8 July 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Settlers and soldiers attack village near Nablus, injuring 5
IMEMC – On Saturday 7 July, 2012, the village of Yanoun, located 12km southeast of Nablus, was attacked by illegal settlers from the illegal Itamar settlement. Five Palestinians were injured in the attack and large sections of agricultural land were set ablaze. …
Activists from aid convoy enter Gaza
7/8/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) – A delegation of 40 international solidarity activists from different countries entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday afternoon via Egypt’s Rafah crossing. The activists are part of the international aid convoy Miles of Smiles 14. Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh welcomed the group upon their arrival, stressing that such….
Hamas: PA detains Hana Shalabi’s brother in Jenin
7/8/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas said on Sunday that Palestinian Authority forces raided the West Bank home of freed hunger-strike Hana Shalabi, before detaining her brother. Shalabi refused food for 43 days in Israeli jail before being deported to the Gaza Strip in April. Hamas said in a statement that the security forces of the….
Hebron Governor meets child kicked by border police
7/8/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Governor of Hebron Kamil Hemaid met on Sunday with a 9-year-old boy who was captured on film being kicked by Israeli border police guards. Hemaid told Abdul Rahman Burqan he would follow up on his case and assured of his support to the boy and his family. The footage, shot…. Related: Video: Border policeman kicks Palestinian child in Hebron
Minister says launching media, legal campaign to free ill prisoners
7/8/2012 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — PA Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe said Sunday he was launching a media and legal campaign aimed at freeing all ill Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails. He said earlier he would hand a list of sick prisoners Israel’s custody to the UN Human Rights Committee this week. He….
Abbas: We will go to UN in absence of talks
7/8/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas says he will return to the United Nations to seek recognition of a Palestinian state if peace talks with Israel fail to resume. In an interview Saturday with Israeli Channel 2 television at his office in Ramallah, Abbas said Israel had to freeze settlements and release….
Egyptian security stop 68 African migrants
7/8/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian security thwarted an attempt by 68 African migrants to enter Israel through Sinai Saturday night. A senior Egyptian security source told Ma’an that Egyptian border guards spotted a large number of migrants running toward the border fence and trying to cross to Israel. Security officers, added the….
Abbas to visit Tehran for non-aligned summit
7/8/2012 – AMMAN (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted an invitation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend a summit of non-aligned countries in the Iranian capital next month, official Palestinian media said Sunday. Iranian Foreign Ministry official Hussain Amir Abdullah Yan delivered the invitation to Abbas at a meeting in Amman on Sunday, PA….
EU commissioner pens $25 million deal for PA rule of law
7/8/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, on a visit to the West Bank on Sunday, signed a 20 million euro ($25 million) funding deal for rule of law and justice projects. After meeting Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, Barroso lauded the PA‘s institution-building work, stressing the….
Presidential adviser: PA did not try to join OSCE
7/8/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas‘ diplomatic adviser denied on Sunday reports in Israeli media that Palestine had tried to join the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.” Joining the organization is not one of the Palestinian Authority’s priorities,” Majdi al-Khalidi told Ma’an. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported earlier….
Town appoints 15-year-old girl as temporary mayor
7/8/2012 – TULKAREM (Ma’an)– A northern West Bank town has appointed a 15-year-old girl as its temporary mayor, as part of a youth empowerment initiative. Bashayir Othman will serve as the mayor of Illar town for two months, until her summer holidays are over. She will carry out all the mayor’s duties….
Abbas, Haniyeh await invitations to Cairo
7/8/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Despite Hamas’ efforts to arrange a meeting for the movement’s top leaders with the Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi, the Egyptian leadership is still examining their priorities and hasn’t so far taken any new stance on the Palestinian case. Neither has President Mahmoud Abbas received an invitation….
Court sentences man to 6 years for collaboration
7/8/2012 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — A court in Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank on Sunday sentenced a 51-year-old man to six years of hard labor after he was found guilty of “collaboration with the enemy.”The defendant was convicted of spying on Palestinian activists who were later detained by the Israelis. The court did….
PA wants international inquiry into Arafat death
7/8/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – President Mahmoud Abbas has asked his French counterpart François Hollande to form an international commission to investigate the death of late president Yasser Arafat, similar to the international committee which investigated the assassination of Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon. PLO official Saeb Erekat told Ma’an that if an international….
Netanyahu moves to end religious military exemptions
7/8/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the go-ahead on Sunday to reforms that would end the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from compulsory military service, in an about-face hours after 20,000 Israelis marched for change. Military service is a highly emotive issue for Israelis, most of whom start a two or three-year service at….
Gaza govt begins demolition of homes
7/8/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Gaza government on Sunday began the demolition of several homes in Gaza City, saying they are built on government land. Abu Al-Abed Abu Omra, whose house is threatened with demolition, told Ma’an that police officers arrived late Saturday night and told residents to evacuate their homes in….
Neither in nor out: Jerusalem village on the seam
7/8/2012 – By Brandon Davis, AL-NUMAN, West Bank (Ma’an) — In the spring of 2003, the residents of al-Numan, a Palestinian village in the outskirts of East Jerusalem, greeted an unusual visitor. The man, Dvir Kahana, was later revealed by a Haaretz investigation to be an employee of a private company given permission to operate in….
Libyans celebrate free vote despite violence
7/8/2012 – TRIPOLI (Reuters) — Libyans are celebrating their first free national election in 60 years after defying violence to turn out for a poll widely seen as drawing a line under Moammar Gadhafi’s dictatorship. Revellers lit the night sky over the capital Tripoli with fireworks while in the eastern city of Benghazi, scene of anti-poll….
Sudan protesters teargassed, politician arrested
7/8/2012 – KHARTOUM (Reuters) — Police in Sudan fired teargas at university student protesters in Khartoum on Sunday after authorities arrested an opposition politician the day before, in the latest crackdown on public dissent against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The Arab-African country has so far avoided the sort of mass unrest that overthrew rulers in Egypt and Tunisia….
Egypt president recalls parliament, generals meet
7/8/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egypt’s new president ordered the dissolved Islamist-led parliament on Sunday to reconvene until a new one was elected, challenging the authority of the military generals who had dismissed the assembly based on a court ruling. President Muhammad Mursi was handed power on June 30 by the generals who had been in….
Obama invites Egypt’s Islamist leader to U.S.
7/8/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — President Barack Obama has invited Egypt’s newly elected Islamist president, Muhammad Mursi, to visit the United States in September, an Egyptian official said on Sunday, reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region’s Islamists. Washington, long wary of Islamists and an ally of ousted President Hosni Mubarak….
Annan arrives in Damascus, Syria tests missiles
7/8/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Sunday evening for talks with President Bashar Assad, his spokesman said, a day after the international peace envoy admitted that his peace plan had so far failed to end 16 months of bloodshed. UN and government sources said Annan and Assad would not meet tonight. Syria‘….
Brother: Saudi police arrest prominent Shiite Muslim cleric
7/8/2012 – JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) — A prominent Shiite Muslim cleric who was wanted by the police was detained in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Sunday over calls for more rights for the minority Muslim sect in the Sunni monarchy, his brother and an activist said. Early reports of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s arrest….
Israel protesters demand conscription reform
AlJazeera 8 Jul 2012 – Tel Aviv rally calls for all citizens, including ultra-Orthodox and Arabs, to perform military or community service.
UFree Network Succeeds in Internationalizing Palestinian Prisoners’ Plight
Palestine News Network
Germany
Palestine News Network
Five Years of Blockade Shatters Gaza’s Once Thriving Economy
Palestine News Network
Alternative Information Center
House Demolitions in the Jordan Valley Intensify
Alternative Information Center – On the 25th of June, 4 Bedouin houses among 9 buildings were demolished by the Israeli forces in Al Maleh near Tubas. Itay Epshtain, the Co-Director of ICAHD, has reported a sharp increase of house demolitions…
Syria flexes military muscles in exercises
The National 8 Jul 2012 – Syria began large-scale military exercises yesterday to simulate defending the country against outside “aggression”.
Islamist vigilantes raise fears in Egypt
The National 8 Jul 2012 – President Morsi distances himself from Sharia but fundamentalist militants are getting bolder.
Morsi orders Egypt’s parliament to return
The National 8 Jul 2012 – New president challenges authority of military by ordering to reconvene parliament until a new one is elected.
AG to rule on case of Egyptian double-agent in 1973 war
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Netanyahu ready to free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for meeting with Abbas, sources say
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Praying for mercy on the Haredi enlistment law
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Ra’anana chief rabbi: Participants in gay pride parade poison the public
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Ya’alon and Plesner to draw up new IDF enlistment law ‘within two days’
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
High doses of suspected carcinogen found in Rehovot groundwater
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
College heads decry favorable treatment for Ariel
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Justice Ministry urges early release for Israeli Arabs convicted of terror
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Justice Ministry seeks to criminalize money transfers by African migrants
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Netanyahu orders to expedite construction of Israel-Egypt border fence
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Israel’s AG closes probe of Safed chief rabbi over anti-Arab racism
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Israel to accelerate Falashmura immigration from Ethiopia, ending 30-year operation
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
European Parliament condemns Israel’s policy toward Bedouin population
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
European Parliament slams Israel for policies concerning its Bedouin population
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Researchers warn of rapid decline in quality of Israeli sperm
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Shas spiritual leader calls for special prayers against IDF draft
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Israel’s security forces say settlers must leave land, despite claims of lawful purchase
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
IDF enlistment for all: An ongoing debate
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Netanyahu’s Likud approves report on IDF draft, urges debate on Arab service
Ha’aretz – 8 Jul 2012
Crusader gold cache found near Israeli coastal city
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2012
Magazine names Huldai one of ‘10 smart mayors’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – ‘Monocle’ praises Ron Huldai for making Tel Aviv a “magnet for young tech entrepreneurs.”
Saudis: News of Mursi’s Riyadh visit as blow to Iran
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – In first official visit abroad, Islamist president will meet Saudi King Abdullah; hasn’t yet accepted Iranian invitation.
Coptic Egyptian minister denies VP offer by Mursi
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Christian Tourism Minister dismisses fears an Islamist president could harm tourism.
Thieves ‘duplicated keys, led elderly out of homes’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Three suspects are under arrest for allegedly breaking into elderly people’s homes with duplicates of their keys.
Social protest leader: System must be replaced
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – In shadow of army service rally Saturday, 1,000 social reform supporters illegally march through center of TA.
Yaalon, Plesner progress toward universal service
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Kadima backtracks on Arabs, Likud on haredi service age; two sides test each others’ red lines.
Ben-Ari to protest in Nazareth for Arabs to join IDF
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – National Union MK’s protest is expected to create a backlash and counter-protests from the Israeli-Arab sector.
The fiasco at UNESCO
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – The latest UNESCO decisions will only whet the Palestinians’ appetite to encroach on more religious sites within Israel.
A process of engagement
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Presbyterian Church’s rejection of BDS was a fitting rebuff of movement seeking to co-opt major denominations to anti-Israelism.
Reality Check: Netanyahu refuses to seize the day
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – The decision facing Netanyahu is really quite simple: either do what’s best for the country or just tread water in office.
The Region: My message to the Iraqis
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – In the new Middle East, we have far more frequent interactions with people who live in countries ostensibly at war with Israel.
Think About It: Where’s the money?
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – We all receive services from plumbers, electricians, etc., who are willing to charge us less if we agree to forgo the documentation.
Bill to require market chains to set uniform prices
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – MK Amir Peretz’s bill expected to pass requiring supermarket to charge the same price for products in all of their branches.
Assad in interview: Annan peace plan must not fail
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Syrian president accuses Turkey, Saudi Arabia of supporting terrorists, undermining peace efforts.
Haredi MKs angered by Likud embrace of Keshev
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – UTJ: We will quit gov’t if PM joins Plesner’s push for haredim to join IDF; Shas party holds fire, open to compromise.
Egypt president recalls parliament, generals meet
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Military council holds emergency session in response to newly-elected president Mursi’s reconvening of Islamist-led parliament.
Witness explains how he covered up Holyland bribes
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – S.D., Hillel Cherny allegedly recorded bribes as “loans” on ledger of side corporation to try to insulate Cherny from accusations.
Gov’t to fund ‘long-term’ aliya in lieu of JAFI
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Jewish Agency will continue to partially fund Student Authority’s NIS 68.5 million budget next year to tune of NIS 6.5.
Obama invites new Egyptian president for US visit
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Invitation set for September when Mursi visits UNGA; Burns pledges US support for battered Egyptian economy.
State closes incitement case against Safed rabbi
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Prosecutors unable to prove that Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu actually made the statements of incitement attributed to him.
PA wants joint int’l-Arab probe on Arafat’s death
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – PLO’s Saeb Erekat says “the truth about martyrdom of Arafat must be revealed, as well as the tools used to kill him.”
Syria navy tests missiles against coastal attack
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Exercise aims to showcase Syrian military’s ability to “defend Syria‘s shores against any possible aggression.”
Wandering Jew: Buenos Aires
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Many Jewish historical places in the largest Jewish community in S. America also form part of city’s cultural heritage.
Kadima rebels unimpressed by PM’s Tal Law moves
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – MK Abesadze: “One day he dissolves the Plesner Committee, and the next day he accepts its recommendations.”
This Week In History: The Jedwabne Pogrom
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – In 1941, residents of a Polish town herded their Jewish neighbors into a barn and burned them alive.
PM: P5+1 has decreased, weakened Iran demands
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – In meeting with ADL, Netanyahu says P5+1 should demand Tehran totally stop enrichment, export all enriched uranium.
Fun, simple and delicious
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Rediscover your sweet tooth with these easy dessert recipes that the whole family will enjoy!
Four Gulf states amongst the world’s 10 fattest
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Ramadan period is expected to add to the weighty population; health clubs try to push their way into Gulf countries.
‘Syria rebels may launch catastrophic assault’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Clinton warns that rebel forces in Syria are getting more effective, that attacks could threaten the region.
2 olim fulfill aliya dream, become IDF lawyers
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Brazilian becomes prosecutor, Russian serves as defender. One proposed to future wife to convince her to make aliya.
Hadassah cancels community of apartments
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2012 – Last-minute move strands families who wanted to buy affordable apartments in French Hill.
Hospital saves girl who drank toxic fat remover
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2012 – Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot warned parents that they should never transfer cleaning fluids to “innocent-looking bottles.”
Time for deeper questions about drones
Uruknet
Gaza govt begins demolition of homes
Uruknet
Knesset extends legislation that facilitates torture
Uruknet
012 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
Guantanamo “Is Not an Aberration”: How the War on Terror Came Home
Uruknet
EU chief polishes Palestinians’ chains
Uruknet
Photos of French soldiers torturing an Algerian expose war wounds that never healed
Uruknet
The Palestinian Authority, UNESCO, and the Illusion of Triumph
Uruknet
012 : A Video Roundup
Uruknet
NATO: 6 NATO service members killed in eastern Afghanistan
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 NATO: 6 NATO service members killed in eastern Afghanistan
Annan arrives in Damascus, Syria tests missiles
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Sunday evening for talks with President Bashar al-Assad, his spokesman said, a day after the international peace envoy admitted that his peace plan had so far failed to end 16…
Islamists protest NATO supply line in Pakistan
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Thousands of hardline Islamists streamed toward Pakistan’s capital in a massive convoy of vehicles Sunday to protest the government’s decision to allow the U.S. and other NATO countries to resume shipping troop supplies through the country…
Egypt army meets to discuss presidential decree
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Egypt’s military council, which handed powers to an Islamist president last month, held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss a presidential decree ordering the dissolved parliament to reconvene, the state news agency reported.
Obama to meet Egypt president in US in September
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 US President Barack Obama will meet Egypt’s first Islamist leader, the recently elected Mohamed Morsi, at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, a US official told AFP on Sunday.
Egypt’s GASC in no rush to enter overseas markets
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, said on Sunday it was in no rush to tap international grain markets due to its large stockpile of local wheat and the surge in prices following the worst U.S….
Egypt’s Morsi annuls dissolution of parliament: MENA
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Egypt’s new President Mohamed Morsi issued a decree on Sunday annulling the Supreme Court’s dissolution of the Islamist-dominated parliament, the official MENA news agency reported.
Assad accuses US of ‘supporting gangs’ in Syria: German TV
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad accused the United States of assisting “gangs” to destabilise his country, in a rare interview with a western television channel to be aired on Sunday.
Iran warns against ‘catastrophic’ attack on Syria
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that forcing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and go into exile would be a “joke,” warning an attack on his country would be “stupid” and “catastrophic.”
012 econ outlook good despite risks – c.bank
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Oman’s economy seems to have weathered the first quarter’s global slowdown quite well and its 2012 outlook remains positive despite external risks, a central bank (CBO) report showed.
Obama invites Egypt’s Islamist leader to U.S.
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 President Barack Obama has invited Egypt’s newly elected Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, to visit the United States in September, an Egyptian official said on Sunday, reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region’s Islamists.
North Lebanon town creates world’s largest cup of lemonade
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Batroun enters the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest cup of lemonade.
Abbas to visit Iran for international conference
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 A top Palestinian official says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted an invitation to attend a conference in Iran – a patron of his political nemesis, the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Iraq’s Kurds sending oil to Turkey: Kurd official
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 Iraqi Kurdistan has begun sending oil produced in its three-province autonomous region out of the country without the express permission of the central government, an official said on Sunday.
Annan to visit Damascus on Monday: Syrian ministry
Daily Star 8 Jul 2012 U.N. Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Damascus on Monday, Syria‘s foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told AFP.
Abbas to ask Swiss experts to sample Arafat’s remains
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – ….
Activists: Haredim must be recruited at 18
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Protesters campaigning for universal military draft say won’t compromise on enlistment age ….
Israelis join wrong protest
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Protest against haredi draft dodging is very convenient, but Israelis face more urgent issues ….
Saudi officials arrest radical Shiite cleric
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – ….
Justice Ministry steps up fight against infiltrators
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – New legislation proposes to criminalize wire transfers sent by illegal migrant workers to their families abroad. Offense will carry penalty of NIS 29,200 or a six-month prison sentence. Eritrean refugee: Bill will endanger lives of our sick, elderly relatives ….
Iran says diplomat target of German smear campaign
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – ….
Palestinian arrested at Hebron checkpoint for possession of knife
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – ….
Bus company to pay damages over homophobic remarks
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Gay couple sue Dan company after being insulted by driver; win NIS 16,000 in damages ….
Hospital eases African refugees’ isolation policies
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Following public condemnation, Health Ministry orders Sourasky Medical Center to alleviate restrictions on hospitalization policies of African refugees ….
Masters and servants
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Masses at protest against haredi draft dodging were sweating, but Netanyahu sweated more ….
Incitement case against Safed rabbi dropped
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – AG halts probe into Rabbi Eliyahu’s alleged anti-Arab comments due to lack of evidence ….
Ein Hod village sues State for Carmel fire
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Thirty-two of northern village’s residents sue State, Fire and Rescue Services for NIS 10.6 million following publication of State Comptroller’s report on Carmel fire disaster. ‘Writing was on the wall,’ they say ….
Yigal Amir briefly taken out of solitary confinement
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Yitzhak Rabin’s murderer allowed out of solitary confinement for first time in order to take walk in yard with three other prisoners; may soon be removed from solitary ….
The IDF’s real problem
YNet News, 8 Jul 2012 – Op-ed: Draft dodging issue to die down soon; we should be more concerned about army’s strength ….
Palestinian Information Center
Mother appeals for the release of her son from PA jails
PIC – A mother of a political detainee of the preventive security apparatus appealed to human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene for the release of her son from PA jails.
1948- Palestinians refuse all forms of enlistment in the occupation army
PIC – The Higher Arab Follow-up Committee stressed on its rejection of the “civil service” and to all forms of voluntary and compulsory enlistment of the Arabs in the Zionist army.
Islamist MPs demanded an end to political detention
PIC – The Islamist MPs in the West Bank demanded PA security apparatuses in Ramallah to end the political arrests and to provide an appropriate atmosphere for public freedoms.
Two Palestinian workers wounded by IOF soldiers south of al-Khalil
PIC – Two Palestinian workers were transferred to the hospital, suffering wounds, after being attacked by Zionist soldiers on al-Dhahiriya crossing, south of al-Khalil city (southern West Bank).
Human rights report: occupation continues defying international resolutions
PIC – A Palestinian Human rights report warned of the Zionist ongoing and accelerated settlement projects in the West Bank, and the occupation’s decision to resume construction work of the apartheid wall.
Hamas holds the occupation responsible for the lives of Al-Rikhawi and Barq
PIC – Hamas held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the lives of prisoners Akram Al-Rikhawi and Samer Barq, who have been on hunger strike for 90 days and 74 days respectively..
AOHR criticize PA handling of investigation into Arafat’s death
PIC – AOHR considered the decision of PA President to keep the same committee in charge of investigating Arafat’s death as a “disregard for the Palestinian people after eight years of failure.
Al-Rikhawi and Barq continue their open hunger strike
PIC – The lawyer for the Palestinian prisoners society confirmed on Sunday that Akram al-Rikhawi continues with his open-ended hunger strike for the 90th day in a row..
A delegation of Palestinian factions meets with Berri
PIC – A delegation of the Palestinian factions in Lebanon chaired by the representative of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, Ali Baraka, met with the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri.
Miles of Smiles 14 reaches Gaza
PIC – The Aid Convoy “Miles of Smiles 14” entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Saturday . It was composed of 41 solidarity activists from the Arab and European countries.
Fayyad, President of European Commission Inaugurate Palestine College for Police
WAFA – 8 Jul 2012
Newspapers Review: Children Injured in Israeli Explosion Dominate Dailies
WAFA – 8 Jul 2012
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 8 Jul 2012
Ousted priest committed to peace in Syria
LA Times 8 Jul 2012 – Rome-born Jesuit is infuriated by the perception among many Christians that an Assad ouster would lead to an Islamist takeover and ill-treatment of minorities. BEIRUT — Resplendent in black cassock and matching skullcap, the bearded Jesuit appears in a YouTube video breaking bread with opposition…
Egypt’s President Orders Return of Dissolved Parliament
New York Times 8 Jul 2012 – President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt challenged a decision by the country’s military council to dissolve the Islamist-led assembly after a court ruling last month.
‘Terror is part of a political war… its task is a major one’ –Shamir
Mondoweiss – There’s a superb obit of Yitzhak Shamir by Marsha Cohen at Lobelog. Shamir was a proud terrorist against the British, and a diehard Revisionist who believed in the Iron Wall policy (endless Arab enemies) and so attacked Iraq and Lebanon. Back then Iran was the ally…
Separation of East Jerusalem from West Bank is destroying city’s economy — ‘The Forward’
Mondoweiss – So much for the economic peace the Israeli right is regularly trumpeting. A fine report by Ben Lynfield in the Forward shows the economic destruction of East Jerusalem under Israeli annexation. Great headlines for an American Jewish publication: “East Jerusalem Suffers Economic Tailspin. Checkpoints and Barrier…
It’s one state now, unequal and unsustainable– former peace processor at Open Zion
Mondoweiss – The American discourse is beginning to make room for a human-rights argument about the conflict: that there is one state right now, and it’s an unequal one. Khaled Elgindy is a former adviser to Palestinian leadership during the Quartet peace process and is now at Brookings….
Harvard student describes her ‘birthright’ trip: endless discussion of ‘the Arabs’ but god forbid you should talk to one
Mondoweiss – Here’s an amazing piece from the Harvard Crimson : Sandra Y.L. Korn reflects on her birthright trip to Israel and Palestine, during which the group met only with Jews. Notice the moral clarity about refugees and racism and identity. There is also some good stuff in the…
Message to Presbyterians: ‘If you truly want to help the Palestinian people, I urge you to listen to what they are asking for’
Mondoweiss – Anna Baltzer gave the following testimony to the Presbyterian Church (USA) Middle East Peacemaking Committee on Monday, July 2, 2012 . Thank you, Mr. Moderator. I defer to the Mission Responsibility Through Investment committee to answer your questions regarding the internal process of engagement with the companies…
Exploiting Jewish Fear on Iran
The Forward Leonard Fein 7 Jul 2012 –
Israeli Sperm Declines in Quality: Report
The Foward Breaking News 8 Jul 2012 – A study conducted at the Hadassah University Hospital-Mt. Scopus, which found a 15-year decline in the quality of semen donated by Israeli sperm donors. Click here for the rest of the article…
Ethiopian Jews Win Permission To Immigrate
The Foward Breaking News 8 Jul 2012 – Israel’s government agreed to expedite the arrival of the final Ethiopian immigrants waiting to come to Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Crusaders’ Gold Worth $100K Unearthed in Israel
The Foward Breaking News 8 Jul 2012 – A gold cache, one of the largest ever found in Israel, was discovered last week in a dig in the Apollonia National Park, near Herzliya, heads of the archaeological project said. Click here for the rest of the article…
New Committee Will Write Israel Draft Law
The Foward Breaking News 8 Jul 2012 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz have agreed on the establishment of a team to write a law on equality in military and national service. Click here for the rest of the article…
East Jerusalem Suffers Economic Tailspin
The Forward New 8 Jul 2012 – Thanks to Israeli checkpoints and a separation barrier, East Jerusalem is virtually cut off from its customer base in the West Bank. The result is a seemingly endless economic tailspin. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Palestinian Poet Criticizes New President
allAfrica.com 8 Jul 2012 – [Aswat Masriya]Palestinian poet Mourid al-Barghouti criticized the delay of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in making decisions that imply he is heading in the right direction to fulfill his promises.
Progressive and Religious Zionist — Part Two
The Magnes Zionist 8 Jul 2012 – Given the orthodox record of silence on the plight of the Palestinian Arabs, is it consistent for somebody who defines him or herself as religious Zionis t to be supportive of the rights of the Palestinians to live as a free people in their homeland? Is…
Egypt president reinstates MPs
BBC 8 Jul 2012 – Egyptian leader Mohammed Mursi overturns an order dissolving parliament, in a move likely to anger military chiefs.
US ‘destabilising Syria’ – Assad
BBC 8 Jul 2012 – President Assad accuses the US of helping to destabilise his country by providing political protection for “gangs” inside Syria.
Israeli Likud backs conscript law
BBC 8 Jul 2012 – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party backs a controversial plan to end conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab Israelis.
Count begins after Libya election
BBC 8 Jul 2012 – Votes are being counted in Libya’s first national election since the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi, with a good turnout reported.
Spain-Israel, An antiauthoritarian anticapitalist communication – “You will only be free when you decide to be free”
A-infos 8 Jul 2012 – An open letter from the M15 movement in Spain to the J14 movement in Israel —- When we see the assemblies of Kiryat Shmona, we see the assemblies in Granada. When we talk about the tents in Haifa, we talk about the tents in Barcelona. When…
Manaf Tlass: Neither Here Nor There
Al-Akhbar Blogs 8 Jul 2012 – The departure of Brigadier General Manaf Tlass from Syria continues to make headlines around the world. But amidst the fanfare, the question of whether this latest development has lasting significance is not at all clear. There are several points to consider: read more
Jordan’s Royal Adventure Against Assad
Al-Akhbar Opinion 8 Jul 2012 – A Jordanian government supporter kisses a poster of the royal family, showing the late king Hussain (L), King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein (R) during a rally in support of the King in the capital Amman. (Photo: AFP – Marco Longari) A Jordanian government supporter…
US Firm Encourages ‘Fist and Open Hand’ in Syria
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jul 2012 – US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton listens during a meeting of the “Friends of the Syrian People” at the MFA Conference Center 6 July 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo: AFP – Brendan Smialowski) US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton listens during a meeting of…
Asma and Bashar: Syria’s British Royals
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jul 2012 – Syria‘s President Bashar Al-Assad and wife Asma arrive at a dinner during a EU-Mediterranean summit. (Photo: Reuters – Yves Herman) Syria‘s President Bashar Al-Assad and wife Asma arrive at a dinner during a EU-Mediterranean summit. (Photo: Reuters – Yves Herman) The “Syria Files” cache released by…
Mursi reinstates Egyptian parliament
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jul 2012 – Egypt’s new President Mohammed Mursi issued a decree on Sunday annulling the Supreme Court’s dissolution of the Islamist-dominated parliament, the official MENA news agency reported. “President Mursi has issued a presidential decree annulling the decision taken on June 15, 2012 to dissolve the people’s assembly, and…
Lebanese Summer Forecast: A Chance of Scattered Tourism
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jul 2012 – Lebanese enjoy sunbathing at a beach along the Mediterranean sea in Ain al-Mreisseh neighborhood of the capital Beirut on 27 June 2012. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid) Lebanese enjoy sunbathing at a beach along the Mediterranean sea in Ain al-Mreisseh neighborhood of the capital Beirut on…
Israel: The Fading Red Line
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jul 2012 – Israeli soldiers patrol the Lebanon-Israel border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Wazzani. (Photo: Reuters – Ali Hashisho) Israeli soldiers patrol the Lebanon-Israel border as seen from the southern Lebanese village of Wazzani. (Photo: Reuters – Ali Hashisho) When Gabriel (not his real name)…
Thousands of Pakistanis protest NATO deal
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jul 2012 – Pakistan’s Islamists who oppose their country’s alliance with Washington began Sunday a “long march” to Islamabad to protest over the reopening of a NATO supply route to Afghanistan. Thousands of people joined a convoy of buses, trucks and cars, many carrying the black and white striped…
Lebanon’s Wadi al-Hujeir: From Occupation to Exploitation
Al-Akhbar Politics 7 Jul 2012 – The law expressly prohibits logging and restricts tree pruning and trimming activities, which can only be done, when needed, and with the consent of the ministries of environment and agriculture. (Photo: Hassan Bahsoun) The law expressly prohibits logging and restricts tree pruning and trimming activities, which…
Articles
Poisoning Arafat
Uri Avnery, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 7/6/2012
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 routinely detectable trace. These include the CIA, the Russian FSB (successor of the KGB), and the Mossad.
Third, opportunities were plentiful. Arafat’s security arrangements were decidedly lax. He would embrace perfect strangers who presented themselves as sympathizers of the Palestinian cause and often seated them next to himself at meals.
Fourth, there were plenty of people who aimed at killing him and had the means to do so. The most obvious one was our prime minister, Ariel Sharon. He had even talked about Arafat having “no insurance policy” in 2004.
WHAT WAS previously a logical probability has now become a certainty. more.. e-mail
Neither in nor out: Jerusalem village on the seam
Brandon Davis, Ma’an News Agency 7/8/2012
AL-NUMAN, West Bank (Ma’an) — In the spring of 2003, the residents of al-Numan, a Palestinian village in the outskirts of East Jerusalem, greeted an unusual visitor.
The man, Dvir Kahana, was later revealed by a Haaretz investigation to be an employee of a private company given permission to operate in al-Numan by the Israeli Ministry of Housing.
But Kahana identified himself to al-Numan residents as an official representative of the Israeli government, dispatched to Palestinian areas affected by the separation barrier, then in an early stage of construction.
Kahana warned al-Numan residents that the separation wall would soon enclose their village, and that their only way in or out would be through a checkpoint.
He told them they would be separated from their families and schools in nearby villages like al-Khas and Beit Sahour. He said they would become “comparable to a tree without water,” cut off from electricity and water systems in the Jerusalem municipality and the West Bank.
He feigned sympathy, residents later recalled, as he explained to them the ways in which Israeli authorities would turn their village into what one Palestinian group calls an “open-air prison.”
But when Kahana suggested they sell their lands to him and move elsewhere, al-Numan residents adamantly refused. more.. e-mail
Two governments in crisis
Saleh Al-Naami, Al-Ahram Weekly 7/5/2012
The worst financial crisis ever is how Palestinian government officials — at least in Ramallah — are describing the latest shortfall in government funds.
Amer Abdel-Razeq, 49, who lives in Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip, is trying to avoid walking past the grocery shop near his home because he can’t pay for the groceries he bought in June for his family.
Abdel-Razeq, like thousands of civil servants in the Gaza government’s offices, has not been paid because the government is in a serious financial crisis. “In fact, I am only paid one month’s salary every two months, which limits my ability to take care of my family and makes me pinch pennies,” he told Al-Ahram Weekly. “It has become difficult to continue providing for the family on the basis of IOUs.”
Representatives of the Gaza government claim there is no financial crisis, and the delay in paying salaries is momentary and that soon everything will be better. But these reassurances no longer convince anyone in the Gaza Strip. It has been seven months of irregular salaries.
Informed sources told the Weekly that the Gaza government is paying salaries every other month because of a drop in foreign funds. “It is certain that the crisis is caused by the withdrawal of Iranian funds from the Gaza government, after Hamas declared its support for the Syrian revolution,” the source revealed. “The Iranians are punishing Hamas by severely cutting down their financial support for the Gaza government.” more.. e-mail
Palestinians reclaim streets despite PA police repression
Electronic Intifada: 8 Jul 2012 – Eoin O’Ceallaigh Ramallah 8 July 2012 The violence of the Palestinian Authority police is not unexpected, yet it was still shocking to see such unfettered brutality on the streets of Ramallah in the middle of the afternoon.more
The Zionist-Nazi Collaboration
Dissident Voice: 8 Jul 2012 – Both Nazism and Zionism arose in tandem from small insignificant social movements in the early part of the 20th century, arguing, with equal force, that Jews were an alien and indigestible mass living in the midst of an otherwise pure Aryan population. Both movements contributed to the more general acceptance of this argument in Europe, and particularly in Germany, as mid-century approached, and both have to be responsible for the consequences. In 1896, journalist Theodore Herzl’s book, Der Judenstaat ( The Jews’ State ), Herzl expressed his understanding of inevitability, permanence, and omnipresence of anti-Semitism and argued that the only solution was a separate state for Jews. Herzl stated, in his book: The Jewish question exists wherever Jews live in perceptable numbers. Where it does not exist, it is carried by Jews in the course of their migrations. We naturally move to those places where we are not persecuted, and there our…more
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The New Dark Age 