5 July 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
General Assembly of US Presbyterian Church Narrowly Votes Against Divestment
IMEMC – The General Assembly of the US Presbyterian Church narrowly voted against divestment in three companies doing business with the Israeli military. The extremely close vote on Thursday, 333-331 against the resolution, came after the church’s Middle East Committee had recommended divestment on Tuesday. …
“Collaborator Confesses To Poisoning Arafat”, Al-Mayadeen Reports
IMEMC – The Al-Mayadeen TV, based in Lebanon, published a video reportedly documenting the confession of a collaborator with Israel, operating in the Negev detention camp, in which he said that “Israel recruited him to poison dinner meals of late President Yasser Arafat”. …
Two Hamas-Affiliated Legislators Released
IMEMC – On Thursday Israel released two legislators of the Change and Reform Bloc, a wing of the Hamas movement, after imprisoning them without charge at the Negev Detention Camp for 18 months under Administrative Detention. …
Hamad warns construction of wall around Jerusalem ‘dangerous’
7/6/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel’s plans to resume building its separation wall around Jerusalem signal plans to complete the “judaization” of the holy city, a Fatah central committee member warned Thursday. Amal Hamad said the move was Israel’s “most dangerous action” since it occupied the West Bank and Gaza in….
Official: Israel closes Gaza’s Erez crossing
7/6/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel closed the Erez crossing on the Gaza border on Friday morning, a Palestinian official said. Crossing director on the Palestinian side Maher Abu al-Ouf told Ma’an that patients, traders and elderly passengers were waiting to cross when Israeli authorities closed the terminal without prior notice. Residents of….
Gas canister sets fire to West Bank home
7/6/2012 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — An Israeli tear gas canister set fire to a Palestinian home on Friday in the West Bank village of Kufr Qaddum, during a demonstration against settlers in the occupied West Bank. Witnesses said the home belonged to Mousa Obeid, a resident of the village. Several family members suffered from inhaling the….
Report: Palestinian confessed to poisoning Arafat in 2006
7/6/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Mayadeen on Friday broadcast a tape of a Palestinian allegedly confessing to poisoning the late President Yasser Arafat’s food on behalf of Israeli intelligence. The video was allegedly recorded in Israel’s Negev prison in 2006 and shows a Palestinian prisoner suspected of….
Report: Netanyahu linked to US nuclear tech case
7/7/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli media reported Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was once employed by a front company used to smuggle nuclear technology out of the US. Maariv, a Hebrew-language Israeli daily, said recently released FBI files showed Netanyahu was employed at the Heli Trading Company during the time of the smuggling operation…. Related: Antiwar.com: Netanyahu Worked Inside Nuclear Smuggling Ring
Center: Israel releases administrative detainee
7/6/2012 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israel on Friday released a Hamas member after detaining him without charge for 14 months, the Ahrar prisoners center said. Khalid al-Hajj was released from Ofer prison after serving time in Megiddo and Shatta prisons. Al-Hajj has been detained several times before, and has spent a total of over 100 months….
RSF: ‘Deep reservations’ after deal for Haaretz reporter
7/6/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The free media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says it has deep reservations about a deal struck between the Tel Aviv district attorney and Haaretz reporter Uri Blau. Under the deal, announced Thursday, Blau will plead guilty to illegally possessing classified documents in exchange for a sentence of four months of community….
Turkey condemns Israel settlement plans
7/6/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Turkey on Thursday condemned Israel’s tenders for construction of additional settlement units in the illegal Har Homa, Pisgat Zeev and East Talpiot developments.” We strongly condemn Israel’s issuing tenders for the construction of several additional units in the settlements,” a statement from Turkey’s foreign ministry….
UN names experts to probe Israeli settlements
7/6/2012 – GENEVA (Reuters) — The United Nations named French judge Christine Chanet on Friday as the leader of a team of three experts who will investigate whether Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories violate human rights law. The other team members are Pakistani lawyer Asma Jahangir and Botswana judge Unity Dow. Jahangir has been the subject of….
Clinton meets Abbas before talks with Israel
7/6/2012 – PARIS (Reuters) — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should not be forgotten amid wider upheaval in the Middle East. Washington has made no visible progress toward its goal of reaching an outline peace deal by the end of this year and both sides appear unlikely to….
Source: Hamas man’s Syria death accident, not murder
7/6/2012 – GAZA CITY (Reuters) — A Hamas member whose charred body was found in his Damascus apartment was not assassinated as first thought but died from inhaling smoke, an official of the Islamist group said on Friday. The body of Kamal Husni Ghanaja was found on June 27 in a cupboard above the ceiling of his ransacked….
Arafat’s nephew: Body should be exhumed if necessary
7/7/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The nephew of Yasser Arafat said Thursday that the late president’s body must be exhumed if necessary to determine the true cause of his death. Nasser al-Qudwa, who heads the Yasser Arafat Foundation, met with President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Thursday and discussed new allegations that Arafat was….
Women protest political arrests in Hebron
7/7/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Palestinian women in Hebron rallied Friday against the arrests of Hamas supporters, demanding that the Palestinian Authority release their sons. The demonstration, organized by parents of political detainees and the association of Muslim youth, started at Al-Hussein Bin Ali Mosque after Friday prayers and headed toward a sit-in tent in central….
Elections official says efforts underway to restart voter registration
7/7/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Jamil Al-Khalidi, an official with the Central Election Commission, says there are ongoing efforts to reopen voter registration decision in Gaza following Hamas‘ orders to stop work. Al-Khalidi told Ma’an that several Palestinian factions along with Egypt were communicating with Hamas to reverse its decision. Still, no….
Pressure on to end draft exemption for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox
7/6/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — One of the earliest decisions the Zionist leaders of the new state of Israel made in the late 1940s was to strike a deal with ultra-Orthodox rabbis from Eastern Europe to help preserve a traditional Jewish practice almost wiped out in the Holocaust. Seeking political support from the rabbis, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion….
Veteran Fatah leader dies in Jordan
7/6/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah leader and former Central Committee member Hani al-Hassan died in Jordan on Friday. Al-Hassan was a founding member of Fatah, and established a Fatah group in Germany in the 1960s. He served as an adviser to late President Yasser Arafat, although he was a vocal critic of the Oslo Accords….
Man dies after relatives shoot motorbike in Gaza brawl
7/6/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A man died on Friday after his relatives shot at his motorcycle during a family dispute in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, police said. The motorbike exploded, killing the 26-year-old, police spokesman Ayman al-Batniji told Ma’an. Police have opened an investigation, al-Batniji said. On Thursday, three people….
ICC lawyer: Fair Gadhafi trial in Libya impossible
7/7/2012 – THE HAGUE (Reuters) — A war crimes lawyer who was detained in Libya for three weeks on spying allegations said Friday her experience showed it was impossible for the son of slain dictator Muammar Gadhafi to get a fair trial in his home country. Melinda Taylor, who was assigned to assist Saif al-Islam Gadhafi defend himself….
Egypt army salutes Mursi, both strive for control
7/6/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Sat between Egypt’s two top generals, newly elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi oversaw a passing-out ceremony of military recruits Thursday in a rigidly choreographed scene that could almost have been taken from the era of Hosni Mubarak. Yet beneath the formalities, a more subtle game is at play as two long-time….
Thousands flee Syria fighting, face food shortage
7/6/2012 – GENEVA (Reuters) — Thousands of families in Syria have fled their homes in the past two weeks due to heavy fighting between government forces and rebels and many face food shortages, the United Nations said on Friday. Food prices have tripled in parts of seven provinces where the livelihoods of farmers and livestock herders are at….
Libya’s new women politicians seize chance in vote
7/6/2012 – TRIPOLI (Reuters) — Majdah al-Fallah flashes a broad smile and pumps the hands of shoppers in downtown Tripoli as she works potential voters on the campaign trail ahead of Libya’s landmark national assembly elections on Saturday. A doctor by trade who lived in Ireland for years, Fallah is running for the Justice and Construction….
Lebanon’s 3-day Internet blackout slows business
7/6/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Lebanon suffered its third day with only patchy Internet connectivity on Friday after the fibre optic cable it relies on was severed 30 miles off the coast of Egypt. Telecoms Minister Nicholas Sehnaoui posted on his Twitter account that nearby Cyprus has agreed to reroute traffic until the cable was repaired.” This will….
UN recommends Syria mission focus on political solution
7/6/2012 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon recommended to the UN Security Council on Friday that the mandate of its Syria monitoring mission stay the same but that the operation’s focus shift from observing a non-existent ceasefire to securing a political solution. The deeply divided council must make a decision on what to….
Settlers Uproot around 120 Olive Trees, South Nablus
Palestine News Network
Settlers Seize Five Dunums of Land, Bethlehem
Palestine News Network
Israel Abruptly Closes Beit Hanoun Crossing
Palestine News Network
New Paper Probes Effects of Occupation on Environment
Palestine News Network
President Barroso Visits Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Palestine News Network
Turkey Condemns Continuous Israeli Illegal Settlement
Palestine News Network
Clinton Will Meet Mursi, Visit Israel This Month
Palestine News Network
Amnesty: Friends of Syria Must Use their Influence to Stop Cycle of Repression and Violence
Palestine News Network
67 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Occupation, Children and Women Included
Palestine News Network
Party in the Pits: TPFF Food & Film Screening at Christie Pits Park
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
012)
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
The general who is Assad’s friend no more
The National 6 Jul 2012 – Brig Gen Manaf Tlass received military training alongside Bashar Al Assad. But after falling out with the Syrian leader, the general has turned his back on the regime.
Netanyahu under the gun on draft legislation
The National 6 Jul 2012 – Argument over compulsory military service bill threatens to tear apart Israel’s ruling coalition.
New approach needed for Syria says UAE foreign minister
The National 6 Jul 2012 – Sheikh Abdullah identifies shortcomings in international efforts to pressure Damascus to halt crackdown on dissidents; asks delegates at Friends of Syria conference to alter its approach.
Friends of Syria summit calls for Assad to step down
The National 6 Jul 2012 – Though the meeting seeks a UN Security Council resolution backing more sanctions and diplomatic action, it made no call for military intervention.
Clinton: Resolving Israel-Palestinian conflict still important
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2012
Presbyterian Church in U.S. votes to boycott Israeli settlement goods
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2012
Israel: UN council probe on West Bank settlements ‘flawed and biased’
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2012
UN council appoints panel to probe Israeli settlements in West Bank
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2012
Presbyterian Church in U.S. rejects divestment of global companies in Israel
Ha’aretz – 5 Jul 2012
‘Hamas man’s Syria death accident not murder’
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Source says Hamas member whose charred body was found in Damascus was not assassinated, but died from inhaling smoke.
UN urges Syria mission focus on political solution
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Clinton wants countries holding up UNSC resolution on Syria to “pay a price,” repeats call for sanctions against Assad.
Israel to refuse UNHRC probe cooperation
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Three jurists appointed to fact-finding probe into Israeli settlement activity and Jewish building in east Jerusalem; Israel calls probe a “hijacking of the important human rights agenda.”
Iran blames France, Germany for atom scientist hits
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Tehran previously accused US, UK, Israel over killings; accusations may hint at infighting over negotiating stance.
Mofaz denies agreeing to participate in PM’s c’tee
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – PMO says Kadima agreed to establish new committee tasked with increasing minority enlistment; Mofaz quickly issues denial.
Letter: Hitler protected Jewish WW1 veteran
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Heinrich Himmler penned letter commanding that Hitler’s Jewish former officer Ernst Hess be spared “as per Fuehrer’s wishes.”
The Numbers Crunch: Twitter loves WikiLeaks
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Also this week: Axl Rose rocks Tel Aviv on Facebook and YouTube; JPost readers remember Shamir; #j14 spiking in Tel Aviv.
Clinton urges Russia, China pressure over Assad
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – US secretary of state wants countries holding up UNSC resolution on Syria to “pay a price,” repeats call for sanctions against Assad.
Steinitz dispels rumor of NIS 100m. for Ariel school
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – Finance minister says he backs making AUC a university, but not with reported sum; Miller praises education minister for support.
US Presbyterian Church rejects Israel divestment
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2012 – General Assembly rejects by 333-331 margin motion to divest from companies it says provide Israel services aiding occupation.
School health improves after nurses returned
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Vaccination rates up in southern schools after comptroller report prompts Litzman to reinstate public health nurses.
Inside Iran: Of missiles and lapdogs
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Oil sanctions, nuclear talks, Egypt and war games dominated headlines from Tehran this week in this overview from the Iranian press.
Politics: Winners, losers in the Keshev saga
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – With the coalition teetering over replacing the Tal Law, who comes out on top and who misses out?
Into the Fray: The honorable thing to do
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – The only proper thing for two-staters to do is to admit error, apologize for the vast damage they have wrought, and bow out of public life.
‘Polonium found on Arafat’s clothing was planted’
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Analyst tells ‘Post’ high levels of radioactive poison reportedly found on Arafat’s belongings likely placed there much later.
Column One: Shamir’s good, great life
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – It was not inevitable that Shamir became a strong, dedicated, successful leader; many in his generation were not.
Spoiled for choice
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – There are 200 films in this year’s Jerusalem Film Festival, many of which are very thought-provoking.
His Story/Her Story: Grace Aguilar
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – When Grace Aguilar died in 1847 in Frankfurt (where she had gone to improve her health), she mourned internationally.
Just a Thought: Portrait of a Jewish theologian
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Lost in the contemporary discussions about the boundaries of Jewish law is the subject of Jewish theology and theologians.
Keep Dreaming: Demise of the State of Israel
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – From Futurpedia, the free encyclopedia of tomorrow.
Guest Columnist: Jewish rights and Arab peacemaking
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – The passing of Yitzhak Shamir has triggered recollections in around the world of a man little noticed during the past decade.
Think Again: Obamacare and the Israeli Supreme Court
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Decisions of the United States Supreme Court are not the normally the stuff of op-eds in Israeli newspapers.
The Human Spirit: Russian paradigm
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Despite the long silence of Russian Jewry, as the psalmists would say, the soul will sing and not be silent.
French revolution on race relations
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Will Frances’ new government address the country’s contentious racial issues?
Middle Israel: Little big man
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Yitzhak Shamir will be remembered, more than anything else, as Israel’s last modest leader.
In Plain Language: The Shamir legacy
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – Israel, a most progressive country, is great at recycling former political higher-ups.
A View from Israel: Lessons of independence
Jerusalem Post 5 Jul 2012 – It was George Washington who said, “What a triumph for our enemies… to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves.”
012: one minute to remember 11 Munich athletes – too much to ask? | Jennifer Lipman
The Guardian 6 Jul 2012 – The IOC’s refusal to hold a minute’s silence for the Israeli athletes killed at the ’72 Games is against the Olympic spirit Seriously, in between all the running, jumping, swimming and sprinting, the Olympic organisers can’t…
Weeks after prisoner strike ends, Israel not holding up its end of deal
Uruknet
Report: Palestinian confessed to poisoning Arafat in 2006 on behalf of Israeli intelligence
Uruknet
Netanyahu implicated in nuclear smuggling from U.S. — big story in Israel
Uruknet
012 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
The Folly of Israel’s Settlement Policy
Uruknet
From crisis to resistance in Greece
Uruknet
Compounding Vulnerability: Impacts of Climate Change on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank
Uruknet
Barqa: The ostrich capital of Lebanon
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 The average Lebanese family has about two children. Throw in two parents, four grandparents, two aunts, two uncles and a dozen cousins and you might have enough people to finish one ostrich egg omelet.
The rise of the assistant coach in Lebanon
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 The level of basketball coaching in Lebanon has been always an issue. But defining the role and importance of assistant coaches for both clubs and the national team has grown even more important.
U.S. steps up warnings on Iran dissident camp in Iraq
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 The United States warned an Iranian dissident group on Friday that time was running out for it to vacate its Iraqi base camp.
Obama defiant, Romney pounces on jobs report
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 A defiant Obama tried to stop weak jobs data undermining his case for reelection Friday, but Romney told America’s middle class it did not have to put up with such misery.
Turkey, Iraq work on export of Basra oil via Turkey
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 Turkey’s energy ministry has started technical work with Iraq’s central government on shipping crude oil from Basra in southern Iraq via the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
Iraq car bomb against anti-Qaeda fighter kills six
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives near an anti-Qaeda militiaman’s home in western Iraq on Friday, killing six people, the latest victims of a spike in nationwide unrest.
Cafe owner dies after serving Obama breakfast
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 An Ohio woman collapsed and died hours after serving US President Barack Obama breakfast at her restaurant, the local Akron Beacon Journal newspaper reported Friday.
Hamas man’s Syria death accident not murder-source
Daily Star 6 Jul 2012 A Hamas member whose charred body was found in his Damascus apartment was not assassinated as first thought but died from inhaling smoke.
UN: peacekeeper killed in volatile eastern Congo
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – ….
Abbas: PA to probe Arafat’s death if necessary
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – ….
Egypt’s Morsi orders probe of protester deaths
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – ….
Morocco Salafi clerics back death for journalist
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – ….
Congo rebels say in control of eastern border town
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – ….
UNHRC appoints 3 to probe Israeli settlements
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – UN‘s Human Rights Council names three delegates to probe Israel’s West Bank settlement policies ….
Draft bill continues to rattle Likud-Kadima pact
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – Netanyahu, Mofaz continue butting heads over universal service alternatives. PM forms new teams; Mofaz demands government endorses Plesner Committee recommendations ….
Who cares about Arafat?
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Al-Jazeera’s failed attempt to revive Arafat agenda highlights Arab apathy about Israel ….
Bereaved mother: Is my son’s blood worth less?
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – Many parents whose children were killed during army service plan to attend mass Tel Aviv demonstration calling for universal recruitment. ‘Yeshiva students should not use Torah as excuse,’ one of them says ….
Ariel Center professors mull resignation
YNet News, 6 Jul 2012 – Researchers at West Bank institution say decision not to grant it university status was not based on academic concerns ….
Palestinian Information Center
Palestinians want to know who killed Yasser Arafat
PIC – Thanks to the thorough and highly professional investigation by al-Jazzera network, which lasted several months, it is now established what killed the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
IOF troops raid Yatta, arrest a young man
PIC – IOF, at dawn Friday, raid the village of Yatta, south of al-Khalil, arrested a young Palestinian man and raided a number of homes.
Prominent Fatah leader Hani al-Hasan dies in Amman
PIC – Prominent Fatah leader and former member of its central committee, Hani al-Hasan, died on Friday morning in Amman at the age of 73.
European MPs condemn Israeli settlers’ practices against Palestinians
PIC – The European Parliament condemned on Thursday the Israeli settlers’ attacks and harassments against the Palestinian people in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank..
Sheikh Rajoub released after serving 8 months in administrative detention
PIC – The IOF released Sheikh Hashem Rajoub from city of Dura south of al-Khalil after serving eight months in Zionist jails under administrative detention.
IOF arrests two farmers near Hallamish settlement
PIC – The IOF arrested yesterday two brothers, the farmers Ihab (30) years and Mohammed Hassan Al-Tamimi (25) years, while they were working on their land adjacent to Hallamish settlement..
Khreisheh accuses some PA leaders of being involved in Arafat’s assassination
PIC – Hassan Khreisheh, the Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Committee (PLC) and the member in the committee investigating former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s death.
Report: over 300 Palestinians arrested by the IOF in June
PIC – The IOF arrested over three hundred Palestinian citizens from the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the month of June, revealed a report by a Palestinian human rights source.
Mishal visits Ibrahim Hamed’s family
PIC – Khaled Meshaal, the Political Bureau Chief of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has visited on Thursday the home of Ibrahim Hamed, who is imprisoned in occupation jails.
Occupation renews MP Omar Abdel Razek’s administrative detention
PIC – Israeli occupation authorities renewed the administrative detention of the MP for Salfit Dr. Omar Abdel Razek for six months for the third time in a row and three days before his release.
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 3 Jul 2012
Ban Ki-moon Proposes Changing Purpose of Syria Monitor Mission
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said a suspended observer mission should not be disbanded but instead should work to encourage a political solution in Syria.
France Confirms Top Syrian General’s Defection
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – While Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass drew world attention when he fled on Thursday, President Bashar al-Assad’s bigger military challenge is the swelling number of silent objectors in Syria.
Egypt’s Leader, Morsi, Orders Inquiry on Killings
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – President Mohamed Morsi’s decree to investigate the killing of protesters before and during the uprising appeared to be a challenge to the authority of Egypt’s security services.
U.S. Presses Iranian Group M.E.K. to Finish Move
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – The administration suggested the group’s conduct will influence a decision on whether to continue its official designation as a terrorist organization.
Mideast Peace Talks in a Tent Near Hebron
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – Sitting on cushions, Sheik Fared al-Jabari, the head of a clan, held a meeting of Palestinian and Jewish leaders who traded promises of peace amid platters of grapes and plums in the hotly disputed Hebron city.
Before Election, Old Rivalries Endanger Libya’s Dream of a Fresh Start
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – Many still hope that the election of a new national congress will offer a more peaceful way to resolve differences and divvy up the spoils.
Syria Violence Is ‘Unprecedented’, U.N. Commander Says
New York Times 6 Jul 2012 – The officer commanding United Nations monitors said the fighting made it impossible for his unarmed observers to resume their mission.
Hunger Strike in Palestinian Jails
Al-Haq –
Jerusalem Light Rail Promises Palestinian Right of Return
Tikun Olam – Hey, who said Israel had the only intelligence services capable of launching psyops against its enemies? Apparently, Palestine does as well. I’ve learned from an Israeli source that the PA recruited a Palestinian working for the Jerusalem light rail system to program a bit of psychological…
Blau Plea Deal Criminalizes Pursuit of Journalism, Rapes Freedom of Press
Tikun Olam – Sorry, I know my title contains strong language, but what Israel’s attorney general, Yehudah Weinstein, has done is to rape freedom of the press in Israel. The first violation of the body of journalism occurred when he pursued espionage charges (charge sheet in Hebrew) against Uri…
JVP statement on Presbyterian boycott & divestment vote
Jewish Voice for Peace – More about JVP’s campaign for divestment here: http://bit.ly/JVPdivest4peace Jewish Voice for Peace Statement on Presbyterian Church (USA) Vote on Boycott and Divestment from Companies Profiting from the Israeli Occupation Contact: Sydney Levy, sydney AT jvp.org Rabbi Alissa Wise, alissa AT jvp.org NEW YORK- July 6th, 2012…
Some ‘Peace Now’ faithful dispute its claim that divestment will stoke ‘global anti-Semitism’
Mondoweiss – Yesterday we published a statement against divestment by Americans for Peace Now that warned Presbyterians that they would be stoking “global anti-semitism” by voting for divestment from Israel (in fact the Presbyterians’ proposal was to divest from 3 companies doing business in the occupation). Well Americans…
Democratic Congressman’s aide who said there are no Palestinians says he wasn’t speaking for his boss
Mondoweiss – We’ve been covering the case of a Florida politician , Evelyn Garcia, who resigned from the Democratic National Committee, after emails emerged in which she bewailed the treatment of Palestinians under occupation by Israel. Garcia was elected to the DNC in 2008 and is now running for…
‘Goldstone Report will pale’ next to damage we will do to Lebanon, says senior IDF official
Mondoweiss – This is what Sparta looks like. Even as everyone talks about an Iran war, Haaretz says that Israel is preparing for another war in Lebanon because of the instability in Syria. In IDF simulations of what a third Lebanon war would look like, ground maneuvers in…
Netanyahu implicated in nuclear smuggling from U.S. — big story in Israel
Mondoweiss – The Israeli press is picking up Grant Smith’s revelation from FBI documents that Benjamin Netanyahu was part of an Israeli smuggling ring that spirited nuclear triggers out of the U.S. in the 80s and 90s. Arutz Sheva, the nationalist Israeli press : Declassified FBI documents from a…
Exile and the Prophetic: Tighter than Tight
Mondoweiss – This is part one of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. See the first part here and the intro here . Just a few days after I arrived at the Cape, as a rocket was lifting off nearby my apartment, the news of…
Clinton Holds ‘Productive’ Talks With Abbas
The Foward Breaking News 6 Jul 2012 – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called her talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas productive. Click here for the rest of the article…
U.N. Experts Will Probe West Bank Settlements
The Foward Breaking News 6 Jul 2012 – The United Nations’ top human rights body has appointed three independent experts to conduct a fact-finding mission on how Israel’s West Bank settlements affect Palestinians. Click here for the rest of the article…
Presbyterians Reject Divestment Back Boycott
The Foward Breaking News 6 Jul 2012 – In a narrow vote, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) rejected divestment from companies doing business with Israeli security forces in the West Bank. Click here for the rest of the article…
Many Haredi Enroll in Israel Service
The Foward Breaking News 5 Jul 2012 – The uncertainty surrounding the aftermath of the Tal Law’s August 1 expiry has driven a record number of ultra-Orthodox men to volunteer for the national service program in the past few days. Click here for the rest of the article…
Presbyterians Split on Israel Boycott
The Forward New 6 Jul 2012 – Presbyterians voted against divestment by a slim margin. But then they agreed to support a boycott of products made in Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Improves Human Trafficking Record
The Forward New 6 Jul 2012 – Crackdowns on pimps and forced labor have helped Israel improve on a U.S. ranking of how well countries are addressing human trafficking issues. Click here for the rest of the article…
Tanzania: Govt Asks U.S., EU Support On Iran Tankers Probe
allAfrica.com 6 Jul 2012 – [Daily News]THE Union and Zanzibar governments have sought assistance from the United States and the European Union (EU) to jointly help in investigating and verifying allegations that Iranian ships have reflagged the Tanzanian flag.
Egypt: FM Meets With Abbas, Stresses Egypt’s Keenness to Support Palestinian Right
allAfrica.com 6 Jul 2012 – [Egypt Online]Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr met on Thursday 05/07/2012 with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris.
Namibia: Agri Minister Talks to Palestinians
allAfrica.com 6 Jul 2012 – [Namibia Economist]On Friday 29 June, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, John Mutorwa and his counterpart of the Palestinian territories, Walid Assaf signed the Agricultural Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) based on technical cooperation in the field of agriculture between the two countries.
Egypt: Shura Council Speaker – Gulf National Security Integral Part of Egypt’s
allAfrica.com 6 Jul 2012 – [Egypt Online]The Shura Council speaker Ahmed Fahmi expressed on Wednesday 4/7/2012 full support of Bahrain’s stability, saying the Gulf national security is an integral part of Egypt’s.
Santorum?s Partisan Take on Obama?s Iran Policy
Arab American Institute 6 Jul 2012 – According to Rick Santorum, Obama is so weak on the question of Iran that he?s practically encouraging them to develop nuclear weapons, yet so opportunistic and desperate to win the upcoming election that he just might bomb Iran.
UN Syria mission ‘to be reduced’
BBC 6 Jul 2012 – UN chief Ban Ki-moon says the observer mission in Syria should be reduced and focused on mediation, after a UN-backed truce failed to take hold.
Libya election helicopter ‘shot’
BBC 6 Jul 2012 – An electoral worker is killed after gunmen fire at a helicopter carrying voting material in the east of the country for Saturday’s election, officials say.
Manaf Tlass Defects
Al-Akhbar Blogs 6 Jul 2012 – The story is now a headline: Alquds Alarabi (a Qatari-funded Arab nationalist newspaper based in London which – like all Qatari-funded media – has been increasingly vocal and strict in its adherence to Qatari foreign policy orientations) put it as the main headline. Western media have…
Lebanese Contract Workers’ Law: Just Words on Paper
Al-Akhbar Opinion 6 Jul 2012 – The figures at the president’s disposal put the number of contract workers EDL needs to hire at 793. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The figures at the president’s disposal put the number of contract workers EDL needs to hire at 793. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Considerable time could go…
AUB: Reflections on its Present and Future
Al-Akhbar Opinion 6 Jul 2012 – The June 22 incident was in itself a momentous event in the history of our university. Probably for the first time in its long existence, a public protest took place during the traditional graduation ceremony against someone who was receiving an honorary PhD from the university. (…
Bahrain: The Opposition Radicalizes
Al-Akhbar News 6 Jul 2012 – Bahraini riot police forces take a position during an anti-government protest in the village of Malikiya, South of Manama on 23 June 2012. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Al-Shaikh) Bahraini riot police forces take a position during an anti-government protest in the village of Malikiya, South of…
US drone kills nine in Pakistan
Al-Akhbar News 6 Jul 2012 – A US drone attack on a militant compound in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal area killed nine people and injured three late Friday, security officials said. The unmanned aircraft fired two missiles on the compound in Datta Khel village, some 35 kilometers east of Miranshah, the main town…
Election helicopter attacked in Libya
Al-Akhbar News 6 Jul 2012 – A helicopter carrying voting material for Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Libya made a forced landing outside the eastern town of Benghazi on Friday after being struck by anti-aircraft fire, a local official said. Hamed Al-Hassi, head of the military council for the Cyrenaica region, said one…
Elias Jubran: Maker of Magical Instruments
Al-Akhbar News 6 Jul 2012 – Jubran was first acquainted with the oud, his favorite instrument, thanks to his neighbor. Jubran was first acquainted with the oud, his favorite instrument, thanks to his neighbor. Palestinian instrument-maker Elias Jubran learned how to make the oud and other instruments virtually on his own –…
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Al-Akhbar News 6 Jul 2012 – Edited by Adel Alsalman 30 June 2012 A girl sells wooden collectables next to the Cedars state park in the Bsharri District, North Lebanon. (Photo: Marwan Bu Haidar) 30 June 2012 A girl takes a ride on a bungee trampoline during the Virada Esportiva programme at…
Iran says Germany, France involved in scientist killings
Al-Akhbar News 6 Jul 2012 – Iran’s spy chief accused German and French intelligence agencies on Friday of involvement in killings of its nuclear scientists, as relations between Tehran and the West continue to sour over failed negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program. The Islamic republic has previously accused Israel, the United States…
USAID in Palestine: Building Roads to Cut Off the People
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Jul 2012 – A young Palestinian protester runs away from Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kafr Qaddum, near the West Bank city of Ramallah on 22 June 2012. (Photo: AFP – Jaafar Ashtiyeh) A young Palestinian protester…
Michel Aoun: General Disappointment
Al-Akhbar Politics 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…
Hunger Strike in Palestinian Jails
Al-Haq 5 Jul 2012 –
Articles
Netanyahu Worked Inside Nuclear Smuggling Ring
Grant Smith, Antiwar.com 7/4/2012
Counterespionage debriefing reveals how Israel targeted U.S.
On June 27, 2012, the FBI partially declassified and released seven additional pages [.pdf] from a 1985–2002 investigation into how a network of front companies connected to the Israeli Ministry of Defense illegally smuggled nuclear triggers out of the U.S.* The newly released FBI files detail how Richard Kelly Smyth — who was convicted of running a U.S. front company — met with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel during the smuggling operation. At that time, Netanyahu worked at the Israeli node of the smuggling network, Heli Trading Company. Netanyahu, who currently serves as Israel’s prime minister, recently issued a gag order that the smuggling network’s unindicted ringleader refrain from discussing “Project Pinto.”
As revealed in previously released FBI files and the tell-all book Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan, the Hollywood producer was recruited into Israel’s economic espionage division (LAKAM) in his 20s and learned how to establish front companies and secret bank accounts for smuggling operations. Arnon Milchan encouraged Smyth, a California engineer, to incorporate MILCO in 1972 and serve as a front for the Israel-based Heli Trading’s (also known as Milchan Limited) acquisitions of sensitive military technologies on behalf of the Ministry of Defense. Smyth fled the U.S. after being indicted for violating the Arms Export Control Act in the mid-1980s. In July 2001, Smyth was arrested in Spain by Interpol and returned to the U.S., and in November, he was convicted of exporting 800 nuclear triggers (called krytrons).
FBI agents interviewed Smyth on April 16-17, 2002, at the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles. The secret interview report details how during a trip to Israel Smyth was “spotted” by Milchan, who claimed he worked as an exclusive purchasing agent for the Ministry of Defense…. — See also: Document declassified by FBI (PDF) more.. e-mail
Israel orders destruction of entire West Bank village
Ryan Brownell, Electronic Intifada 7/5/2012
Susya
On 22 June, more than 500 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists came together in the Palestinian herding community of Susya, in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills, to protest a recent Israeli high court ruling for the demolition of the village and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinian land rights in the West Bank.
The activists, arriving by organized buses from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and independently from all over the region, met with the residents of Susya and attempted to march towards the location of the original Susya, which was demolished in 1986 and is now an archaeological park.
They were confronted by Israeli soldiers, who fired stun grenades into and around the crowds of people, while several rounds of tear gas were simultaneously released.
On 6 June, Israel’s high court issued a decision that prohibits Susya residents from building any new structures near the surrounding Israeli settlements.
Six days later, Israeli officials — accompanied by soldiers — handed out demolition orders to the entire West Bank village. These orders referred to demolition decisions stretching back to 1995. Settlers petition high court to wipe out village
The decision by the high court was in response to a petition filed by the Zionist organization Regavim, which called on the Israeli Civil Administration — the body overseeing Israel’s occupation of the West Bank — to accelerate the demolition process for Susya and other Palestinian villages. The residents of Susya are being represented in the case by lawyers from Rabbis for Human Rights. more.. e-mail
PA officials accused of obstructing inquest into Arafat’s death
Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 7/7/2012
The Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has accused Palestinian Authority officials of obstructing an inquest into the death of the late President Yasser Arafat. Hassan Khreisheh said that Palestinian and Arabic officials refused to disclose important information about Arafat’s death in 2004.
Dr Khreisheh, who formed a committee to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, said that his team headed by Abdul-Jawwad Saleh had worked for two months before it was suspended because no one from the PA or Arab officials, and even Arafat’s close relatives and doctors, would agree to give any information. He believes that some PA leaders were involved in Arafat’s death which is why they prevented his physician, Dr. Ashraf al-Kord, from giving information to the committee. They also, he claims, prevented two Egyptian and Tunisian medical staff from giving their testimony. “It is an attempt to protect figures who were close to the former leader and who were involved in his assassination,” said Khreisheh. “All the evidence suggests that there was a Palestinian, Arabic and regional deal to block the investigations into Arafat’s death,” he added.
In 2005, the then PLC Speaker, Ahmed Quria, decided to form a ministerial committee headed by the Minister of Health, Jawad al-Teebi, to investigate the death, insisted Khreisheh. “That committee got copies of reports about Arafat’s health during his stay in the military French hospital, but it was asked by certain people not to continue its work.” According to Khreisheh, the PLC ignored its work in any case.
The deputy speaker said that the PA agreed to exhume Arafat’s body because of the tremendous popular pressure exerted on its officials to reopen the portfolio which has been concealed for almost eight years. He noted that the sudden reopening of the file by Aljazeera television’s investigation created confusion amongst the shadowy figures who took part in the killing of the president and blocked previous investigations. more.. e-mail
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Electronic Intifada: 6 Jul 2012 – 6 July 2012 A monthly roundup of photographs documenting Palestine, Palestinian life, politics and culture, and international solidarity with Palestine.more
Repressive PA police trained, equipped by Western donors
Electronic Intifada: 6 Jul 2012 – 7 July 2012 Many Palestinians and external experts say the developments inside the PA and its security services are worrying.more
012 Rachel Corrie Ramadan Football Tournament
Palestine Chronicle: 6 Jul 2012 – Gaza Needs Your Help! Save the 2012 Rachel Corrie Ramadan Football Tournament in Rafah, Gaza. Organizers seek $6,000 in next few days. Olympia, Wa – the Rachel Corrie Foundation. July 6, 2012 For the last five years Rachel’s friends in Rafah, Gaza, have hosted the “Rachel Corrie Ramadan Football Tournament,” a month-long tournament which honors Rachel’s commitment to the people of Palestine. It is a grassroots organized event that provides a fun, non-political place for neighbors to bond through athleticism and good sportsmanship. Unfortunately, due to the dramatic economic downturn, the organizations that have generously helped fund the tournament for the past five years are not able to do so in 2012. We are very grateful for the solidarity from friends supporting this project in the past. Now, we are in urgent need of help to preserve this tournament that has brought joy to the Rafah community and Gaza at…more
Poisoning Arafat
Palestine Chronicle: 6 Jul 2012 – By Uri Avnery – Israel For me, there was no surprise. From the very first day, I was convinced that Yasser Arafat had been poisoned by Ariel Sharon. I even wrote about it several times. It was a simple logical conclusion. First, a thorough medical examination in the French military hospital where he died did not find any cause for his sudden collapse and death. No traces of any life-threatening disease were found. The rumors distributed by the Israeli propaganda machine that Arafat had AIDS were blatant lies. They were a continuation of the rumors spread by the same machine that he was gay – all part of the relentless demonization of the Palestinian leader, which went on daily for decades. When there is no obvious cause of death, there must be a less obvious one. Second, we know by now that several secret services possess poisons that leave no…more
France’s Zionist Puppet Masters
Palestine Chronicle: 6 Jul 2012 – By Vacy Vlazna France, the nation whose 1789 Revolution gave the world the ideals of Equality, Fraternity and Liberty especially freedom of speech and of the press, jumps to attention (as a docile marionette does) when its Zionist manipulators such as the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism(BNCVA) the France Israel Chamber of Commerce, International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, get a whiff of criticism of Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. In June, puppetmaster CRIF frantically pulled its incitement-to-hate-Israel-strings when Professor Christophe Oberlin had the temerity to light a spark of conscience and morality (important qualities for the medical profession) by setting an exam question for his students of humane medicine at Bichat Hospital Faculty of Medicine using the example of the massacre of 22 members of the Samouni family [by the Givati Brigade] during…more
Tony Blair Re-invents Himself
Palestine Chronicle: 6 Jul 2012 – By Felicity Arbuthnot – London ‘We came and turned the native Arabs into tragic refugees. And still we dare to slander and malign them, to besmirch their name. Instead of being deeply ashamed of what we did and trying to undo some of the evil we committed … we justify our terrible acts and even attempt to glorify them…’ — (Erskine Childers, 1870-1922.) Even by the standards of a seemingly increasingly partisan British media, the decision to invite Tony Blair to Guest Edit the London Evening Standard on 27th June, the fifth anniversary of his leaving office was, well, bizarre. The Standard (established1827) gained early eminence for its detailed foreign news. Within little over forty years of its founding, reporters had covered the American Civil War, the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. Fast forward to the turn of this century when well-grounded fact checking had apparently become less relevant. The…more
The Hand That Spurs Iran Sanctions
Palestine Chronicle: 6 Jul 2012 – By Ismail Salami – Tehran The illegal oil embargoes against Iran have begun to take effect; a precocious smile of satisfaction breaks upon the face of Zionism; and the US once again proves its lapdog fidelity to the Zionist regime. That’s not all, though. Israel craves for more and Washington has no choice but to cater to the wanton demands of a decadent colonizing regime. A report carried by the Reuters titled “Iranians feel the pain as West tightens sanctions” details the “financial and social woes” exacerbated by these sanctions in Iran and succeeds in faking a larger-than-life image of the woes the Iranian society encounters in the face of the sanctions. That the oil sanctions exercise a detrimental effect on the financial issues of the Iranian society is a bitter reality which shamefully strikes right in the face of Washington which is seen by pundits and laymen alike to…more
Legal Honesty as a Solution to the Occupation/Oppression of Palestine
Dissident Voice: 6 Jul 2012 – There is a right of protest and the right of each individual to protest in his/her own way is, of course, recognized. Even though solidarity of cause is highly determinative in the outcome of any protest or resistance, the protests and resistance need not be uniform nor should protests and resistance be compelled to conform to any dictate, at least in a progressivist universe. Norman Finkelstein has been and is a staunch proponent of Palestinian rights, but his defense of Palestinian rights drew much criticism when a no-holds-barred February video emerged. To put it in a nutshell, Finkelstein’s argument is that the only feasible scenario for a settlement of the occupation/oppression (let’s be a little honest and not belittle the Israeli war crimes by calling it a “conflict” as if Israel and Palestine were two equally aggrieved and aggrieving sides) by Israeli Jews of Palestinian Arabs is a legal one….more
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The New Dark Age 