5 July 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Maher Abu Rmeileh First Palestinian to Qualify for Olympics in Judo
IMEMC – Judoka Maher Abu Rmeileh becomes the first Palestinian to qualify for the Olympic games based on his performance in a recent qualifying match in Japan. …
Israeli Siege of Gaza Causes Further Power Shortages
IMEMC – The energy authority in Gaza has urged citizens to limit their electricity use. The sole power station in Gaza has reduced its production to 30 megawatts in the daytime and 50 megawatts at night. …
Israel Plans to Resume Construction of Annexation Wall in Jerusalem
IMEMC – An Israeli army officer revealed plans to resume construction of the annexation wall in Jerusalem in the coming weeks. …
World Bank Authorizes $22.3 Million for Palestinian Authority
IMEMC – Thursday the Palestinian Authority received $22.3 million in financial aid from the World Bank. …
Israeli Journalist In Whistleblower Case Sentenced To Four Months
IMEMC – Uri Blau, who published accounts of illegal assassinations in the West Bank has been sentenced to four months of community service in a plea bargain deal. …
Oxfam Report Condemns Israeli Occupation Policies in Jordan Valley
IMEMC – A report published by UK-based Oxfam International reveals the fragility of Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley to be the direct result of illegal Israeli settlements. …
More Settler Land Grabs In North Jordan Valley
IMEMC – The residents of the Rotem settlement in the North Jordan Valley seized Palestinian land Wednesday as part of their continued illegal expansion. …
Army Confiscates Lands Near Hebron to Construct Military Base
IMEMC – The Israeli army decided to confiscate 2.5 Dunams of Palestinian lands near Ath-Thaheriyya town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, in order to build a military base in the area. …
Gaza man shot by soldiers at Israel border
7/6/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian was injured Thursday by Israeli forces near Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, and was transferred to hospital, a reporter said. Mohammad Akhrat, 20, was shot in his right leg and his wounds were described as moderate. The victim was collecting iron scrap when soldiers opened fire….
Israeli journalist spared jail over military leak
7/5/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — An Israeli journalist who drew on leaked army documents to report the alleged assassination of Palestinian militants, prompting a prosecution and debate about press freedom, was spared jail time in a plea bargain on Thursday. Uri Blau of Israel’s Haaretz newspaper will do four months’ community service after confessing to….
Israel releases 2 Palestinian lawmakers
7/5/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) –A Palestinian detainees center said Thursday that Israeli authorities released lawmakers Mahmud al-Ramahi, a legislative council secretary, and Nizar Ramadan from Hebron. The men were behind bars for 1. 5 years without charge, the Palestinian Center for Defending the Detainees said in a statement. Palestinian activist Thamer Saba’na said….
Gaza rocket lands in southern Israel
7/5/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Gaza militants fired a rocket into southern Israel on Thursday morning, the Israeli army said. The projectile landed in the Eshkol regional council causing no damage or injuries, a military spokeswoman told Ma’an….
UN envoy: Elections commission must be allowed to work in Gaza
7/5/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — UN envoy Robert Serry on Thursday called on authorities in Gaza to allow the Central Elections Commission to operate, after Hamas suspended its work. Serry, the UN special coordinator for the peace process, visited the commission’s headquarters in Gaza on Thursday, a statement from his office said. The commission….
Tunisia requests Arabs meet over Arafat death
7/5/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Tunisiahas called for Arab ministers to meet to discuss the death of President Yasser Arafat after new suspicions that he was murdered, a senior official in the Arab League said on Thursday. The Palestinian Authority agreed on Wednesday to exhume Arafat’s body after new allegations that he was poisoned with the….
Official: Haniyeh to meet Mursi
7/5/2012 – GAZA (Ma’an) — Muhammad Awad, deputy prime minister in the Gaza government, says communications are ongoing between it and the new Egyptian leadership and the sides will meet soon. Awad told Ma’an that the Egyptian people made their choice clear, and he said they support the Palestinian people and their cause. He….
US should press Israel to return confiscated equipment
7/5/2012 – By Joel Simon – July 5, 2012The Hon. Hillary Rodham ClintonSecretary of StateU. S. Department of State2201 C Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. 20520Via facsimile: +1 (202) 647-2283Dear Secretary Clinton,We are writing to bring to your attention the Israeli Ministry of Communication’s refusal to return U. S. -funded equipment that was….
Arafat lawyer: PA failed after leader’s death
7/6/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The lawyer of late Yasser Arafat, Bassam Abu Sharif, accused the Palestinian Authority on Thursday of failing following in its responsibility to determine the cause of Arafat’s death. In an statement, Abu Sharif called on government to open an investigation that will discover the true causes of Arafat’….
Gaza energy authority urges residents to save power
7/5/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The energy authority in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday urged residents to cut down on electricity use amid critical fuel shortages. Due to interruptions in the fuel supply, the sole power plant in Gaza has reduced its production to 30 megawatts of electricityin the morning and 50 megawatts during the….
Hamas govt urges reform of elections commission
7/5/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Hamas-led government in Gaza on Wednesday called for the reform of the Central Elections Commission, and said the body charged with updating the voter registry was imbalanced. Hamas on Monday suspended the commission’s work, a day before it was due to start updating the electoral roll in….
Elections commission suspends voter registration
7/5/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian central elections commission has decided to suspend its voter registration program until further notice,an announcement said Thursday. The commission wrote on its website that after receiving the Hamas government’s order to stop registering temporary voters by Friday. The commission said it would seek expert opinion to….
Fatah says Hamas detaining its members in Gaza
7/5/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Fatah on Thursday accused Hamas of summoning and detaining dozens of its members in Gaza. Atef Abu Seif, Fatah’s spokesman in Gaza, said some Fatah members were summoned and interrogated by Hamas security forces on a daily basis. On Thursday, security forces closed down the Life and Hope….
Sheikh urges traders not to exploit Ramadan
7/6/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The head of the supreme council of Islamic courts on Thursday urged traders not to hike prices during the holy month of Ramadan. Yousef Adeis called on businesses to consider people’s economic hardship and to offer food and goods at reasonable prices. The sheikh said in a statement that….
Smuggled poultry confiscated near Ramallah
7/5/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Health and safety officials on Thursday confiscated 1000 kilos of chicken smuggled into Ramallah from Israel, the public safety committee said. A truck carrying the chickens was stopped in Beit Nuba village, west of Ramallah, the committee said in a statement, adding that the poultry was unfit for human consumption. The….
3 injured in family brawl in Gaza
7/5/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Three people were injured Thursday in a family brawl south of Gaza City, witnesses said. One of those injured is in a critical condition, witnesses told Ma’an, adding that all three were hospitalized after the fight in the Zaitoun neighborhood….
WikiLeaks says starts releasing hacked Syria emails
7/5/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) — The WikiLeaks website said on Thursday it had begun publishing more than 2 million emails from Syrian government officials that would embarrass not only Damascus, which is trying to crush a 16-month rebellion, but also its opponents. WikiLeaks said in a statement the emails were from Syrian political figures, government ministries and….
Syrian forces attack town, Assad boasts of survival
7/5/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syrian troops pushed into the rebel-held northern town of Khan Sheikhoun Thursday, activists said, as President Bashar Assad said he would have been toppled like the shah of Iran if his people had not been behind him. Activists said Syrian forces pursuing their latest offensive had killed at least 11 people as they….
Morality killing triggers fears and debate in Egypt
7/5/2012 – CAIRO(Reuters) — The fatal stabbing by men identified as Islamists of a young man as he walked with his fiancee has stirred fears among some Egyptians that zealots emboldened by the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power will seek to impose their customs on society. The couple were out in the port city of….
The Proportion of Mentally ill Prisoners on the Rise in Israeli Jails
Palestine News Network
Israeli Forces Raid the West Bank Governorates, Arrest Palestinians
Palestine News Network
Trust Was Also Broken in Ramallah
Palestine News Network
Israeli Education Council Refuses Recognition of Ariel University Center
Palestine News Network
Israel’s Siege Suffocates Gaza
Palestine News Network
Yediot Ahranot: Israel to Resume Construction of the Apartheid Wall around Jerusalem
Palestine News Network
Oxfam: Palestinian Communities Under Threat in the Jordan Valley as Settlement Expansion, Demolitions Escalate
Palestine News Network
The Settlers of ‘Rotem’ Seize More Lands in the Northern Jordan Valley
Palestine News Network
Militarization of Syrian Conflict Must Be Stopped, Says UN Human Rights Pillay
Palestine News Network
Canadian Documentary Film,“A Place Called Chiapas”
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
012)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
WikiLeaks to publish 2 million Syria emails
The National 5 Jul 2012 – First documents reveal Italian company kept working with regime after uprising began.
US peacemaker’s journey from West Belfast to the West Bank
The National 5 Jul 2012 – While George Mitchell succeeded in building bridges between the warring factions of Northern Ireland, the former US special envoy for Middle East Peace says he can’t say the same for this region.
The backroom where Knesset laws are made
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Be’er Sheva students blacklist avaricious landlords
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Record number of ultra-Orthodox men sign up for national service
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Court kicks Israel Union for Environmental Defense out of Netanya beach-party suit
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Steinitz promised to allocate more than NIS 100 million to Ariel college
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Social protesters open cooperative ‘pub of the revolution’ in Tel Aviv
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Israeli college named for labor icon exploits staff, refuses tenure
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
High-tech and banquets creep into Israel’s last surviving dunes
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Clinton to visit Egypt, Israel after Asia trip
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Senior IDF officer: Israel is preparing for the next Lebanon war
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Netanyahu meets Mofaz to resolve crisis surrounding ultra-Orthodox enlistment
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Health Ministry softens Tel Aviv hospital directives on separating African migrants
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Jerusalem’s former mayor received NIS 120 thousand in cash on election day
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
After drunk drivers appeal, Supreme Court confirms breathalyzer test is reliable
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Top Iran official: Time has come for Israel, U.S. to vanish from world
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
El Al flight makes emergency landing in U.K. after mid-air engine fire
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Former CIA chief urges release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
Boycotts and Divestment: A means to peace or a reason for a rift?
Ha’aretz – 4 Jul 2012
Rabin’s daughter urges Netanyahu to keep Yigal Amir in solitary
Ha’aretz – 4 Jul 2012
Israeli author Naomi Ragen files appeal against plagiarism ruling
Ha’aretz – 4 Jul 2012
Jerusalem’s Bezalel arts school to open new ultra-Orthodox track
Ha’aretz – 4 Jul 2012
‘Provision needed for journalists holding secret documents’
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – As Uri Blau reaches plea bargain, experts say journalists who held secret information for work need immunity.
Jewish Democrats to Romney: Return Adelson cash
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Calls come amid allegations billionaire approved of prostitution at his casinos; Republican Jews: Allegations unproven.
‘Rapid haredi growth in NY may not be sustainable’
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Growing poverty may open up insular group. Trend in wider Jewish American community could split those who “support and ignore” Israel.
Bezalel opens haredi track in art and architecture
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – The degrees in art and architecture will be offered at a separate campus, currently in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Romema.
Jewish teen assaulted on Toulouse-Lyon train
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – French Interior Minister Manuel Valls condemns the “anti-Semitic aggression”; suspects arrested.
Ayalon hails planned Munich 11 memorial at Olympics
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Diplomatic officials in Israel say that the nature of the memorial reportedly being planned in London not known.
Clinton to make first visit in nearly two years
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – US Secretary of State’s visit will come some two weeks before Republican presidential candidate Romney arrives.
A sheikh, settlers and MPs meet in Hebron Hills tent
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Representatives of Hebron’s Jewish community, European parliamentarians accept invitation from sheikh with vision one democratic state for all.
Netanyahu: Gaps with Mofaz can be bridged
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – PM says he is ready for there to be personal sanctions on haredi draft-evaders; Polls: Kadima should quit coalition.
Dagan retracts quote that attacking Iran is ‘stupid’
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Former Mossad head steps away from quote, but does not move away from the substance of his opposition to military action.
Analysis: A warning to Hezbollah
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Six years after the Second Lebanon War, the IDF looks today at Lebanon on two different levels.
Protestants’ crisis
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Presbyterians, Methodists and other mainline denominations would do well to reexamine their policies on Israel in light of age-old moral teachings.
Analyst: Polonium found on Arafat’s clothing was planted
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Senior counter-terrorism analyst tells ‘Post’ the high levels of radioactive poison polonium reportedly found on belongings of late Palestinian leader indicate toxin was planted on him much later.
Where is the political follow-up?
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Mass demonstrations are legitimate components of the democratic process, but they certainly are not an end in themselves.
Cross-cultural awareness and int’l cooperation
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Many Israelis do understand the importance of international cooperation and value the resulting professional dividend
Palestinians divided over exhuming Arafat
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – The majority of those interested in the main streets of Ramallah pointed the finger at Israel over Arafat’s death.
012 and the euro
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Without some good old Israeli xenophobia no event is perfect.
The death of a Nazi-hunter
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – It is a shame that Cukurs’ many heinous crimes were never presented to a court of law, but at least he was not able to escape punishment.
The Europeans’ skewed view of circumcision
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – For the sake of religious freedom and the moral reputation of Germany, make sure the ruling is overturned.
‘Syrian general defects to Turkey’
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Website connected to Syrian security says general in elite Syrian Republican Guards defected in 1st move of its kind.
‘Camp Sucker’ to protest for universal IDF service
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Movement gearing up for protest hopes to bring thousands to TA streets to demand equality in shouldering national burden.
200 haredim inducted into civilian service program
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Induction takes place as government struggles to find solution for ultra-Orthodox participation in army and service programs.
Palestine attempts land grab at World Heritage Committee
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – At Russia’s UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting Palestine claimed an “emergency basis” heritage inscription over the Church of the Nativity.
‘Hezbollah setting IDF up for another Goldstone’
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Senior IDF officer says destruction in Lebanon will be extensive due to Hezbollah establishing command posts, bases in villages.
Will energy sanctions stop Iran’s nuke program?
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – There is a growing consensus that the US and its allies need to further ratchet up the economic pressure.
Jerusalem goes crazy for Zumba
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Celebrity Zumba instructor, Tanya Beardsley, is passionate about Israel after her recent first visit.
The Weekly Schmooze: Bibi, the soccer star
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – JPost column on hottest Jewish news: Schmidt’s a male model; a Larry David birthday rap.
Wikileaks begins release of 2.5m. Syrian emails
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – “Syria Files” will shed light on inner workings of Syrian gov’t, hypocrisy of the West, Western companies, spokeswoman says.
Saudi woman sparks ‘right to drive’ movement
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – But blazing new territory in women’s rights in Saudi Arabia fraught with danger, peer pressure for unwitting 33-year-old leader.
Off the Beaten Track: Fun day
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Every now and then, we all need a day of fun and a trip up north to the Gilabon and the Kinneret is a perfect option.
Witness: Paid NIS 80k for Torah ark for Lupolianski
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – On fourth day of Holyland trial, state witness elaborates further on bribes to former Jerusalem mayor.
Assad: Peoples’ support saves me from Shah’s fate
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Syrian president says an “overwhelming majority” of his people are behind him, accuses the West, Arab nations of seeking civil war.
Chosen Bites: Guacamole, a perfect summer spread
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Avocado spreads are a healthy and tasty addition to any summer meal.
Uri Blau avoids prison over stolen IDF papers
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – ‘Haaretz’ reporter will admit to illegally possessing classified documents in exchange for 4 months of community service.
Witness: I paid for shul, election for Lupolianski
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – On fourth day of Holyland trial, state witness elaborates further on bribes to former Jerusalem mayor.
Leaked Hospital report causes ‘unjustified’ panic
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Report on infections in Haifa hospitals leads to MK condemnation of excessive rates” of infections.
Animal rights group calls for horse-drawn cart ban
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Hakol Chai requests Transportation Minister Israel Katz end practice it says is abusive.
Yeroham teens win 2nd in int’l inventor competition
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Chemical stick that breaks to keep picnic food cold was idea of team member’s grandmother.
Expert urges more Chinese-Israeli cleantech work
Jerusalem Post 4 Jul 2012 – China-based solar panel supplier’s technology chief in Israel to explore innovations.
Israeli reporter who exposed military secrets avoids jail
The Guardian 5 Jul 2012 – Haaretz journalist Uri Blau reaches plea bargain with Israeli government after obtaining more than 2,000 military documents An investigative reporter who faced indictment for exposing classified military documents has reached a plea bargain with the Israeli…
Libya Prepares an Advance of the Young
IPS On the eve of Libya’s historic elections for a General National Congress on Saturday, Jul. 7, the seaside capital’s bustling streets are lined with hundreds of campaign posters advertising electoral candidates – including those of women and youth – jockeying for a stake in their country’s future. On a rooftop…
Occupation prevents a cancer patient from Jenin to get treatment in Jerusalem
Uruknet
19 Iraqis Killed, 52 Wounded in Ongoing Bloodshed
Uruknet
012 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
Crackdown in Diyala and al-Jaafari tries comedy
Uruknet
Israel’s Siege Suffocates Gaza
Uruknet
An Unwanted Army for Haiti
Uruknet
Military Resistance 10G5 : We Need the Storm
Uruknet
Knesset moves to force national service on Palestinians in Israel
Uruknet
Morality killing triggers fears and debate in Egypt
Daily Star 5 Jul 2012 The fatal stabbing by men identified as Islamists of a young man as he walked with his fiancee has stirred fears among some Egyptians.
Solar plane flies to Madrid Friday
Daily Star 5 Jul 2012 An experimental solar-powered aircraft will leave the Moroccan capital on Friday for Madrid on its return journey to its home port in Switzerland, Morocco’s news agency MAP reported.
China joins Russia in staying away from Syria talks
Daily Star 5 Jul 2012 China joined Russia in boycotting a meeting aimed at coordinating efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria, where three senior army officers were among more than 150 people reported killed in 48 hours.
Ahmadinejad invites Egypt’s Morsi to Tehran summit
Daily Star 5 Jul 2012 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has invited his newly elected Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Morsi, to a summit of Non-Aligned Movement nations to be held in Tehran in late August.
Bahrain court orders monitoring of 11-year-old protester
Daily Star 5 Jul 2012 A Bahraini court has ordered an 11-year-old Shiite boy charged with disturbing security to be monitored by a social worker for one year, a government statement said.
Obama raps China, Romney in debut campaign bus tour
Daily Star 5 Jul 2012 Obama heralded his first re-election campaign bus tour with a new trade blast at China and fresh accusations his White House foe Mitt Romney helped send US jobs abroad.
Palestinian youth assert right to protest over repression
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign 03.07.12 – 1 Tuesday, July 3rd, saw in the streets of Ramallah the third demonstration in a row that had been called by the youth. While Saturday’s demonstration was aimed to protest the invitation to Ramallah extended by the PNA to Shaul Mofaz, Israeli vice-prime…
US scrutiny prods UN agency to tighten flow of aid
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – ….
Pilot bodies from downed Turkish jet retrieved
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – ….
The future of young Israelis
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: The threat of seeing one’s country destroyed is far from theoretical in Israel ….
French official: Concrete steps for Syria talks
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – ….
‘Gays encourage prostitution’
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Manager of major Tel Aviv clinic says gay community legitimizing, to an extent, existence of prostitution; gay activists slam ‘miserable’ remark ….
Presbyterians in US consider Israel divestment
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – ….
Solider dies of rare illness after suffering headaches
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Combat Engineering Corps serviceman dies after being diagnosed with rare, fatal disorder; IDF launches inquest ….
Solider dies of rare disorder after complaining of headaches
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – ….
PM to agree to individual sanctions against draft-dodgers
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Netanyahu says disagreement over universal draft can be resolved; agrees to impose penalties on draft-dodgers ….
Good for Bibi, bad for us
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Netanyahu’s decision to maintain alliance with haredim perpetuates rotten draft arrangement ….
Building of security fence to resume
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Government proposes completion of fence in Gush Etzion, Jerusalem Perimeter ….
Questions raised over archeologist’s IDF escort in Area B
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Binyamin Spatial Brigade troops accompany archeologist on tour of site in Palestinian village not under Israeli jurisdiction and even though Oslo Accords clearly state site is under PA authority ….
Plea deal: No jail time for Blau
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Haaretz journalist charged with unauthorized possession of classified IDF documents leaked by Anat Kam to perform four months community service ….
‘Suckers’ on IDF draft crisis: ‘We were sold to Yishai’
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Ahead of mass demonstration in Tel Aviv Saturday, activists campaigning for equal share of burden urge PM to reconsider ‘alliance with haredim’ ….
My supermarket epiphany
YNet News, 5 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Supermarket visit brings up some unexpected insights about Holocaust, the peace process ….
Palestinian Information Center
IOA resumes building the separation wall
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority is to resume building the racist, separation wall in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem within weeks.
The Israeli occupation kills 67 Palestinians, including women and children
PIC – Tadamun Foundation for Human Rights stated that occupation authorities had killed 67 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza during the first half of the year of 2012.
Palestinian youth injured in IOF shooting north of Gaza
PIC – A Palestinian young man was wounded at noon Thursday when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him to the north east of Beit Hanun town, north of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas asks Abbas to release all political detainees immediately
PIC – Hamas has asked PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to order the release of all Palestinian political prisoners in the West Bank immediately.
Resheq calls for further investigations to reveal killers of president Arafat
PIC – Member of Hamas‘s political bureau Ezzet Al-Resheq said Israel’s involvement in the assassination of former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat is unquestionable.
Palestinian prisoner transferred to hospital in serious condition
PIC – Israeli jailors transferred Palestinian prisoner Noor Jaber to hospital in serious condition on Thursday after he fainted, the Palestinian prisoner’s association said.
IOF soldiers arrest another Palestinian in Al-Khalil
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested a Palestinian youth in Sorif town, Al-Khalil, after breaking into his family home on Thursday, local sources said.
Haniyeh calls for an independent Arab Commission to investigate Arafat’s death
PIC – The Palestinian government in Gaza called for the formation of an independent Arab Commission to investigate the death of President Yasser Arafat and to prosecute those responsible..
Occupation prevents a cancer patient from Jenin to get treatment in Jerusalem
PIC – The occupation forces prevented a cancer patient from traveling to Jerusalem to get treatment at Augusta Victoria Hospital, the only hospital providing comprehensive services to cancer patients.
Israeli plan to confiscate Mount of “Gerizim”
PIC – The Israeli occupation government decided to convert Mount of “Gerizim” in Nablus to a garden and a nature reserve run by the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority.
EU Parliament: No Changes not Agreed on should be Accepted
WAFA – 5 Jul 2012
Settlers Cut Down 120 Olive Trees near Nablus
WAFA – 5 Jul 2012
Newspapers Review: Investigation into Arafat’s Death Dominates News
WAFA – 5 Jul 2012
UN Disappointed by Hamas Decision to Suspend Elections Process
WAFA – 5 Jul 2012
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 3 Jul 2012
Syria violence at ‘unprecedented level,’ U.N. monitor says
LA Times 6 Jul 2012 – Gen. Robert Mood, head of the U.N. team, says dialogue is impossible amid the escalating conflict. Meanwhile, the highest-profile defection yet is reported. BEIRUT — Violence in Syria has surged to an “unprecedented level,” the chief of the United Nations observer mission said Thursday, as…
National Identity at Heart of Debate on Israeli Service
New York Times 5 Jul 2012 – Among the questions roiling the political system: how many ultra-Orthodox men and Arab citizens should be drafted into the military or national service, and how should resisters be penalized?
Military Confidant of Syria’s Assad Is Reported to Have Defected
New York Times 5 Jul 2012 – If confirmed, the desertion by Manaf Tlass would be the first from President Bashar al-Assad’s gilded circle since the uprising began, and an indication that the regime’s cohesion was cracking.
WikiLeaks Releasing Trove of Syria Documents
New York Times 5 Jul 2012 – The group said the cache of more than 2.4 million e-mails between Syrian politicians, government officials and companies would embarrass President Bashar al-Assad of Syria as well as his adversaries.
Arafat’s Death by Polonium, More on Israeli Pinkwashing
Tikun Olam – I’ve published two new pieces today, one at Antiwar.com on Yasser Arafat’s likely murder by polonium in 2004; and the second a follow up to my article against pinkwashing at Tikkun Magazine. Regarding the first, Clayton Swisher’s Al Jazeera report that Arafat’s personal effects are riddled…
Coalition of Women for Peace supports divestment
Jewish Voice for Peace – To the delegates of the Presbyterian church General Assembly, We at the Coalition of Women for Peace, Israeli citizens who are Muslim, Christian and Jewish grassroots activists, would like to thank you for considering your investments in companies that are part of the Israeli occupation industry….
The occupation is extreme
Mondoweiss – For the past couple of weeks I have been reading articles and letters written by leaders of Jewish organizations and activists urging the US Presbyterian Church not to vote to divest from three companies that profit off of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem…
Follow the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly vote on divestment
Mondoweiss – @import “http://embed.tweetizen.com/embed.css”; Live video from your Android device on Ustream This afternoon promises a defining moment in Pittsburgh, when the US Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly votes on whether to divest from three companies that do business in the Israeli occupation. Here are updates via Twitter and…
Dust-sized speck of polonium is lethal
Mondoweiss – There are plans to exhume Arafat’s body to investigate the polonium-poisoning assertion from a Swiss lab: The Palestinian Authority agreed on Wednesday to the exhumation of Yasser Arafat’s body after new allegations that he was poisoned with the radioactive element polonium-210 in 2004. Ali Abunimah reports…
Exile and the Prophetic: The beach mezuzah
Mondoweiss – This is part one of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. Jewish – a concept I have struggled with my entire life. As in – what does it mean to be Jewish? Of course this is a perennial question in Jewish history….
Burston calls for ‘quiet revolution’– give Palestinians the vote
Mondoweiss – Lots of folks have sent along this piece by Bradley Burston in Haaretz on the death of Shamir, saying it was Zionism itself that was buried with the late prime minister. “Let it go.” This is an important piece because it shows that if Jews and…
‘No Women on Sidewalk’ Signs Removed in Town
The Foward Breaking News 5 Jul 2012 – A sign calling for women to avoid using sidewalks in order to avoid contact with men was removed from a neighborhood in Beit Shemesh. Click here for the rest of the article…
Pesach Lerner Quits as Head of Young Israel
The Foward Breaking News 5 Jul 2012 – Rabbi Pesach Lerner will step down as head of the National Council of Young Israel, the organization said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Democrat Resigns Over Criticism of Israel
The Foward Breaking News 5 Jul 2012 – A Democratic National Committee member who likened Israeli West Bank policies to apartheid and slavery has apologized and resigned. Click here for the rest of the article…
Canada Lawmakers Warn Church Against Divestment
The Foward Breaking News 5 Jul 2012 – In a rare move, nine Canadian senators have warned the United Church of Canada that its proposed boycott of goods from Israeli settlements would harm already tense relations with the Jewish community. Click here for the rest of the article…
Kenya: Kenya Cancels Iran Oil Deal
allAfrica.com 4 Jul 2012 – [Capital FM] Nairobi – Kenya has now cancelled a Memorandum of Understanding it signed with Iran last month for the importation of four million tonnes of Iranian crude per year.
North Africa: Friends of Syria Must Use Their Influence to Stop Cycle of Repression and Violence
allAfrica.com 5 Jul 2012 – [AI London] Decisive steps are needed to end the increasingly bloody cycle of repression and abuse in Syria as the armed conflict threatens to further spread and intensify, Amnesty International said ahead of an international Friends of Syria meeting in Paris on 6 July.
Tunisia: Reports of Syrian Deaths Surge This Week As Rifts Split Syria’s Opposition
allAfrica.com 5 Jul 2012 – [Tunis Afrique Presse] Cairo – Residents across Syria woke up to a particularly bloody day Wednesday, when at least 17 people — including six children — were killed in early morning violence, opposition activists said.
Kenya: Iran Threatening Israel’s Interests in Kenya – Israeli PM
allAfrica.com 5 Jul 2012 – [The Star] THE arraignment in a Nairobi court of two Iranians accused of having explosives has opened a new front in the diplomatic row between Israel and Iran.
Wikileaks releasing ‘Syria files’
BBC 5 Jul 2012 – Wikileaks begins releasing more than two million emails it dubs the “Syria files”, promising embarrassment for both Syria and its opponents.
Election material burned in Libya
BBC 5 Jul 2012 – A fire destroys election materials in Libya, days ahead of the country’s first elections following the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Palestinian prosperity ‘hampered’
BBC 5 Jul 2012 – The economic potential of Palestinians in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank is jeopardised by Israeli settlement activity, the UK charity Oxfam says.
Tanzania in Iran oil tanker probe
BBC 5 Jul 2012 – Tanzania is investigating allegations that it re-flagged Iranian oil tankers in defiance of sanctions, the country’s foreign minister says.
Take the Bubbles Out of SodaStream!
US Campaign to End the Occupation 5 Jul 2012 – Our member group Jewish Voice for Peace DC Metro Chapter is launching a new DC boycott campaign against SodaStream, a Swiss company that manufactures its beverage carbonating machine in Mishor Edumim, a settlement in the West Bank. Join the kick-off event this Sunday, July 8 from…
012
B’tselem 5 Jul 2012 – Yusri Abu Turki, ambulance driver I have worked as an ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent since 2007. Since the beginning of 2012, I have been stationed at the new Red Crescent trauma center in the Old City of Hebron, in Area H2. Generally we…
Supporting Resistance, Not Regime
Al-Akhbar Opinion 5 Jul 2012 – A handout picture released by the Syrian opposition’s Shaam News Network on 4 July 2012 shows Syrian rebels allegedly taking over an outpost belonging to government forces in Idlib on July 3. (Photo: AFP – SHAAM NEWS NETWORK) A handout picture released by the Syrian opposition’s…
No Winners in Syrian Civil War
Al-Akhbar Opinion 5 Jul 2012 – Members of the Free Syrian Army attend their daily training in Sarmada, north of Idlib province, 4 July 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Shaam News Network – Handout) Members of the Free Syrian Army attend their daily training in Sarmada, north of Idlib province, 4 July 2012. (…
Salafi MP faces “indecent” sex charge
Al-Akhbar News 5 Jul 2012 – Egyptian authorities have decided to put on trial a Salafi ex-MP who was caught allegedly performing an “indecent” sexual act with a woman in public, a judicial source said on Thursday. Ali Wanis’s trial is set for Sunday and will take place on time although he…
Report: Senior Assad general defects
Al-Akhbar News 5 Jul 2012 – A friend of President Bashar al-Assad and a brigadier in his Republican Guard, was reported on Wednesday to have fled to Turkey. If Manaf Tlas, whose father Mustapha was defense minister under Assad’s father for 30 years, were confirmed to have defected it would be the…
HRW: Ben Ali trial exposed flaws in Tunisia
Al-Akhbar News 5 Jul 2012 – Ousted president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s conviction to life in jail for the bloody suppression of last year’s uprising was a positive step for Tunisia’s legal system but also exposed flaws, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. “The assessment of the case and the related…
Sudans resume security talks
Al-Akhbar News 5 Jul 2012 – Rivals Sudan and South Sudan resumed security talks on Thursday aimed at easing tensions on the disputed border, after they failed to reach a deal at negotiations last week. The African Union-mediated talks in the Ethiopian capital first began after South Sudan’s independence last July, but…
Hunger striker in critical condition in Israeli jail
Al-Akhbar News 5 Jul 2012 – Two human rights groups have launched an urgent appeal for the release of a Palestinian man on his 85th day of a hunger strike in an Israeli jail. Akram Rikhawi has been refusing food since April 12 over Israel’s refusal to release him despite long-standing medical…
Michel Aoun: General Disappointment
Al-Akhbar News 5 Jul 2012 – Aoun’s problem is that while he learned by heart the plan for reforming the electricity sector that was drawn up by his son-in-law Bassil, others take issue with him over it without having bothered to read it. Aoun’s problem is that while he learned by heart…
Lebanese Bees: Robbed of Their Nectar
Al-Akhbar Series and Features 4 Jul 2012 – The beekeepers are now trying to protect their hives until it is time for the summer collection at the end of this current season. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) The beekeepers are now trying to protect their hives until it is time for the summer collection at the end…
Reform by Murder: Extremism Comes to Egypt
Al-Akhbar Politics 5 Jul 2012 – A boy looks at a polling station, next to an election poster of Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy, in Cairo 16 June 2012. The poster reads, “Yes to ‘Egypt‘s renaissance project’ with an Islamic orientation.” (Photo: Reuters – Amr Abdallah Dalsh) A boy looks at…
Egypt: The Brotherhood Seeps into the State
Al-Akhbar Politics 4 Jul 2012 – Supporters of Egypt‘s Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi cheer during his speech in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, 29 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Amr Abdallah Dalsh) Supporters of Egypt‘s Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi cheer during his speech in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, 29 June 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Amr…
Articles
Ditching the status quo in Palestine
Ben White, Al Jazeera.com 7/5/2012
Palestinians have protested a planned meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and an Israeli party head.
It has been a bad week at the office for the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership. Last weekend, protests on successive days against the proposed meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Kadima Party head Shaul Mofaz were met with violent attacks by PA forces.
The harassment and baton swings (including the targeting of the media) provoked yet another demonstration on Tuesday, where there were chants against Oslo, the PA, and the repression of dissent. Groups like Amnesty International have also spoken out.
By coincidence, two other stories were reported at the same time: first, the detention of around 200 people in recent weeks by the PA, particularly in the northern West Bank; and second, the request by Israel on behalf of Salam Fayyad for an IMF loan to help prevent a PA financial collapse.
This is shaping up to be a time of clarity, and the issues go much deeper than heavy-handed EU-trained police. It is a moment to acknowledge that three cornerstones of the status quo – the official peace process, the PA structure, and the two-state framework – are not just flawed or in trouble, but are thwarting the realisation of Palestinian rights by their very nature.
With negotiations long since suspended, it is commonplace for politicians to talk of the peace process as being in dire straits. But it is time for a more damning verdict on the Quartet-led negotiations than is typically offered in the mainstream. more.. e-mail
Palestinians, beware false friends
Stuart Littlewood, Redress 7/5/2012
A press release has just arrived in my inbox from the Palestinian mission in the UK proudly proclaiming Ambassador Manuel Hassassian’s jaunt to the Labour Friends of Palestine Gala Dinner where he was keynote speaker alongside Labour Party leader Ed Miliband.
Ed of course is the brother of David Miliband, a Tony Blair protégé and foreign secretary under the worthless Gordon Brown government and certainly no friend of the Palestinian people.
Ed, also a Blair-Brown protégé, had already declared that Labour would be “Israel’s friend in good times and bad”. So let’s hope that age-old warning “The friend of my enemy is my enemy” was ringing in the other guests’ ears.
The usual empty rhetoric
Miliband repeated his party’s support for the two-state solution and Palestinian statehood. Some 130 member countries of the UN already recognize Palestine as a state, so this is no big deal from Miliband.
The Labour leader’s contribution was the usual empty rhetoric. He wanted to breathe new life into the peace process.
We must do more to end violence on the ground on all sides, continue to press the Israeli government to bring the expansion of illegal settlements to an end… There will be no path to justice for the Palestinians, security for Israel and stability for the international community without respect for human rights and international law… As the leader of the Labour Party I pledge to do everything… to ensure we actively pursue a path that supports the realization of Palestinian statehood in the context of a negotiated two-state solution.more.. e-mail
US should press Israel to return confiscated equipment
Joel Simon, Ma’an News Agency 7/5/2012
The Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Via facsimile: +1 (202) 647-2283
Dear Secretary Clinton,
We are writing to bring to your attention the Israeli Ministry of Communication’s refusal to return U.S.-funded equipment that was confiscated from a private Palestinian broadcaster about four months ago.
On February 29, Israeli soldiers and ministry officials raided the offices of Wattan TV, an independent news broadcaster in Ramallah, and seized its transmitters, computers, files, and archives without a warrant or an explanation. The equipment was purchased with funds provided in large part by U.S. agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a fund controlled by the State Department.
The Israeli ministry continues to hold the station’s equipment despite international calls for it to be returned. On May 8, CPJ wrote a letter to Moshe Kachlon, the Israeli Minister of Communications, requesting that the broadcaster’s equipment be returned. We have not yet received a response. more.. e-mail
Israel orders destruction of entire West Bank village
Electronic Intifada: 5 Jul 2012 – Ryan Brownell Susya 5 July 2012 Residents of Susya fight to remain on their land as Israel hands down orders to demolish the whole West Bank village.more
Jolting the Democratic Party from Its Stupor
Palestine Chronicle: 5 Jul 2012 – By Ralph Nader If the Democrats in Congress were all drinking water from the same faucet, there might be a clue to their chronic fear of the craven and cruel corporatist Republicans who dominate them. But they don’t, so we have to ask why their fear, defeatism, and cowering behavior continues in the face of the outrageous GOP actions as the November election approaches. The explanations go back some years. The Democrats have long receded from the Harry Truman days of “give ‘em hell, Harry”. But their political castration occurred in the late seventies when the Democrats were persuaded by one of their own, Congressman Tony Coelho (D-Calif.), to start aggressively bidding for corporate campaign cash. Victory in politics often goes to those who have the most energy and decisiveness, however wrongheaded. The Republicans have won these races for years. To paraphrase author and lapsed Republican, Kevin Phillips, the Republicans…more
Risks Worth Taking to Save Palestine
Palestine Chronicle: 5 Jul 2012 – By Jamal Kanj The outcome of peace negotiations and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has been irrational and incongruous. The first has led to a quadrupling of the population in “Jewish only” settlements. Conflict, however, contributed to its slowest growth – or sometimes decreased – during periods of unrest throughout the first and the second Intifada. The peace process must be profoundly flawed if it results in practices that perpetuate conflict and undermine peace. Israel has used peace negotiations to distract the international community from its overt and covert policies, under which it has extended control over 62 per cent of the West Bank. Of that, about 75pc was dedicated to benefit 500,000 Jewish settlers. This equates to 5,428sqm per settler. Native Palestinians saw their land shrink to less than 1,270sqm per person. In further violation of Article 4 of the Geneva Convention, 73pc of the West Bank’s water aquifer…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 