23 August 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Zahhar Denies Connection To Facebook Page That Carries His Name
IMEMC – Member of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, Dr. Mahmoud Zahhar, denied any relation to a Facebook page that carries his name and places statements allegedly made by him. …
Army To Confiscate Lands Near Tulkarem
IMEMC – Israeli soldiers handed, Thursday, several residents of the Kufr Jamal village, south of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, military orders informing them that the army intends to confiscate large areas of their farmlands. …
Army Confiscates Palestinian Tractors In the Jordan Valley
IMEMC – On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers invaded Bardala village, in the northern plains area of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, confiscated three agricultural tractors that belong to Palestinian farmers, and imposed heavy fines on the owners. …
Settlers Write Racist Graffiti In Nablus village
IMEMC – A number of extremist Israeli settlers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the Awarta village, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and wrote racist graffiti on the walls of several homes. …
Settlers Plant Palestinian Land Illegally Annexed 3 Months Ago
IMEMC – A group of Israeli settlers planted, on Thursday morning, Palestinian land that they illegally took over three months ago, near Al-Khader town, in the Bethlehem district. …
Cairo And Tel Aviv Reach Understanding On Army Deployment in Sinai
IMEMC – An Egyptian security source told the Maan News Agency that the ongoing negotiations between Tel Aviv and Cairo led to an understanding regarding the deployment of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. …
7 Detainees Injured In Ramon Prison, Several Sent To Solitary Confinement
IMEMC – The detainees clashed with the soldiers for approximately two hours after the army tried to force them to undergo a strip search in Ramon prison. Seven detainees were injured, and several detainees were sent to solitary confinement. …
Soldiers Attack Family In Jerusalem, Elderly Woman Wounded
IMEMC – Palestinian medical sources in Jerusalem reported that an elderly Palestinian woman was wounded, on Wednesday evening, after Israeli soldiers attacked her and her family, in Atarot area north of Jerusalem, and kidnapped two family members. …
High Court Delays Deliberations Of Settlers Eviction From Hebron Home
IMEMC – The Israeli High Court delayed deliberations in a case filed by Israel’s Peace Now Movement on behalf of a Palestinian family demanding Israel to remove Israeli settlers squatting in a home they occupied in the heart of Hebron City, in the southern part of the West Bank. …
Settler’s Vehicle Rams Child In Hebron
IMEMC – An Israeli settler driving in Jaber Neighborhood, in the southern West Bank of Hebron, hit a Palestinian child then drove off in what appears to be a ramming attack, medical sources reported. …
Group: Palestinian hospitalized after Israel police beating
8/24/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man from East Jerusalem is in hospital after he was severely beaten by undercover Israeli police forces, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said Thursday. Mohammad Mahmoud Abdullah, 20, from al-Issawiya, is in Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital with fractures to his skull and ribs and an injured eye, the PPS….
Israeli forces detain man in raid near Tulkarem
8/24/2012 – TULKAREM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Thursday detained a Palestinian during a raid on a village in Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. Troops detained Issam Fani and raided the homes of five Islamic Jihad members in Saida. An Israeli military representative did not immediately return a call seeking comment….
Lawyer: Prisoner in critical condition
8/23/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Palestinian prisoner who suffers heart disease is fainting several times a day and is in a critical condition, a lawyer said Thursday. Fadi Ubeidat, a lawyer for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, visited Reyad al-Amour in Israel’s Ramle prison clinic and said he had facial and head injuries from….
Israel releases teenage administrative detainee
8/23/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israel on Thursday released an 18-year-old who had spent nine months in jail in administrative detention, officials said. Islam Saleh Bader, from Beit Laqia west of Ramallah, was the youngest Palestinian held in administrative detention, without charge or trial….
PA minister: Settler violence undermines peace process
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli violations against Palestinians are encouraging violence and harming the peace process, the Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs said Wednesday. Mahmoud Habbash’s remarks came as he visited the family of victims who were targeted by settlers in a Molotov attack a week earlier near Hebron in the southern….
Fatah MP urges end to contacts with Israel after Lieberman letter
8/24/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Fatah lawmaker on Thursday called on the Palestinian leadership to refuse to meet with Israeli officials until their ministers halt threats to President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman wrote to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton this week accusing Abbas of “acting to undermine attempts….
Clinton urges Egypt, Israel to talk on Sinai
8/24/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Egypt’s foreign minister to keep lines of communication open with Israel amid tensions over an Egyptian push against militants in the neighboring Sinai desert, the State Department said Thursday. Clinton spoke with Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr on Wednesday and stressed the importance of….
Official: Israel ‘serious’ about cutting West Bank power
8/23/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli and Palestinian officials will meet this week to discuss the Palestinian electric company’s debts and set a payment schedule to postpone blackouts in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian Energy Authority director Omar Kittaneh and the director of an Israeli company will attend the meeting, said Hisham al-Omari, the…. Related: Official: Israeli power company demanding payment before meeting
PA thanks South Africa for move to label settlement goods
8/23/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority applauded South Africa on Thursday after its cabinet voted to identify goods made in the occupied West Bank as separate from normal Israeli products. Abdul Hafiz Nofal, the PA‘s deputy economy minister, thanked South Africa‘s ambassador for the decision to label settlement goods as…. Related: Israel: South Africa labeling decision ‘discrimination’
Israel: South Africa labeling decision ‘discrimination’
8/23/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel on Wednesday denounced South Africa‘s cabinet decision to label goods from illegal Israeli settlements as produced in the occupied Palestinian territories. In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry said the decision “is without precedent, as no such measure has ever been adopted in South Africa or in any…. Related: PA thanks South Africa for move to label settlement goods
Analysis: A tunnel-free future for Gaza?
8/23/2012 – GAZA CITY (IRIN) — This month’s border attack in the Sinai Peninsula, which killed 16 Egyptian soldiers, has bolstered calls to shut down a network of underground tunnels between Egypt and the isolated Gaza Strip. The tunnels have been used for years to smuggle goods into Gaza and, Egypt alleges, fighters into the Sinai…. Related: Egypt to re-open Rafah crossing three days a week andEgypt resumes demolition of Gaza tunnels
Egypt resumes demolition of Gaza tunnels
8/23/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egyptian troops resumed the demolition of tunnels under their border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, witnesses and security officials said. An Egyptian security official told Ma’an the army was using explosives to destroy certain tunnels, after filling them with earth. In recent weeks Egypt has demolished…. Related: Egypt to re-open Rafah crossing three days a week
Official: Israeli power company demanding payment before meeting
8/23/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Israeli Electric Corporation is demanding partial payment for unpaid bills in the West Bank before agreeing to a meeting to discuss the debt, an official said Thursday. The Israeli Electric Corporation is owed 415 million shekels ($104 million) by the Jerusalem Electricity Company which supplies power to West Bank cities…. Related: Official: Israel ‘serious’ about cutting West Bank power
Gaza ‘not consulted’ over reforms to divorce law
8/23/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Religious authorities in the West Bank failed to consult their counterparts in the Gaza Strip over proposed changes to divorce laws, the head of Islamic courts in Gaza said Thursday. The chief Islamic judge in the West Bank Sheikh Yusef Ideis announced Thursday that the Islamic supreme court would meet….
4-year-old dies off north Gaza coast
8/23/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A four-year-old girl was found on Thursday to have drowned off the northern Gaza coast, medical officials said. Reem al-Qidreh died after several failed attempts to revive her, spokesman of Gaza health ministry Ashraf al-Qidreh said….
Man killed in Gaza after confessing to raping daughter
8/23/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Unidentified gunmen killed a 43-year-old man in Gaza days after his release from jail, local sources said Thursday. The man was jailed after confessing to raping his 16-year-old daughter. Police had launched an investigation after the man’s daughter gave birth to a daughter. He was in….
Egypt struggles to buy fuel as credit dries up
8/24/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) — Egypt is finding it increasingly difficult to import fuel as foreign banks and traders pull the plug on credit and charge high premiums due to concerns over its financial and political stability, trading and banking sources said. Sporadic international loans have so far helped, and the country requested up to $4. 8 billion…. Related: Egypt and the IMF: Major step but investors may want more
Egypt and the IMF: Major step but investors may want more
8/23/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) – International investors see Egypt’s request for a loan from the International Monetary Fund as a major step to attracting money back into the country, but may want more progress before they commit their own funds. Once a darling of frontier market investors, Egypt has lost appeal since the overthrow of President…. Related: Egypt struggles to buy fuel as credit dries up
Military hits town near Damascus, 60 killed in Syria
8/24/2012 – AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) — Troops and tanks swept into a restive town near Damascus on Thursday in an assault aimed at crushing opposition to President Bashar Assad, whose struggle for survival has dragged Syria into an increasingly bloody war. Artillery and helicopters attacked the Sunni Muslim town of Daraya for 24 hours, killing 15 people and….
Iran opposition leader hospitalized, aide says
8/24/2012 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Leading Iranian opposition figure Mirhossein Mousavi, under house arrest for more than a year, was taken to hospital on Thursday for treatment for a heart problem, one of his former senior advisors said. Mousavi and fellow reformist Mehdi Karoubi ran for election against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009 and became figureheads for….
French defense minister open to Syria buffer zones
8/24/2012 – PARIS (Reuters) — French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suggested Thursday that Western nations and allies could consider setting up a limited no-fly zone over part of Syria without a UN Security Council mandate. But Le Drian, speaking on France 24 television, said a no-fly zone could not occur without “an international coalition”, something that at….
Charges filed against rabbi in Germany over circumcision
8/23/2012 – BERLIN (Reuters) — An unnamed doctor in Germany has filed charges against a rabbi for performing ritual circumcisions on infant boys, a prosecutor said on Wednesday, two months after a court in Cologne angered Jews and Muslims by banning the practice. In a move likely to compound Jewish leaders’ fears that the Jewish way of….
Bahrain appeals court acquits protest leader of Twitter insult
8/23/2012 – DUBAI(Reuters) — A Bahrain appeals court acquitted leading rights activist Nabeel Rajab on Thursday of insulting some Bahrainis in a tweet criticising the veteran prime minister, his lawyer said, but he remains in jail over other convictions. Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based as a bulwark against Iran and any threats to oil….
Nigeria Islamists rule out peace talks, threaten media
8/23/2012 – MAIDUGURI (Reuters) — Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram ruled out Thursday holding peace talks with the government and threatened to strike media houses it said fight the group “with the pen”. The local press and at least two foreign news organizations have reported that talks are going on between the government and the militants who have….
Syrian forces kill journalist in Damascus raid
8/23/2012 – AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) — Syrian forces killed a Syrian journalist sympathetic to the revolt against President Bashar Assad during a raid in the southern Nahr Eisha district of Damascus on Wednesday, opposition activists said. Soldiers shot Mosaab al-Odaallah, who worked for the state-run Tishreen newspaper, at point blank range after they entered his home as they….
Jordanian trio out of Games after sex charges
8/23/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) — Three members of Jordan’s paralympic squad will not compete in the London Games after being charged with sex offenses in Northern Ireland, organizers said on Thursday. The trio were released on bail on Wednesday after their embassy, which said Jordan’s King Abdullah had taken a personal interest in the….
Coffee cups and fertilizer make Syrian rebel weapons
8/23/2012 – ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) — “Bomb, bomb, bomb!” shouted the rebel fighters in the midst of battle on the streets of Aleppo. Everyone crouched down and held their fingers in their ears. But the rusty foot-long metal container they rolled into a building hiding enemy Syrian army forces failed to explode.” The batteries were dead and it….
Egyptian lawyer files complaint against former military head
8/23/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — An Egyptian lawyer said on Thursday he had filed the first legal complaint against Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the former head of the military council, accusing him of killing protesters and wasting public money. Many activists and rights groups have blamed security and police officials for the killing of hundreds in protests after….
UN chief to visit Iran defying US and Israel
AlJazeera 23 Aug 2012 – Ban Ki-moon plans to attend summit in Tehran amid growing tension over Islamic republic’s nuclear programme.
Palestinian Cars Attacked by Arsonist Settlers
Palestine News Network
Hanan Ashrawi Slams Lieberman’s Letter to MidEast Quartet
Palestine News Network
Alternative Information Center
InCACBI Statement on India-Israel Free Trade Agreement
Alternative Information Center – Do not talk free trade with a state that deprives Palestinians of free trade in their own lands! Israel’s Ambassador to India, Alon Ushpiz, with Ken Udai Sagar, President of Indo-Israel Chamber of Commerce We, a…
Israeli apartheid profiteer Sodastream opens new store in UK
Alternative Information Center – Sodastream, a carbonated beverage manufacturer is based in the Mishor Adumim settlement industrial zone. Mishor Adumim is an industrial are attached to the residential settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, East of Jerusalem in the Israeli occupied West…
Damascus suburb hit by tanks and mortar fire
The National 23 Aug 2012 – Lightly armed Free Syria Army rebels unable to hold Daraya against Assad’s troops after the town is bombarded for 24 hours by heavy artillery. Phil Sands reports from southern Damascus.
Iran university course ban ‘bid to curb female freedoms’
The National 23 Aug 2012 – Human rights lawyer and Nobel winner says authorities in Tehran want to push women back into the house and abandon progress.
Turkey and US start talks over possible Syria action
The National 23 Aug 2012 – Turkey has expressed concern about the influx of Syrian refugees over the border, while the US is concerned that Syria’s chemical weapons could be used against anti-government forces or fall into the hands of Islamist extremists.
State prepares for forced evacuation of West Bank outpost residents
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Gantz delays Weiner’s appointment as IDF chief education officer
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
IDF considers new category of soldier for cyber warriors, drone operators
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Israeli public, Likud members both want Channel 10 to stay open, polls find
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Archivist tracks down the ‘lost babies’ of Cyprus’ Jewish refugee camps
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Parents charge dance teacher told teens to watch their weight
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Israeli green groups furious at Health Ministry for backtracking on Haifa’ air pollution
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Court orders release of each school’s standardized test results
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
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Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Palestinian man repeatedly tasered by Israeli police in front of his children
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Peres urges German president: Let Jews practice circumcision
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Knesset Speaker apologizes to hospitalized victim of Jerusalem ‘lynch’
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
South African Jews outraged at plan to label West Bank products as from ‘Israeli Occupied Territories’
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Tel Aviv’s Ayalon highway closes for repairs to damaged power line
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
West Bank outpost residents: Migron deal endangers settlement enterprise
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Iran to Security Council: Israeli threats to strike nuclear plants violate UN charter
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Integration of migrants’ children into schools harms Israeli students, state says
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Health Ministry nixes moves to declare Haifa a smog haven
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Sharp rise recorded in number of Bedouin students matriculating
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Shin Bet officer quits after admitting sexual harassment of female soldier
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Education Ministry suspends dismissal of civics supervisor
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Arab schools short of teachers, classrooms, committee finds
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Students at prestigious but crumbling J’lem school to boycott first day of class
Ha’aretz – 23 Aug 2012
Channel 10 board of directors freezes firing of 150 workers
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2012
Israeli authorities backtrack on move to declare Haifa’s air seriously polluted
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2012
Israeli prosecutors likely to demand jail time for Ehud Olmert
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2012
U.S.: Israeli probe into Rachel Corrie’s death wasn’t ‘credible’
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2012
Report: Academic gap widening between 12th graders from rich, poor Israeli communities
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2012
Barak says Lieberman’s letter calling for Abbas’ ouster harms Israeli interests
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2012
Education Ministry to open school situation room
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – 1,564,742 students to enroll for the 2012-2013 year; each region to have situation room to immediately answer questions on new school year.
Self-described ‘Franglo’ running for Likud list
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Emmanuel Navon aims to represent French and English speaking immigrants in the Knesset.
Kotel rabbi slams Abbas for comments on J’lem
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – After PA president says J’lem will “forever will be Arabic, Islamic and Christian,” rabbi says comments distance chances for peace.
Police arrest 5th man in deadly Netanya hit-and-run
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Suspect believed to have been sitting next to Baraby when the three women were killed in accident.
Mob makes store-owner offer he CAN refuse
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Five mafia soldiers walk straight into the hands of police detectives while trying to strong-arm a beachfront business owner.
Soccer season dawns with scintillating storylines
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – A look at the 14 soccer teams that will be battling it out for glory over the next nine months.
Clinton urges Egypt, Israel to talk on Sinai
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – US secretary of state told Egyptian FM Mohamed Kamel Amr to stress importance of transparency on military moves in Sinai.
In Chile, Jews faces new dangers and old fears
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – President of Chile’s Jewish community tells ‘Post’ neo-Nazi violence, Palestinian anti-Israelism, Islamism on the rise.
Egypt president passes law against media detention
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – In first use of recently-grabbed legislative powers, Mohamed Morsy bars detention for media-related crimes.
3rd Opinion: Doctor, did you wash your hands?
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – I have long been seeking the key to this enigma, because with this key may come the solution. What am I missing?
Adelsons, Super PACs are fair counter to incumbency
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Sheldon and Miriam Adelson are heroes of the Jewish people and international benefactors of medical research.
Singling out Israel and the S. African constitution
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – The constitution of post-apartheid South Africa is the supreme law of the state.
Vision Zero
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Netanya hit-and-run is a bitter reminder of our continued failure to follow through on the lessons of past accomplishments in protecting all road users.
Yechimovich to Hollande: Tighten Iran sanctions
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – In Paris for maiden foreign trip, Labor leader tells French president to tighten sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Sources: Iran expands nuclear capacity underground
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Diplomatic sources in Vienna say Iran added more uranium enrichment machines at underground bunker in Fordow; new satellite imagery shows Iran covered suspected building at Parchin; Ashkenazi: No need to strike now.
Savir’s Corner: Obama’s 2nd term and the Middle East
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Obama’s campaign slogan for 2012 is “Forward.” and it seems that forward he may move.
Gantz freezes promotion of investigated officer
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – IDF chief of staff freezes promotion of Col. Erez Viner, suspected of forging document in Harpaz affair.
Peres to German president: End circumcision row
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – German Ethics Council conditionally supports the ritual, following an anti-circumcision ruling in Cologne.
German state bans neo-Nazi groups, raids buildings
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Nearly 1,000 officers raid clubhouses, apartments of known neo-Nazis after ban placed on 3 violent far-right groups.
Lenny Kravitz promises to visit Israel in 2013
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Rocker says he is ‘personally disappointed’ he had to cancel concert due to extended film-shooting schedule.
Top German politician calls for EU to ban Hezbollah
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Exclusive: “Hezbollah threatens the security of our ally Israel,” says foreign policy spokesman for Merkel’s party.
Commercial: Cleese mentions the war… again
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Decades after Fawlty Towers debuts, British actor stars in Israeli commercial, authorizes Israeli military strike.
Group campaigns against ‘anti-Zionist’ Rabbinate
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Tzohar rabbinical association slams rabbinate for alienating Israeli public in new public relations campaign.
FM lodges protest with S. African envoy over labels
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – PA welcomes decision to mandate labels on products originating beyond Green Line, pushes EU to ban settlement products.
‘State using Infiltrators Law in place of evidence’
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Group says state putting arrested illegal immigrants in “administrative detentions” when they lack evidence.
Shalev: Liberman conflict with PM may be for show
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Former UN ambassador says government officials have “talking heads syndrome,” predisposing them to contradicting each other.
‘Hezbollah drill prepares to ‘occupy the Galilee”
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – After Nasrallah threatens to kill tens of thousands of Israelis, Hezbollah trains for war inside Israel.
Off the Beaten Track: Room fit for a crusader king
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – The Efendi Hotel in Acre has been named one of the 50 best hotels in the world.
Rivlin to Arab J’lem ‘lynching’ victim: We’re sorry
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Knesset speaker visits Jamal Julani in hospital, describes racism as a fire that can burn us all.
‘Assad forces pound Damascus suburbs, 15 dead’
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Tanks storm Daraya following day-long bombardment to drive rebels out; at least 150 wounded in the fighting.
Chosen Bites: Brussels sprouts get mini makeover
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Reinvent the forever-dreaded Brussels sprout with this simple salad recipe.
Court: No to separate Eilat school for migrants
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Justice Salim Joubran reminds the state that it has an obligation to better integrate, educate migrants.
Ban Ki-Moon and Mary Robinson’s Iranian debacle
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Ex-UN Commissioner of Human Rights has had a record of failures which continue to wreak damage.
The day the music died: Mali Muslims ban radio songs
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Al-Qaida-linked Islamists occupying northern Mali say only Koranic verses may be broadcast.
Analysis: Brotherhood taking total control of Egypt
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2012 – With rise of Morsy, a new dictatorship may be replacing the old while world persists in looking for signs of pragmatism.
Tourist saved in first Israeli aorta surgery
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2012 – 50-year-old Russian tourist flown from the central hospital in Moscow with the urgent problem and sent to Soroka hospital.
Israeli research may help severely paralyzed speak
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2012 – Almost completely paralyzed people such as theoretical physicist Hawking might one day benefit from Israeli and US research.
US urges Egypt to retake control of Sinai
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2012 – State Department spokeswoman Nuland encourages efforts to enhance security in Egypt, in line with Israeli wishes.
‘Lynching’ victim’s mother: I pity the attackers
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2012 – “Who could be proud of a child who does this?” asks Nariman Julani, who has been by her son Jamal’s side since J’lem attack.
Court releases rape suspects – to detention camp
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2012 – After courts deny remand extensions for two Eritrean rape suspects, police hand them over to immigration authorities.
Israel condemns South Africa for re-labelling of West Bank products
The Guardian 23 Aug 2012 – South African ambassador summoned over move to label items as coming from occupied Palestinian territories not settlements A diplomatic row has been growing as Israel summoned the South African ambassador to explain his country’s decision to…
With Egyptian Loan Request, Some Fear Loss of Revolution’s Gains
IPS After 18 months of talks, on Wednesday Egypt’s government formally requested a 4.8-billion-dollar loan from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF), hoping to stabilise an economy that has continued to badly stutter in the aftermath of the popular uprising that led to the downfall of former President Hosni Mubarak. The…
Palestinians Live on the Edge in New Libya
IPS Just before the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime one year ago, Huda and her Palestinian family were forcefully evicted from their Tripoli home. “This was last August and there was a lot of violence. There was no government. My husband had suffered a heart attack and we were scared,” says…
Q&A: U.S. Should Encourage NATO-Led Assistance to Syrian Opposition
IPS Intervention in Syria was “only a matter of time”, wrote Emile Nakhleh in February in the Financial Times. Seven months later, the fighting and divisions within Syria continue to worsen. Now, a diplomatic solution is no longer possible, Nakhleh, a retired CIA analyst, believes. At the CIA, Nakhleh was a…
Rebuffing Israel, U.N. Chief Heads to Iran for Summit Meeting
IPS Brushing aside a warning by the Israeli government and rebuffing a campaign by pro-Israeli lobbying groups in the United States, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to visit Iran next week to participate in the summit meeting of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), described as the world’s largest single political coalition….
Q&A: 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…
Seam Zones Turn 50,000 Palestinians into “Internally Stuck Persons”
Uruknet
US Troop Deaths Top 2,000 in Afghanistan
Uruknet
Scared and Silent: Censoring the Truth Under Obama
Uruknet
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi To Visit U.S. Next Month
Uruknet
Poster calls on Arab men to keep out of Jerusalem, away from Jewish girls
Uruknet
Photos: ‘Ramadan kareem’ at Jerusalem checkpoints?
Uruknet
Do US Prisons Violate European Human Rights Law? –An interview with Hamja Ahsan and Aviva Stahl
Uruknet
Nine dead in Lebanon street battles over Syria
Uruknet
Lieberman to Quartet: Abbas Must Go Before Peace With Palestinians
Uruknet
Civilian Deaths from US Drone Attacks Much Higher than Reported (video)
Uruknet
Egypt and the IMF: Major step but investors may want more
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 International investors see Egypt’s request for a loan from the International Monetary Fund as a major step to attracting money back into the country.
Syria casts net wide in search of oil deals
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 The Syrian government is negotiating deals with firms in London, Singapore and the Middle East to sell crude oil in return for the fuel it needs to survive in the face of an increasingly bloody insurgency.
French defence minister open to Syria buffer zones
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suggested that Western nations and allies could consider setting up a limited no-fly zone over part of Syria without a U.N. Security Council mandate.
Nuke agency forms special Iran team
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 The U.N. nuclear agency is forming a special Iran team, drawing together sleuths in weapons technology, intelligence analysis, radiation and other fields of expertise.
Al-Qaida claims deadly summer attacks in west Iraq
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 Al-Qaida’s front group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for dozens of deadly attacks in the Sunni-dominated western Anbar province this summer.
Syrian dissident: Assad will fall only with Alawite help
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 A former member of the Syrian National Council, who says she was driven out of the leading opposition group after expressing fear about Islamist domination.
Bahrain appeals court acquits protest leader of Twitter insult
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 A Bahrain appeals court on Thursday overturned the conviction of a rights activist over a tweet involving the prime minister, his lawyer said, but he remained in jail for other offences.
Romney adviser leads lawsuit vs. immigration plan
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 Ten employees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are suing the Obama administration to block a new program to let many young illegal immigrants avoid deportation and get a work permit.
Syria vows to work with new UN envoy as fighting rages
Daily Star 23 Aug 2012 Syria said Thursday that it is ready to work with new UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and hopes he can pave the way for “national dialogue,” even as fighting raged in both the capital and second city…
Paris backs Syria no-fly zone as fighting grows
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – ….
Jerusalem lynch not surprising
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Brutal assault on Palestinian teenager direct result of Israeli government’s discriminatory policy ….
Israeli diver disappears in Russia’s Blue Lake
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Dimitri Sapozhnikov, a diving instructor from Netanya, never came out of south Russia lake. Wife: He always checks his equipment; I’m sure he’s alive ….
Iran opposition leader Mousavi hospitalised, aide says
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – ….
Russia: We have Syrian guarantees on chemical arms
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – ….
US wants Egypt to push Iran to fulfill obligations
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – ….
Navy man who wrote bin Laden raid book identified
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – ….
Caught on tape: Caretaker abuses Holocaust survivor
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Family of 80-year-old man documents live-in Nepalese caretaker beating him on surveillance camera ….
Protesters: We want education, not war with Iran
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Dozens demonstrate in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv against possible Israeli strike on Iran nuke sites. ‘Bibi, Barak diverting attention from ailing economy,’ they say ….
Jerusalem lynch victim ‘not afraid’
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Arab teen who was brutally attacked by Jewish teens released from hospital, says ‘not afraid to return to Zion Square’ ….
An asymmetric conflict
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Price Iran willing to pay for destroying Israel proves objective is detached from any conventional strategic guideline ….
New bill could broaden parental criminal liability
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Attempted lynch in J’lem leads Knesset to examine possibility of increasing parents’ criminal liability for minors’ criminal behavior ….
Gantz rejects Erez Weiner’s promotion
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Chief of Staff decides to nix Colonel Weiner’s promotion for Chief Education Officer position following continuance of Harpaz Affair probe ….
Rivlin visits J’lem lynch victim in hospital
YNet News, 23 Aug 2012 – Knesset speaker apologizes, says incident cannot be treated as isolated event. ‘This is a micro cosmos of a national problem that could endanger Israeli democracy’ ….
Palestinian Information Center
IOF arrests four Palestinians
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested at dawn Thursday four Palestinians from the West Bank and took them to an unknown destination.
Jewish settlers start farming confiscated Palestinian land
PIC – Jewish settlers started to farm Palestinian land they seized by force near Al-Khader village, Bethlehem province, local sources said.
Israeli jailers assault Palestinian prisoners in Ramon prison
PIC – Israeli special units assaulted Palestinian prisoners in Ramon jail, ward six, on Wednesday after they refused to be strip searched.
Israel protests South Africa measure
PIC – Israel denounced South African decision to stick special labels on products coming from Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
IOF troops kidnap child from his home
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped a Palestinian child from his home in the Old City of Al-Khalil on Wednesday, local sources said.
Settlers break into Solomon’s pools in Bethlehem
PIC – Dozens of Jewish settlers broke into Solomon’s pools near Bethlehem on Wednesday under Israeli soldiers’ protection in order to perform Talmudic rites.
Ashton slams Israel’s settlement expansion in east Jerusalem
PIC – European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed her deep concern about the escalating settlement activities in occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli poll reveals sharp rise in racism against Arabs and Africans
PIC – An Israeli opinion poll unveiled a sharp rise in the prevalence of racism and extremism among Jews towards the Arab natives and African immigrants.
New Israeli demolition orders against six homes in Al-Khalil
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday handed six Palestinians demolition orders issued against their homes in the towns of Beit Ummar and Shiyukh Al-Aroub, north of Al-Khalil city.
Israeli Police Severely Batters Youth in East Jerusalem
WAFA – 23 Aug 2012
South Africa’s Arabs Welcome Decision to Label Settlement Goods
WAFA – 23 Aug 2012
012, says Bureau of Statistics
WAFA – 23 Aug 2012
Settlers Plant Illegally Seized Palestinian-Owned Land
WAFA – 23 Aug 2012
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 22 Aug 2012
Syria forces continue to attack rebels in Damascus, Aleppo
LA Times 23 Aug 2012 – Clashes in Damascus spread to suburbs. Amnesty International reports that civilians in Aleppo face ‘a horrific level of violence.’ BEIRUT — Syrian forces on Thursday renewed attacks against rebel strongholds in the nation’s two largest cities, highlighting the determination of President Bashar Assad’s government to…
Iran said to have expanded uranium enrichment capability
LA Times 23 Aug 2012 – The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency is expected to report that Iran has boosted its uranium enrichment capacity at its Fordow facility, officials and others say. WASHINGTON — The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency is expected to report next week that Iran has significantly expanded its…
U.S. has plans in place to secure Syria chemical arms
LA Times 22 Aug 2012 – The contingency plans call for sending U.S. special forces into Syria to protect or destroy any unguarded stockpiles to keep them from militants, officials say. WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has made contingency plans to send small teams of special operations troops into Syria if the…
Heavy shelling reported in Syria’s capital
LA Times 22 Aug 2012 – Opposition activists say President Bashar Assad’s forces have renewed their push in Damascus. Lebanon says spillover violence in Tripoli has abated. BEIRUT — Syrian opposition activists reported heavy shelling Wednesday in Damascus, the capital, as authorities in neighboring Lebanon said a cease-fire had taken hold…
Signs That Iran Is Speeding Up Nuclear Work
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – International nuclear inspectors will soon report that Iran has installed hundreds of new centrifuges in recent months and may also be speeding up production of nuclear fuel.
Syrian War Plays Out Along a Street in Lebanon
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – The war in Syria is increasingly being woven into Lebanon, as two neighborhoods in Tripoli, divided along sectarian lines, engage in an escalating battle.
Britain and France Join U.S. in Warning Syria of Military Steps
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – Worries about the use of chemical weapons have reinforced a concern that the time for diplomacy may be gone.
Morsi Move Ends Detention of a Critic
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – President Mohamed Morsi outlawed pretrial detention of one of his critics in an early test of his ability to break with the past.
The Lede Blog: Japanese Journalist’s Final Report From Syria Is Released After Her Death
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – Two days after the Japanese journalist Mika Yamamoto was shot and killed in the Syrian city of Aleppo, her news agency released some of the footage she recorded in her final hours.
Bahrain Overturns Activist’s Twitter Case
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – A judge overturned a conviction against a prominent human rights activist for “inciting” antigovernment protest on social media, but the activist remained jailed while appealing another prison sentence.
Egypt President Passes Law Against Media Detention
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – In his first use of legislative powers he wrested back from the military this month, President Mohamed Morsi issued a law barring detention for crimes related to the press, an official said.
As Egypt Declares Independent Course, Israel Whines
Tikun Olam – Egyptian tanks enter Sinai against Israel’s wishes (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany) Israel’s expressions of concern for Egypt’s deployment of tanks in the Sinai are both ironic and hypocritical. The 1979 peace treaty restricts the force-level Egypt can maintain there. This, is turn, has helped turn the…
Former Intelligence Officer: Shin Bet Makes Fool of Itself and Israeli Democracy
Tikun Olam – The issue of Jewish terror and how the Israeli state fights or doesn’t fight it is extremely complicated. If you view it from a liberal Zionist perspective, as people like Shimon Peres and most American Jewish leaders do, you only understand part of the problem and…
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is latest target in anti-Obama campaign
Mondoweiss – “Radical Rabbi” Lynn Gottlieb (right), standing next to someone whom conservatives will likely soon claim is the young Barack Hussein Obama. Veteran peace activist and interfaith dialogue advocate Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is the latest target in a campaign to attack Barack Obama in the run-up to…
Dutch newspaper report a reminder of American Jewish links with Geert Wilders
Mondoweiss – Geert Wilders, the Dutch anti-Muslim politician. Photo: Cynthia Boll/AP A Dutch newspaper report highlighted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on discord between American Jewish organizations and the virulent anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders has cast a renewed spotlight on organized Jewish support for Wilders. The Dutch publication De…
Jerusalem lynchmob story has changed Israeli discourse, but US media firewall holds
Mondoweiss – The Jerusalem lynching story is not getting anything like the attention that murderous mob violence directed against Arabs in a society that calls itself our democratic ally in the Middle East ought to receive in the U.S. A terrifying story like this ought to be awakening…
Obama obeisance: ‘expanded role’ in NATO for a religiously-defined state in Middle East
Mondoweiss – While Israel — cheered on by its American boosters led by AIPAC and Mitt Romney — beats the drums for a war against Iran, President Obama in late July signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act — hardly a signal that Obama wants to defuse…
Israeli minister lashes out at South Africa as ‘apartheid state’ merely for seeking labeling of goods from occupied territories
Mondoweiss – Screen shot from The Truth About the West Bank Israeli Foreign Ministry 2011 South African Government News Agency : “Cabinet approved that a notice, in terms of the Consumer Protection Act, 2008, be issued by the Minister of Trade and Industry requiring the labelling of goods or…
Australian Jews Angry Over Iran Delegation
The Foward Breaking News 23 Aug 2012 – Jewish community leaders in Australia are angry that the government is sending delegates to a summit in Iran, though they have been instructed to walk out at the first sign of “anti-Semitic rhetoric.” Click here for the rest of the article…
Ban Ki-Moon Will Attend Summit in Iran
The Foward Breaking News 23 Aug 2012 – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will attend a meeting of the Non Aligned Movement countries next week in Tehran. Click here for the rest of the article…
Illegal Settlers Squabble Over Evacuation Plans
The Foward Breaking News 23 Aug 2012 – Residents of the West Bank outpost of Givat Assaf have sent a letter to neighboring residents of the outpost of Migron blaming them of harming the settlement enterprise, saying that their actions will bring about the evacuation of additional West Bank outposts. Click here for the…
Palestinian Soccer Tourney Named for Terrorists
The Foward Breaking News 23 Aug 2012 – Fatah held a youth soccer tournament named after three Palestinian terrorists. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Presidency – Israel Didn’t Ask for Withdrawal of Tanks From Sinai
allAfrica.com 23 Aug 2012 – [Egypt Online]Presidential spokesman Dr. Yasser Ali has denied reports that the presidency or the ministry of foreign affairs had received any messages from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for the withdrawal of the Egyptian tanks and heavy equipment, used in chasing terrorist hotbeds in Sinai.
Kenya: Canada May Probe Saitoti’s Accident
allAfrica.com 23 Aug 2012 – [The Star]The Israel and Canadian governments have volunteered to assist the commission investigating helicopter crash that killed Internal Security minister George Saitoti, his deputy Orwa Ojodeh and four police officers two months ago. Sources at the Ministry of Foreign affairs yesterday said the two governments had…
South Africa: Cabinet Approves Notice On Labelling
allAfrica.com 23 Aug 2012 – [SAnews.gov.za]Pretoria -Cabinet has approved the decision for a notice to be issued by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies requiring the labelling of goods coming from Israeli occupied territories.
Liberia: Israeli Pays Courtesy Call On President Sirleaf
allAfrica.com 23 Aug 2012 – [New Dawn]President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has welcomed the initiative of bringing Israeli investors to Liberia to explore potential cooperation in several areas.
Eid Al-Fitr
Palestine Solidarity Project 23 Aug 2012 – Once again the Palestinians celebrated this year’s Eid Al-Fitr with an unwelcome guest. Ramadan was not only a challenge to the Palestinians this year because of the thirty days of fasting, but because of the economic choke hold placed on them by the Israeli occupation. The…
Profile: Ahmed Abu Hashem
Palestine Solidarity Project 23 Aug 2012 – Ahmed Abu Hashem is an institution of political activism in Beit Ommar. For quarter of a century he has been a thorn in the side of the occupation and, in the dying days of the second intifada, was one of the early members of the embryonic…
Profiles of Child Arrests in Beit Ommar
Palestine Solidarity Project 23 Aug 2012 – In 2011, 370 children from the village of Beit Ommar were arrested and imprisoned by Israeli forces. According to figures from the Palestinian ministry, this made up approximately half of all child arrests in the West bank for that period. These children, all under the age…
Jewish Aleppo, Lost Forever
Joseph Dana 23 Aug 2012 – (Anaglyphs Tablet Magazine; original photos Library of Congress) What, then, is the best way to remember Jewish life under Muslim rule in the Middle East? It’s a question that has floated through the halls of Jewish academia for at least 30 years, alternately provoking idealized versions…
Jerusalem’s hidden landmark, The American Colony Hotel
Joseph Dana 23 Aug 2012 – The Israeli government recently authorised hundreds of tenders for the construction of new hotels in Jerusalem and Israeli settlements ringing the city. Aside from creating a tricky tourist situation since the bulk of new hotel construction will be on territory deemed occupied by the international community,…
Renewed clashes in Lebanese city
BBC 23 Aug 2012 – Fresh clashes erupt in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between two communities at odds over Syria, breaching a fragile truce agreed on Wednesday.
Heavy clashes in key Syria cities
BBC 23 Aug 2012 – Heavy fighting continues in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo, reports say, with a rights group saying that civilians have been subjected to “horrific violence”.
Libya seizes Gaddafi group tanks
BBC 23 Aug 2012 – More than 100 tanks are seized from a militia group loyal to former leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan officials say.
‘Trial date set’ for Gaddafi son
BBC 23 Aug 2012 – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, will go on trial in Libya in September, a prosecution spokesman says.
Israel Accuses South Africa of Apartheid
US Campaign to End the Occupation 23 Aug 2012 – South Africa has decided that it will label products made in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank as coming from “Israeli Occupied Territories” to ensure that consumers are provided with accurate information on the origins of the goods they buy. Such products, including Ahava Cosmetics…
“Elite Competition, Religiosity, and Anti-Americanism in the Islamic World”: A Response
Al-Akhbar Blogs 23 Aug 2012 – The article (titled above) by Lisa Blaydes and Drew Linzer, which was just published in the American Political Science Review (ASPR, Vol. 106, No. 2, May 2012) – a major political science journal – has already been promoted by Foreign Policy website. I read the abstract…
Tripoli: A Battleground in the Regional Struggle
Al-Akhbar Opinion 23 Aug 2012 – An army tank is seen in Tripoli as army personnel where deployed to end the fighting between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, on 23 August 2012. (Photo: Adel Karoum) An army tank is seen in Tripoli as army personnel where deployed to end the fighting between…
Egypt’s Mursi bans pre-trial detentions for journalists
Al-Akhbar News 23 Aug 2012 – Egyptian journalist Islam Afifi is pictured in court during his trial in Cairo on August 23, 2012. An Egyptian court remanded the editor of the small independent Al-Dustour newspaper in custody as he went on trial on charges of spreading false news and inciting disorder in…
Jordan press group condemns tightened media law
Al-Akhbar News 23 Aug 2012 – The Jordanian press union council has released a statement condemning Wednesday’s amendment of the country’s press law, which stepped up regulations on electronic news . Among the most notable additions to the press law is that all news websites must be licensed and that only government-approved journalists…
Egypt: The Fuloul Attempt a Revolution
Al-Akhbar News 23 Aug 2012 – A child (C) belonging to supporters of Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi looks at members of riot police guarding the presidential palace, during a protest to support Mursi, in Cairo 12 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Asmaa Waguih) A child (C) belonging to supporters of Egypt’s President…
Lebanese Film Festival: Wading into Controversy
Al-Akhbar News 23 Aug 2012 – From the movie ‘I Told President Mubarak’ by Khaled Ramadan. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) From the movie ‘I Told President Mubarak’ by Khaled Ramadan. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Amid a shrinking cultural space, what do Lebanese filmmakers have other than their passion? What remains, amid a diminishing collective awareness and…
The State of Sinai (III): Refuge for Hardliners and Outlaws
Al-Akhbar News 23 Aug 2012 – Egyptian security forces stand by their Armoured Personell Carriers ahead of a military operation in the northern Sinai peninsula on 8 August 2012. (Photo: AFP – Stringer) Egyptian security forces stand by their Armoured Personell Carriers ahead of a military operation in the northern Sinai peninsula…
Syria government to work with new UN envoy
Al-Akhbar News 23 Aug 2012 – Syria said Thursday that it is ready to work with new UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and hopes he can pave the way for “national dialogue,” even as fighting raged in both the capital and second city Aleppo. Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad said Damascus would…
Tripoli, Lebanon: Who’s Pulling the Strings?
Al-Akhbar Politics 23 Aug 2012 – During recent clashes between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. (Photo: Adel Karoum) During recent clashes between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. (Photo: Adel Karoum) The outbreak of fierce fighting in Tripoli raises many questions as to what forces are keen to prolong the tension, and what…
The State of Sinai (II): Backyard for Business Bandits
Al-Akhbar Politics 22 Aug 2012 – An Egyptian child empties a bag of maize after his house was raided by Egyptian security members in the small Sinai village of Sheikh Zuwied on 10 August 2012. (Photo: AFP – Mostafa Abulezz) An Egyptian child empties a bag of maize after his house was…
Visits to Jerusalem: Solidarity or Normalization?
Al-Akhbar Politics 22 Aug 2012 – A Palestinian stands outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan 17 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Amir Cohen) A Palestinian stands outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, on the last Friday of the holy month…
FRIDAY COMEDY
Irish4Palestine 24 Aug 2012 – I think this falls under the heading of “you couldn’t make this stuff up” Introducing ‘Judoku’: Sudoku for Jews Instead of simply lining up the numbers one through nine in that familiar 81-cell matrix, puzzle-doers can choose to arrange Hebrew letters or Jewish symbols instead. Charon…
Israel, Dinosaurs, and Amy Winehouse
Irish4Palestine 24 Aug 2012 – So there I was listening to the report of the horrendous manifesto written by the Christian Terrorist, Pro Israel, islamophobic, Anders Behring Breivik, and then suddenly scrolling across the bottom of my screen I read that Amy Winehouse was found dead in her flat. Wow, just…
Another Misconception About Israel is Exposed
Irish4Palestine 24 Aug 2012 – Poor wee israel, so very misunderstood by the world, and I agree. Countless arguments many have said “It’s the israeli Government, not the population” well, there’s another myth exposed, because except for a very small quantity of decent Jewish people the majority are absolute lawless nutters…
We are Back!!!
Irish4Palestine 24 Aug 2012 – Yo heads up peeps we are coming back soon and we are covering the flotilla, so follow us here and on twitter……………………. see ya soon!!!! FREEDOM FLOTILLA 2POSTED BY IRISH4PALESTINE http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com/ [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and…
ISRAELI MILITARY CRACKING DOWN ON CRIME
Irish4Palestine 24 Aug 2012 – It’s an approved crime to murder a 10 year old Palestinian child in cold blood….. Abir Aramin, murdered by Israeli forces four years ago as she was heading home from school…. one of over 100 Palestinian children killed by Israelis in 2007. Click HERE to see…
APPEAL TO SUPPORT LIVE REPORTING FROM PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMPS
Irish4Palestine 24 Aug 2012 – We want to inform our readers of an exciting development. One of the best Pro-Palestinian websites on the net, e.g. PoliticalTheatrics is planning to travel to Lebanon in order to take up the task of “on the ground” reporting. PoliticalTheatrics will not only be assessing and…
Articles
Audacity without borders: Lieberman calls for PA elections to replace ‘despot Abbas’
Michael Warschawski, Alternative Information Center 8/22/2012
On 21 August, Foreign Minister Ivet (Avigdor) Lieberman sent a letter to the European foreign ministers in which he explained/ordered them how to conduct their policy concerning the conflict in Palestine. That letter should be included in the world anthology of audacity. The sole function of this letter is to try and throw the dead corpse of the fake peace-process into the Palestinian court, and to justify the continuation of Israel’s colonial occupation.
It is not a secret that Lieberman is one of the most right-wing of Israeli politicians, a settler from Nokdim, head of the racist Israel Beitenu party and a strong opponent of any compromise with the Palestinians. To his merit, one must admit that he has never hidden his extremist positions; on the contrary, he made full rejectionism his political trademark. Until yesterday. Lieberman’s letter calls on the European Union to find a “constructive solution” able to renew negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Are we at a historical turning point and witnessing a born-again Lieberman, converted to the idea of bona fide Israeli-Palestinian negotiations? Did the leopard change his spots? Of course, and unfortunately, not.
Lieberman’s letter is aimed to delegitimize the most – many would say much too much – moderate Palestinian leader by blaming him for the failure of the “peace process.” Coming from Lieberman, this deserves a gold medal in political cynicism. After three and a half pages in which he highlights the efforts of the Israeli government to move the peace process (sic) forward , the foreign minister attacks: “In recent years, we have seen that Mr. Abbas speaks with a moderate and pleasant voice [quite different from that of Ivet, MW] to the international community, but in fact he has been personally acting to undermine attempts to renew the peace process […] In my view, in his deeds and behavior, Mr Abbas does not represent the general Palestinian interest […] The Palestinian Authority is a despotic government riddled with corruption.” more.. e-mail
Harsh economic and social conditions contribute to violence against Palestinian women
Jillian Kestler-D’Amours, Bethlehem, Electronic Intifada 8/20/2012
RAMALLAH (IPS) – After the brutal murder of a Palestinian woman in late July in a busy Bethlehem marketplace, local human rights groups are pushing for stronger reforms to stem violence against women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“We have problems with the existing laws,” Maysoun Ramadan, director of the Mehwar Centre, the West Bank’s only women’s shelter told IPS. “I think also we need to work more on raising awareness towards women’s rights. We have a problem with the mentality, the culture, we have a lot of previous constructions about women which need to be changed.”
Nancy Zaboun, a 27-year-old mother of three, was violently killed by her husband on 30 July in Bethlehem. The murder took place after Zaboun left a divorce hearing. Her husband had reportedly beaten her regularly over the course of their ten-year marriage.
On 18 July, the body of another woman was taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Palestinian police have reportedly arrested two of the woman’s relatives in connection with the killing, which is suspected to have been carried out to preserve “family honor.”
Empowering women
In 2010, the Ramallah-based Independent Commission for Human Rights documented the cases of nine women who had been killed for this same reason — to preserve “family honor” — in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In addition to these “honor killings,” a 2009 study published by the Gaza-based Palestinian Women’s Information and Media Centre found that 67 percent of Palestinian women reported being subjected to verbal violence on a regular basis, 71 percent to psychological violence, 52.4 percent to physical violence and 14.5 percent to sexual violence. more.. e-mail
Apologize to Vanunu
Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 8/22/2012
It looks like the left’s protest against a war with Iran is another reflection of “The Unhappy Consciousness” – we know it will be bad and there are no political answers to the predicament, since we don’t know what to respond to anyone who asks, “So what do you suggest?”
Although Benjamin Netanyahu’s most prominent opponents come from the defense establishment, Netanyahu is correct to distinguish between all the states that have nuclear weapons in the world and Iran. None of the other states are threatening to wipe another nation off the face of the earth. Iran’s leadership is not declaring its intentions to produce a bomb and perhaps it is far from being capable of doing so. On the other hand, it is declaring its desire to wipe out all traces of the State of Israel.
Such discourse is no different than what we heard coming out of Arab capitals in the 1960s; but Ahmad Shukeiri, the first chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, did not have a cannon. The Revolutionary Guards, on the other hand, have missiles that can destroy Tel Aviv.
The Israeli left chooses to join the opposition’s discourse, rather than make its own voice heard, loud and clear. This is not an unusual occurrence. For years, in arguments against the settlements, it has warned of the “demographic danger.” Along came the neo-fascist right and used that warning to make its argument against Israel’s Arab citizens. There are other examples, as well. They always stem from the left’s need to be close to the “people of action,” even when those people do not have particularly good solutions to the situation. — See also: Source: Haaretz more.. e-mail
The future of Palestine’s grassroots struggle: Nilin activist Saeed Amireh interviewed
Electronic Intifada: 23 Aug 2012 – Maureen Clare Murphy Chicago 23 August 2012 Saeed Amireh tells The Electronic Intifada about Nilin village’s decade of struggle against Israel’s wall and where the movement must go next.more
‘Eid in Gaza
In Gaza: 23 Aug 2012 – Sunday, the first day of ‘Eid following a month of Ramadan fasting, the older sons of the house go out visiting their married sisters, and the wives of the house stay at home, offering mahmoul (date-stuffed round or crescent shaped cookies), chocolates, and bitter Arabic coffee (a lighter brown and more bitter coffee than the everyday strong qahua [cardamom-infused Arabic coffee] served in cafes) to their siblings and other guests. Children are coerced into their best—ideally new—clothes, their hair groomed perfectly. Within an hour, the younger children regain their usual play-mussed appearances as they play in the streets (where else to play?). If lucky, they collect a sparse amount of shekels from their older relatives and siblings for ‘Eid, to spend on toys or clothes or treats. I visit with the women in our house, stopping by each family’s apartment to wish them a happy ‘Eid, passing along the familiar…more
Oil. Religion. Occupation: A Combustible Mix
Palestine Chronicle: 23 Aug 2012 – By Victor Kattan – Al Shabaka A Freedom of Information request with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Al-Shabaka has led to the release of new documents on Gaza’s gas fields, and surprising new information about the possibility of oil fields in the West Bank. The released documents support Al-Shabaka’s previous policy brief The Gas Fields off Gaza: A Gift or a Curse?, which argued that the principal stumbling block to the development of the gas fields in Gaza is Israel’s refusal to pay market price for the gas. The new documents reveal that, in addition, Israel may be exploiting an oil field located near Ramallah within the occupied Palestinian territories. The documents also address rumors that there may be two other oil fields near Qalqilya and another near Hebron. Al-Shabaka Program Director Victor Kattan dissects the correspondence and its implications. What the Documents Say about Oil Under…more
Walking to School – A Poem
Palestine Chronicle: 23 Aug 2012 – (On the massacre of South African miners.) By Raphael D’abdon Walking to school in marikana i have seen black children staring at their fathers’ lifeless bodies on their way to school. stale blood clots under their perfectly polished shoes. at school all the teachers were in their place. cosatu did not call no general strike. what for? the english teacher was crying. the math teacher was drunk, as usual. the history teacher spoke about the new constitution. the geography teacher spoke about the richness of south africa’s soil. in the nymex the platinum futures shot up to unprecedented levels, still most kids at lunch break had no food in their scaff tin. with empty stomachs they all sang nkosi sikelel’, then went back home. their fathers’ corpses were still there. just a little colder. (19 august 2012) – Raphael D’abdon is an Italian poet and scholar of post-colonial studies, living…more
By Way of Deception: Dragging US into Israeli Proxy War
Palestine Chronicle: 23 Aug 2012 – By Jamal Kanj Western and Israeli media are lush with purported leaks on joint efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Ehud Barak trying to enlist reluctant military brass on a plan to attack Iran. All this is hogwash. Israel has no intention to move solo. The leaked information published in the US media is a distraction from an Israeli plot to drag Washington into a new Middle Eastern quagmire. Former Israeli colonel and ex-secret service agent Victor Ostrovsky details in his book By Way of Deception how the Mossad uses sayanim (Jewish helpers in host country) to seed false stories in the US media to influence official and public opinion. Last week, Richard Silverstein, an anti-war blogger based in Seattle, published a supposed secret internal briefing depicting Israeli military plans to strike Iran. He alleges the insider confided that he wouldn’t “normally leak this sort…more
The Children Are Still Dying: Violence is Not News
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2012 – By Ramzy Baroud Somewhere in my home I have a set of photo albums I rarely go near. I fear the flood of cruel memories that might be evoked from looking at the countless photos I took during a trip to Iraq. Many of the pictures are of children who developed rare forms of cancer as a result of exposure to Depleted Uranium (DU), which was used in the US-led war against Iraq over two decades ago. I remember visiting a hospital that was attached to Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. The odor that filled its corridors was not the stench of medicine, but rather the aroma of death. At a time of oppressive siege, the hospital lacked even basic anesthetic equipment and drugs. Children sat and stared at their visitors. Some wailed in inconceivable pain. Parents teetered between hope and the futility of hope, and at prayer times they duly…more
S. Africa’s Contributions to ME Peace Should Not Be Belittled
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2012 – By Shafiq Morton – Cape Town An op-ed (Cape Argus, 17 August) by Ben Levitas, chairman of the Cape Council of the South African Zionist Federation, alleges that South Africa‘s foreign policy is now unfairly, if not irrationally, singling out Israel as an international pariah state. However, his argument for “balance” on the question of Israel, especially with regards to sanctions, is a partisan cry. It betrays his sense of political equilibrium as being an uncritical support for the Zionist state. His first point, which marries inference to political hyperbole, claims that “SA has allowed local politics (read the Muslim community) and the anti-Israel agenda of Deputy Minister of International Relations Ebrahim Ebrahim (a member of the community) to determine foreign policy…” Mr. Levitas ignores the fact that the idea of economic sanctions against Israel was adopted at the ANC policy conference at Gallagher Estate earlier this year, and not…more
From OIC to NAM: Iran’s Peace Offensive
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2012 – By Eric Walberg The discrepancy between Western media on the Middle East and the reality is astounding. Egypt’s Mubarak is a good guy and reliable ally until, presto, he is a bad guy, corrupt, a tyrant, yesterday’s goods. This extreme myopia in the interests of empire is the case across the board. So it should come as no surprise, that ‘Axis of Evil’ Iran, supposedly just itching to build atomic bombs and terrorize one and all, has good relations — getting better all the time — not only its neighbours Afghanistan (reconstruction aid plus a new rail link from Herat to the Persian Gulf) and Pakistan (the gas Peace Pipeline), but its not-so-friendly rivals Saudi Arabia and now Egypt. This month there are two conferences — OIC and NAM — where Iran’s increasingly prominence internationally is on display. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting last week in Mecca saw…more
Gaza: Musings on Double Standards
Dissident Voice: 23 Aug 2012 – Do not hold the delusion that your advancement is accomplished by crushing others. — Marcus Tullius Cicero,106-43 B.C. The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. — Dante, c1265-1321 One of the haunting images of Jewish heroism, lauded in history books and Holocaust commemorations, is the courage of those, especially the young, in the Warsaw Ghetto, when in 1940, Jewish Warsaw residents were ordered by the German invaders into a small section of the city. The courage of those who dug tunnels, smuggled goods necessary for survival in, and communications in and out, has rightly become a legendary act of resistance and courage, defiance in the shadow of despotism and repression. The people of Gaza (roughly seventy five percent of whom are under twenty five) have had even the water in their natural springs stolen by a population to…more
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The New Dark Age 
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