24 August 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Police Repeatedly Taser Palestinian Vacationing With His Family
IMEMC – Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported Friday that a Palestinian man from Jerusalem was shocked by an Israeli Policeman with an electric gun five times; the incident took place at a park in Tel Aviv last Tuesday. The man was vacationing with his family and was attacked in front of his five children. …
Video: Israeli police taser handcuffed Palestinian
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian complained to Israel’s justice ministry on Thursday after a police officer tasered him five times in an incident which was filmed and uploaded online, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The video shows an Israeli officer repeatedly shooting Talal Siad, 42, with an electric stun gun even after….
Witnesses: Man wounded in army raid on Hebron home
8/24/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man was wounded when Israeli forces raided his home in the southern West Bank city of Hebron overnight Thursday, witnesses told Ma’an. Hosni Matrabeh, 48, lost consciousness when a soldier threw a sound bomb which exploded near his head, his relative Jamal Asaifan Matrabeh told Ma’….
Army: 4 detained in West Bank protests
8/24/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained at least four people on Friday as hundreds of activists protested in villages across the West Bank. Israeli soldiers detained four people in Nabi Saleh, where activists protest every week against a nearby settlement’s encroachment toward lands and a spring owned by the village. Activists said….
Gaza cabinet reshuffle underway
8/24/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has finished consultations over a cabinet reshuffle, the government said in a statement on Friday. The new government line-up will be presented to parliamentarians in the Gaza Strip for a vote soon, the release added. Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Hamas-run government Muhammad Awad….
Egypt detains 4 masked men at Rafah crossing
8/24/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian forces seized four masked men attempting to sneak through the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip on motorcycles early Friday, a security official told Ma’an. Four others escaped, and those captured were found to be unarmed, the Egyptian official said. Their nationality was not immediately clear. The….
Erekat requests clarification over Lieberman ‘incitement’
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — PLO official Saeb Erekat said Thursday that he had written to the US and Israel asking for clarification of a missive by the Israeli foreign minister slamming the president and calling for a new Palestinian leadership. Erekat told Lebanese satellite channel Mayadeen that he intends to send more letters to international….
Israel accuses Iran of accelerating work towards atomic weapons
8/24/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Friday of making “accelerated progress towards achieving nuclear weapons”, adding that it was “totally ignoring” Western demands to rein in its atomic program. Netanyahu made the remarks to a visiting US congressman the day after diplomatic sources told Reuters that Iran had installed more uranium….
PA calls for border crossing to open around the clock
8/24/2012 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority on Friday called on Israel to allow the Allenby Bridge border crossing to open 24 hours a day. PA Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Sheikh told Ma’an that his ministry was optimistic about reaching an agreement to allow the border terminal to operate around the clock….
Official: Qatar to open office to oversee Gaza reconstruction
8/24/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Qatar will open an office in Gaza to oversee its reconstruction projects in the enclave, an official in Gaza said Friday. Minister of Public Works and Housing Yousif al-Mansi said a Qatari delegation had agreed to start the first phase of a $224 million project during a visit to Gaza….
Haniyeh invited to Tehran summit
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh has been invited to attend a meeting of leaders of non-aligned developing nations in Iran next week, his office said Friday. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited Haniyeh to attend the summit of 120 non-aligned nations in Tehran, The Hamas prime minister’s office said in a…. Related: Iran hails Non-Aligned summit as diplomatic coup against West
PA warns of dengue fever mosquitoes in West Bank
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Health Minister Hani Abdeen warned Friday that mosquitoes which may carry dengue fever are present in the West Bank. The minister said quick treatment was necessary to prevent the disease affecting internal organs. It is ordinarily accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and a rash. He called for a….
4-year-old dies after hit by car near Hebron
8/24/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A four-year-old girl died on Friday morning after she was hit by a car near Hebron, police said. Shahid Jalal Sweiti was rushed to intensive care after the vehicle crashed into her in Beit Awwa, west of Hebron, but he later died of her injuries, police said in a statement. Police….
Report: Palestinian found drowned in Lake Tiberias
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A 38-year-old Palestinian man was found dead by Israeli police in Lake Tiberias in northern Israel on Friday, according to press reports. Israeli rescue teams retrieved the body of the man, from East Jerusalem, after he had drowned while fishing, Hebrew-language daily Yediot Ahronoth reported….
Iran hails Non-Aligned summit as diplomatic coup against West
8/24/2012 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran hopes to earn diplomatic kudos over the coming week as it hosts a summit of 120 developing nations, but any jubilation could turn sour over starkly different views on the bloody conflict in Syria. The Islamic Republic’s three-year tenure of the Non-Aligned Movement, which starts on Sunday, is a chance…. Related: Haniyeh invited to Tehran summit
Amateur jihad tests Syrian rebel resources
8/24/2012 – ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) — Talal Mohammad is a long way from Tennessee, and he’s out of his depth. In an olive grove a few miles from the frontlines of Aleppo, he’s at a loss to explain to a battle-hardened bunch of Syrian rebels what exactly this prosperous, US-trained Saudi dentist is doing….
Dozens of Egyptians protest against Islamist president
8/24/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Dozens of Egyptians protested against President Muhammad Mursi in Cairo on Friday, seeking to challenge the Islamist president and his Muslim Brotherhood group on the street less than two months into his rule with a first test of his popularity. Activists behind Friday’s call to protest accuse Mursi of seeking to….
Foreign journalist unaccounted for in Syria
8/24/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Media organizations say they are deeply concerned about the well-being of a foreign journalist in Syria who has not been heard from for over a week. The Washington Post and the McClatchy news service say US freelance journalist Austin Tice, 31, who has reported on the uprising in Syria since May….
Egypt president passes law against media detention
8/24/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egypt’s president, in his first use of legislative powers he wrested back from the army this month, issued a law on Thursday to bar the detention pending trial of defendants involved in offenses related to the media, an official said. The announcement by President Muhammad Mursi came hours after a court….
Women die as violence impedes antenatal care in Yemen
8/24/2012 – ABYAN, Yemen (IRIN) — In June, after spending 11 months in a makeshift camp for people displaced by violence, 19-year-old Dawlah Muslih, then seven months pregnant, returned to her home in an area of Yemen where safety was supposed to have improved. It was a move her family would come to regret. Two months ago….
Sectarian clashes kill 3 more in Lebanon’s Tripoli
8/24/2012 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — At least three people including an Sunni Islamist commander were killed Friday in a fifth day of sporadic sectarian fighting in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli triggered by the conflict in neighboring Syria. A Lebanese security source said the situation in Tripoli, where clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites have killed….
Humanitarian aid and political mediation key to post-Assad Syria
8/24/2012 – The Syrian crisis has come to a turning point, which could spell change as much for the Syrian people, who have suffered intolerable pain and violence, as for the region. Indeed, after vain attempts to internally “divide and conquer” the opposition and raise the specter of Islamic fundamentalism (while the majority of Syrians are moderate….
Norway jails ‘sane’ Breivik for maximum 21 years
8/24/2012 – OSLO (Reuters) — Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was jailed for a maximum term on Friday when judges declared him sane enough to answer for the murder of 77 people last year, drawing a smirk of triumph from the self-styled warrior against Islam. An unrepentant Breivik, 33, gave the Oslo court a stiff-armed, clench-fisted salute….
Source: Vodafone nears Mid-East roaming deal with Zain
8/24/2012 – LONDON (Reuters) — Vodafone is close to signing an agreement with Kuwait-based telecoms operator Zain to gain access to its Middle East networks, a person familiar with the situation said Friday. The deal would cover several countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain, allowing Vodafone to offer its customers from other countries lower….
Would a 2nd term mean ‘Obama Unleashed’ on world stage?
8/24/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Imagine it’s Nov. 7, President Barack Obama has won a second term and he now looks abroad, ready to pursue his foreign policy vision essentially free of electoral constraints. Would the specter of “Obama Unleashed” that Republicans have conjured up during the presidential campaign become the new reality on the world….
New Syria mediator tells UN chief he is ‘scared’
8/24/2012 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday that he was “honored, flattered, humbled and scared” at the prospect of leading international efforts to broker peace in Syria‘s worsening 17-month conflict. Brahimi met with Ban for the first time since agreeing last week to replace Kofi….
Israeli Guards Injure Eight Palestinian Prisoners in Violent Clashes
Palestine News Network
Morsi Passes Law Against Detention For Media Crimes in First Legislative Act
Palestine News Network
South Africa Decides to Label Settlement Products Amidst Israeli Anger
Palestine News Network
Firms see obstacles in hiring from Arab Spring nations
The National 24 Aug 2012 – Hiring managers run into trouble when certain nationalities apply to work in the UAE. The Government, however, says there is no discrimination.
Deadly flare-up in Lebanon stokes Syria spillover fears
The National 24 Aug 2012 – A sniper killed Sunni cleric Sheikh Khaled al-Baradei, 28, at dawn, sparking the flare-up between fighters from the pro-Syrian Alawite district of Jabal Mohsen and neighbouring anti-Damascus Sunni districts.
Arafat’s widow grants permission for Swiss lab to test poisoning theory
The National 24 Aug 2012 – The Palestinian Authority also approved the probe, which was requested by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas after a media investigation found elevated levels of polonium on some of Arafat’s belongings.
Netanyahu: Iran is accelerating progress toward nuclear weapons
Ha’aretz – 24 Aug 2012
Report: Israeli, Egyptian defense ministers discuss Sinai operation
Ha’aretz – 24 Aug 2012
Sectarian clashes kill 3 more in Lebanon’s Tripoli
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Conflict in neighboring Syria continues to spill into Lebanon as 16 Sunni Muslims and Alawites killed this week.
Scuffles as Egyptians challenge Islamist president
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Opponents, supporters of Egypt’s president clash in Tahrir Square in demonstration billed as a test of Morsy’s popularity.
IAEA-Iran nuclear negotiations break down
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – UN nuclear watchdog chief Nackaerts says discussions intensive but failed to yield an agreement, adds sides have no plans for another meeting; Iran’s Soltanieh: Progress made, we are moving forward.
‘Syrian army takes control of Damascus suburb’
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Opposition activists say Assad’s troops, tanks, enter Daraya after 3 days of heavy ground and helicopter bombardment.
Swiss laboratory to investigate Arafat death
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Scientists to analyze remains of Palestinian leader for traces of polonium, assured findings won’t be used for political ends.
‘Syria army shells Damascus suburb, kills 21’
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Deaths over three days reach 70 in Daraya, opposition says; UN body says over 200,000 Syrian refugees have already fled.
Court finds Norwegian mass killer Breivik sane
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Anti-Muslim mass murderer sentenced to maximum sentence of 21 years in jail with likely extensions.
The month of love
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Welcome to Elul, the month of preparation, self-awareness, forgiveness and love between ourselves and God.
Egyptians unaffected by US threats to cut aid
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Some Egyptians believe only narrow clique of military officers benefit from aid, not the average Egyptian.
Groups to Obama: Denounce ‘radical’ rabbi support
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Two conservatives groups call on US president to reject those “Rabbis for Obama” associated with Jewish Voice for Peace.
That’s Lifestyle: ‘Blossoming’ Jewish stars
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Lifestyle Editor wraps up week’s stories: A Jewish star is born; top 5 Tel Aviv hotspots; think twice before a visit to the Dead Sea.
PostScript: Morsy’s Egypt and us
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – This is the time to use circumstance to bind the peace agreement, not excuses for undermining it.
‘Egypt affirms commitment to Israel peace treaty’
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Egyptian defense minister telephones Barak, discuss coordination on Sinai military operations, reports ‘Al-Hayat.’
Migron neighbors tell outpost to resist expulsion
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Givat Assaf residents call on Migron outpost to resist High Court mandate to evacuate homes, say move will set bad precedent.
Navy SEAL faces probe over book on Bin laden raid
Jerusalem Post 24 Aug 2012 – Former US Navy commando failed to clear book “No Easy Day” with Defense Department before publication.
Three generations of champion blood-donors
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – The summer is especially difficult for MDA blood services, because people on vacation are abroad or too busy to go to MDA stations.
In Chile, Jews face 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.
Column One: Israel faces a cynical world
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – This week a German doctor filed a criminal complaint against Rabbi David Goldberg for performing a ritual circumcision.
Diplomacy: Same diagnosis, different cures
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Liberman’s letter calling for PA elections, PM’s response reveal huge differences at the top.
Arab World: The house the Muslim Brothers built
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – The Muslim Brotherhood is set to embark on a push toward political power across the region.
Guest Columnist: Israel debates a strike on Iran
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Israelis agree that Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped, and their debate regarding a strike’s cost-effectiveness, urgency, and impact on relations with the United States is coming to a head.
Think Again: Zev Wolfson, a larger-than-life figure
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – The full account of his giving is unknown because Wolfson did not want the world to know he was a giver.
Eisenbud’s Odyssey: Israelis and war
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – If any people in history are entitled to outspoken saber-rattling and chest-thumping when they are repeatedly threatened and war appears imminent, it is Israelis. However, they do no such thing.
Consider This: The gathering storm
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – General Martin Dempsey has made it clear that America’s timetable and Israel’s differ. We are facing utter annihilation; America is not.
NAM – A dangerous irrelevance
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – An organization that should have been thrown in the dustbin of history along with the Cold War.
Education begins at home
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Schools in Israel need to get their acts together and crack down on violent behavior in a manner that educates – and not only punishes – delinquents.
Out of the ordinary
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Two pieces by famed Japanese choreographer Fujima Kanjuro will be presented in Kabuki Dance in Tel Aviv.
A conversation with Elliott Abrams
Jerusalem Post 23 Aug 2012 – Ex-Bush adviser on George W. Bush, Obama‘s wrongdoing on Iran, and a potential Israeli strike.
Israeli inquiry into Rachel Corrie death insufficient, US ambassador tells family
The Guardian 24 Aug 2012 – US government does not believe military inquiry was ‘thorough, credible and transparent’, as family await verdict in civil suit The US ambassador to Israel has told the family of an American pro-Palestinian activist who was killed…
Syrian Crisis Brings a Blessing for Kurds
IPS The smuggler wants 200 dollars but Jewan negotiates him down to 100. That’s still a lot for this 26-year-old Syrian Kurd, but he can hardly wait to cross the border to Syria from Iraq. It’s been three years since he last saw his family. Those were difficult days in Syria….
In Israel, Opposition to Attacking Iran Gains Upper Hand
IPS The ambitions of a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran, as harboured by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, have been defeated by internal opposition, a growing number of observers have come to believe in the wake of dramatic opposing statements by prominent Israeli leaders, including President…
Police to Use Drones for Spying on Citizens
Uruknet
Mother and daughter killed while waving white flags– Israel finds no crime
Uruknet
The case of Brandon Raub: Can the government detain you over Facebook posts?
Uruknet
The future of Palestine’s grassroots struggle: Nilin activist Saeed Amireh interviewed
Uruknet
Cairo And Tel Aviv Reach Understanding On Army Deployment in Sinai
Uruknet
Beyond the separation wall: A visit to Jerusalem’s forsaken enclaves
Uruknet
The pursuit of Julian Assange is an assault on freedom and a mockery of journalism
Uruknet
Group: Palestinian hospitalized after Israel police beating
Uruknet
A country’s national treasures against world’s biggest 3-D billboard
Daily Star 24 Aug 2012 Lebanon is not a huge country. New tower blocks jostle for space with Roman and Phoenician remains, Crusader castles, Ottoman palaces and a Modernist structure or two.Teaser
Young designers in Lebanon edge ahead with latest line
Daily Star 24 Aug 2012 The expertly tailored jackets introduced this week as part of Creative Space’s fall clothing line highlighted a year of evolution for the young designer collective – a growth in more than simply technical know-how.
New Syria envoy Brahimi hints at difficult mission
Daily Star 24 Aug 2012 The new U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria hinted Friday at the immense challenges he faces trying to negotiate an end to that country’s civil war amid rapidly escalating violence, saying the mission left him “flattered, humbled…
IAEA gets no deal with Iran on bomb research suspicions
Daily Star 24 Aug 2012 The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran failed on Friday to strike a deal aimed at allaying concerns about suspected nuclear weapons research by Tehran, a setback in efforts to resolve the stand-off diplomatically before any Israeli…
New Syria envoy Brahimi meets with Ban at UN
Daily Star 24 Aug 2012 The new U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria is meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
India: 3 Israeli women hurt in car crash
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – ….
Hamas leader gets invite to summit in Iran
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – ….
Egyptians rally against new Islamist president
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – ….
Greenpeace activists climb Russian Arctic oil platform
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – ….
US man arrested in vast global child porn network
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – ….
PM: Iran accelerating nuclear work
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – Netanyahu says new reports of increased uranium enrichment at Fordo prove Tehran flouting international demands ….
Follow Germany’s lead on circumcision
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Instead of crying anti-Semitism, Israel should also abolish unethical ritual ….
Iron Dome operators say living conditions ‘unsuitable’
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – IDF’s ombudsman charged with investigating soldiers’ living conditions after severe complaints were made; ‘it takes months till we receive portable housing,’ says one soldier ….
Ashkenazi comes out against Iran strike
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – In Peace and Security Council meeting, former IDF chief says we have yet to reach point where Iran has atom bomb. Meanwhile, tensions between PM, Peres mount ….
Watch: Police use Taser gun against bound man
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – East Jerusalem resident claims officers cuffed and shot him with electroshock weapon following mass brawl at Tel Aviv water park ….
Report: Israel, Egypt reach understandings on Sinai
YNet News, 24 Aug 2012 – Al-Hayat report states Egypt’s defense minister stressed Cairo’s commitment to peace treaty in conversation with Ehud Barak ….
Palestinian Information Center
Foreign activists of “Welcome to Palestine” campaign arrive in Jordan
PIC – Western activists started to arrive in the Jordanian capital Amman on Friday in a fresh attempt to enter occupied Palestinian territory to deliver assistance to Palestinian schoolchildren.
MDA demands cost of carrying wounded Palestinian to hospital
PIC – The Magen David Adom (MDA) or the ambulance service in Israel has asked the relatives of a wounded Palestinian boy to pay the cost of carrying him to hospital.
Prisoner Riad Amor suffers serious health condition
PIC – The health condition of prisoner Riad Dakhlallah Amor, from the village of Tekoa in Bethlehem, has been rapidly deteriorating especially as he suffers from serious heart ailment.
IOF arrests Palestinian, injures three others
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested a Palestinian and injured three others at dawn Friday after storming several houses in Al-Khalil’s neighborhoods.
U.S.: Israeli probe into activist Corrie’s death wasn’t ‘credible’
PIC – Israel’s investigation into the death of American activist Rachel Corrie by an Israeli bulldozer nine years ago was not satisfactory, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told the Corrie family.
IOA plans to confiscate citizens’ lands in Tulkarem and al-Khalil
PIC – Israeli occupation authorities handed residents in the village of Wadi al-Ghrous in al-Khalil notifications to confiscate seven dunums of their lands for building a settlement road.
Gillespie: The Israeli crimes are the most hideous crimes against humanity
PIC – The famous British singer Bobby Gillespie condemned the Israeli occupation’s crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people since the creation of Israel.
Hamas appreciates South Africa’s position regarding settlement products
PIC – Hamas has highly appreciated South Africa‘s position of imposing labels on Israeli products produced in settlements established in occupied Palestinian territory.
Hamas: Strip-search policy an Israeli systematic crime
PIC – The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, warned the Israeli authorities against the offensive strip-search policy, condemning the violations practiced against Palestinian prisoners.
Zahhar denies he has Facebook page
PIC – Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a political bureau member of Hamas, has denied having opened a Facebook page on the internet.
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 22 Aug 2012
Syrian Refugee Flow Exceeds Estimates as Fighting Continues
New York Times 24 Aug 2012 – Syrian forces on Friday pounded Homs, Deir al-Zour and Damascus, activists said, as United Nations officials reported that more than 200,000 refugees had now registered in neighboring countries.
At War Blog: Writing to Calm and Compose the Injured Brain
New York Times 24 Aug 2012 – Two veterans, both with traumatic brain injuries, find therapy and each other in writing.
Signs Suggest Iran Is Speeding Up Work on Nuclear Program
New York Times 24 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.
At War Blog: ‘Insider Attacks’ Target Afghans and Foreign Forces
New York Times 23 Aug 2012 – A growing number of attacks from within the ranks of the Afghan security forces let to a very public effort by the U.S. military leadership to stop the problem and manage the fallout.
Escalation in Settler Violence: Molotov Cocktail Severely Injures Palestinian Family
Al-Haq – Ad: How To Win Any Election (kit – A Complete Guide To Winning Elections – 5 Ebooks And Sample Documents, Including A 178 Page Elections Guide That Shows Everything You Need To Know To Win Your Next Election!
JVP Statement on Right-Wing Attacks on Rabbis for Obama members
Jewish Voice for Peace – For Immediate Release Jewish Voice for Peace Statement on Right-Wing Attacks on Rabbis for Obama members [August 24, 2012. New York] Jewish Voice for Peace is deeply disturbed by the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Emergency Committee for Israel’s unethical smear campaign against members of the…
Guardian fires Treviño
Mondoweiss – This just in : Joint statement from the Guardian and Joshua Treviño Joshua Treviño wrote a piece for the Guardian on February 28, 2011 titled “Peter King has hearings, but is he listening?” The Guardian recently learned that shortly before writing this article the author was a…
Listen: MJ Rosenberg and Yousef Munayyer on Sheldon Adelson and Romney’s trip to Israel
Mondoweiss – Last Sunday, Lizzy Ratner–friend of Mondoweiss, colleague and an excellent journalist–and I co-hosted WBAI radio’s Beyond the Pale , a weekly show on Jewish culture and politics. ( WBAI is a New York City-based lefty radio station, part of the larger Pacifica radio network .) There was a lot…
Neocons ‘pushed’ mindless Bush into ‘idiotic war’ — Chris Matthews
Mondoweiss – Chris Matthews on Hardball last night, at 13:00 or so One other applaud for your dad [Ronald Reagan]. I will say this, he would not have taken us into that idiotic war in Iraq. No way in the world would the neocons have pushed him into…
Help out antiwar leader Scott Horton
Mondoweiss – Anyone who follows the drumbeat for war with Iran or the campaign for the civil rights of Bradley Manning knows that the tireless radio host Scott Horton has done some of the best work here, including lately interviews with Marcy Wheeler, Gareth Porter, Flynt Leverett, Daniel…
Exile and the Prophetic: Romney’s (Romero) blood money
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Lost Jewish Babies of Cyprus
The Foward Breaking News 24 Aug 2012 – Yitzhak Teutsch, director of the American Joint Distribution Committee’s archives in Jerusalem, is trying to document more than 2,000 babies born to Jewish refugees interned in Cypriot camps between 1946 and 1949. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt ‘Committed’ to Peace Deal
The Foward Breaking News 24 Aug 2012 – Egypt’s Defense Minister reportedly told his Israeli counterpart that Egypt is committed to its peace accord with Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Palestinian Tasered By Police in Front of Children
The Foward Breaking News 24 Aug 2012 – A Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem complained to the Justice Ministry department that investigates police misconduct on Thursday after a police officer shocked him five times with an electric stun gun in front of his five children on Tuesday. Click here for the rest of the…
Disabled Children’s Group Wins UNESCO Status
The Foward Breaking News 24 Aug 2012 – The UN Economic and Social Council has named an Israeli NGO as a “special consultant” on assisting disabled children. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Restoring Relations With Iran Improbable Now – Presidency
allAfrica.com 24 Aug 2012 – [Aswat Masriya]President Mohamed Mursi’s imminent visit to Iran to take part in the non-alignment summit scheduled for August 30 is partly “a protocol” as Egypt will head the non-alignment movement for three years, Yasser Ali, spokesperson of the presidency, has said.
Egypt: Nation to Pursue a More Active Diplomatic Approach
allAfrica.com 24 Aug 2012 – [Focac]Egypt will review its past foreign policies and reposition itself in global and regional issues to better serve its own interests, the country’s ambassador to China told Xinhua in an interview Wednesday.
Egypt: Clinton Discusses Israel, IMF With Foreign Minister Amr
allAfrica.com 24 Aug 2012 – [State Department]Excerpt from the United States Department of State daily press briefing:
Egypt: A Tunnel-Free Future for Gaza?
allAfrica.com 23 Aug 2012 – [IRIN]Gaza City -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,…
Peaceful Weekly Demonstration in Al Ma’asara
Palestine Solidarity Project 24 Aug 2012 – A weekly demonstration against the ongoing construction of the Apartheid Wall took place in the village of Al Ma’asara, South Bethlehem City, on Friday. Approximately forty demonstrators, including a contingent of international volunteers from PSP, carried banners and chanted anti-occupation slogans. They were confronted by a…
Vancouver Queer Film Festival urged to come out against Israeli Apartheid
Global BDS 24 Aug 2012 – Photo: Dave Markland Queer activists and allies gathered outside the Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) screening of “The Invisible Men”, carrying sparkly signs and handing out pink informational leaflets to festival patrons. The group came together under the banner “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid” (QuAIA) in response to the VQFF’s…
Sunni cleric shot dead in Lebanon
BBC 24 Aug 2012 – Three people, including a Sunni cleric, have been killed in the Lebanese city of Tripoli amid new sectarian clashes fuelled by the conflict in Syria.
Mursi passes law to free ‘critic’
BBC 24 Aug 2012 – President Mohammed Mursi passes a law to release a detained journalist, amid concern over curbs on press freedom in Egypt.
Mursi vs. SCAF: Two Weeks Later
Al-Akhbar Blogs 24 Aug 2012 – Cairo – The day President Mohammed Mursi ordered the retirement of the Minister of Defense Hussein Tantawi, Egypt was caught by surprise at the new balance of power. On August 12, it was difficult to immediately see all the possible ramifications. The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) president’s…
Syria Defections Expose Sectarian Agenda
Al-Akhbar Opinion 24 Aug 2012 – A Free Syrian Army fighter runs away to take cover from the exchange fire with regime forces in the Seif El Dawla neighbourhood of Syria‘s south west city of Aleppo 24 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Youssef Boudlal) A Free Syrian Army fighter runs away to…
Syrian abducted in Bekaa
Al-Akhbar News 24 Aug 2012 – A Syrian national was kidnapped earlier today by five gunmen in the Bekaa village of Aiaat, the state-National News Agency reported. Atta Hassan Alloush, 32, was forced into a Jeep Grand Cherokee around 6:15, the report said. No further details have emerged. Lebanon has witnessed a…
13 arrested over Turkey bombing
Al-Akhbar News 24 Aug 2012 – Turkish police have arrested 13 people in connection with a car bombing blamed on separatist Kurds in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep, a local governor said Friday. “Thirteen people were arrested and brought before a court,” said Governor Erdal Ata in a televised statement. The car…
Turkish president to skip Tehran summit
Al-Akhbar News 24 Aug 2012 – Turkey’s president will not attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran later this month, an official was quoted as saying in the country’s daily Zaman . The paper quoted an unnamed source from the president’s office who said that President Abdullah Gul has no plans to attend…
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Al-Akhbar News 24 Aug 2012 – Edited by Adel Alsalman 17 August 2012 A disabled Pakistani Muslim arrives to offer Jummat-ul-Vida, last Friday, prayers during the holy month of Ramadan at the Dada Darbar mosque in Lahore. (Photo: AFP – Arif Ali) 17 August 2012 People attempt to climb greased and slippery…
Tripoli Trouble: Winners and Losers
Al-Akhbar News 24 Aug 2012 – A Lebanese gunman takes cover from a fire in the Bab al-Tabbaneh district of the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on 24 August 2012, as clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian factions continue. (Photo: AFP – Anwar Amro) A Lebanese gunman takes cover from a fire…
Iran nuclear talks fail: UN
Al-Akhbar News 24 Aug 2012 – UN atomic watchdog the IAEA said Friday that no agreement had been reached with Iran, after renewed talks on Tehran’s contested nuclear program, adding that no other meeting was planned. “Important differences remain… which prevented an agreement,” the International Atomic Energy Agency’s chief inspector, Herman Nackaerts,…
The Hidden Costs of Egypt’s IMF Loan
Al-Akhbar Politics 24 Aug 2012 – International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde (2nd L) checks some pyramid stones next to security guards while listening to a guide’s explanation as she tours the pyramids in Giza, at the end of her visit to Egypt, 22 August 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Asmaa…
Egypt: The Fuloul Attempt a Revolution
Al-Akhbar Politics 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…
The State of Sinai (III): Refuge for Hardliners and Outlaws
Al-Akhbar Politics 23 Aug 2012 – Egyptian security forces stand by their Armored Personnel Carriers ahead of a military operation in the northern Sinai peninsula on 8 August 2012. (Photo: AFP – Stringer) Egyptian security forces stand by their Armored Personnel Carriers ahead of a military operation in the northern Sinai peninsula…
Escalation in Settler Violence: Molotov Cocktail Severely Injures Palestinian Family
Al-Haq 23 Aug 2012 – Ad: How To Win Any Election (kit – A Complete Guide To Winning Elections – 5 Ebooks And Sample Documents, Including A 178 Page Elections Guide That Shows Everything You Need To Know To Win Your Next Election!
Articles
The future of Palestine’s grassroots struggle: Nilin activist Saeed Amireh interviewed
Maureen Clare Murphy, Chicago, Electronic Intifada 8/23/2012
Saeed Amireh, an activist who has helped put his occupied West Bank village of Nilin on the solidarity radar, turned 20 last September on a plane taking him to Sweden for a European speaking tour. It was Amireh’s first trip outside of Palestine.
“I’ve never been to Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqiliya or any other city in Palestine besides Ramallah and Nilin,” Amireh recounted. “Once I got to Sweden, I was completely shocked. I could not say a single word for the first two weeks; I spent the first two weeks crying because you could feel how there is a huge difference” between life in Europe and life under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank.
“I got the taste of sleeping without [fear], walking the street without checkpoints and being stopped by anyone,” Amireh said. “Here you always have to have your ID with you in case of any checkpoint or if anyone stops you and arrests you. … I could taste temporary freedom for three months.”
Though Amireh says he received a tempting offer to stay in Europe, which he acknowledges is no utopia, it was this taste of freedom that motivated him to return to Nilin and “tell my people, my village and all of my friends about [the freedom] we are fighting for. All our generations were born under occupation. We are fighting for freedom and liberation, but we don’t know how it tastes on the ground.”
For Amireh, the struggle for Palestine means building the grassroots movement in Nilin, spreading it to other villages, and “building a strong [social] system that includes even the cultural life in the village” to combat Israel’s thorough assault on all aspects of Palestinian life. more.. e-mail
Attacks on Palestinians highlight history of lax enforcement on Jewish extremists
Roi Maor, +972 Magazine 8/21/2012
Recent violent attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists highlight the deficient law enforcement and weak penalties imposed on perpetrators of similar past attacks
Two recent incidents have brought attention to the issue of attacks on Palestinian civilians by Jewish extremists. On Thursday, a firebomb was thrown at a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank, injuring six people, one of them seriously. Later the same day, three Palestinian youth were assaulted in a “lynch” committed by dozens of Jewish youth in West Jerusalem, while hundreds stood by without intervening.
Both incidents have sparked widespread condemnation; and the firebomb attack has been labeled a terrorist attack by both Israeli and American officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even called Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and promised him that Israel will catch the perpetrators of this attack.
Yet this kind of incident is hardly a new development. Last year, the Jerusalem Post warned that Jewish terrorism was “gaining steam.” The article argued that a serious response to this problem is “long overdue,” pointing to several years of warnings by Israeli security officials on this issue.
Despite this, law enforcement on Jewish extremists has remained highly deficient. According to information gathered by the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din, 85 percent of police investigations fail when it comes to violent crimes committed by settlers against Palestinians. And Netanyahu’s promise to catch the perpetrators of the recent firebomb attack sounds all the more dubious, considering Israel’s record of breaking similar promises when it comes to the spate of mosque arsons which have plagued the West Bank in recent years. more.. e-mail
The Children are Still Dying
Ramzy Baroud, CounterPunch 8/24/2012
In Search of a Sip of Water
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 prayed.
A young doctor gave a sweeping diagnosis: “No child that ever enters this place ever leaves alive.” Being the young reporter I was at the time, I diligently made a note of his words before asking more questions. I didn’t quite grasp the finality of death.
Several years later, Iraq’s desolation continues. On August 16, 90 people were killed and more were wounded in attacks across the country. Media sources reported on the bloodbath (nearly 200 Iraqis were killed this month alone), but without much context. Are we meant to believe that violence in Iraq has transcended any level of reason? That Iraqis get blown up simply because it is their fate to live in perpetual fear and misery?
But the dead, before they were killed, were people with names and faces. They were fascinating individuals in their own right, deserving of life, rights and dignity. Many are children, who knew nothing of Iraq’s political disputes, invited by US wars and occupation and fomented by those who feed on sectarianism. more.. e-mail
Israeli lies unchecked, Palestinian perspectives censored on BBC
Electronic Intifada: 24 Aug 2012 – Amena Saleem Glasgow 24 August 2012 Film director Ken Loach recently learned that for the BBC, Palestine remains a taboo.more
Ayn Rand, Preacher of Selfishness Inspiring Paul Ryan
Palestine Chronicle: 24 Aug 2012 – By Uri Avnery I was not interested in Paul Ryan, the man about to be nominated by the Republican party for the office of vice-president, until the name Ayn Rand popped up. Ayn Rand, it was said, was one of the main inspirations for his particular philosophy. Since Ryan is being represented not as an ordinary, run-of-the-mill politician, like Mitt Romney, but as a profound political and economic thinker, the inspiration deserves some scrutiny. Like most people in this country, Ayn Rand first entered my life as the author of The Fountainhead, a novel that came out four years before the birth of the state of Israel. It quickly became a bestseller. The movie based on it, with Gary Cooper playing the main role, was even more popular. It is the story of an architect of genius (roughly similar to Frank Lloyd Wright) who follows his own individual style and…more
Syria Between Scylla and Charybdis
Palestine Chronicle: 24 Aug 2012 – By K. P. Fabian With the Free Syrian Army being supplied aid by the West and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the endgame for the Syrian regime has begun. Does Assad’s exit guarantee the replacement of autocracy with democracy? What implications will it have on regional politics? The key question is: When, how, and whether President Basher al-Assad will relinquish office? He is turning 47 on September 11. He has ruled Syria since 2000. He was not elected into office through a democratic process. He was selected by his father who ruled for three decades after capturing power through a coup. He has no divine right to rule. If Assad goes, does it mean that there will be democracy? Not necessarily. History shows with painful clarity that it is not possible to replace dictatorship or autocracy immediately with democracy. The French Revolution begat Napoleon. The Russian Revolution gave rise to…more
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The New Dark Age 