18 August 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Report: “4550 Palestinians, Including 220 Children, Imprisoned By Israel”
IMEMC – Palestinian researcher and former political prisoners, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, reported that Israel is currently holding captive 4550 Palestinians, held in 17 prisons, detention and interrogation centers, and added that 220 Palestinian children are still imprisoned by Israel. …
Three Palestinian youth hospitalized after attack by Israeli lynch mob
IMEMC – In Jerusalem Friday, a mob of Israelis chanting ‘Death to Arabs’ attacked three young Palestinians, nearly killing one and severely wounding the other two. …
Bethlehem police say 45,000 entered Jerusalem on Friday
8/18/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Bethlehem police said Saturday that officers helped secure the entry of over 45,000 Palestinians from the southern West Bank into Jerusalem for the last Friday of Ramadan. A police statement said ambulance, police and military crews successfully enabled citizens to exercise their right to perform prayers in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa….
PA expected to release Zubeidi, 7 other prisoners
8/18/2012 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority is expected to release eight Palestinians held in a Jericho jail on Saturday evening, including prominent Jenin figure Zakaria Zubeidi. PA Interior Minister Said Abu Ali ordered the group of detainees released on bail until Wednesday pending their trials, informed sources told Ma’an. Detainees contacted by….
2 found dead in central Gaza
8/18/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two men were found dead Saturday in separate incidents in the central Gaza Strip which police are treating as suspected murders, security sources said. Wahid Ghalban, 35, from Khan Younis, was found dead in Deir al-Balah having sustained blows to the head with a sharp object, the sources said. Gaza….
UN chief condemns Iran leaders’ anti-Israel remarks
8/18/2012 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sharply criticized Iran‘s supreme leader and president on Friday, describing their latest verbal attacks on Israel as “offensive and inflammatory.” Many thousands of Iranians shouted “Death to America, death to Israel” during state-organized protests on Friday and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told them there was no place….
Israel finds shrapnel near Egypt border
8/18/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israeli forces discovered the remnants of a rocket on Friday near the border with Egypt, two days after two explosions shook the area in a suspected cross-border shooting. A military spokesman said “the remains of a rocket were found in the hills near Eilat”, a southern Red Sea resort town wedged between Jordan….
Netanyahu’s ex-deputy: Israel strike on Iran would be disaster
8/18/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — A former deputy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a preemptive military strike against Iran over its nuclear program could embroil Israel in a “disastrous war”. Shaul Mofaz, a parliamentary opposition leader who quit Netanyahu’s cabinet last month where he served as vice premier, said on Israeli television he….
Report: Egypt airports to refuse access for Palestinians
8/18/2012 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Palestinians flying to Egypt over the Eid al-Fitr holiday will not be allowed to enter the country, al-Ahram news site reported Saturday. Airport authorities informed airlines that Palestinians will not be allowed to enter Egypt because the Rafah crossing is closed until Wednesday, the Egyptian news site said. Egypt opened the…. Related: Egypt releases 18 Palestinians for Eid al-Fitr
Egypt releases 18 Palestinians for Eid al-Fitr
8/18/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities released 18 Palestinians from prison on Saturday as a gesture for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, a security source said. The released detainees had all entered Egypt illegally and were arrested at security checkpoints in the Sinai. The group, including two women, will return to the Gaza Strip. Disorder…. Related: Report: Egypt airports to refuse access for Palestinians
State agency: Egypt’s Mursi to visit Iran end of August
8/18/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egypt’s Islamist President Muhammad Mursi will visit Iran to attend the Non-Aligned Movement meetings on Aug. 30, Egyptian state news agency MENA said, the first such visit by an Egyptian head of state to Tehran since the Islamic revolution. MENA quoted sources at the Egyptian presidency saying on Saturday that Mursi….
EU’s Ashton condemns ‘hateful’ Iran remarks on Israel
8/18/2012 – BRUSSELS (Reuters) — The EU foreign policy chief said on Saturday that comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called Israel a “cancerous tumor” with no place in a future Middle East, were “outrageous and hateful”. Catherine Ashton’s language was unusually forthright for the West’s chief negotiator over Iran‘s nuclear….
Abbas tightens sanctions for electricity theft in West Bank
8/18/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas has approved a legal amendment to increase penalties for the theft of electricity after a West Bank electricity company warned it would be cut off for unpaid bills. Legal adviser to the president Hasan al-Awri told Ma’an the amendments increase the minimum jail term for electricity….
Egypt forces wounded after Sinai arrest raid
8/18/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian police and army officers detained five people, including Palestinians, in two military operations after dawn on Saturday in the northern Sinai peninsula. Forces arrested two Palestinians who had been under surveillance for some time in the Safa district of Sinai city el-Arish, Egyptian security officials said. Security officers found….
President Abbas congratulates Palestinians on Eid
8/18/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Palestinians at home and abroad Friday on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, hopeful of further progress toward freedom and independence.”I extend my warmest congratulations to our people in the homeland and Diaspora,” Abbas said, hoping God would “respond to our prayers and help us succeed in….
First Syrian in space joins revolt against Assad
8/18/2012 – ISTANBUL (Reuters) — A Syrian astronaut who was part of a Soviet space mission a quarter of a century ago condemned the world’s failure to stem violence in his home country on Friday and urged President Bashar Assad’s opponents to keep up their struggle. General Muhammed Ahmed Faris, a military aviator and….
At least 14 killed in Yemen attack on intelligence HQ
8/18/2012 – ADEN (Reuters) — Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 14 Yemeni soldiers and security guards, and injured seven others, in a grenade attack on the intelligence service headquarters in the southern port city of Aden on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said. The United States has been pouring aid into Yemen to stem the threat of attacks….
Syria says vice-president has not considered leaving
8/18/2012 – BEIRUT, Aug 18 (Reuters) – Syrian state television said on Saturday Vice President Farouq al-Shara had never considered leaving Syria, a statement apparently aimed at denying reports that he had defected.” Farouq al-Shara has never thought for a moment about leaving the country,” it quoted a statement from Shara’s office as saying. The statement….
Interview: Brahimi to firm up role, not urge Assad exit yet
8/18/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — The Algerian diplomat set to become the new international mediator on Syria has said he urgently needs to clarify what support the United Nations can give him and said it is too early to say whether President Bashar Assad should step down. Lakhdar Brahimi, a veteran diplomat, was speaking a day after the….
Turkey begins aid distribution on Syrian border
8/18/2012 – ISTANBUL (Reuters) — Turkey has begun handing out food and other humanitarian aid to Syrians right on their common border as the worsening conflict in Syria makes aid distribution there increasingly difficult, Turkey’s disaster and emergency body said Saturday. The move coincides with a sharp increase in the number of Syrians fleeing the fighting….
Dozens of Citizens and International Activists Were Suffocated in Bil’in Weekly March
Palestine News Network
Netanyahu Using Iran to Distract From Palestine Issue, Says Sha’ath
Palestine News Network
The First Site of the World Quds Day in Memory of Palestinian Children Martyrs
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
012
8/18/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – 18 August, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – At a time of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2012 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities. The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees….
Khan Al Luban: Settlers invade again
8/18/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Alex Marley, 18 August, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On Saturday August 11th, 2012 the same story as three days earlier took place at Khan Al Luban. A group of four illegal settlers, from Mal´al Levona, armed with guns and wooden stick came into Khan al Luban at 22:30 p. m. The….
Soldiers violently attack weekly demonstration at Kafr Qaddum
8/18/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Marshall Pinkerton and Alma Reventos, 18 August, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On Friday, August 17, five were injured and eight arrested at Kafr Qaddum. Soldiers fired tear-gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, and beat protesters with wooden sticks. This week was a first, as the village was surounded and invaded by over 100 Israeli occupation….
Iran and Russia at odds over missile deal
The National 18 Aug 2012 – Moscow warns Iran to quite $4bn lawsuit over failed deal to deliver systems that can detect and destroy missiles and low -flying aircraft or lose its support.
Rebel bikers a key weapon in war on Assad
The National 18 Aug 2012 – The success of the rebel assault on Aleppo was in part based on the superior motorbiking skills of residents from Syria’s countryside.
Israel, U.S. conduct joint naval exercises
Ha’aretz – 18 Aug 2012
19-year-old suspect arrested in connection with Jerusalem ‘lynch’
Ha’aretz – 18 Aug 2012
Israel Police seeking convicted felon over three hit-and-run deaths in Netanya
Ha’aretz – 18 Aug 2012
Former Israeli President Yitzhak Navon backs Peres on Iran statements
Ha’aretz – 18 Aug 2012
Senior Iranian commander ‘welcomes’ Israeli strike
Ha’aretz – 18 Aug 2012
UN chief condemns Iran leaders’ anti-Israel remarks
Ha’aretz – 17 Aug 2012
Ahmadinejad: Israel’s existence is ‘an insult to all humanity’
Ha’aretz – 17 Aug 2012
An overlooked mitzva: ‘Tsa’ar ba’alei chaim’
Jerusalem Post 19 Aug 2012 – Making the failure to avoid tsa’ar ba’alei chaim even more distressing is that animal-based diets and agriculture are contributing substantially to health and environmental problems.
Pre-teen children need help with hoarseness
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Petah Tikva’s Schneider Children’s Medical Center opens up outpatient clinic to treat children with hoarse voices.
Out of Zion could emerge the answer for autism
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – 1,000 in the field of developmental disorders attended Jerusalem’s ICare4Autism convention.
US Congresswoman calls on EU to ban Hezbollah
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – House Foreign Affairs C’tee chair Ros- Lehtinen says Hezbollah is responsible for hundreds of deaths, countless injuries.
Inspectors raid pig farm suspected of abuse
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – In Western Galilee farm, 2,000 pigs found living in abusive conditions; owners could face up to 3 years in prison.
Abbas: Settler attacks carried out under IDF watch
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – PA president says IDF not acting to prevent attacks on Palestinians, reiterates intention to go to UN in September.
Gov’t campaigning to keep Ban from going to confab in Iran
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Jerusalem working to persuade nonaligned countries to boycott meeting or send junior representation; Israeli official: Idea Iran only the West’s problem a fallacy.
Democracy and the man of letters
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Censorship is a means to the survival of Jewry and Zion.
Egypt’s Morsy to visit Tehran for NAM meeting
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – In first such visit by an Egyptian head of state to Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Egyptian President Morsy set to attend Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, signalling interest in renewing bilateral ties.
Yadlin to Obama: Visit Israel to allay Iran fears
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Former MI head asks US president to publicly display US commitment to stopping Iran‘s nuclear program.
Hillel’s plan: Programming for and by the uninvolved
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Meet 22-year-old Jeremy Moskowitz, the poster child for what Hillel hopes will be a revolution in campus Jewish life.
Sinai attack injures 3 Egyptian policemen, soldier
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Armed men fire grenade at convoy returning from raid in Rafah; forces “entrapped by extremists.”
Syrian state TV denies vice president defection
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – Media claims Farouq al-Shara “never considered” defection from Assad; Syrian opposition insists reports of defection are genuine.
Swedish ‘kippah walk’ unites Jews, non-Jews
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – March expected to take place in Stokholm in solidarity with Malmo’s persecuted Jewish community, said to be “regularly harassed.”
Romney: US must stop Iran’s genocidal regime
Jerusalem Post 18 Aug 2012 – US Republican presidential candidate refers to Ahmadinejad’s call to wipe out Israel as “a reminder of what is at stake.”
US sues Florida over ending kosher prison meals
Jerusalem Post 17 Aug 2012 – Hundreds of Florida prisoners are being forced to choose between starving or violating their religious beliefs, federal suit says.
Hit-and-run driver kills 3 family members in Netanya
Jerusalem Post 17 Aug 2012 – Svetlana and Shoshana Yigudiyev, Alexandra Rubinov hit while crossing the street; police searching for Shushan Baraby, suspect in accident.
Police arrest 19-year-old over savage J’lem brawl
Jerusalem Post 17 Aug 2012 – Additional arrests expected after Arab man left critically injured in clash between Jewish, Arab teens in downtown Jerusalem.
Israeli could attack Iran without causing a major war in the region | Thomas Rogan
The Guardian 18 Aug 2012 – While it is likely Israel will attack Iran in the near future, it is not in either party’s interest to allow retaliation to escalate Over the last few days, Israeli newspapers have been consumed by reports…
Ecuador Declaration On Julian Assange Asylum
Uruknet
Israel and US on brink of diplomatic standoff over Iran
Uruknet
A Glimpse into Shi’ite Sectarianism – Iraq & Beyond.
Uruknet
Israel won’t attack Iran
Uruknet
Settlers Uproot 30 Olive Tree, East of Yatta
Uruknet
The Ecuador/UK Standoff Over Asylum for Julian Assange (Latest Updates)
Uruknet
Palestinian youth beaten unconscious in attempted J’lem ‘lynch’
Uruknet
Obama turns back the clock on Guantanamo
Uruknet
Egypt’s Mursi Accused of Press Crackdown as State Censor Reemerges
Uruknet
Iran exiles say will move group to new Iraq site
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 An Iranian opposition organisation said on Saturday it is ready to move another group of its Iraq-based members to a new site near Baghdad after a delay which has dragged on for several months.
New papal envoy to Israel hopes to foster peace
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto as a new envoy to Israel, who will also serve as apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine.
Turkey begins aid distribution on Syrian border
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Turkey has begun handing out food and other humanitarian aid to Syrians right on their common border as the worsening conflict in Syria makes aid distribution there increasingly difficult, Turkey’s disaster and emergency body said on…
Gunmen raid homes, kill 6 people in northern Iraq
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Iraqi officials say gunmen have raided two family homes in a northern Iraqi city, killing six people.
French FM: all 11 Lebanese pilgrims ‘alive and well’
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says all 11 Lebanese hostages in Syria are “alive and well.”
At least 14 killed in Yemen attack on intelligence HQ
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 14 Yemeni soldiers and security guards, and injured seven others, in a grenade attack on the intelligence service headquarters in the southern port city of Aden on Saturday, the Defence…
Egypt militants wound three police in Sinai
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Militants wounded three Egyptian policemen in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday in an ambush of their vehicle with a rocket propelled grenade, a security official said.
Obama: Republican approach to education funding is backward
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 President Barack Obama accused Republicans on Saturday of a backward approach to education funding that would mean further teacher layoffs, in a veiled swipe at Republican vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan, who has led a drive…
EU pledges support for new Syria envoy Brahimi
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 The European Union on Saturday pledged to support Lakhdar Brahimi as the new international mediator on the Syria conflict in his “immensely challenging task”.
Syrian rebels: PM who defected visits Qatar
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Syria’s rebels and a relative of the former Syrian prime minister who defected from Bashar Assad’s regime say he is visiting Qatar where he may reveal his future plans.
Russia expects Syria envoy to build on Annan plan: ministry
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 Russia welcomed the new international envoy for the conflict in Syria and said it expected him build on the work of predecessor Kofi Annan, the foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday.
Lebanese man briefly kidnapped, asked if he backs Syrian rebels
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 A Lebanese man was kidnapped and beaten up northeast of Beirut before being released; the captors repeatedly asked him if he supports Syrian rebels.
Last U.N. observers start leaving Syria
Daily Star 18 Aug 2012 A United Nations spokeswoman says the last U.N. observers still in Syria have started to leave the country as their mission officially ends at midnight Sunday.
Hundreds protest against economic measures
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Hundreds protest in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem against recent economic measures; ‘Israel is deteriorating, it’s a slippery slope towards becoming a dictatorship,’ says one protester ….
PM to Abbas: Israel will catch firebomb assailants
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Two days after incident that left six Palestinians wounded, Netanyahu phones Palestinian president, promises perpetrators will be brought to justice ….
Zubeidi released as gesture for Eid al-Fitr
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Former al-Aqsa Brigades commander in Jenin released from Jericho prison together with seven other inmates ….
Former president Navon supports Peres’ comments on Iran
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – After being publicly criticized by political figures over comments on Iran, Peres receives public support from Israel’s 5th president; Navon: ‘I hope his brave comments resonate with public’ ….
Video: Soldiers beat journalists with clubs
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Palestinian journalists routinely covering weekly protest in Kafr Kadum arrested by troops, seen in video being assaulted by troops ….
Jewish teen arrested in connection to Jerusalem ‘lynch’
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Arab teenager assaulted in capital’s Zion square has no recollection of violent incident; suspect, 19, denies involvement in case ….
Yadlin urges Obama to address Knesset
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Former MI chief says best way for president to convey his commitment to preventing nuclear Iran is to visit Israel ….
Not everything is Bibi’s fault
YNet News, 18 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Social protesters’ predictable attacks on PM over price hikes not based on facts, cannot be taken seriously ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas congratulates the Palestinian people, Islamic Umma
PIC – The Hamas movement congratulated the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic Umma on the advent of the blessed Eidul Fitr.
Media Forum condemns IOF attack on six journalists
PIC – Palestinian Media Forum strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ attack on six Palestinian journalists and detaining them for hours while they were covering a peaceful demonstration.
IQI: Recent attacks on al-Aqsa more dangerous than burning it 43 years ago
PIC – The IQI said the recent Israeli attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque are more dangerous than burning it 43 years ago, especially as it is exposed to the fiercest judaization campaign.
Farwana: 4550 Palestinians including 220 children held in Israeli jails
PIC – A specialist in prisoners affairs has said that Israel was holding 4550 Palestinian prisoners including 220 children in 17 prisons and detention centers.
Jerusalemite teen seriously wounded in Jewish settlers’ mob attack
PIC – A Jerusalemite teen was hospitalized with a serious injury after a Jewish mob attacked him and his friends in western Jerusalem on Thursday night.
Abbas hails Bahraini normalization visit to the Aqsa mosque
PIC – Palestinian president and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has hailed the visit to occupied Jerusalem and the Aqsa mosque by a Bahraini delegation.
Committee Announces Preparation for National Youth Week
WAFA – 18 Aug 2012
US Condemns Attack on Palestinians near Bethlehem
WAFA – 18 Aug 2012
Newspapers Review: Jewish Mob Attack against Arab Dominates Daily
WAFA – 18 Aug 2012
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 16 Aug 2012
Government Spokesman Ends Work
WAFA – 15 Aug 2012
Syrian refugees raise tensions in neighboring countries
LA Times 17 Aug 2012 – More than 170,000 Syrians have sought sanctuary in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, leading to a growing humanitarian crisis, U.N. says. BEIRUT — In the last few days, thousands of Syrians have poured across the borders of neighboring countries, fleeing increasing violence in their homeland…
U.S. Says Iraqis Are Helping Iran Skirt Sanctions
New York Times 18 Aug 2012 – Financial institutions and oil-smuggling operations in Iraq have given Iran a crucial flow of dollars as sanctions over its nuclear work squeeze its economy, officials and experts said.
U.N. Starts New Phase in Syria as Violence Continues
New York Times 18 Aug 2012 – The United Nations sent its final observers out of Syria as activists spoke of violence across the country, with opposition groups counting 40 corpses on the streets of a Damascus suburb.
Yemen Attack on Intelligence Building Kills 14
New York Times 18 Aug 2012 – Militants suspected of being with Al Qaeda attacked a Yemeni intelligence headquarters, killing 14 people in a bold strike in the country’s main southern city of Aden, officials said.
Conflicting Accounts as Protester, 16, Is Killed in Bahrain
New York Times 18 Aug 2012 – Witnesses said a boy was killed in a brutal attack by security forces, but the government said it was a case of self-defense.
Syria Rebels Threaten Aleppo Airport, and an Envoy Is Chosen
New York Times 18 Aug 2012 – The insurgents’ seizure of areas near the airport comes as the United Nations and the Arab League announce that Lakhdar Brahimi, a veteran diplomat, will succeed Kofi Annan as the envoy to Syria.
The Left Eats Itself
Tikun Olam – UPDATE : I’ve finally got an audio file for the entire BBC Newshour program on which the Iran war plan document was discussed. During the entire Iran war plan story that’s played out over the past week, I anticipated the fierce reaction of the pro-Israel right. After…
Rudoren writes up settler/colonist leader as ‘worldly, pragmatic’ wine-lover
Mondoweiss – Are other readers of the New York Times as enraged as I am by the latest piece from the paper’s new Jerusalem bureau chief, Jodi Rudoren? It’s a glowing profile of settler/colonist leader Dani Dayan, suitable for framing on the Dayan family wall. A couple of…
Rabbis for Human Rights says Israeli mob’s attack on Palestinians violates Jewish values
Mondoweiss – I am told there is no coverage of the attempted lynching of Palestinians in Jerusalem , by a mob shouting Death to Arabs, in the LA Times, Washington Post , or NYT so far today. Meantime, Rabbis for Human Rights North America has released this statement on the…
Israel has fabricated claims against Iran — senior U.S. official
Mondoweiss – In the Washington Post, no less . Just curious: Will any Democrat seize on this information to oppose Romney’s bellicosity? And try and dial down the war talk? Will Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the DNC, say, Americans don’t want another war, and Romney is pushing it!…
In September, the agendas collide
Mondoweiss – Abbas at UN last yer When I first read the report ‘Israel demands statement from Obama about Iran attack by Yom Kippur ‘ — “Obama to say clearly that the United States will take military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program either at the UN General…
Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi Cleans House
The Forward New 18 Aug 2012 – American officials were taken aback when Egypt’s new leader Mohamed Morsi fired top military brass. Is the unexpected housecleaning a sign of tension to come. Click here for the rest of the article…
Haifa’s Ambitious Spruce-Up Faces Hurdles
The Forward New 18 Aug 2012 – Haifa has ambitious plans to become ‘Barcelona by the Bay.’ But some powerful players make it unlikely that the Israeli port will resemble the Spanish paradise anytime soon. Click here for the rest of the article…
Nigeria: Why We’re Stopping Pregnant Women From Hajj – Makarfi
allAfrica.com 18 Aug 2012 – [Daily Trust]Kaduna -Malam Yahuza Sidi Makarfi is the Acting Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board. He sheds light on the level of the state’s preparedness for this year’s Hajj and measures taken to ensure a hitch free operation. Excerpts:
Egypt: Govt Deports 26 Palestinians
allAfrica.com 18 Aug 2012 – [Egypt Online]Egypt deported on Friday 26 Palestinians to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah terminal for entering the country illegally, a security source said.
Morocco: HM the King Ask for ‘An Immediate End to the Violence’ in Syria, Underlines the Need to ‘Ensure Political Power Transition
allAfrica.com 18 Aug 2012 – [MAP]Makkah -HM King Mohammed VI asked, in a speech to the fourth extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Makkah, for “an immediate end to the violence in Syria, underlining the importance to settle the crisis by facilitating “political power transition in Syria…
Morocco: HM the King Calls On Islamic Countries to Take Firm Initiatives to Support the Palestinian People
allAfrica.com 18 Aug 2012 – [MAP]Makkah -HM King Mohammed VI called on Islamic countries to take firm initiatives, adopt practical measures and provide the necessary resources to support the Palestinian people and their National Authority.
Brahimi welcomed as Syria envoy
BBC 18 Aug 2012 – The US, Russia, Syria and others welcome the appointment of veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as the new international envoy to Damascus.
Egypt president ‘to visit Iran’
BBC 18 Aug 2012 – Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi is to visit Iran to attend meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement at the end of August, state media report.
AUDIO: Will Israel launch an attack on Iran?
BBC 18 Aug 2012 – Iran‘s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called Israel “an insult to humankind”. It follows a week in which Israel has been carrying out an increasingly public debate about whether to attack Iran‘s nuclear facilities. It has been suggested that an attack is more likely to happen before…
Kidnapping Festival in Lebanon and Syria
Al-Akhbar Blogs 18 Aug 2012 – Sectarian kidnappings in Lebanon are not new. Druze and Maronites engaged in this sport back in the 19th century. The Lebanese Phalanges Party also pioneered the art of brutal sectarian killings back in 1975 and Bashir Gemayel rose to prominence on the infamous Black Saturday –…
Damascus Eid: Trying to Keep Smiling
Al-Akhbar News 18 Aug 2012 – Syrian refugees and local residents form the word “Free Syria” with candles during Laylat al-Qadr during the holy month of Ramadan late in front of the Syrian Embassy in Amman 14 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters- Muhammad Hamed) Syrian refugees and local residents form the word “Free…
Yemen TV: Bringing Back History
Al-Akhbar News 18 Aug 2012 – A Yemeni soldier stands guard outside the al-Saleh mosque during a memorial service to commemorate the victims of a suicide bombing the day before in Abyan province on 5 August 2012, in Sanaa. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Huwais) A Yemeni soldier stands guard outside the al-Saleh…
Five dead in Iraq attacks
Al-Akhbar News 18 Aug 2012 – Five people were killed, including a police officer, on Saturday in two separate attacks in Iraq, An Iraqi security source said that “unidentified gunmen stormed the house in Swaib south-west of Baghdad belonging to a traffic police officer holding the rank of captain. They opened fire…
Mikati warns of Lebanon’s “most difficult” time
Al-Akhbar News 18 Aug 2012 – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned on Saturday that Lebanon is going through the most difficult and delicate stage in its modern history. In a message to the Lebanese on the eve of the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramandan, Mikati said “Eid this…
Former Netanyahu deputy warns of “disastrous” Iran attack
Al-Akhbar News 18 Aug 2012 – Israel’s Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz met with US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Jerusalem on July 29 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Ammar Awad) A former deputy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday a preemptive military strike against Iran over its nuclear…
Three abducted Syrians released in Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 18 Aug 2012 – Three Syrians who were abducted on Saturday morning have been released after being robbed, the National News Agency has confirmed. The three men were kidnapped by armed from a banana storehouse on the road to Beirut international airport on Saturday morning. But the NNA confirmed that…
Syrians in Lebanon: Bearing the Brunt
Al-Akhbar Politics 17 Aug 2012 – A Syrian girl begs for money from people in Hamra street. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) A Syrian girl begs for money from people in Hamra street. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Thousands of Syrians living in Lebanon went through a tough night on Tuesday as news about the mass…
Mokdad Clan: The Syrian Vendetta
Al-Akhbar Politics 17 Aug 2012 – Military wings of different Bekaa clans suddenly appeared. They struck in several locations, especially in Beirut. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Military wings of different Bekaa clans suddenly appeared. They struck in several locations, especially in Beirut. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) In response to a family member being kidnapped…
Articles
Simon Tzabar: A dialogue on the nature of security
Shimon Tzabar, Israel Imperial News, London, Oct 1968, Israeli Occupation Archive 8/13/2012
IOA Editor: A brilliant work by Shimon Tzabar (1926, Palestine – 2007, London), an artist, writer, poet, satirist, amateur mycologist, and a vocal fighter against the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel. As relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1968, well before the term ‘racial profiling’ was known.
[Two guardsmen in front of a cinema in Tel Aviv]
A: Not a thing.
B: No, not a thing.
A: Absolutely nothing.
B: You sound as if you’re complaining.
A: Good lord! Why should I complain?
B: You just sounded as if you were.
A: It’s because I’m bored.
B: How can you be bored defending your country?
A: I wish I were defending my country.
B: Of course you are.
A: The hell I am! Searching people’s pockets…
B: It’s our duty. You don’t want a bomb to go off in the cinema, do you?
A: But why me?
B: Somebody has to do it…. — See also: Shimon Tzabar Website more.. e-mail
Palestinians converge on Al-Aqsa
Khaled Amayreh in Jerusalem, Al-Ahram Weekly 8/16/2012
The movement to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque is growing locally, but the lack of international Muslim reaction to Israeli impingements is lamentable.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Muslims have been converging on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Israeli occupied East Jerusalem in what is seen by many as a psychological challenge to Israeli claims that the town is an integral part of Israel’s “eternal and undivided capital”.
On Friday, 10 August, an estimated half a million worshipers were able to make it to the Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) esplanade. The sea of humanity came from all over the West Bank as well as Arab towns and villages across Israel. Strongly discriminated-against Palestinian Arabs make nearly one fourth of Israel’s total population. No Gazans were allowed to reach the Muslim sanctuary.
The previous Friday, as many as 350,000 worshipers performed the weekly congregational prayer amid tight Israeli restrictions. Nevertheless, some young people were seen being turned back by Israeli soldiers and paramilitary policemen manning “border crossing facilities” created by the Israeli army to control Palestinian entry into the holy town.
According to a prophetic tradition, the heavenly reward of a single ritual prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque is multiplied 500 times. But while worshipers covet the heavenly prize, they also want to reassert a Muslim presence and rights in one of the world’s most hotly contested pieces of real state.
The influx of hundreds of thousands of mainly Palestinian Muslims into Jerusalem’s old town generates visible consternation among Talmudic-minded Jewish circles, which would like to make the city — and all of Palestine-Israel — Gentile free. more.. e-mail
Striking Iran: Mad or Crazy?
Uri Avnery, CounterPunch 8/17/2012
Netanyahu’s Scare Tactics
Benjamin Netanyahu may be crazy, but he is not mad.
Ehud Barak may be mad, but he is not crazy.
Ergo: Israel will not attack Iran.
I have said so before, and I shall say so again, even after the endless talk about it. Indeed no war has been talked about so much before it happened. To quote the classic movie line: “If you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk!”
In all Netanyahu’s bluster about the inevitable war, one sentence stands out: “In the Committee of Inquiry after the war, I shall take upon myself the sole responsibility, I and I alone!”
A very revealing statement.
First of all, committees of inquiry are appointed only after a military failure. There was no such committee after the 1948 War of Independence, nor after the 1956 Sinai War or the 1967 Six-day War. There were, however, committees of inquiry after the 1974 Yom Kippur war and the 1982 and 2006 Lebanon Wars. By conjuring up the specter of another such committee, Netanyahu unconsciously treats this war as an inevitable failure.
Second, under Israeli law, the entire Government of Israel is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Under another law, all ministers bear “collective responsibility”. TIME magazine, which is becoming more ridiculous by the week, may crown “King Bibi”, but we still have no monarchy. Netanyahu is no more than primus inter pares. more.. e-mail
Inequality and the ‘Forgotten Palestinians’
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Aug 2012 – By Patrick O. Strickland – Tel Aviv On 15 may, the NY Times ran an editorial authored by Aaron David Miller under the title of ‘Preserving Israel’s Uncertain Status Quo.’ Miller argues that the Israeli government’s attempts to achieve a “more peaceful and prosperous future” must “count for something.” In his discursive analysis of the contemporary political climate, Miller unfolds an unabridged list of threats to Israel: the Israeli social justice movement, the Syrian uprising, the Egyptian ousting of Hosni Mubarak, Iran, the security vacuum in the Sinai, ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis, and ‘Arab Israelis’ (which is, of course, a crass euphemism intended to disavow the collective identity of Palestinian citizens of Israel). Cataloging this exhaustive account of dangers, he resorts to a number of boorish clichés and Western media assumptions. Indeed, despite Israel’s malicious enemies, he argues, “the Israelis will prosper and keep their state, but the Arabs and the…more
Bi-Nationalism: The Logic of Reality
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Aug 2012 – By Sherri Muzher Regardless of the US presidential election results in November, Palestinians will be told to resume direct negotiations with Israel if they wish to see a state of their own. Apparently, the old expression that ‘actions speak louder than words’ doesn’t apply. The continuation of Israeli settlements speaks volumes. Physical separation and lack of contiguity has nullified the hopes of two states living side by side. Professor Stephen Walt of Harvard University, co-author of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, summarized direct talks in three points. 1) There is no sign that the Palestinians are willing to accept less than a viable, territorially contiguous state in the West Bank (and eventually, Gaza), including a capital in East Jerusalem. 2) There is no sign that Israel’s government is willing to accept anything more than a symbolic Palestinian “state” consisting of a set of disconnected Bantustans, with Israel in…more
The ABC of Israeli Demolitions in Palestine
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Aug 2012 – By IRIN – Ramallah Rasmiyye Hamande has lived in a cave in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) for most of her life, which may have been a blessing in disguise. ‘This cave,’ she says, ‘can’t be demolished so easily.’ Other places in the village of Al-Mufaqara, in Area C – the 60 percent of the West Bank under Israeli military control – are more easily destroyed. Some 622 structures were demolished by Israeli forces in the West Bank in 2011, a 42 percent increase from 2010. 2012 could well surpass last year’s numbers, as by the end of July, some 395 demolished structures in oPt were registered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Al-Mufaqara is one of 12 villages in an area recently declared “firing zone 918” by Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Defense wants to demolish eight of these villages and evacuate their residents…more
Mad and Crazy: Israel Will Not Attack Iran
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Aug 2012 – By Uri Avnery Binyamin Netanyahu may be crazy, but he is not mad. Ehud Barak may be mad, but he is not crazy. Ergo: Israel will not attack Iran. I have said so before, and I shall say so again, even after the endless talk about it. Indeed no war has been talked about so much before it happened. To quote the classic movie line: “If you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk!” In all Netanyahu’s bluster about the inevitable war, one sentence stands out: “In the Committee of Inquiry after the war, I shall take upon myself the sole responsibility, I and I alone!” A very revealing statement. First of all, committees of inquiry are appointed only after a military failure. There was no such committee after the 1948 War of Independence, nor after the 1956 Sinai War or the 1967 Six-day War. There were, however, committees of inquiry…more
Seven Principles – Who Owns Our Politicians?
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Aug 2012 – By Stuart Littlewood ‘People in public life are not always as clear as they should be about where the boundaries of acceptable conduct lie.’ – Nolan Committee. “Who will own Mitt Romney if he is elected?” asks Philip Giraldi after Romney’s trip to Israel to raise campaign funds. The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1966, he explains, prohibits the involvement of foreigners in funding election campaigns. Another question is this: how do politicians think they can get away with it? Does fighting an election with foreign cash never strike them as dangerous, utterly immoral and downright wrong? Apparently not. So what to do? The solution is actually very simple and, as it happens, ready-made. You introduce easy-to-remember ground rules, assuming you can find a government honest enough and courageous enough to implement and enforce them. You don’t even have to invent them. A suitable set of rules already exists. It’s…more
Syria: Brahimi and Aid Agencies Bring Relief
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Aug 2012 – By Richard Johnson – Geneva As the crisis spawned by the on-going Syrian conflict deteriorated, with ‘a sharp rise in the number of Syrians fleeing to Turkey and Jordan’, the United Nations announced August 17 that veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will be the new Joint Special Representative of the world organization and League of Arab States for the crisis in the Middle Eastern country. Brahimi is taking over the peace-facilitation role played over the past several months by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a spokesperson for the world organization said. Brahimi is expected to assume his duties following the expiration of Annan’s mandate on August 31, 2012. “The Secretary-General appreciates Mr. Brahimi’s willingness to bring his considerable talents and experience to this crucial task for which he will need, and rightly expects, the strong, clear and unified support of the international community, including the Security Council,” a UN spokesperson said…more
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