian media that police arrived on the scene and collected remnants of the explosives. They are trying to determine their origin, he said. Egyptian officials….
Tables turn as Egypt’s Islamist president sworn in
7/1/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — In a day full of memorable images, none on Saturday was more powerful than that of Egypt’s first Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, flanked by generals at a military parade where he was formally handed authority to govern the nation. For six decades, Mursi’s seat had been filled by presidents….
New Afghan law ignites fear over shrinking press freedoms
7/1/2012 – KABUL (Reuters) — Afghan journalists are locked in a row with their government over media freedoms, in what appears to be the latest attempt by authorities to appeal to the more conservative side of society ahead of the pullout of most foreign troops. A revised media law looks to significantly tighten the government’s grip….
Turk jets scramble after Syria aircraft near border
7/1/2012 – ANKARA (Reuters) — Turkey’s armed forces command said on Sunday it had scrambled a total of six F-16 fighter jets in three separate incidents responding to Syrian military helicopters approaching the border on Saturday, but there was no violation of Turkish airspace. It said in a statement four of the jets had scrambled….
Assad’s forces on offensive near Damascus
7/1/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syrian forces swept through the corpse-strewn streets of nearly-deserted opposition districts on the outskirts of the capital on Sunday, as the conflict enters a new phase of heavier fighting near Bashar Assad’s seat of power. Government troops also bombed and shelled other towns across the country, a day after Russian diplomats….
Choosing Colours Over Violence, Gaza
Palestine News Network
Alternative Information Center
Israel to return South Sudanese children to abusive parents for deportation
Alternative Information Center – Israel’s Minister of the Interior, Eli Yishai (Shas), has ordered that some 20 South Sudanese children be returned to their abusive parents in order to deport them. All of these children were taken from their homes…
Iran to hold war games with missiles this week
The National 1 Jul 2012 – Manoeuvres will include drills with surface-to-surface missiles aimed at models of foreign bases, official IRNA news agency reports.
Egypt’s president Morsi to be closely scrutinised
The National 1 Jul 2012 – There was no escaping pressures and conflicts at home and abroad, even on the new president’s first full day in power.
Syria’s transition proposals
The National 1 Jul 2012 – Here are the main points agreed in Geneva on Saturday.
Syrian opposition groups say UN-brokered peace plan is ‘a waste of time’
The National 1 Jul 2012 – Syrian opposition fiture Haitham Maleh describes the plan as ‘a waste of time’ and says he will not sit to negotiate with president Bashar Al Assad or members of his ‘murderous’ regime.
Palestinian politician shot in Jenin
The National 1 Jul 2012 – Shooting is the latest attack in a wave of violence in Jenin, a town once seen as a Palestinian model of law and order.
New Syrian peace plan is ‘unlikely to stop fighting’
The National 1 Jul 2012 – Critics say an agreement by world powers on a transitional government for Syria is unlikely to succeed because the plan lacks clarity and both sides are looking for a result on the battlefield.
Jordan’s rural poor the loudest critics of ‘corrupt’ politics
The National 1 Jul 2012 – Jordan‘s Bedouin and tribal communities have become the loudest agitators against a political system they view as corrupt and dysfunctional.
Islamic hackers post hundreds of Israeli email addresses and passwords
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
IMF turned down Israeli request for $1 billion loan for Palestinian Authority
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
IDF bars Palestinian farmers, but not settler outpost, from land in disputed firing range
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Israel’s Finance Ministry seeks to rescind tax breaks for foreign journalists
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Crime boss unlikely to get pardon despite his poor health
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
New Israel Fund appoints American Jewish activist Brian Lurie as new chief
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
State Comptroller raps Israel’s political parties for dodgy real estate practices
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Secular yeshivas seek to join IDF’s Hesder program
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Be’er Sheva becomes first Israeli city to ban drinking alcohol in public at night
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Arab youths unfazed by likely changes to Israel’s draft laws
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Hamas leader gets royal welcome from Jordan’s king
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Israel-born daughter of Filipino migrant arrested and faces deportation on first day of summer vacation
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
What was a Border Police surveillance vehicle doing at a Tel Aviv social protest?
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Swarms of jellyfish threaten Israel’s summer swimming season
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Israel’s High Court postpones date for removal of Ulpana homes
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
WATCH: Netanyahu eulogizes former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
State witness at Holyland trial: Without Olmert, the project would not have gone forward
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Mossad agent who helped abduct Eichmann dies at 93
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Yitzhak Shamir, the prime minister who spied on me
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Israel hands Hamas militant 54 life terms
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2012
Palestinians strike back with reports on ‘Israeli incitement’
Ha’aretz – 30 Jun 2012
Overseas politicians, Jews react to Shamir’s passing
Jerusalem Post 2 Jul 2012 – Former Israeli PM lauded as stern leader with clear vision, a deep commitment to the well-being of its citizens.
Injured soldiers receive citations from Peres
Jerusalem Post 2 Jul 2012 – Outstanding soldiers injured at Independence Day rehearsal honored at President’s Residence.
Reporter’s Notebook: Drama, comedy at Holyland trial
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – S.D.’s march to the witness chair took him within inches of Ehud Olmert, Uri Lupolianski and the rest of the defendants.
Witness accuses Olmert, Lupolianski of taking bribes
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Ex-PM’s spokesman: Holyland trial built on witness with feverish, lying mind; identity of key state witness S.D. remains protected.
PA arrests 150 in West Bank’s largest-ever crackdown
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Several suspects in ongoing crackdown on crime and corruption are senior Palestinian security officers; forces confiscate over 100 weapons; IDF calls operation possible turning point in PA rule of law.
PLO to ask UNSC for meeting on settlements
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Palestinians working to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity; protests against talks with Israel continue.
Moshav fears reprecussions of 8-hour power outage
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Once every few months, IEC has been cutting electricity it supplies to Yesud Hama’ala to fix electrical system problems.
Suspect linked to murder via bullets found in dog
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Homicide detectives in Rishon Lezion investigating deadly shooting link suspect to murder through bullets lodged in an injured dog.
Court to announce Olmert verdict on July 10
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Jerusalem District Court says verdict in former prime minister Ehud Olmert’s corruption trial soon to be handed down.
Renewable energy advocate wins CleanTech award
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Eitan Parness to receive Israel’s cleantech’s “man of the year” award for efforts in advancing industry.
Health Ministry encourages breastfeeding
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Newborns will not be fed baby formula in hospitals unless the mother specifically opposes breastfeeding.
MDA holding workshops for teens on anger, alcohol
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – MDA workshops “Summer Without Violence” are mean to teach teens to cope with anger or frustration without resorting to violence or confrontations.
Internal poll gives Labor 20 seats in next Knesset
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Yechimovich supporters overwhelmingly win internal party positions; party passes 40% quota for women in party institutions.
Shamir’s legacy
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Even his most bitter detractors admit that Yitzhak Shamir was a man of unshakable integrity, rare modesty and unparalleled courage.
End the negotiations on expelling Eritrean asylum-seekers!
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – A single party and president have ruled Eritrea since independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
Jewish Ideas Daily: Deportation dilemmas
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – As a small country and the world’s only state with a Jewish majority, Israel already has reason to be anxious about its demographic balance.
Keshev Committee unraveling despite progress
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Haredi representative on the committee, attorney Yaakov Weinroth, quits over idea of sanctioning ultra-Orthodox who don’t serve.
The Region: On China
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – On a strategic level, Israel and China have some differing interests, but these are less important than they may appear to be.
Iran ‘prepared’ for EU sanctions, threatens Israel
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – As oil embargo comes into force, Iranian officials warn Israel against strike, say strategies in place to counter sanctions.
Supermarket epiphany
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Observations from a forty minute wait in a cash register line at the Shufersal Deal supermarket in Mishor Adumim on a Friday morning.
King Bibi? Think again
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Based on what our PM appears ready to legislate to replace Tal Law… Netanyahu simply does not fit definitions of a king.
Kadima’s initiatives – reason for hope, or doomed to fail?
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Think About It: Mofaz’s main motive in joining the coalition was the grim predictions of all opinion polls regarding Kadima’s performance if elections were held immediately.
High Court extends Ulpana removal deadline
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – After families evacuated on time, state given until November 15 to remove Ulpana buildings to Beit El settlement.
Sudan breaks up protest, blames Zionist plot
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Teargas used to break up protest in Khartoum neighborhood; Sudan speaks of conspiracy to provoke “economic earthquake.”
Netanyahu, Peres reach out to Egypt’s Mursi
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Sources say PM sent Egyptian president secret letter; Peres emphasizes importance of maintaining the peace agreement.
Hezbollah could blockade sea in future war
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – IDF assesses Lebanese group will target cargo ships within 30-km radius of Israel to try to get them to refuse to sail there during war.
Does Big Brother have a pet ‘Raccoon’ watching you?
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – IDF hardware at TA protest creates “chilling effect on freedom of expression,” says civil rights attorney.
Histadrut dismisses train workers’ leader
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Three additional members of the embattled worker’s committee also removed over unauthorized strikes and erratic behavior.
Olim protest lack of funding for higher education
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Student Authority provides full tuition for new immigrants each year; Jewish Agency pulls remainder of funding.
Lindenstrauss slams political parties over assets
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – State comptroller report reveals failures in the way several major parties manage their real estate assets.
Holyland trial halted after state witness falls ill
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – “S.D.” testifies that Cherny instructed him to give bribes to mayor Olmert; former PM’s spokesman calls witness a liar.
Tel Aviv beach among world’s 10 best gay beaches
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Hilton Beach featured in online travel website’s annual list that includes some of most famous gay beaches in world.
This Week In History: Terror attack on Bus 405
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Palestinian terrorist wrenches steering wheel from driver, runs bus down steep ravine killing 16 people and injuring 17.
Olmert: State witness is a liar telling tales
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – In first day of marathon testimony in Holyland trial, “S.D.” says Cherny instructed him to give bribes to mayor Olmert.
Smooth summer
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – As the weather continues to heat up, cool down with some of these refreshing summertime drinks.
State witness: Cherny instructed me to give Olmert bribes
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – In first day of marathon testimony in Holyland trial, “S.D.” says the businessman approved the bribes he paid out, asked him to head a straw company; witness’s identity remains under a gag order.
Olmert in court to hear state witness testify
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Gag order in Holyland Affair remains as ‘S.D.’ begins marathon 2-week, 12-hr day testimony in Tel Aviv District Court.
PA envoy: Holocaust was ‘greatest crime in history’
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Head of German think tank advises Israel to downplay Shoah when discussing bilateral ties.
State witness to begin testimony in Olmert trial
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2012 – Gag order in Holyland Affair remains as ‘S.D.’ begins marathon 2-week, 12-hr day testimony in Tel Aviv District Court.
A very Wellcome trust
Jerusalem Post 30 Jun 2012 – Prof. Sir. Mark Walport, who directs one of the world’s largest medical research funding philanthropies, visited Israel recently.
From the underground to the political spotlight
Jerusalem Post 30 Jun 2012 – Former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir never compromised on his belief in an Israel whose borders would include Jewish sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria.
Former PM Shamir passes away at age 96 in Tel Aviv
Jerusalem Post 30 Jun 2012 – Netanyahu: Shamir “belonged to the generation of giants that established the State of Israel.”
Yitzhak Shamir obituary
The Guardian 1 Jul 2012 – Rightwing prime minister of Israel who took a hardline stance on Palestine When Yitzhak Shamir became the prime minister of Israel in 1983, after the resignation of Menachem Begin, many saw the hardline leader of the…
Surge in Violence, State Corruption Plague Iraq
Uruknet
Victims of secretive US drone strikes gain voice in Pakistani lawyer (video)
Uruknet
Entire Palestinian Community Under Threat of Demolition, including CARE Health Clinic
Uruknet
‘A journey into moral depravity’ – US Congressman Dennis Kucinich on covert wars
Uruknet
US Drone Strikes Kills Eight in North WaziristanSlain Were Unidentified ‘Suspects’
Uruknet
Drone strikes widening? Mystery airstrikes reported in Mali and the Philippines
Uruknet
The Never-Ending Negotiations
Uruknet
The Angry Arab Golden Blender Awards
Uruknet
Bethlehem church designated as Endangered World Heritage site
Uruknet
Iraq: Over 500 Killed in June Attacks, 20 of Them Today
Uruknet
Jordan king urges Islamists to take part in polls
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Jordan‘s King Abdullah II on Sunday called on opposition parties, particularly the Islamists, to take part in general elections later this year after they threatened to boycott the polls.
Syrian opposition rejects new international plan
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Syria‘s main opposition groups rejected on Sunday a new international plan that calls for a transitional government because the compromise agreement did not bar President Bashar Assad from participating.
Turkey says scrambled F16s to check Syrian border
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Tensions between Turkey and Syria rose Sunday, as Ankara scrambled fighter jets after Syrian helicopters flew close to the border, underlining the mistrust between the neighbours after the downing of a Turkish plane last month.
Bombs kill 4, judge shot as Iraq attacks grind on
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Bombers killed four people in two Iraqi cities and gunmen assassinated a judge, officials said Sunday, as al-Qaida’s affiliate ramped up attacks six months after the last U.S. troops withdrew.
Assad’s forces on offensive; Moscow defends him again
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Syrian forces swept through the corpse-strewn streets of nearly-deserted opposition districts on the outskirts of the capital on Sunday.
Targeting US Hispanics tough for Obama, Romney
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 The reasons that Hispanics in the U.S. give for choosing between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney this election year are just as diverse.
Tunisia’s Ben Ali, wife seek ‘justice’ back home
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Leila Ben Ali, the reviled wife of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, said both the deposed Tunisian dictator and her hoped for “justice” in an interview published by French daily Le Parisien.
Russia’s Bashneft wins energy deal in Iraq
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Iraq has awarded Russian oil giant Bashneft rights to explore for oil in the south of the country after nearly one month of negotiations.
Libyan Tabu tribe threatens election boycott
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 The head of Libya’s Tabu tribe says his people will boycott this week’s election if the government does not withdraw tanks from a southern city where deadly clashes have killed dozens.
Egypt signs $1 billion deal to fund energy, food
Daily Star 1 Jul 2012 Egypt on Sunday signed an accord with the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank for $1 billion in funding for the purchase of energy and food products.
Militiamen attack Libya election commission
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – ….
‘PM trying to torpedo the Plesner Committee’
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – Committee members: Netanyahu doesn’t want to betray the haredim and he doesn’t have a majority to push through the Elkin guidelines he promised them; Weinroth trying to delegitimize recommendations before they’re even published ….
New olim: They’re chasing us away
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – 250 new immigrant students throw their hat in the ring of this summer’s protests, gathering in front of the Prime Minister’s Office to oppose budget cuts. ‘This hurts aliya and hurts Israel’s basic values’ ….
012 final
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – ….
Fayyad: Palestinian Authority facing economic crisis
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – ….
012 final halftime
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – ….
Indictment: IDF scouters smuggled drugs from Egypt
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – Three indictments filed against IDF soldiers accused of trafficking drugs worth NIS 800,000; more indictments expected against soldiers who passed sensitive info to Bedouins in Sinai Peninsula ….
Haredi representative quits Plesner Cmte
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – Attorney Weinroth, who represents Shas and United Torah Judaism, said committee acted irresponsibly in handling sensitive issue of haredi integration ….
Man made of steel
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Shamir displayed toughness, self-control at times when other prime ministers would have panicked ….
Data gathering vehicle used in TA rally
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – Police deploys Raccon Observation Vehicle, used to collect intelligence in West Bank, at social justice protest. Daphni Leef: It’s illogical for defense budget to be spent on foiling civil demonstration ….
Olmert’s verdict set for July 10
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – Jerusalem District Court to announce verdicts of Olmert, Zaken in Rishon Tours, Talansky affairs. Holyland trial opened Sunday ….
Ulpana eviction deadline extended to Nov. 15
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – High Court grants State’s request to extend deadline for relocation of five structures due to ‘complex engineering considerations’ ….
Yitzhak Shamir’s legacy
YNet News, 1 Jul 2012 – How will history remember Israel’s seventh PM, best known for his leadership during Gulf War? ….
Palestinian Information Center
Waed: the arrest of liberated prisoners is a violation of conventions
PIC – Waed association for captives and ex-captives confirmed that the increasing re-arrest of the liberated detainees in Wafa al-Ahrar deal is a flagrant violation of what have been agreed..
Islamist MPs condemn assault on Fatah MP Shami Al-Shami
PIC – Islamist MPs in the West Bank denounced the assault on their colleague the Palestinian lawmaker and Fatah leader Shami al-Shami, and described the assault as a violation of the national values.
Haneyya to Turkish delegation: Marmara massacre changed the siege conditions
PIC – Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya has said that the blood of martyrs aboard the Turkish Marmara aid ship had changed the conditions of the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
Health of Markhiya deteriorating in PA detention
PIC – The health condition of Anas Markhiya, who has been on hunger strike for ten days in PA jails, is deteriorating, his father said on Sunday.
Qassam Brigades: The verdict against Hamid will remain ink on paper
PIC – The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has said that the Israeli sentence against its leader in the West Bank Ibrahim Hamid will remain “ink on paperâ€.
IOF soldiers detain two citizens
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) nabbed two Palestinian citizens in the West Bank on Sunday, local sources said.
Jewish settlers engage in clashes with citizens on leaving Nabi Yusuf tomb
PIC – Dozens of Jewish settlers stormed the Nabi Yusuf tomb east of Nablus at dawn Sunday under tight security and protection measures on the part of the Israeli occupation forces.
Bardawil: Morsi’s position on Palestinian cause is positive
PIC – Senior Hamas official Salah Al-Bardawil hailed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi for his speech on the Palestinian cause as positive.
Israeli court issues 54 life sentences against Hamas official Ibrahim Hamed
PIC – The Israeli military court of Ofer prison issued morning 54 life prison terms against senior Hamas official Ibrahim Hamed without proving any charge leveled by the prosecutor against him.
News reports: Morsi refuses to answer Netanyahu’s phone calls
PIC – News reports said that Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi refuses to answer phone calls from Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu who wants to congratulate him on his presidential election win.
Israel Sentences Palestinian Prisoner to 54 Life Terms
WAFA – 1 Jul 2012
Israel Arrests Five in West Bank
WAFA – 27 Jun 2012
Syria transition plan has support, but may not be the answer
LA Times 1 Jul 2012 – The U.S. and other world powers back a U.N.-brokered plan, but key questions remain, including whether a transitional Syrian government could include President Bashar Assad. BEIRUT — The United States and other world powers meeting Saturday in Geneva threw their weight behind a United Nations-brokered…
Mohamed Morsi sworn in as Egypt’s first Islamist president
LA Times 30 Jun 2012 – ‘We aspire to a better tomorrow, a new Egypt and a second republic,’ Morsi says at his inauguration, seeking to project a populist air while acknowledging the power of the military. CAIRO — Mohamed Morsi, the son of a peasant farmer who rose through the…
Yitzhak Shamir dies at 96; former Israeli prime minister
LA Times 1 Jul 2012 – Obituary: Yitzhak Shamir served four terms as prime minister in the 1980s and early ’90s. His unyielding pro-settlement views and hard-line stance toward the Palestinians often exasperated U.S. policymakers. JERUSALEM — Yitzhak Shamir, the onetime underground Jewish fighter and long-serving Israeli prime minister whose unyielding…
Inflation-Plagued Iran Prepares for Worse
New York Times 1 Jul 2012 – The rial has fallen 50 percent against other currencies in the last year. Measures to cut oil exports are expected to take a further economic toll.
For Russia, Syrian Ties Complicated by Marriage
New York Times 1 Jul 2012 – There are an estimated 20,000 Russian women living in Syria, married to Syrian men who studied in the former Soviet Union, and complicating relations between the two countries.
Election Commission Offices Sacked in Libya Before Vote
New York Times 1 Jul 2012 – Hundreds of armed protesters on Sunday attacked the offices of Libya’s election commission in two cities, Benghazi and Tobruk.
Israel’s Holocaust Museum Softens Criticism of Pope Pius XII
New York Times 1 Jul 2012 – New wording says he “did not publicly protest” rather than “did not intervene” when Jews were deported from Rome during World War II.
‘The Colonel,’ by the Iranian Writer Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
New York Times 1 Jul 2012 – The Iranian writer Mahmoud Dowlatabadi’s book “The Colonel” has just been published in the United States even though it has not yet come out in his home country, where Mr. Dowlatabadi has been regarded as a subversive for decades.
Assad Ouster Blocked in Group’s Crisis Meeting
New York Times 1 Jul 2012 – Kofi Annan convened a meeting on Saturday of nine global powers who agreed on a plan for political transition in Syria that did not specifically call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Why Christians are leaving occupied Palestine
Mondoweiss – The Church of Saint Porphyrius, Gaza Palestinian Christians have a special relationship with the holy land of Palestine for it is the birthplace of Christianity. They have been living in Palestine since the time of Jesus for over 2000 years. Cities such as Bethlehem and Nazareth…
Higher price of water to Palestinians in Negev: using thirst to force them out
Mondoweiss – link to www.afp.com link to www.maannews.net link to www.imemc.org link to www.guardian.co.uk link towww.maannews.net link to www.haaretz.com link to www.middleeastmonitor.com link to www.maannews.net link to www.palestine-info.co.uk link to www.haaretz.com link to www.ynetnews.com link to www.imemc.org link to mondoweiss.net link to www.palestine-info.co.uk link to english.pnn.ps link…
Death of a self-avowed terrorist
Mondoweiss – Palestine Police Force Wanted Poster offering rewards for the capture of Stern Gang members, including (at center) Yitzhak Yezernitzky Sometimes terrible people live long lives. Such is the case with Icchak Yezernitsky, a Russian-born racist, terrorist and eager ethnic cleanser who is better known to the…
What’s your occupation, Mr. Shamir?
Mondoweiss – This is funny. “Mastermind” skit.
Shamir ordered Bernadotte assassination to save Jerusalem for Jews. But will his obits tell you that?
Mondoweiss – The late Yitzhak Shamir, from AP Israeli president Shimon Peres is calling the late Yitzhak Shamir, dead at 96, a “brave warrior.” What does that mean? It means he used terrorism with very important political consequences. As head of the Stern Gang, Shamir authorized the assassinations…
Exploiting Jewish Fear on Iran
The Forward Leonard Fein 30 Jun 2012 –
Child Arrested and Man Seriously Injured During Attack on Beit Ommar
Palestine Solidarity Project 1 Jul 2012 – On July 1st 2012, Israeli Occupation Forces arrested a child and his uncle at the entrance to Beit Ommar. The arrests of Mohammad Ali Sabar Abu-Ayash (12 years old) and Mohammad Ibrahim Sabar Abu-Ayash (25 years old) took place at around 7pm during an attack on…
Turkey sends jets to Syria border
BBC 1 Jul 2012 – Turkey scrambles six fighters after Syrian helicopters fly near the border, the army says, further raising tensions after a Turkish jet was downed last month.
Benghazi election HQ ‘ransacked’
BBC 1 Jul 2012 – Pro-autonomy protesters attack the office of Libya’s electoral authority in Benghazi, witnesses say, less than a week before landmark polls.
America’s Obsession
Al-Akhbar Opinion 1 Jul 2012 – Palestinian protesters are seen through smoke from tyres set on fire during clashes with Israeli security forces at a protest against the nearby Jewish settlement of Kdumim, in the West Bank village of Kfar Kadum, near Nablus 29 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Ammar Awad) Palestinian…
Ahmad al-Assir: Crisis or Opportunity?
Al-Akhbar Opinion 30 Jun 2012 – Why all the worry that the actions of Assir and his followers could set the stage for a clash which in turn triggers widespread strife in the country? (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Why all the worry that the actions of Assir and his followers could set the…
Israeli court delays settlement destruction
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2012 – Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday granted the state a four-month extension to remove five apartment blocks built illegally on Palestinian-owned land in a Jewish settlement on the occupied West Bank. The court had ruled the homes, in the Ulpana neighbourhood of the Beit El settlement, must…
Fresh protests rock Oman
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2012 – Dozens of Omanis demanding jobs have staged peaceful protests in the industrial town of Sohar, witnesses said, in a sign of renewed discontent more than a year after waves of demonstrations died down. Western ally Oman, a small oil exporter that flanks a major crude shipping…
Turkish jets rush to Syria border
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2012 – Turkish Air Force planes rushed to the border. (Photo: Reuters – Osman Orsal) Turkey scrambled fighter jets after Syrian helicopters flew close to the border, the army said on Sunday, hiking tensions following last month’s downing of a Turkish plane. Four F-16 warplanes took off from…
Wife hopes Tunisians recognize Ben Ali’s acheivements
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2012 – Leila Ben Ali, the reviled wife of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, said both the deposed Tunisian dictator and her hoped for “justice” in an interview published by French daily Le Parisien on Sunday. In the first interview since the couple fled to Saudi Arabia after…
Beirut’s Dahiyeh: The Rise of the Outlaws
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2012 – Hezbollah has repeatedly declared at the highest levels that it wants, indeed needs, the security forces to come into the area to combat crime. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Hezbollah has repeatedly declared at the highest levels that it wants, indeed needs, the security forces to come into…
Hamam Khairy: Heir to a Deep-rooted Music Heritage
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2012 – Khairy has a warm and supple voice that he exploits better in traditional songs than in modern ones and he knows how to partially modify Aleppo’s musical heritage without corrupting it. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Khairy has a warm and supple voice that he exploits better in traditional…
Little Hope for Change Among Egypt’s Poor
Al-Akhbar Politics 30 Jun 2012 – Boys play in a destroyed car at Manshiyet Nasser shanty town in eastern Cairo 28 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Amr Abdallah Dalsh) Boys play in a destroyed car at Manshiyet Nasser shanty town in eastern Cairo 28 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Amr Abdallah Dalsh)…
Articles
An artist’s vision of peace in Palestine
Neve Gordon, Redress 7/2/2012
Last year I gave the Israeli artist Amir Nave an old Hebrew copy of Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace, which I teach every so often in my “Introduction to Political Theory” class. He took the book, flipped through it, ripped out the title page, turned it upside down, signed it and returned it to me. Nave, an Arab Jew of Iraqi descent, didn’t say anything, but the gesture was eloquent enough: we are living in an era of perpetual war, and peace emerges, if at all, in the interregnum.
Nave’s children go to the same school as mine. It’s called Hagar, after the biblical figure who wandered between different peoples and cultures in the desert not far from where I live. Hagar was founded by a group of Jewish and Palestinian parents who wanted to create a shared space for their children. It’s the only non-segregated school in the Negev region, which is home to about 700,000 Israelis, more than a quarter of whom are Palestinian Bedouin.
A few years ago, after we had been running two Jewish-Palestinian nursery schools, the Beer-Sheva municipality allowed Hagar to make use of an old run-down school in a crumbling neighbourhood, one of the city’s poorest. The bathrooms stank: the decrepit pipes hadn’t been replaced for years. Outside, in the half hectare of yellow soil that the city bureaucrats called a playground, there was no water fountain for the children to drink from, not even any shade for them to play in. It was a site of callous neglect.
The library was in the bomb shelter. It had thick concrete walls, a low ceiling with long fluorescent lights, no windows and a heavy metal door. There were about 200 books on old brown shelves along the walls. Nave, who was instrumental in transforming the school’s yard into a place of adventure and whose uncompromising vision has changed the way the school community relates to space, decided to convert the library into a pirate ship…. more.. e-mail
Time to abandon never-ending futile talks with Israel
Jamal Kanj, Redress 6/30/2012
It has been more than 20 years since the Madrid talks and the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis started. Thus far their abject failure has surprised even the most pessimistic of observers. Diplomacy of distraction
In June 1992, about one year after the Madrid talks, then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir told the newspaper Maariv: “I would have conducted negotiations on autonomy for 10 years and in the meantime we would have reached half a million people in the West Bank.”
He was lamenting his election defeat and declared: “It’s very painful… I will not be able to… complete the demographic revolution… Without this… there is no reason to hold autonomy talks as there now is a risk of a Palestinian state.”
Two decades later, all subsequent Israeli governments with no exception, from the spurious left to the devious right, have demonstrated their commitment to the Judaization roadmap through protracted negotiation, “demographic revolution” and land appropriation that benefit Jews only.
When negotiation started in 1991, the illegal settler population in the occupied West Bank was 110,000. Today, as Shamir prophesied, their number in the Jews-only settlements has swelled to half a million.
Israel sees negotiations as a means of detraction rather than a route to a just peace.
Nahum Goldman, a Zionist leader in the 1970s, said: “Diplomacy in the Middle East is the art of delaying the inevitable as long as possible.” more.. e-mail
Mursi in the middle of a minefield
George S. Hishmeh, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 6/28/2012
It was an historic achievement, regardless of where you stand. The milestone that Mohammad Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate, achieved in winning the first democratic Egyptian presidential election in 5,000 years last Sunday marked a pace-setter in the Arab world. Moreover, the hesitant acknowledgment of the Egyptian military leadership of Mursi’s triumph irrespective of the close vote in favour of their preferred candidate, Ahmad Shafiq, was a trail-blazer. True, the Egyptian military leadership group, better known as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) which had controlled Egypt since former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted more than a year ago, had major stakes in pulling the rug from underneath Mursi’s legs. In fact, Scaf had shamelessly wasted a week, with no signs of a recount as implied, in the hope that Mursi’s widely acknowledged triumph was exaggerated which would give his rival another chance at claiming victory. Nevertheless, Scaf pulled other strings to maintain its supremacy. For example, it sacked the recently elected Egyptian parliament, assuming legislative powers and the right to veto provisions of a permanent constitution; set budgets, full control over all military affairs, and, most importantly, stripped the incoming president of most of his powers, re-imposed martial law, and authorised soldiers to arrest civilians.
There is no doubt that Mursi may henceforth be walking into a minefield. His country is divided since he had only received a little over 51 per cent of the votes in the run-off election while about 50 per cent of voters had failed to participate. In other words, he had only 25 per cent endorsement of the electorate, which means that he will have to concentrate on domestic policy though Egypt is a key player in the Middle East…. more.. e-mail
Play satirizes how aid donors sideline Palestinians
Electronic Intifada: 30 Jun 2012 – Michelle Gyeney Jenin refugee camp 1 July 2012 A new play addresses the Palestinian Authority’s addiction to “green medicine” — the $1 billion in foreign aid it receives annually.more
Israel’s cynical campaign to pit Arab Jews against Palestinian refugees
Electronic Intifada: 1 Jul 2012 – Richard Irvine Belfast 1 July 2012 Israel’s new diplomatic campaign to draw attention to the forgotten plight of Jews from Arab countries is an attempt to use historical injustices to justify current injustices.more
84-year Journey from Cairo’s Mosques to Presidential Palace
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Jul 2012 – By Hasan Afif El-Hasan More than half a century after the 1952 Jamal Abdel-Nasser coup, Egypt has come full circle. The people have the same grievances that led the Free Officers to take the advantage of the people’s complaint to seize power, are now at the root of the Tahrir Square protests. In King Farouk’s era there was great deal of corruption and nepotism and after the 1952 coup a new class of elite made up of officers with no accountability and more corruption was created. Under the monarchy, a small percentage of the population owned almost all the wealth, and after half a century of the authoritarian rule, still few Egyptians own the wealth; there is widespread poverty, massive unemployment, endemic corruption and universal culture of nepotism. The charismatic Nasser was loved by vast majority of the Egyptian people because he nationalized the Suez Canal, liberated Egypt from foreign…more
‘Those Damn Palestinians’
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Jul 2012 – By Sam Bahour Those damn Palestinians. They refuse to sit still. They just don’t get it. They are unable to fathom their reality. The more outrageous their situation becomes, the more human they become. When all the powers-to-be thought that they had sufficiently battered (or bought) Palestinians into full political submission, Palestinians embarked on yet another act of terrorism—the terror of dance, music, song, and cultural celebration. This is not just any act of humanity; it is one of global dimensions. The world had better take note. To begin with, Israel dispossessed Palestinians of 78% of their homeland and created the world’s largest refugee population. Any Palestinian who remained in Israel was involuntarily made an Israeli citizen and the state created a system of structural discrimination, much worse than that against black South Africans before the end of Apartheid. As if that was not enough, Israel militarily occupied the remaining…more
Perpetual Peace
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Jul 2012 – By Neve Gordon Last year I gave the Israeli artist Amir Nave an old Hebrew copy of Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace, which I teach every so often in my Introduction to Political Theory class. He took the book, flipped through it, ripped out the title page, turned it upside down, signed it and returned it to me. Nave, an Arab Jew of Iraqi descent, didn’t say anything, but the gesture was eloquent enough: we are living in an era of perpetual war, and peace emerges, if at all, in the interregnum. Nave’s children go to the same school as mine. It’s called Hagar, after the biblical figure who wandered between different peoples and cultures in the desert not far from where I live. Hagar was founded by a group of Jewish and Palestinian parents who wanted to create a shared space for their children. It’s the only non-segregated school in…more
New Israeli Deputy PM Undercuts Strategy of Pressure on Obama
Dissident Voice: 1 Jul 2012 – IPS — By staking out a policy line on Iran reflecting the views of the Israeli national security leadership, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz has undercut the Benjamin Netanyahu government’s carefully planned strategy to get U.S. President Barack Obama to threaten war against Iran if it doesn’t give up its nuclear programme. It could be the beginning of a process by which Netanyahu begins to climb down from a militarily aggressive policy that has provoked unprecedented dissent from high-ranking active and retired military and intelligence officials. Mofaz, who brought his Kadima Party into the Netanyahu government in a May 9 deal, is a former Israeli chief of staff who had made threatening statements about Iran’s nuclear programme as minister of defence in Likud Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government from 2003 to 2006. The new coalition government, which increased its majority in the Knesset from 94 to 120 seats, was billed…more
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The New Dark Age 
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