21 August 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel Wants Egypt To Withdraw Its Tanks From Sinai
IMEMC – Israeli Paper, Maariv, reported Tuesday that the Israeli government demanded Egypt to withdraw its tanks from the Sinai Peninsula after Cairo deployed them to counter extremist groups operating in the area. …
Settlers Attack Home, Attempt to Torch It
IMEMC – A number of armed extremist Israeli settlers attacked, on Tuesday at dawn, a Palestinian home in Far’ata village, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and tried to torch it. …
Egypt Prepares To Use Tanks, Air Force, In Sinai
IMEMC – Egyptian security sources reported that the country is preparing to use its Air Force and Tanks to counter armed groups and arms smugglers operating in the Sinai Peninsula. …
Israeli Police Apprehends 7 Settlers Involved In Lynch Attempt
IMEMC – The Israeli Police reported Monday that it apprehended seven Israeli youths suspected of involvement in the lynch attempt, carried out Friday, against three Palestinian youths in Jerusalem, leading to serious injuries. …
Palestinian Wounded By Settlers Molotov Bomb Is in Serious Condition
IMEMC – The Palestine News Network (PNN) reported that resident Ayman Hasan Ghayatha, 36, who was wounded along with his family by a firebomb hurled by extremist Israeli settlers at a Palestinian taxi near Bethlehem on Thursday, is now in a serious condition at the Hadassah Israeli hospital in Jerusalem. …
Settlers ‘try to torch Nablus home’
8/21/2012 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A group of Jewish settlers tried to set fire to a Palestinian home near Nablus early Tuesday morning, a Palestinian Authority official said. Settlers from the Hafad Gilad illegal outpost attacked Farid Tawil’s home in Farata village, said Ghassan Doughlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank….
Bomb team sent to Dublin’s Israel embassy in false alarm
8/21/2012 – DUBLIN (Reuters) — An army bomb-disposal team was called out to investigate a suspicious device found at the Israeli embassy in Dublin in a false alarm on Tuesday, police said. Irish police and defense forces said the eight-story building, which is mostly empty apart from the embassy, was partly evacuated while the bomb-disposal team investigated the….
UN envoy says PA quickly losing legitimacy
8/21/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — UN envoy to Jerusalem Robert Serry said Monday that the Palestinian Authority was “quickly” losing legitimacy due to its inability to achieve political goals, Israeli media reported. The Jerusalem Post newspaper said Serry told a group of students at a model UN event in Lishon Lezion that a strong Palestinian economy….
Syrian prisoner due for release from Israeli jail
8/21/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Syrian man detained in Israel for 27 years is due for release on Thursday, prisoner affairs researcher Abdul Nasser Farwana said Tuesday. Israeli forces detained Sadki al-Makt, 45, from the Golan Heights on Aug. 23, 1985. He was charged with establishing a resistance movement against Israel‘s occupation….
Abbas calls for protection of Jerusalem holy sites
8/21/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Tuesday the need to protect Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, speaking on the anniversary of an attempted arson of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Abbas said the fire, which was set by an Australian in 1969, was “the first (attack) in a series that aimed to….
Report: Iran war could cost Israel economy $42 billion
8/21/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel‘s economy would incur damages of as much as 167 billion shekels ($42 billion) should Israelattack Iran over its nuclear program, business information group BDI-Cofacehas projected. Direct economic damage would reach 47 billion shekels, BDI-Coface, a respected research group, said on Tuesday. That would be equivalent to 5. 4 percent of….
Egypt deployment of armor in Sinai worries Israel
8/21/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel is concerned about the deployment of Egyptian armor in a push against militants in the neighboring Sinai desert, saying the vehicles’ entry wasn’t coordinated and is in violation of a 1979 peace treaty, an Israeli official said Monday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has not lodged any….
UN nuclear watchdog confirms new Iran talks this week
8/21/2012 – VIENNA (Reuters) — The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Tuesday it would hold a new round of talks with Iran in Vienna later this week about a long-stalled investigation into suspected nuclear weapons research in the Islamic state. The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a brief statement confirming the Aug. 24 meeting after diplomats earlier on….
Medics: Man electrocuted in Gaza City
8/21/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A man died in Gaza on Monday after being electrocuted in his home, medics said. Shaher Abu al-Ata, 37, suffered an electric shock in the Ash Shujayeh neighborhood of Gaza City, medics said. He was trying to connect an electric wire to an electricity pole and was pronounced dead upon….
Man killed, 4 injured in Nablus car crash
8/21/2012 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — One man was killed and four others injured in a car accident south of Nablus on Monday, police said. Ahmad Tamam from Tulkarem was killed when a taxi collided with a truck on the Huwwara road near Nablus. Four others were injured, with two said to be in a serious condition….
1 killed, 22 injured in Lebanon clashes echoing Syria conflict
8/21/2012 – TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) — One person was killed and several dozen wounded in clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites in Lebanon‘s northern city of Tripoli in another spillover from the war in neighboring Syria, security and medical sources said on Tuesday. Gunmen in the Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh and their Alawite rivals in….
US seizes $150 million from Lebanese bank in laundering scheme
8/21/2012 – NEW YORK (Reuters) — US authorities said on Monday that they had seized $150 million from a Lebanese bank suspected of being at the heart of international money-laundering schemes linked to the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. In February 2011, the US Treasury department designated the Lebanese Canadian Bank as a “primary money-laundering concern.”The privately owned….
Japanese TV journalist killed in Aleppo gunfight
8/21/2012 – BEIRUT/TOKYO (Reuters) — A Japanese woman journalist died of wounds sustained in a gunfight between Syrian forces and rebels in Aleppo on Tuesday, becoming the first Japanese national killed in the 17-month-old conflict. Mika Yamamoto, a 45-year-old award-winning journalist working for Tokyo-based independent news wire Japan Press, was fatally wounded while traveling with….
Iran unveils new missile, other weapons
8/21/2012 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran unveiled upgrades to six weapons on Tuesday, including a more accurate short-range missile and a more powerful naval engine, Iranian media reported, in what seemed to be its latest response to international pressure over its nuclear program. The hardware was presented at a ceremony marking Defense Industry Day and attended by President….
Syria says military intervention ‘impossible’
8/21/2012 – MOSCOW (Reuters) — The Syrian government said on Tuesday military intervention in Syria was “impossible” because it would lead to a confrontation beyond the country’s borders. Deputy Syrian Prime Minister Qadri Jamil, speaking at a news conference in Moscow, appeared to be responding to President Barack Obama‘s threat that US forces could….
Syria says preparing to finalize oil deal with Russia
8/21/2012 – MOSCOW (Reuters) — Syria is preparing to complete a deal with ally Russia to secure much-needed oil products to keep its economy and military running, the head of a Syrian delegation to Russia said Tuesday, weeks after he said an agreement had been reached. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Qadri Jamil on Aug. 3….
Syrian forces abandon security compounds on Iraq border
8/21/2012 – AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) — President Bashar Assad’s forces evacuated two security installations at Albu Kamal on the Iraqi border on Tuesday as rebels made gains in the strategically important area after a week of heavy fighting, opposition sources said. Security forces withdrew from the Airforce Intelligence and Political Security compounds in the town, 75….
Arrests in Israel over attack on Palestinian
AlJazeera 20 Aug 2012 – Police detain seven suspects in connection with attack on Palestinian youth by mob in the centre of West Jerusalem.
Israeli Settlers Try to Torch Palestinian Home in Far’ata
Palestine News Network
Mahmoud Abbas on the Anniversary of the Burning of Al Aqsa Mosque: Our Holy Places are the Red Lines we Won’t Allow to C…
Palestine News Network
Israel to Pursue Evacuation of Migron Settlers to New West Bank Settlement
Palestine News Network
Suspect Admits Attacking Jerusalem Palestinian: ‘He Can Die’
Palestine News Network
Deadly Road Accident in Nablus: One Person Killed, Four Injured
Palestine News Network
UN: Strong Economy Not Enough For Stability And Peace in Palestine
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
From the children of Gaza: Samouni Street
8/21/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – 20 August 2012, Besieged Gaza, occupied Palestine – From the children of Gaza comes this adorable animation depicting the story of 4 kids of the extended Samouni family in Gaza. By animated drawings they express what happened to them and their family during operation ‘Cast Lead’. Updated on August 20, 2012…. Related: YouTube video
Hit-and-run settler kills 15 goats
8/21/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Markus Fizgerald, 20 August 2012, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – Monday the 6th of august Mershid (19), son of Muhamad Abdalah Rashid Dawabsheh, checked for oncoming cars and started to cross the road between Nablus and Ramallah with his herd of goats. The time was approximately 5pm and he was leading the herd towards….
Thirty olive trees cut nearby the village of At-Tuwani, South Hebron Hills
8/21/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Operation Dove, 20 August 2012, At-Tuwani, South Hebron Hills – In the afternoon of August 16th some Palestinians discovered that an olive grove situated in Humra valley had been recently destroyed during the night, according to a Palestinian. Thirty olive trees were broken or severely damaged. The olive grove belongs to a Palestinian family that….
Foreign Press Association demands investigation of incident in which soldiers beat journalists
8/21/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Emily Greenzweig, 20 august 2012, Haaretz – The Foreign Press Association (FPA) is demanding an investigation of the incident in which soldiers beat journalists. The FPA contacted the Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli army following the incident in which journalists were beaten with sticks. Minister of Public Diplomacy: Expresses doubt concerning journalists…. Related: Source: Haaretz and Video: Soldiers assault journalists after village demo
Alternative Information Center
German humanitarian aid in Palestine
Alternative Information Center – While the German government distributes humanitarian aid towards the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, it fails to address the biggest obstacle for Palestinian development – the Israeli occupation. German humanitarian project in the West Bank…
When Syria’s rebel cause has a British accent
The National 21 Aug 2012 – Even those who want an end to the regime worry about who is joining the fight. A young British Islamist seems to confirm their fears. Justin Vela reports from Aleppo.
Syria war spills into Lebanon
The National 21 Aug 2012 – Four die and dozens are wounded in sectarian clashes in the Lebanese city of Tripoli as the civil war in Syria threatens again to cross the border.
Israeli PM’s security adviser meets with senior rabbi over Iran strike
The National 21 Aug 2012 – Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the Shas Party’s 92-year-old spiritual leader, has met with national security adviser Yaakov Amidror.
Jewish teens arrested after ‘attempted lynching’ of Palestinians
The National 21 Aug 2012 – Four Palestinian youngsters were brutally attacked by at least 10 Jewish teenagers amid shouts of ‘Death to the Arabs’, as dozens of Jewish bystanders looked on.
Japanese journalist killed covering Syria fighting
The National 21 Aug 2012 – Mika Yamamoto was hit by gunfire while she and a colleague were travelling with the Free Syrian Army in the north-western city of Aleppo.
Obama warns Syria over chemical arms as fighting flares
The National 21 Aug 2012 – US President Barack Obama has warned Syria that Washington will not tolerate any deployment of chemical weapons, as fighting raged from the north to the south of the country.
Leading Iranian cleric calls on regime to avoid war with Israel
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Founding member of Jewish-Arab village Neve Shalom dies in car accident
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Israel Prison Services denying visits to asylum seekers, rights group claims
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Israel’s embassy in Ireland evacuated over false bomb scare
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Modi’in threatens to ban ultra-Orthodox from park, after nearby town bars seculars from heritage site
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
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Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
In search of better treatment, Israeli doctors start smiling at clowning around
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Top Iran official: If Israel attacks, it will bring about its own ‘annihilation’
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Barak holding up decision on upgrading West Bank college to university status
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2012
Transportation Ministry chief pleading guilty to sexual harassment is out of civil service for life
Ha’aretz – 20 Aug 2012
Relatives of Bat Ayin victims: Israel denying access
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Civil Administration insists it has been generous with permit extensions following firebombing.
UN’s Ban yet to comment on attending NAM summit
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – State Department spokeswoman Nuland says Iran undeserving of high-level delegations from Egypt, UN for Non-Aligned Movement meeting.
Arsonists attempt to burn down home in Far’ata
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Police investigating possibility incident in Palestinian village was a ‘price tag’ attack.
Int’l force in Sinai quiet amid concern of Egypt violations
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Observers stationed in Sinai to verify the demilitarization of the peninsula abstain from publicly addressing Israeli concerns that Egypt may be violating treaty by moving weaponry into area without consent.
The fading Left and Israel’s flourishing democracy
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Israeli democracy is thriving and fares better on most scores that in the past.
Egypt’s transformation
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Neither the US nor the Saudis seem willing or able to confront Egypt’s Islamists.
Israel and the Jewish Left
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Jewish support for the enemies of Israel represents the triumph of leftism over Jewishness.
600 ‘Rabbis for Obama’ give backing to US president
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Initiative launched to garner Jewish support for Obama; more than double amount who signed on for similar 2008 initiative.
Where’s the public uproar about Israel’s state of education?
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Too many of our youth are submitting to the lure of instant gratification that television and the Internet provide, and too many of our teachers are ineffective and burned out.
IAEA to seek access to Iran nuke sites in new talks
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – UN watchdog to meet Iranian officials over concerns about military dimensions to Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
The Region: What happened in Egypt?
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Within a year, Egypt will be fundamentally transformed. Irretrievably transformed.
Arabic website changing perceptions about Jews and Judaism
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – On my mind: Gabbai is passionate about maintaining the culture and traditions of Jews from Arab countries.
Saving the freedom agenda
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – While some advocates of the “freedom agenda” have hailed the Arab Spring as confirming Bush’s vision, in Egypt, Islamist parties won the parliament and presidency.
‘Lenny Kravitz cancels Israel performance’
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – The “half Jewish, half black” musician cancels Tel Aviv show due to prior commitments to shoot movie, Channel 2 reports.
Adelsons donate to PAC supporting Boteach
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Casino mogul and rabbi running for congressional seat in New Jersey are personal friends, Wall Street Journal reports.
State closes Olmert improper appointments case
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – “Olmert overload” leads state to drop case against former PM; Holyland cases against him is still pending.
PM still most popular Israeli politician on Facebook
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Netanyahu has over 300,000 “likes;” Liberman is in second place, and Yisrael Beytenu is the most-popular party on the social network.
Syria: Military intervention will spark regional war
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Deputy Syrian Prime Minister Qadri Jamil says the West is looking for an excuse to meddle in his country’s affairs.
PM on J’lem ‘lynch’: We will not tolerate racism
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Netanyahu claims strong Israeli condemnation of racist attack against Arab youth sets country apart from its neighbors.
Norway faces hard decisions as Breivik verdict nears
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – As Oslo court set to pass judgement on confessed anti-Muslim mass murderer, isolated nation tries to come to terms with new reality.
Worker layoffs reach three-year high in July
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Not since July 2009, when 16,512 people lost their jobs, has the employment service recorded so many dismissals in one month.
Peres tells Arab town he is ashamed of Jerusalem ‘lynch’
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – President visits Majd ek Karum in Galilee, tells residents perpetrators of brutal J’lem attack must be brought to justice; Education Minister Sa’ar says issues of violence, racism must be addressed in school system.
‘J’lem lynching must be dealt with as school starts’
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Education minister Sa’ar tells conference that high number of teens that participated in brutal attack of Arab youth is worrying.
Suspect: Police must find real hit-and-run driver
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Court extends by 9 days the remand of Shushan Baraby, suspected of killing 3 women of same family in hit-and-run.
#USelections2012: A nasty campaign
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – This Week: More mud-slinging in an ever-mean campaign; another Joe Biden Gaffe.
J’lem: 6 nabbed for peddling strange ‘energy drink’
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Police seize 15,000 bottles drink made from two illegal extracts of the khat leaf.
Police arrest permit forger for migrant workers
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Lahav 433 fraud unit raids 29-year-old Tel Aviv suspect’s home, find dozens of illicit residence and work permits.
Peres to receive honor at mixed Arab-Jewish town
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – As part of his birthday celebrations, president will also meet with Arab leaders in Galilee, eat iftar meal in Majd el-Kurum.
NGO petitions court over ‘ban’ of prison visits to migrants
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – Hotline for Migrant Workers claims move by Prisons Service prevents legal meetings with jailed asylum seekers.
J’lem: Last tenants depart from Sergei’s Courtyard
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2012 – SPNI, the last tenant in the compound, will move to Hebron Road when property reverts to Russian ownership.
Gov’t launches drive for those owed child support
Jerusalem Post 20 Aug 2012 – Legal Aid launches drive to reach thousands of single parents left in lurch by by their recalcitrant spouses overseas.
IEC completes steam and gas power plant early
Jerusalem Post 20 Aug 2012 – “Addition of 125 new megawatts will help bridge gaps in dwindling reserves, says Israel Electric Corporation CEO Glickman.
Cause of rare disorder SOFT syndrome discovered
Jerusalem Post 20 Aug 2012 – After almost seven years of research, Tel Aviv, Afula team illuminates new understanding of skin and bone interaction.
Chief justice bolsters democracy
Jerusalem Post 20 Aug 2012 – Imposing higher fees on “public petitioners” may keep them from going to court.
Israeli youths arrested for mob attack on East Jerusalem Arab – video
The Guardian 21 Aug 2012 – Jerusalem police lead four Israeli youths in to court on Monday, suspected of attacking an arab resident of East Jerusalem, in which at least three other youths were involved
Brazil Invited to Join U.N. Palestinian Refugee Agency
IPS The policy of pacification of Rio de Janeiro’s violent favelas, or shantytowns, could serve as a model in some respects in Palestinian refugee camps, says Filippo Grandi, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees, in this interview with IPS. Grandi invited Brazil to become…
US War on Yemen: Invisible Casualties
Uruknet
Neurosis, Ass Kissing, And Honor
Uruknet
The US debacle in Afghanistan
Uruknet
Jerusalemite faces decades in prison after visiting nearby village
Uruknet
The War in the Shadows
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Iraq: 711 Killed During Ramadan
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Uruknet
Pussy Riot: On freedom of expression, Putin has a partner in Israel
Uruknet
US drone strikes target rescuers in Pakistan – and the west stays silent
Uruknet
US keeps quiet as Iraqis smuggle dollars into Iran
Uruknet
In Ohio, Obama hits Romney over education costs
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 Obama sought again to paint rival Romney as out of touch with ordinary Americans, telling students in Ohio he was more committed than the Republican to making college affordable.
Syrian official warns US against intervention
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 A Syrian government official warned the United States Tuesday that military intervention in Syria could lead to regional turmoil as regime forces bombed a northern village and stormed a rebel-held Damascus suburb.
Afghan rockets damage US general’s plane
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 An insurgent rocket attack damaged the plane of the top U.S. military general as it sat parked at a coalition base in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Chinese company keeps Syria connected to Internet
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 A firm that tracks the pathways of the Internet says a Chinese company is keeping war-torn Syria connected to the Internet as other telecommunications companies withdraw.
UN atom watchdog makes new bid to unblock Iran probe
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 The U.N. nuclear watchdog will attempt in new talks with Iran on Friday to make progress towards answering questions about suspected atom bomb research in the Islamic state.
Body of Japanese journalist enters Turkey from Syria: report
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 The body of a Japanese journalist who was killed while covering the fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo was transferred Tuesday to Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkey probes possible Syrian involvement in car bomb
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 Turkey is investigating possible Syrian links to Monday’s deadly car bomb attack near its southeastern border, underscoring fears that the conflict in Syria is fuelling instability on its own territory.
Syria says preparing to finalise oil deal with Russia
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 Syria is preparing to complete a deal with ally Russia to secure much-needed oil products to keep its economy and military running, the head of a Syrian delegation to Russia said on Tuesday.
Iraq to get first US F-16s in Sept 2014: officials
Daily Star 21 Aug 2012 The first batch of F-16 fighter jets bought by Iraq are due to be delivered in two years, US officials said on Tuesday as the top American military officer was on a visit to Baghdad.
IAEA tries again to access suspect Iran nuke site
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – ….
3 men linked to Jordan’s Paralympic squad arrested
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – ….
Fighting in Lebanese city for second night, 7 killed
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – ….
Livni: Israel must not play role in US politics
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – In Newsweek op-ed, former opposition chairwoman takes a jab at PM Netanyahu for what appears to be intervening in US election campaign in Romney’s favor ….
Syrian opposition: Government trying to buy time
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – ….
Iran, UN agency to discuss suspect nuke work
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – ….
Odd silence at the airport
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Israelis going about their business as if threat of devastating war with Iran not looming ….
Dozens protest against Iran strike in Tel Aviv
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Demonstrators set up protest tent outside defense minister’s home in Tel Aviv ….
TA: Doctor, 10 medical staff contract tuberculosis
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Routine check at Sourasky Medical Center reveals indication of virus infection. Hospital says no fear of further infections ….
Norwegian summer, Israel and the Jews
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: FM Stoere tells Israel how to handle complex challenges Norway would never be able to deal with ….
Netanyahu condemns Jerusalem lynch
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Five days after brutal assault of Arab youth by Jewish teens, PM vows to reject all manifestations of racism and violence. ‘As Jews and Israelis we cannot accept this,’ he says ….
Tel Aviv: 3 arrested in mass brawl at water park
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Dozens took part in mass brawl for undisclosed reason creating general panic ….
Eilat parents: We don’t want Sudanese in our schools
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Parents in southern city threatening to hold strike if district court does not revise decision to integrate illegal migrants’ children in local school system ….
Young entrepreneurs experience Israel for first time
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Group of young entrepreneurs from around the globe visits Israel through Social Entrepreneur Exchange; meet with Israeli social innovators, organizations ….
Oslo deal was good for the Jews
YNet News, 21 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Instead of mentioning ‘historic disasters’ Peres was responsible for, Netanyahu’s aides should thank him ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas: We won’t allow any tampering with the Aqsa mosque
PIC – Hamas said in a press release on Tuesday on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the burning of the Aqsa mosque that it won’t allow any tampering with the holy mosque.
Abu Marzouk regrets media coverage of the Sinai attack
PIC – Deputy political bureau chairman of Hamas Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk has regretted the fact that some of the Egyptian writers were blaming Gaza for the attack on Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.
Foreign solidarity activists launch new campaign in support of Palestine
PIC – Around 100 western solidarity activists, mostly French nationals, attempt to launch a new solidarity campaign with the Palestinian people within the few coming days.
Jewish settlers start fire in a Palestinian house near Nablus
PIC – A group of Jewish settlers attacked a Palestinian house in Farta’a village to the west of Nablus and tried to burn it, local sources said.
Haneyya phones Bashir, Saudi crown prince
PIC – Palestinian premier in Gaza Ismail Haneyya has reached Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir over the telephone on Monday night, the premier’s office said.
Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu denounces beating of Arab teen
LA Times 22 Aug 2012 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the perpetrators of the racist attack on a Palestinian will be brought to justice. Seven Jewish teens are held. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday condemned the brutal beating of a Palestinian teenager by a gang…
Obama warns Syria against using chemical or biological weapons
LA Times 20 Aug 2012 – Obama says, ‘That’s a red line for us … there would be enormous consequences’ if Bashar Assad appeared to be preparing to use poison gas or biological weapons. WASHINGTON — Conceding that a peaceful resolution in Syria now appears remote, President Obama warned Monday for the…
Doctors Without Borders Reveals Its Work in Syria
New York Times 21 Aug 2012 – The organization said on Tuesday that over two months it has treated 300 patients, both civilians and Syrian opposition fighters, in a location that has been kept secret.
Fears Rise That Assad Is Trying to Stoke Sectarian War in Lebanon
New York Times 21 Aug 2012 – The arrest of a former Lebanese government minister and the kidnapping of nearly 50 Syrians have contributed to a sense that Lebanon’s tenuous stability is waning.
WORLD: The Lions of Tawhid
New York Times 21 Aug 2012 – The Times’s C.J. Chivers travels with an antigovernment fighting group in and near Aleppo, where the war for Syria’s future has hardened all involved.
As Fighting Rages, Syria and Russia Reject Obama Threat of Intervention
New York Times 21 Aug 2012 – Army shellings and shootings raged in at least three insurgency hot spots on Tuesday as Syria, backed by Russia, rejected warnings by President Obama about possible intervention.
Israel Asks Egypt to Remove Tanks From Sinai Peninsula
New York Times 21 Aug 2012 – Israel is “troubled” by the entry of Egyptian tanks into the northern Sinai Peninsula without coordination with Israel, a violation of a peace treaty.
Israel’s navy upgrades defense systems
Globes Aerospace & Defense – The Barak 8 and Protector are two of the systems that will help defend offshore gas fields.
Tishler C’tee: Cut IDF retirement age
Globes Aerospace & Defense – The recommendation is a complete contradiction of the Finance Ministry’s demand to raise the retirement age in the IDF.
GOP Israel Junket Features Nude, Drunken Swim in Sea of Galilee
Tikun Olam – Rep. Kevin Yoder: wanna join me for a dip? Any of you old enough to remember Wilbur Mills late night drunken dip in the Tidal Basin with Fanny Fox are gonna love this story. Last summer, Eric Cantor boasted that he would bring the largest Congressional…
Israel’s secret Iran meeting between security officials and Rabbi who wants to ‘annihilate’ Arabs
Mondoweiss – Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Senior Israeli officials including National Security Advisor Ya’akov Amidror and Interior Minister Eli Yishai held what the Algemeiner calls a “secret meeting” with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel , on Friday. Yosef, in his state-funded role as head of…
Mob ‘lynching’ of Palestinian minors marks rise of Jewish extremism
Mondoweiss – Teenage suspect in Friday’s mob attempted lynching in police custody, August 19, 2012. (Photo: Olivier Fittousi/ Haaretz ) On Friday four Palestinian teenagers were mobbed by 50 Israelis of similar age who were prowling the streets of Jerusalem shouting “Death to Arabs” and “Arabs, Arabs,” looking for…
Official rationale for NYPD spying falls apart with report that ‘no leads’ came from spying on Muslims
Mondoweiss – (Photo via ArabianBusiness.com) The New York Police Department’s (NYPD) rationale for its widespread surveillance of innocent Muslims in the Northeast has been that it helps protect the city against terrorism. “Our primary goal is to keep this city safe and save lives and that’s what we’re…
Help complete ‘Dancing Under Apartheid: A Poetic Memoir of Palestine’
Mondoweiss – After living in Ramallah for two years, I am in the process of writing a memoir of my time there, called Dancing Under Apartheid. In order to support the writing of the book and get it to publication, I have launched a Kickstarter campaign . I am…
Exile and the Prophetic: (Jewish) birth certificate in the new diaspora
Mondoweiss – This post is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page. Do Jews rise in exile? Among other exiles in the New Diaspora? Because that’s where we are, among others, as we have…
U.S. Seizes $150M in Hezbollah-Linked Funds
The Foward Breaking News 21 Aug 2012 – U.S. authorities announced the seizure of $150 million allegedly linked to a money-laundering scheme by the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egyptian Tanks in Sinai First Time Since ’73
The Foward Breaking News 21 Aug 2012 – Egypt reportedly is planning to introduce tanks in the Sinai for the first time since the 1973 war with Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Paris Hails Local Proposal of Establishing New Contact Group for Syrian
allAfrica.com 21 Aug 2012 – [Egypt Online]France considered that the idea proposed by Egypt to form a new contact group concerning Syria requires good coordination with the existing forums and organizations concerned with the Syrian file.
Liberia: We Employ Other Countries Nationalities With No Complain, but Why Liberia?
allAfrica.com 21 Aug 2012 – [Informer]”In Lebanon, we have over the years provided thousands of job opportunities for different countries nationalities who have worked there and have honestly earned their living with no complain of “human trafficking or sex slavery”, but I wonder why Liberians continue to brand us as promoting…
Kenya: Germany, Israel in Bid to Save Lake Turkana Fish
allAfrica.com 21 Aug 2012 – [The Star]THE government in conjunction with Israel and German have step up efforts to reduce over-fishing in Lake Victoria.
Kenya: Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Hosts Luncheon
allAfrica.com 21 Aug 2012 – [The Star]Kenya and Israel have a long history of working together in many fields including security, agriculture, and tourism since our country became independent 49 years ago.
Assad exit ‘up for discussion’
BBC 21 Aug 2012 – Syria’s deputy prime minister says all issues – include President Assad’s resignation – are up for discussion, but the West should not seek to intervene.
Deadly clashes in north Lebanon
BBC 21 Aug 2012 – At least three people are killed and 25 hurt in clashes in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between opponents and supporters of Syria’s president.
Iran announces upgraded missile
BBC 21 Aug 2012 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveils an upgraded version of the country’s Fateh-110, a short-range ballistic missile.
US seizes ‘Hezbollah crime funds’
BBC 20 Aug 2012 – The US authorities seize $150m (£95m) allegedly linked to money laundering by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, officials say.
The Age of the New Takfiris
Al-Akhbar Opinion 21 Aug 2012 – A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover as a Syrian Army tank shell hits a building across a street during clashes in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo 17 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Goran Tomasevic) A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover as…
US to sell Iraq fighter jets
Al-Akhbar News 21 Aug 2012 – The first batch of F-16 fighter jets bought by Iraq are due to be delivered in two years, US officials said on Tuesday as the top American military officer was on a visit to Baghdad. Washington agreed last year to sell 36 F-16 jets to Baghdad…
Iran to resume nuclear talks: UN
Al-Akhbar News 21 Aug 2012 – The United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday it would hold a new round of talks with Iran in Vienna on Friday about a long-stalled investigation into suspected nuclear weapons research in the Islamic state. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a brief statement confirming…
US eases Iran sanctions for quake aid
Al-Akhbar News 21 Aug 2012 – The Obama administration is temporarily easing sanctions on Iran to allow Americans to donate money to US-based charities providing direct assistance to victims of deadly twin earthquakes that hit the country earlier this month. The Treasury Department announced Tuesday that it would authorize aid groups to…
US drone kills three in Pakistan
Al-Akhbar News 21 Aug 2012 – A US drone strike on Tuesday killed at least three people in a restive Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials said. Two drones fired four missiles at a vehicle in Shnakhura village in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region where Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked fighters are…
The State of Sinai (I): Surviving on Its Own
Al-Akhbar News 21 Aug 2012 – A man holds a rocket that allegedly hit his house, after it was fired by an Egyptian army helicopter during a security operation on the outskirts of the small Sinai village of Sheikh Zuweid on 10 August 2012. (Photo: AFP – Mostafa Abulezz) A man holds…
Latakia: Waiting for the Next Battle
Al-Akhbar News 21 Aug 2012 – A Free Syrian Army fighter walks through a hole in a wall during clashes in Aleppo 17 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Goran Tomasevic) A Free Syrian Army fighter walks through a hole in a wall during clashes in Aleppo 17 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters -…
South Lebanon: Cooking up an Aubergine Storm
Al-Akhbar Series and Features 21 Aug 2012 – Kamila believes that Southern women’s insistence on grilling the aubergine on wood fires is with good reason. Kamila believes that Southern women’s insistence on grilling the aubergine on wood fires is with good reason. In the coming days, housewives in the South will begin to grill…
Lebanese Clans: What State?
Al-Akhbar Politics 21 Aug 2012 – After the ultimatum expired without a reaction from the government, the Mokdads – along with other clans and a significant segment of the Lebanese people – grew convinced that their government is not concerned for their safety. (Photo: Rameh Hamieh) After the ultimatum expired without a…
US War on Yemen: Invisible Casualties
Al-Akhbar Politics 20 Aug 2012 – A man who says he lost his leg during fighting between rebels and government forces, walks at a relief center for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sanaa 2 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Khaled Abdullah) A man who says he lost his leg during fighting between…
Articles
New book ‘Freedom Sailors’ provides riveting account of siege-breaking journey to Gaza
Rod Such, Electronic Intifada 8/21/2012
Freedom Sailors is a first-hand account of the first successful attempt to break the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip by sailing two boats into Gaza City, a port that had been closed to international ship traffic since Israel initiated the 1967 war.
With contributions from 24 persons who either took part in the sailing or helped organize it, the book takes us from the initial inception of the idea through the drama of organizing the voyage while keeping the details secret from Israel’s prying eyes to the final jubilant welcome by tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza on 23 August 2008.
Freedom Sailors offers an often-riveting narrative and gives important information about the inhumane consequences of Israel’s siege. But this book may ultimately be valued simply for documenting the fact that a group of ordinary people came up with an extraordinary idea that succeeded in calling world attention to the plight of Gaza’s 1.6 million people.
Knowing what we know now, it was also an extremely dangerous idea. Subsequent attempts to break the blockade by sea resulted in boats being rammed and taken into custody by the Israeli Navy, their passengers and crew imprisoned and then deported. And then came the killing on 31 May 2010 of nine Turkish citizens on board the Mavi Marmara, including the point-blank, execution-style slaying of Furkan Dogan, a 19-year-old Turkish-American student who apparently committed the grave crime of pointing a video camera at an Israeli commando.
Historic precedent of solidarity
Many of the 44 international activists who took part in the voyages of the boats Free Gaza and Liberty were self-described “idealists” but not necessarily naifs. Among them were veterans of the International Solidarity Movement who had been shot at or injured by Israeli occupation forces during protests in the occupied territories. more.. e-mail
Hope and Despair for Lebanon’s Palestinians
Franklin Lamb, Beirut, CounterPunch 8/21/2012
Hiba’s Call on Eid
Remarkably, this Ramadan holiday season in Lebanon designees from both the Shia Higher Islamic Shiites Council and the Sunni Dar el Fatwa, figuratively speaking, pointed their binoculars deep into the eastern sky and in almost unheard of unison, proclaimed that Eid al Fitr this year was to be August 19th. It was a good omen for many in Lebanon that Shia and Sunni religious leaders agreed of this important event given the internal and external forces at work to further divide the two main denominations of Islam as well as all of Lebanon by sect, confession, geography, region, tribe, clan and neighborhood.
It was also good news for Palestinians living in places like Finland which these days have approximately 20 hours per day of sunlight and many devout Muslims have very long fasts. Mercifully, a majority of Muslims far up North tend to adopt the mere sixteen hours of daylight for seyam (fasting) using Mecca hours for dawn to dusk days without, food, water, sex, or smoking as well as avoiding bad thoughts or acts of incivility as they test and renew their devotion to Islam while engaging in introspective struggle self-criticism.
During the three day Al Fitr holiday, much of Muslim Lebanon becomes less active and many businesses close including Lebanon’s largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market which borders Shatila Palestinian refugee camp. Just before closing time on Eid eve, this observer entered the vast produce market now run mainly by Shia who buy agriculture products from Bekaa Valley and southern farmers (minus one of Lebanon’s oldest and most important crops, Hashish or “ Lebanese Red Bud” as it’s known in Amsterdam smoke cafes and elsewhere). With little refrigeration, many of the wholesalers next to Shatila dumped, in time for Iftar and Eid feasts, large quantities of really fine produce at a designated corner of the ten acre market…. more.. e-mail
Israel and Iran’s Nuclear Program
Mohammed Ayoob, CounterPunch 8/21/2012
Curiouser and Curiouser
Leading Israeli figures including Prime Minister Netenyahu and Defense Minister Barak have once again begun to make loud noises about Iran’s nuclear program and the inevitability of an Israeli strike against Iran to destroy its capacity to enrich uranium. Whether the Israelis are serious this time or merely crying wolf as usual is anyone’s guess. However, it is clear that the politics surrounding Iran’s nuclear enrichment program – totally civilian according to Tehran, ambiguous according to the IAEA, and military according to Israel and the United States – is getting “curiouser and curiouser” to the extent that it has almost begun to resemble Alice’s experience in Wonderland. This is the case for a number of reasons.
First, the charge against the Iranian nuclear program is led by Israel, which is the sole nuclear weapons power in the Middle East. This defies any logic except the logic of Israeli exceptionalism. Israel’s current rhetoric would have made sense had Israel put its own nuclear weapons on the table, accepted the idea of a NWFZ in all of the Middle East including Israel and Iran, and offered to sign the NPT and then made the point that it had the right to attack Iran if the latter did not accept this offer. But, denying Iran’s right to go nuclear (assuming that that is what Tehran desires) while holding on to its own nuclear arsenal and delivery systems makes Israel appear self-righteous and devious at the same time. The argument that Israel needs nuclear weapons because enemies surround it makes little sense in light of the fact that Israel is the dominant military power in its neighborhood and perpetuating this dominance is an integral part of American policy toward the Middle East.
Second, the case gets even curiouser if one scrutinizes the argument that an Iran in possession of rudimentary nuclear weapons poses an existential threat to Israel which is in possession of several hundred nuclear weapons of varying sophistication and size plus multiple, some of them state of the art, delivery systems…. more.. e-mail
New book “Freedom Sailors” provides riveting account of siege-breaking journey to Gaza
Electronic Intifada: 21 Aug 2012 – Rod Such 21 August 2012 Freedom Sailors is a first-hand account of the first successful attempt to break the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip by sailing two boats into Gaza City in 2008.more
Palestinian Hunger Strikes: Why Still Invisible?
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Aug 2012 – By Richard Falk When it is realized that Mahatma Gandhi shook the British Empire with a series of hunger strikes, none lasting more than 21 days, it is shameful that Palestinian hunger strikers ever since last December continue to exhibit their extreme courage by refusing food for periods ranging between 40 and over 90 days, and yet these exploits are unreported by the media and generally ignored by relevant international institutions. The latest Palestinians who have aroused emergency concerns among Palestinians, because their hunger strikes have brought them to death’s door, are Hassan Safadi and Samer Al-Barq. Both had ended long earlier strikes because they were promised releases under an Egyptian brokered deal that was announced on May 14, 2012, and not consistently implemented by israel. Three respected human rights organizations that have a long and honorable record of investigating Israeli prison conditions have issued a statement in the last…more
The Missing Option to Defuse Iran Threat
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Aug 2012 – By Nicola Nasser – Bir Zeit, West Bank To keep ‘all options on the table’ in the U.S. – Israel plans to change the incumbent Syrian and Iranian regimes and neutralize what both countries perceive as an imminent ‘threat’ is a formula missing the only feasible option to defuse their perceived threat peacefully, which is obviously much cheaper in money and human souls. On August 19, Israeli former head of the Operations Directorate of the Israeli military, Maj. Gen. (res.) Uri Saguy, wrote in Haaretz that late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak “Rabin strove to achieve agreements with our neighbors before the Iranians got a bomb. If we had peace accords today with the Arab countries and with the Palestinians, what exactly would the Iranians’ conflict with us be about?” Giving priority to making peace with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian people on the land – for – peace basis, which…more
Hiba’s Call on Eid: Hope, Despair for Lebanon’s Palestinians
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Aug 2012 – By Franklin Lamb, Beirut Remarkably, this Ramadan holiday season in Lebanon designees from both the Shia Higher Islamic Shiites Council and the Sunni Dar el Fatwa, figuratively speaking, pointed their binoculars deep into the eastern sky and in almost unheard of unison, proclaimed that Eid al Fitr this year was to be August 19th. It was a good omen for many in Lebanon that Shia and Sunni religious leaders agreed of this important event given the internal and external forces at work to further divide the two main denominations of Islam as well as all of Lebanon by sect, confession, geography, region, tribe, clan and neighborhood. It was also good news for Palestinians living in places like Finland which these days have approximately 20 hours per day of sunlight and many devout Muslims have very long fasts. Mercifully, a majority of Muslims far up North tend to adopt the mere…more
The “Antiwar” Logic of Phyllis Bennis
Dissident Voice: 21 Aug 2012 – A gentle summer day finds two women sitting near the reflecting pool in the shadow of the Washington monument, bright sunshine striking off the rippling water. One is reading something on her iPad, and to make conversation, the other asks what she is reading. Eirene: You seem very intent on your read. Must be fascinating. May I ask what it is? Penthesilea (better known as “Penny”): Another very profound opinion piece by Phyllis Bennis, widely circulated on progressive outlets. Eirene: I know Bennis’s work. She is a leading figure at the Institute for Policy Studies not far from here, right in the heart of Washington. She writes about war and peace. Penthesilea: Yes, and she is a beacon for the progressive movement. Eirene: A beacon and perhaps a mirror as well. What does she say these days? Penny: In this piece she quite correctly opposes military intervention in Syria. Here,…more
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The New Dark Age 