27 August 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel To Close Bribery Case Against Sharon, His Sons
IMEMC – Israeli sources reported Monday that the Israeli prosecution is weighing the possibility of dropping bribery and corruption charges against former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and his two sons, Omri and Gilad, due to the lack of evidence. …
Elderly Man Injured After Being Attacked By Settlers
IMEMC – Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that a 65-year-old man was moderately injured after being attacked by a group of extremist Israeli settlers in Khirbit Beer Al-Ad area, near Yatta city in the Hebron district. …
PCHR Strongly Condemns the Denial of Entry to the oPt of dozens of International Solidarity Activist
IMEMC – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the denial of entry into the West Bank of dozens of international solidarity activists participating in the “Welcome to Palestine Campaign”. The activists, who sought entry to the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge from Jordan on Sunday evening, were sent back by the Israeli authorities. …
Army Bombards Gaza
IMEMC – The Israeli Air Force fired at least five missiles at a Palestinian security building, west of Gaza City; two Palestinians were injured. …
Three Israeli Teenage Settlers Apprehended
IMEMC – Suspects In Bethlehem Molotov Attack The Israeli Police and the Internal Security announced Sunday that three Israeli teenage settlers have been apprehended on suspicion that they are involved in a Molotov attack against a Palestinian car, south of Bethlehem, leading to six moderate-to-severe injuries. …
Gaza Government Will Not Attend Tehran Summit
IMEMC – The Hamas-led Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip stated that it turned down an invitation by the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran to attend its conference that will be held this week. …
Migron Settlers To Resist Eviction
IMEMC – Settlers residing in the illegal settlement outpost of Mirgon, built on privately-owned Palestinian lands near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, said that they will resist their eviction, and will not cooperate with the Israeli military. …
Soldiers Kidnap Eight Palestinians In West Bank
IMEMC – Israeli soldiers invaded, , on Sunday at night and on Monday at dawn several Palestinians communities in the West Bank, and kidnapped eight Palestinians after breaking into their homes and searching them. …
PCHR welcomes South Africa decision Label Settlement Goods
IMEMC – The South African Ministry of Trade and Industry has approved a move to place Occupied Palestinian Territory labels on imported goods from Jewish settlements. In a press briefing on Wednesday 22 August, government spokesman Jimmy Manyi stated that the decision was “in line with South Africa ‘s stance that recognises the 1948 borders delineated by the United Nations and does not recognise occupied territories beyond these borders as being part of the state of Israel .” …
Report: Israel to seal Shufat camp exit
8/27/2012 – TEL AVIV (Ma’an) — Israel is sealing a key Jerusalem checkpoint, leaving only a single exit for 65,000 Palestinian residents of Shufat refugee camp, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Monday. Israel’s Defense Ministry is closing the Ras Khamis checkpoint despite a 2008 High Court ruling that the main crossing must be upgraded….
Abu Sisi still in solitary confinement, prisoner group says
8/27/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli prison authorities issued a decision on Sunday to keep detained engineer Dirar Abu Sisi in solitary confinement, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said. Abu Sisi, 42, disappeared in February 2011 while traveling on a train in the Ukraine and Israel later announced that it was holding him in Ashkelon jail….
Settlers attack elderly Palestinian
8/27/2012 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of Israeli settlers on Monday attacked a Palestinian man from Khirbet Bir Al-Idd village, near Hebron, medics and the Israeli army said. Eight residents of the illegal Mitzpe Yair attacked Ismail Ibrahim al-Adra, 65, and then fled the scene, locals told Ma’an. An Israeli military spokeswoman said….
Israeli PM: Bethlehem settlements will always be part of Israel
8/27/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Bethlehem-area settlement of Efrat on Monday, and insisted it and a nearby bloc of other settlements would forever remain part of the Israeli state, according to media reports.” Efrat and Gush Etzion are integral parts of greater Jerusalem,” Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post quoted….
‘High ranking officials ordered suppression of Ramallah protests’
8/27/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — High ranking Palestinian Authority officials ordered the suppression of protests in Ramallah against negotiations, rights groups said Monday. The Council of Palestinian Human Rights Organizations on Monday announced the results of its inquiry into a crackdown on protesters who opposed a visit by Israel’s vice premier to Ramallah for…. Related: HRW tells PA to rein in security forces
Israeli forces arrest 8 people overnight
8/27/2012 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested eight people overnight Sunday in the West Bank, Israel’s army and witnesses said. Witnesses told Ma’an that over 30 military vehicles raided Balata refugee camp in Nablus and detained Amid Hussein Qaddura, 18, Abdul Rahman Mahamid and Ismail al-Qaysi. Qaddura’s brother Imad….
UN: Gaza not ‘liveable’ by 2020 barring urgent action
8/27/2012 – GAZA CITY (Reuters) — Gaza will no longer be “liveable” by 2020 unless urgent action is taken to improve water supply, power, health, and schooling, the United Nations’ most comprehensive report on the Palestinian enclave said on Monday.” Action needs to be taken now if Gaza is to be a liveable place in 2020 and….
Army: 2 more rockets hit south Israel
8/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Monday, without causing injuries or damage. Two projectiles exploded in Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council in the early afternoon, an Israeli army spokeswoman said. Another landed in an open area near Sderot in the morning. On Sunday…. Related: Army: Rocket lands in south Israel, no injuries
PA ‘concerned’ about Welcome to Palestine activists
8/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Member of the PLO Executive Committee Hanan Ashrawi said on Sunday night that the Palestinian Authority has contacted Jordan out of concern for a group of international activists trying to cross into the West Bank.”Palestinian ambassador to Jordan Ata Khairi and a number of Palestinian leaders are following up with…. Related: ‘Welcome to Palestine’ group denied entry into West Bank
HRW tells PA to rein in security forces
8/27/2012 – RAMALLAH (Reuters) — Human Rights Watch on Monday rebuked the Palestinian Authority for failing to prosecute members of the security forces over years of alleged beatings and abuse of protesters, journalists and detainees. The New York-based group called on the United States and European Union, the major donors to the PA, to reevaluate their security aid…. Related: ‘High ranking officials ordered suppression of Ramallah protests’
Report: Israeli soldier seriously wounded during training exercise
8/27/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — An Israeli soldier was seriously wounded on Monday during a training exercise in the occupied Golan Heights, Israeli news site Ynet reported. A soldier from the Golani brigades was hit by a tank in the upper torso and transferred to a medical center in Haifa. One possible explanation is….
Sources: Iran was forced to withdraw Khamenei invite to Haniyeh
8/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Informed sources told Ma’an on Monday that Iran’s Supreme Leader had asked Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh to the Non-Aligned summit in Tehran, but Iran was later forced to withdraw the invitation. Haniyeh announced the invitation on Friday, drawing ire from West Bank officials who said President Mahmoud….
Report: Fayyad seeks advice from Bank of Israel governor
8/27/2012 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met with the Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer last Friday in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported on Monday. Hebrew-language news site Maariv said that the meeting came at Fayyad’s request, and he was seeking advice on future economic steps….
Shaath to attend socialist conference in South Africa
8/27/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Fatah official Nabil Shaath headed to South Africa on Monday to participate in the Congress of the Socialist International, which takes place every four years, a Fatah statement said. This year’s conference will be hosted by South Africa’s governing political party, the African National Congress, and is….
Muppet urges Israelis to prepare for possible emergency
8/27/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — The Israeli muppet on the cover of a new emergency pamphlet being distributed nationwide puts a happy face on some grim warnings in a country preparing for possible war with Iran. Israelis, the military-issued booklet says, would have only between 30 seconds and three minutes to find cover and hunker down between the….
PA official warns of attacks ahead of outpost evacuation
8/27/2012 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority official Ghassan Daghlas on Monday warned Palestinians to be cautious of settler attacks ahead of a planned evacuation of an illegal Israeli outpost near Ramallah. Israel’s high court ruled in 2008 that the Migron outpost is built on privately-owned Palestinian land and ordered its residents to vacate….
Iran might let diplomats visit suspected nuclear site
8/27/2012 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran indicated on Monday it might allow diplomats visiting Tehran for this week’s Non-Aligned Movement summit to inspect the Parchin military base, which UN nuclear experts say may have been used for nuclear-related explosives tests. When asked about the possibility, Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh said: “Such a visit is….
Police shut down West Bank swimming park after drowning
8/27/2012 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Police have shut down a swimming pool in the northern West Bank after a child drowned there on Friday. Legal authorities ordered the Al-Zawya Swimming Park, west of Salfit, to close until it meets public safety standards, a police statement said Monday. Nabil Muhammad Subhi Shlair, 11, was pulled out of….
New Hamas cabinet approved by lawmakers
8/27/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza government spokesman Taher al-Nunu said Sunday that they had secured approval a day earlier from Hamas lawmakers for a cabinet reshuffle. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh presented the new ministerial list to Palestinian Legislative Council members in Gaza, ahead of the third reshuffle since he formed a government in 2007….
West Bank eggs shipped to Jordan for the first time
8/27/2012 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — A truckload of eggs produced in the West Bank was exported to Jordan via King Hussein Bridge on Sunday, turning a new page in commercial relations between Jordan and Palestine. The eggs were collected from farmers in Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank, who welcomed the step as a vital alternative….
Captured Turkish journalist on Syrian TV, no sign of Palestinian
8/27/2012 – ANKARA (Reuters) — A Turkish cameraman who went missing while reporting from Syria appeared on Monday in an interview with a pro-government Syrian television channel and said he had been seized by Syrian soldiers in the northern city of Aleppo. There was no sign of his Palestinian-Jordanian colleague Bashar Fahmi, who disappeared with him in Aleppo….
Witnesses: Rebels down Syrian helicopter over Damascus
8/27/2012 – AMMAN (Reuters) — Rebels shot down a Syrian army helicopter on Monday while it was bombarding the Damascus neighbourhood of Jobar, as heavy fighting broke out in the district between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad, witnesses said. Syrian state television said in a news flash a helicopter had crashed in Damascus, but offered….
17 party-goers ‘found beheaded’ in southern Afghan village
8/27/2012 – KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) — The Taliban beheaded seventeen party-goers, including two women dancers, in Afghanistan’s volatile Helmand province as punishment, recalling the darkest days of rule by the ultra-conservative Islamist insurgents before their ouster in 2001. The bodies were found on Monday in a house near the Musa Qala district where a party was….
2 men shot dead by Jordanian security forces in Amman
8/27/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Two men on the run from police were shot dead by Jordanian security forces in Amman late Sunday, a statement by security forces said.” Two men blocked the main street in al-Hashimi al-Shamali yesterday evening using a vehicle before they stepped out and started shooting randomly at the people in the….
Egypt bars entry to Bahraini dissident
8/27/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — A leading Bahraini opposition activist said she had been refused entry to Egypt at Cairo airport on Sunday, accusing Arab governments of continuing repressive security cooperation despite political change in the region. Maryam al-Khawaja, the Denmark-based international spokesperson for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said she had hoped to enter Egypt for….
UN chief Ban shocked by Syria massacre, condemns crime
8/27/2012 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was shocked by reports of a massacre in a town close to Syria’s capital and condemned it as “an appalling and brutal crime” that should be independently investigated immediately, his spokesman said on Monday. Syrian opposition activists accused President Bashar Assad’s army on Sunday….
UN warns Gaza ‘will not liveable by 2020’
AlJazeera 27 Aug 2012 – Report by world body says urgent action needed to improve lives of people in aid-dependent Palestinian territory.
Going to War With Iran Would Cost Israel $42 billion
Palestine News Network
Dozens of Local and International Activists Tear-Gassed in Bil’in Weekly March
Palestine News Network
Peres: “If They Fire We Will Fire”
Palestine News Network
Hamas Stays Away From Iran Summit Amidst Spat With Abbas
Palestine News Network
Israel Stops ‘Welcome to Palestine’ Activists Entering West Bank From Jordan
Palestine News Network
Three Settler Children Arrested Over Firebombing of Palestinian Taxi
Palestine News Network
Turkey Condemns Israel’s Decision to Tender for Construction of Additional Units in Har Homa Settlement
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Submits Memorandum to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Strongly Condemns the Denial of Entry to the oPt of dozens of International Solidarity Activists by Israel
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
‘Welcome to Palestine’ group denied entry into West Bank
8/27/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – 26 August, 2012, Ma’an News, Bethlehem, West Bank – Dozens of foreign peace activists were denied entry into the West Bank by Israeli authorities at the Allenby Bridge crossing on Sunday evening, organizers of the third ‘Welcome to Palestine’ initiative said. “The Welcome to Palestine Campaign decries the Israeli denial of entry via the…. Related:Source: Ma’an News
Alternative Information Center
Asian Science Camp opens in occupied Jerusalem’s Hebrew University
Alternative Information Center – The Asian Science Camp, considered the most important science camp for youth worldwide, opened on Sunday at the Hebrew University in occupied Jerusalem. The camp, attended by 300 scientists aged 17-21 from throughout Asia, was opened…
IN PHOTOS: Palestinians endure checkpoints to enter Jerusalem during Ramadan
Alternative Information Center – During the holy month of Ramadan, West Bank identity card holders except for “dangerous populations” – women and men between the age of 12 and 40 – are allowed to enter Jerusalem for the day in…
Syria rebels shoot down helicopter
The National 27 Aug 2012 – A Syrian regime helicopter plunged to the ground engulfed in flames east of Damascus yesterday amid rebel claims that they had shot it down.
Tehran could allow diplomats to inspect suspected nuclear testing base
The National 27 Aug 2012 – Tentative offer to Nam delegates made days after IAEA seeks access.
Region’s states to tackle Syria crisis anew
The National 27 Aug 2012 – Arabian Gulf states and Iran meet at summit of Non-Aligned Movement, and hope for better results than when they met at Mecca.
Egypt’s Morsi to make historic visit to Iran
The National 27 Aug 2012 – Visit by Egypt’s new president to Tehran summit symbolises an end to three decades of animosity between two of the region’s oldest, proudest and most powerful nations.
Israel’s Animal Cruelty Law improves conditions for IAF guard dogs
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Israel Broadcasting Authority whistleblower alleges firing was retribution
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Tiberias hospital staff learns Arabic to better communicate with patients
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
IDF to send out first draft notices to thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
New recycling program bogged down in local government orange tape
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
IDF chief Gantz unaware of MAG’s plan to investigate his predecessor
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
More East Jerusalem Palestinians seek Israeli academic degrees
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Half of the poisonings in Israel involve children, report says
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Israel Prison Service seeking staff for African migrant detention facilities
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Yacimovich castigated on Facebook for tomato ‘smuggling’
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Israeli man suspected of stabbing wife to death, attempts self-immolation
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Jerusalem judge presiding over Olmert trial set to retire in fall
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Students at Jerusalem Experimental School strike over city’s neglect
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Six years on, decision on Lieberman indictment delayed again
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Peres commutes sentences of 7 Israeli Arabs jailed before Oslo
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Israeli bus company won’t feature any men or women in Jerusalem ads to avoid ultra-Orthodox objections
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Study: Almost half of Israel’s schoolchildren will be ultra-Orthodox or Arab by 2017
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
IDF soldier critically injured in Golan Heights exercise
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Israel Police link fingerprints to boys suspected of hurling fire bomb at Palestinian taxi
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Israel closes key Jerusalem checkpoint, limiting Palestinian residents’ access
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Netanyahu: Israel will strike Lebanese state in case of Hezbollah provocation
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
More than 2 million head for Israel’s classrooms as school year begins
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
State set to close landmark bribe case against former PM Ariel Sharon
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
In new site, evacuated residents of West Bank outpost will pay only NIS 11 per square meter
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
WATCH: Israel bars 100 international activists from crossing into West Bank
Ha’aretz – 27 Aug 2012
Man suspected of stabbing wife to death, trying to set himself on fire in northern Israel
Ha’aretz – 26 Aug 2012
IDF urges state to launch criminal probe of ex army chief over Harpaz affair
Ha’aretz – 26 Aug 2012
At the count of three… you will understand how hypnosis works
Ha’aretz – 26 Aug 2012
Israel heritage in spotlight in int’l photo contest
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2012 – Hundreds of country’s cultural sites to be visually documented during the month-long event “Wiki Loves Monuments event.
‘Haredim, Arabs will soon comprise 44% of students’
Jerusalem Post 28 Aug 2012 – Central Bureau of Statistics report finds that in 5 years, students ttending non-religious public schools will remain the largest group at 41%.
Barkat dedicates Arab kindergarten amid criticism
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – In scathing report ACRI and Ir Amim say Eastern part of Jerusalem needs 1,100 more classrooms.
PM was ‘responsible’ sixth-grader, evaluation shows
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Netanyahu visits Henrietta Szold Elementary School, which he attended as a child, is presented with his sixth grade evaluation.
Tibi saved my life in Spain, says Israeli vacationer
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – After Israeli Arab mistakenly dives into shallow pool, MK and doctor Ahmed Tibi ensures hospital treats him despite lack of medical insurance.
Court orders firebomb suspects held for 5 more days
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Father of one of the youths held for Jerusalem beating of Ras al-Amud teen confident his son not guilty, says “he wasn’t raised on hatred of Arabs.”
Gov’t steps up campaign for Jewish Arab refugees
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Deputy foreign minister says matter of Jewish refugees who fled Arab states after 1948 is a “core issue” in talks with Palestinians.
School starts in Migron despite threat of demolition
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – With no other school available for the small children, Ro’eh decided to open the Migron school, as if this was just another year.
Morsy steps out on world stage, reassures Israel on peace
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – In first interview with international news organization Egypt’s new leader urges Assad’s allies to coax him out, says Israel has nothing to fear from new military campaign in Sinai, hints at new approach on Iran.
Responding to fire IAF strikes Gaza munition depots
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Palestinian hospital reports 2 wounded in strike; IDF says attack is response to high-trajectory fire toward Israel, records accurate hits.
Encountering Peace: What Abbas should say to Israel
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – When your leaders agree to renew negotiations in good faith, not with one hand out stretched toward us while the other hand is busy building new settlements, we will be there at the table, willing to reach a full and comprehensive peace.
Illegal Arab building defies Supreme Court ruling
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – The illegal “building intifada” being waged by the Palestinian Authority on state lands in Area C of Judea and Samaria has become the latest battleground for the radical Left in conjunction with foreign-funded Israeli so-called human rights NGO’s such as B’tselem and Bimkom.
Upgrading schools
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Some 2 million Israeli children returned to 4,500 schools and almost 63,000 classrooms on Monday, the largest number of pupils the country has educated in its 64-year history.
Sussiya demolition orders not simply law enforcement issue
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – The Civil Administration’s explanation for the Sussiya demolition orders is that the residents built without the necessary building permits, but it neglects to mention that such permits are impossible to obtain.
Limmud to focus on Jews in sports at confab
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Educational organization to team up with Israel Olympic Committee to celebrate the achievements of Jews in sports.
Migron residents petition to delay evacuation
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Outpost residents ask High Court for more time; Netanyahu says Efrat, Gush Etzion integral part of greater Jerusalem.
Jewish studies, once and in the future
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Today, when Jewish students are more likely to arrive at college with little knowledge of Jewish tradition and little inclination to take humanities courses, it is important to strike a balance between academic rigor and popular appeal.
Syrian warplane fires on eastern edge of Damascus
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Activist says is first time fighter plane fires near capital; UN‘s Ban condemns Daraya massacre; France warns on WMD’s.
Back to school: Let’s start it off right
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – The initial attitudes pupils have toward school, their teachers and their subjects go a long way in determining a successful year. There are many things parents can do to start things right.
Iran and Israel: Humiliation, fear, reconciliation
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Iran and Israel are on the verge of war. Current trajectories and the presence of other agents make any resolution unlikely.
The Cordesman criteria
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – All options are bad. Doing nothing is worse. “The status quo may not prevent some form of war and may even be making it more likely.”
The real nature of Jewish anti-Zionists
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Anybody who identifies as anti-Zionist, even if one professes to be Jewish, cannot be considered anything other than a representative of a very marginal group in the Jewish world.
LMFAO’s Redfoo to bring party rock anthem to TA
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Concert featuring 35 performers and dancers to be held on October 2nd at the Nokia Arena.
‘In attending NAM confab Ban paved way for others’
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Ayalon says several world leaders planned to boycott Non-Aligned Movement meet in Tehran until UN Sec.-Gen. decided to attend.
Two arrested in connection with Taibeh murder
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Special YAMAR unit launches investigation into what police confirmed was a criminal act and not a familial dispute.
German Jewish leader: Rescind Israel hater’s prize
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – General Secretary of Germany’s Jewish community demands that Frankfurt rescind Adorno prize from BDS-supporter Judith Butler.
Rights group to PA: Rein in security forces
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – HRW rebukes Palestinian leaders for not prosecuting members of its security forces, calls on US, EU to reevaluate security aid.
‘Gaza will not be ‘liveable’ by 2020 without action’
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – UN‘s humanitarian coordinator calls for increase in international aid with release of most comprehensive Gaza report to date.
Police arrest Hadera rabbi for vandalizing school
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Rabbi’s attempt to disrupt first day of class to a property dispute with municipality, says police spokesman.
‘Region becoming less stable, more Islamist’
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Military Intelligence head Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi says region will face crises and be more prone to unexpected eruptions.
The legitimacy fallacy
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – If waiting would impair Israel’s ability to hit Iran effectively, the costs outweigh the benefits.
PM backtracks on portfolio changes amid war talk
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Netanyahu cites possible “misinterpretation” as reason for his decision; MKs say move would have rivaled the Halutz Affair.
Sights and Insights: A valley spot worth a stop
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Thousands of Jewish tombstones line the Jerusalem’s Kidron Valley, along with hundreds of olive trees.
Danino: I expect more arrests in firebombing case
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Jerusalem court extends remand by 4 days of 3 suspects, none of whom are older than 13, over firebombing of Palestinian taxi.
Alternatively Speaking: Just a spoonful of honey
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – As the High Holy Days approach, alternative medicine expert Natalie Marx looks at the health benefits of honey.
‘Rebels down Syrian army helicopter in Damascus’
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Battles in Damascus area follow Daraya massacre in which Assad’s forces kill 320, mostly in “execution-style.”
C’tee okays PM portfolio changes amid war rumors
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Netanyahu backtracks on request to alter investments to avoid Iran commentary; Mofaz: Move betrays PM‘s intent to strike Iran.
Police: Beit She’an man kills wife, attempts suicide
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – 36-year-old allegedly stabs wife to death while two of their kids are at home; police prevent him from self-immolating.
2 million Israeli children begin new school year
Jerusalem Post 27 Aug 2012 – Number of pupils reaches record high as free education for three-to-four year olds implemented.
Church of Scientology opens center in Jaffa
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – The religion already has “several thousand” followers in Israel, spokeswoman says.
Merkel liaison pledges to safeguard circumcision
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – German government aide writes Jewish group to pledge it will ensure Jews can perform circumcisions.
Asian students visiting Israel ‘speak science’
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – Jerusalem hosts the Asian Science Camp for the first time; 2012 is dubbed the “Year of Asia in Israel.”
President Peres bids Shalom, first grade
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – Peres, Education Minister Sa’ar meet 120 youngsters at the President’s Residence ahead of the opening of the school year.
NIS 30m. environmental center to be built in J’lem
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – The 2,000-square-meter facility will focus on the academic study of sustainability.
ISA head: Teens know little about Neil Armstrong
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – Israeli children generally do not learn a lot about space exploration, even though it is relevant to their lives.
Weizmann study provides lesson in sleep-learning
Jerusalem Post 26 Aug 2012 – Student who listen to lectures while they are asleep may be more successful at learning than many people think.
There’s Bride at the End of the Tunnel
IPS Mai Ahmed, a 26–year-old from the West Bank fell in love over the Internet with Mohammed Warda from Nussirat refugee camp in Gaza after they ‘met’ on the Internet. The Israeli government refused permission for her to travel to Gaza. Mai travelled to Jordan, flew from there to Egypt, drove…
Israeli Soldiers Show No Mercy to Palestinian Children
IPS In a hamlet of the occupied West Bank, the testimony goes, Israeli troops chase a Palestinian child. “He was about two metres away – the company commander cocked his weapon in his face…The kid fell on the ground, crying and begging for his life.” “It was this kind of…
Veil Falls Over Egyptian Media
IPS The former regime of Hosni Mubarak tightly controlled the press and intimidated journalists who dared to criticise it. Now it appears the Muslim Brotherhood has adopted similar tactics to stifle dissent. Commentators have accused the once-banned Islamic movement, whose leaders have risen to control Egypt’s parliament, presidency and many state…
US Afghanistan strategy: An analytical evaluation-
Uruknet
Taliban deny Badruddin Haqqani’s death
Uruknet
Gaza: Mursi Disappoints
Uruknet
Ecuador: Britain Retracts Threats to Attack Embassy
Uruknet
12 Iraqis Killed in Violence Targeting Security Personnel
Uruknet
Israel : Asylum seekers can now face years in prison over false accusation
Uruknet
Israeli Soldiers Show No Mercy to Palestinian Children
Uruknet
‘Welcome to Palestine’ group set to enter from Jordan
Uruknet
Egypt defends Syria contact group that includes Iran
Uruknet
Pakistan border village clash leaves 36 dead: officials
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 An operation to clear Taliban militants from a volatile area of Pakistan’s northwest on Monday left 36 dead including three soldiers and two members of a government supported peace committee.
HRW demands Palestinian action on police violence
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 HRW called for the western-backed government of Abbas to take urgent action against police officers responsible for beating demonstrators in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Aleppo archbishop flees to Lebanon: Vatican radio
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 The Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Aleppo has fled to Lebanon and his offices in the war-ravaged city have been looted, Vatican media said on Monday, amid fears over the fate of Christian minorities.
US military: No charges in Quran burning, video
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 Six U.S. Army soldiers and three Marines escaped criminal charges but received administrative punishments for mistakenly burning Qurans and urinating on the corpses of Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
Egypt denies entry to Bahrain activist
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 Egyptian authorities has denied entry to the daughter of the jailed symbol of the Bahraini opposition movement, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Cairo airport sources said on Monday.
Saudi deals boosted US arms sales to record $66.3 bln in 2011
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 Weapons sales by the United States tripled in 2011 to a record high, pumped up by $33.4 billion in sales to Saudi Arabia, but the international arms market is not likely to continue growing
Morocco economic crisis weighs on consumer confidence
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 Morocco’s economic crisis saw consumer confidence, a key engine of growth for the kingdom, fall for third straight quarter during three months to June.
Palestinian shepherd wounded by settlers
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 A Palestinian shepherd from the south Hebron hills was wounded in an attack by Israeli settlers Monday evening, Palestinian and Israeli military sources said.
Clooney aids Obama campaign with Geneva fundraiser
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 George Clooney headlined a fundraiser Monday that took in more than a half-million dollars for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
Chemical weapons in Syria ’cause’ for intervention: Hollande
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 French President Francois Hollande warned Monday that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would be a legitimate reason for a foreign intervention.
Iran might let diplomats visit suspected nuclear site
Daily Star 27 Aug 2012 Iran indicated on Monday it might allow diplomats visiting Tehran for this week’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to go to the Parchin military base.
Bar-Ilan backs university in Ariel
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – President of Bar-Ilan University retracts support for petition filed by Israeli universities asking High Court to deny Ariel College university status ….
Palestinian report: IAF aircraft struck targets in Gaza
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – ….
Migron residents vow non-violent eviction
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – A day before evacuation deadline, outpost residents appeal to High Court of Justice, asking to postpone relocation until alternate housing site has been completed; say they will respect court ruling ….
Don’t evacuate Migron
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: State should have banned construction in smaller West Bank settlements long ago ….
Obama declares emergency in Louisiana
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – ….
IDF exercises response to multiple rocket landings
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – Home Front Command holds drill simulating evacuation of casualties from several locations in event of unconventional rocket salvos ….
Pentagon checking bin Laden raid book for secrets
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – ….
US: Quran burning soldiers only receive administrative punishments
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – ….
Eli Yishai: Migrants convert synagogues into toilets
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – Interior Minister says migrants use south Tel Aviv synagogues as bars, bathrooms; Tel Aviv Municipality: Synagogues not our responsibility ….
Peres commutes sentences of 7 Israeli-Arab security prisoners
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – President, justice minister commute life sentences of security prisoners jailed before Oslo Accords; six of them convicted of murder ….
10,000 Syrians stuck near Turkish border
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – ….
Doctors fighting for critically wounded soldier’s life
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – Parents of soldier critically wounded by tank during training exercise involving Golani, 188th Armored Brigade troops say they know he will never be the same again; exercise suspended ….
Ghosts of the past
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Israel, US must ensure that Poland compensates Jews over property seized by Nazis ….
MI chief: Region more unstable than in past
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – ‘Israel will encounter environment that is more tense and Islamist,’ Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi tells IDF leadership during annual military intelligence assessment ….
Victory for Tehran
YNet News, 27 Aug 2012 – Op-ed: Smadar Peri wonders how Morsi will feel when his convoy passes through Tehran square named after Sadat’s killer ….
Palestinian Information Center
Palestinian prisoners threaten to escalate protests
PIC – The liberated prisoner, Hatem Qafisha, said that the Israeli Prison Service violated the agreement that had ended the prisoners “Dignity†strike that lasted for 28 days.
Israeli municipality prevents Palestinians from entering a public park
PIC – Palestinians in Shafa Amr and Ableen filed an objection with the Israeli Supreme Court against the Kiryat Ata municipality’s decision preventing Palestinians from entering the city’s public park.
IOA resumes constructing the apartheid wall north of O. Jerusalem
PIC – The Israeli war ministry’s workers removed surveillance cameras located on the Ras Khamis crossing, northern Jerusalem, as a prelude to remove the crossing and build a section of the segregation wall.
IOA prevents a sick mother from visiting her detained son
PIC – Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) prevented a Palestinian prisoner from Nablus from meeting his sick mother and his father who had obtained special permission from the Red Cross to visit him.
IOF soldiers storm houses, arrest 3 citizens in Nablus
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed houses in the eastern suburbs of Nablus and in Balata refugee camp and rounded up three citizens including two teenagers at dawn Monday.
New Israeli excavations under the Aqsa Mosque
PIC – A Jerusalemite center has revealed that the Israel Antiquities Authority started on Sunday new excavations in the historical Umayyad Palaces near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
Israel prevents foreign peace activists from entering West Bank
PIC – A group of foreign peace activists were denied entry into the West Bank by Israeli authorities at the King Hussein Bridge on Sunday evening.
Violent confrontations in occupied Jerusalem
PIC – Israeli occupation soldiers and policemen fired rubber bullets and teargas at young Jerusalemites in Abu Dis town to the east of Jerusalem on Sunday night.
Former Israeli soldiers detail abuse of Palestinian children
PIC – Former Israeli soldiers disclosed routine mistreatment of Palestinian children during military operations and arrests, pointing to a pattern of abuse.
Presidency: “We will not Allow Anyone to Bypass PLO”
WAFA – 27 Aug 2012
Israel to Remove Source of Electricity south of Hebron
WAFA – 27 Aug 2012
Setters Raze Land west of Salfit
WAFA – 27 Aug 2012
UNRWA Holds Israel Responsible for Gaza Living Conditions
WAFA – 27 Aug 2012
Water Authority Condemns Israeli Demolition of Wells
WAFA – 27 Aug 2012
Building Licenses Up in Q2, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 27 Aug 2012
Israelis get gas masks, shelters in order
LA Times 27 Aug 2012 – Military experts say missile strikes could be launched on Israeli cities if the government makes good on its threats to attack Iran over its nuclear program. JERUSALEM — With his wife expecting their third child next month, Ram Gilboa, a sports commentator who lives just…
Dozens more bodies found at Syria massacre site
LA Times 27 Aug 2012 – At least 320 people have been killed in Dariya, a suburb of Damascus, an opposition group says. The opposition and government blame each other for the deaths. BEIRUT — Bloodied bodies lay strewn in the streets, in basements and even in the cemetery in the…
Beirut Journal: Old Beirut Cinemas Recall More Tolerant Days
New York Times 27 Aug 2012 – Beirut’s old movie theaters not only conjure up an earlier era, they also reflect the conflicting versions of the city competing for prominence, like political parties and militias fighting for power.
Israel Orders Schools to Discuss Jamal Julani’s Beating
New York Times 27 Aug 2012 – Israeli students are being required to discuss the attempted lynching of a number of Palestinian youths.
France Urges Syrian Opposition to Form New Government
New York Times 27 Aug 2012 – A statement on Monday by the French president, François Hollande, represented the furthest any Western leader had gone in pressuring President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
The Lede Blog: Multiple Clips of Syrian Helicopter Crash
New York Times 27 Aug 2012 – At least eight video clips uploaded to opposition activist channels on YouTube appeared to show a Syrian government helicopter exploding in flames and plunging to the ground outside Damascus on Monday.
With the Rebels in the Battle for Aleppo
New York Times 27 Aug 2012 – A group of Syrian rebels seeks to destroy the government and its better-equipped forces by most any means. Their collective confidence that they will prevail both bonds them together and informs their sense that this is their time.
U.S. Exploits Iran Scare for Massive Boost in Arms Exports
Tikun Olam – A portion of the $33-billion in 2011 U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia which may be used against Iran or the Saudi people should they revolt against the regime Let it not be said that turning it into the bogeyman of the Middle East doesn’t have…
Republican Jewish Coalition Super-PAC Violates IRS Code Governing 501c4s
Tikun Olam – Kim Barker wrote an eye-opening series on the ways in which anonymous Republican money is flooding into the presidential race through a legal loophole blessed by Congress and the FEC. Under regulations governing 501c4?s, you may collect unlimited amounts of gifts and funnel them to virtually…
Israel’s First Drone Strike Inside Egyptian Territory Kills Sinai Bedouin
Tikun Olam – A week ago or so I wrote here that given Barack Obama’s expansive interpretation of U.S. interests, which involves massive drone attacks against targets in multiple Middle Eastern and African countries, that it was only a matter of time before Israel did the same. And now…
Two-stater says the reality has shifted to one apartheid state
Mondoweiss – Here is another sign of the end of the two-state paradigm in the minds of those who were engaged in building two states. The dialogue project, bitterlemons , is closing down. From the two statements below, you can see that Palestinian intellectuals are growing increasingly resentful of…
VIDEO: Reaction to Jerusalem lynching – ‘I saw the whole beating, it’s a good thing that they beat the Arabs’
Mondoweiss – The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) has posted an English translation of a video that was produced by Ynet following the attack on several Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Zion Square on August 17th. These interviews were taken in Jerusalem’s Kikar Hahatulot (Cat Square) near the site…
VIDEO: Activists in Gaza say — Remember Rachel Corrie by supporting BDS
Mondoweiss – From the YouTube page : Palestinians in Gaza support the Corrie family on the eve of the verdict in their lawsuit against Israel over its 2003 killing of their daughter Rachel, as well as divestment from Caterpillar and the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
‘After Zionism’ at the Frontline Club
Mondoweiss – Antony Loewenstein wrote about a discussion he participated in in Tel Aviv around our jointly edited anthology, After Zionism . We were lucky enough to have an opportunity to speak about a one state future with Ghada Karmi and Dimi Reider in London recently. The Frontline Club…
Exile and the Prophetic: On empty suits and olive trees
Mondoweiss – This post is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page. In anticipation of the Tampa stage-set. I’m thinking about the Isaac weather – bucket loads of rain and high winds I hope…
Wary of Orthodox, Bus Ads Omit All People
The Foward Breaking News 27 Aug 2012 – In order to avoid any possibility of featuring women in ads and angering the ultra-Orthodox, the Egged bus company and the Canaan Media advertising company have decided to stop using any photos of people in Jerusalem bus ads. Click here for the rest of the article……
Bibi’s ‘Arrogance’ Pushed Ban Ki-Moon to Tehran
The Foward Breaking News 27 Aug 2012 – The pressure exercised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to cancel his trip to the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Tehran apparently boomeranged. According to blogger Colum Lynch, who provides reports and analysis on the United Nations for the Foreign Policy website, the…
QualComm Buys Israeli Chip Maker
The Foward Breaking News 27 Aug 2012 – San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc. acquired the Israeli chip manufacturer start-up DesignArt Networks for more than $150 million. Click here for the rest of the article…
Hotelier Seeks To Make Amends for Anti-Semitism
The Foward Breaking News 27 Aug 2012 – A Muslim hotel owner in Southern California condemned anti-Semitism and agreed to donate money to two pro-Israel groups in order to head off a protest rally. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: 74 Convicts Sentenced to Suspended One-Year Jail Term in Saudi Embassy Case
allAfrica.com 27 Aug 2012 – [Aswat Masriya]Egypt’s High State Security Court sentenced 74 convicts to a suspended one year jail term in the case of attacking the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Cairo and Giza security headquarters. It also sentenced Omar Afifi who is currently in the United States to five…
Zimbabwe: President Leaves for Nam Summit
allAfrica.com 27 Aug 2012 – [The Herald]President Mugabe left Zimbabwe last night to attend the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Teheran, Iran.
South Africa: Govt Concerned Over EU Iran Oil Sanctions
allAfrica.com 27 Aug 2012 – [SAnews.gov.za]Pretoria -South Africa will be sending a delegation to Brussels to discuss the impact on South Africa caused by the European Union-led sanctions on Iran crude oil exports.
Egypt: Bahraini Activist Denied Entrance to Country
allAfrica.com 27 Aug 2012 – [HRInfo]ANHRI denounced what was done by the security authorities at Cairo International Airport yesterday, corresponding to August 27 of the repressive and unjustified act, of detaining and preventing the Bahraini activist”Mariam El- Khawaja”, from entering Egypt due to allegation that she is on the list of…
Planned Events for the Week of Action!
Rachel Corrie Foundation 27 Aug 2012 – There are several events planned during the week of the Corrie verdict to show solidarity with the family of Rachel Corrie and all Palestinian families who have had their homes demolished by the Israel Defence Forces United States Houston, Texas Monday, 27 August, 3:00 pm Justice…
Syria helicopter down in Damascus
BBC 27 Aug 2012 – A Syrian helicopter comes down in the capital Damascus, state television reports, with rebels claiming they shot it down.
Egypt migrants killed in capsize
BBC 27 Aug 2012 – A boat carrying Egyptian migrants thought to be on their way to Europe capsizes in the Mediterranean, with more than 30 feared dead.
Gaza ‘not liveable by 2020’ – UN
BBC 27 Aug 2012 – Urgent action is needed to improve basic services in the Gaza Strip or it will not be “liveable” by 2020, according to a new UN report.
Corrie case verdict due in Israel
BBC 27 Aug 2012 – A ruling is expected in an Israeli court in the case of Rachel Corrie, the American activist crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003.
Lebanon: Inviting a Civil War
Al-Akhbar Opinion 27 Aug 2012 – During clashes in Mar Elias street in Beirut, 29 August 1983. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) During clashes in Mar Elias street in Beirut, 29 August 1983. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Twenty-two years have passed since the supposed end of the Lebanese Civil War, and militiamen are still able to terrify…
The Unseen and Unpunished Violence Against Palestinians
Al-Akhbar Opinion 27 Aug 2012 – Israeli soldiers and border policemen detain a Palestinian protester during a rally marking the “Nakba” in the West Bank village of Wallaje, near Bethlehem. (Photo: Reuters – Ammar Awad) Israeli soldiers and border policemen detain a Palestinian protester during a rally marking the “Nakba” in the…
Libyans protest Islamists’ destruction of shrines
Al-Akhbar News 27 Aug 2012 – Libyan activists and civil society groups on Monday urged the newly-elected parliament to intervene to protect the national heritage after Islamist hardliners destroyed shrines across the country. In a letter addressed to the General National Congress and its speaker, Mohammed al-Megarief, 17 groups also called for…
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherd
Al-Akhbar News 27 Aug 2012 – A Palestinian shepherd from the south Hebron hills was wounded in an attack by Israeli settlers Monday evening, Palestinian and Israeli military sources said. According to Palestinian medics and witnesses, Ismail Adara, a 65-year-old sheep shepherd from Bir el Eid, was in moderate to serious condition…
HRW demands investigation over attack on Palestinian protesters
Al-Akhbar News 27 Aug 2012 – Human Rights Watch called on Monday for the western-backed government of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to take urgent action against police officers responsible for beating demonstrators in the West Bank city of Ramallah. It said that during rallies on June 30 and July 1, “police severely…
Syrian archbishop flees to Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 27 Aug 2012 – The Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Aleppo has fled to Lebanon and his offices in the war-ravaged city have been looted, Vatican media said on Monday, amid fears over the fate of Christian minorities. Vatican radio and the missionary news agency Fides said Jean-Clement Jeanbart initially…
Tunisia president’s party re-elects head amid tensions
Al-Akhbar News 27 Aug 2012 – The Congress for the Republic, the Tunisian president’s party, has re-elected a minister who quit the government in June as their secretary general amid simmering tensions with the ruling Islamist party. The CPR announced early on Monday, at the end of its annual conference, that Mohammed…
Former Libyan rebels hand over weapons
Al-Akhbar News 27 Aug 2012 – The first rebel battalion in Benghazi began to hand over its weapons to the Libyan army Monday as many of the country’s former anti-Gaddafi fighters take part in a process of integration. The 200 member battalion announced the handover of all its light and medium weapons…
The Sluggish Reconstruction of Nahr al-Bared
Al-Akhbar Series and Features 27 Aug 2012 – The conflict between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam that raged from June to September 2007 destroyed a large chunk of this once-bustling camp and displaced nearly 30,000 Palestinian refugees. (Photo: AFP) The conflict between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam that raged from June to…
Selective Asylum and International Hypocrisy
Al-Akhbar Politics 27 Aug 2012 – Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gives two thumbs up to the media and his supporters from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on 19 August 2012. (Photo: AFP – Carl Court) Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gives two thumbs up to the media and his supporters…
Gaza: Mursi Disappoints
Al-Akhbar Politics 26 Aug 2012 – Palestinian men transport bags of cement through tunnels used for smuggling goods, including food, fuel and building materials, along the Gaza-Egypt border in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 23 August 2012. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Abed) Palestinian men transport bags of cement through tunnels…
Articles
Lynching ‘Demographic Threats’
Yousef Munayyer, 8/23/2012
Last week I wrote about the racism involved in Zionism’s constant planning of demographic engineering in Israel and how common such a racist principle is in the mainstream discourse. Three hours after the piece was posted, a lynch mob in Jerusalem ganged up on three Palestinian Arabs and beat Jamal Julani within an inch of his life. Police said it was a miracle he didn’t die.
This is nothing more than the inevitable trajectory of a colonialist ideology, like Zionism, imposing itself on a non-Zionist native population.
Of course, this is not an isolated incident. This occurs in the context of rising Israeli settler terrorism which has reached record levels with every passing year of the last decade. And while settler terrorism is reaching new levels, it is not new. Numerous settler terror attacks took place in the 1980s and 1990s, including many bombings and shootings which left Palestinian civilians dead or injured. The day of the lynch attempt, settlers threw a fire bomb at a Palestinian car near Bethlehem injuring 5 and destroyed olive groves in Hebron. On Tuesday settlers attempted to set a house on fire near Nablus. Arson attempts were repeated the next day in a different Nablus area village where cars were also vandalized and a Palestinian child was hit by a settler vehicle in Hebron’s old city (the second time a Palestinian child is run over in the Hebron area in as many weeks.) All of this, of course, happened in the span of one week.
About 90% of Palestinian complaints against such violence are dismissed or ignored by the Israeli legal system. Sometimes, convictions are handed down, but punishments for this sort of violence are notoriously light. Take, for example, the case of Tzevi Struck. He was convicted of kidnapping, aggravated battery and multiple counts of assault against a 15 year-old Palestinian child who was found beaten unconscious, naked and bound in an open field. In the US, federal sentencing guidelines for kidnapping alone are a minimum 121 months, and if we add the complicating factors of battery and assault plus the age of the victim, here in America the penalty would almost certainly be vastly more severe. Struck, however, was sentenced to only 30 months. more.. e-mail
Why the American silence on Israel?
George S. Hishmeh, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 8/23/2012
It is a fact of life that in an American national elections, held once in four years, foreign policy is not a contentious issue. But this time around the policies of Israel, a revered ally of various US administrations, has time and again hit the front pages and, occasionally, the opinion pages of leading US newspapers but with hardly any serious criticism.
Coincidentally, several former senior government officials who played major roles in US Mideast policies, have voiced their opinions in lengthy articles in leading newspapers and magazines. But hardly any of them had exhorted US leaders for failing to compel Israel to reach, for a start, an honourable settlement with the Palestinians, for example, offering to end their 45-year-old occupation of about one-fifth of the original state.
Among the writers were Henry A. Kissinger, the former secretary of state; Dennis Ross, a special assistant to President Barack Obama on the Middle East until his resignation last December when he joined the pro-Israel think-tank, Washington Institute on Near East Policy (WINEP;) and Aaron D. Miller, an adviser to six secretaries of state and now a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Centre.
Kissinger wrote in The Washington Post on August 5 that US efforts in this respect “must be placed within a framework of USstrategic interests” and “requires that the various aspirants to a new order in the Middle East recognise that our contribution to their efforts will be measured by their compatibility with our interests and values.” He seemed concerned about the direction of the recent uprisings in the Middle East, wondering whether they serve “our and global interests or the means to achieve them”. Furthermore, he continued, “how do we handle the economic assistance, which may be the best, if not the only, means to influence the evolution. more.. e-mail
Was Netanyahu behind Yad Vashem protest?
Michael Robeson, Asia Times 8/25/2012
Why couldn’t Neo-Nazis or Arabs have been the ones to deface Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, last June? It would have been so much easier to condemn the usual suspects for spewing their undying animus against Jews, especially during a time in which Israelis were treated to the first “Miss Holocaust Survivor” Beauty Pageant, an event that was attended by two of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s Cabinet members.
Instead, in an attack described by Yad Vashem’s chairman Avner Shalev as a “callous expression of burning hatred”, the culprits turned out to be several Israeli Jews and their hatred was directed instead, in Shalev’s words “against Zionists and Zionism”.
The graffiti included some eyebrow raisers like “If Hitler hadn’t existed, the Zionists would have invented him.” And, “You (Zionists) declared war on Hitler in the name of the Jewish people. You brought about the Shoah!”
And perhaps most scandalously, “The Zionists wanted the Holocaust!” Accompanying these statements was a crude sketch of the iconic entrance to Auschwitz with a Star of David leading to the gate. Hardly the script for a Spielberg film.
An attack on Yad Vashem, the Holy of Holies only after Auschwitz, would normally be 24/7’d in Israel with politicians, like Bibi Netanyahu, assuring their voters that this kind of atrocity would never occur again, and with Abraham Foxman issuing his usual warnings about the global rise of anti-Semitism.
But the Israeli press has downplayed the attack, and the New York Times has given it scant attention, and for good reason. The perpetrators themselves destroy the usual image of anti-Semites; and their shocking graffiti statements greatly complicate the issue of how “hate crimes” and “hate speech” are currently defined. No Arab or Neo-Nazi could have succeeded, like this, in putting a couple of specifically kosher wrenches in the works of wielding “anti-Semitism” as a weapon. more.. e-mail
Analysis: A Tunnel-free Future for Gaza?
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Aug 2012 – By 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, Egypt alleges, fighters into the Sinai. But Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, sees this as an opportunity. Publicly and in discussions with Egyptian officials, Hamas has been pushing to use the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza for commercial trade. Ghazi Hamad, deputy minister of foreign affairs, has said a free trade zone might soon “liberate Gaza”. “Once the Rafah crossing operates as a hub for goods, the tunnels will become history,” Azzam Shawwa, a former Minister of Energy in the Palestinian Authority (PA), told IRIN. The tunnels are the main commercial trade routes in and out of the…more
Arrigoni’s Murder Trial in Gaza: Answers Not Just a Verdict
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Aug 2012 – By Ramzy Baroud There was once a young man from a very small Italian town called Bulciago who wished to change the world. As soon as he finished his exams, he began his quest. He travelled near and far, and when he arrived in Jerusalem in 2002, he knew he had found his calling. In 2008, that young man, Vittorio Arrigoni, sailed the high seas on a small boat. His purpose was to help end the siege imposed on a long-suffering population living in the tiny Gaza Strip. In a journal entry that was recently published in a much anticipated book, Freedom Sailors, Arrigoni wrote: “History is us; History is not cowardly governments; with their loyalty to whoever has the strongest military; History is made by ordinary people.” Vittorio’s history sees ‘ordinary people’ as actors who can change the world: courageous sailors who can challenge great military powers, doctors dashing…more
Iran and the Brunt of Nuclear Crucifixion
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Aug 2012 – By Ismail Salami – Tehran With over 2000 highly operational nuclear weapons already in the world, it seems ridiculously ironic to try to attribute global insecurity to Iranian nuclear energy program which the US, Israel and some western countries claim to include military purposes. In a recent report, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has published satellite imagery which it claims indicates ‘pink colored material’ covering a building at a sensitive military site in Iran which UN inspectors wish to visit. They claim the tarp at the Parchin military complex may be an effort to hide clean-up work. This think tank institute is run by David Albright who garnered extreme notoriety over the lies he spread about Iraq’s alleged WMDs. In fact, it is widely believed that Mr. Albright’s ubiquitous lies infernally contributed to the outbreak of the US-led invasion of Iraq, wreaking a humanitarian havoc upon the…more
Any Chance Today for a Non-Aligned Movement?
Palestine Chronicle: 27 Aug 2012 – By Ernest Corea – Washington, D.C. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s decision to attend the sixteenth summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM16) in Tehran from August 26 to 31 follows the precedent set by his predecessors and reaffirms the interlinked relationship between the UN and NAM. NAM has been described as the largest politically-oriented body in the world, second in membership to the Group of 77 and China. Most of NAM’s members are UN members as well. Issues explored by NAM have been and are on the UN agenda too, and in several instances the positions taken by NAM, although sometimes opposed in other forums, have prevailed at the UN. The Secretary-General’s judgment that he should attend the summit effectively dismissed suggestions that he should not do so, because of its location – which was determined and announced three years ago when the previous NAM summit was held in Sharm el-Sheikh (…more
The Dispensability of the Abbas Regime
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Aug 2012 – By Ludwig Watzal When Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Ehud Barak are not demonising Iran and its leadership, their colleague Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman starts talking, or even better, writing bizarre things. In a letter to the Middle Eastern Quartet (US, Russia, EU and UN) he called for the ousting of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas whose term has already expired in 2010. The letter is a hodgepodge of statements about Mahmoud Abbas’ alleged shortcomings and of Israel’s alleged concessions. Beyond that the letter is plainly embarrassing. That the former Moldovian bouncer and today’s settler (Lieberman) has such a political leeway shows that Netanyahu is not in charge of his cabinet. After the child has already fallen into the well, Netanyahu and Barak declared that Lieberman’s position is not that of the Israeli government. In an orderly functioning democratic political system such a minister would be dismissed….more
Restoring Syria’s Uprising to the Syrian People
Palestine Chronicle: 26 Aug 2012 – By Jamal Kanj The defection on 6 August of Syrian Prime Minister Riad Farid Hijab was a public relation blow to the regime of Bashar Assad but had no other significance. In Syria, power is in the hands of a security apparatus controlled by the Assad clan. Despite months of street protests, the Assad regime – a typical specimen of autocratic systems – proved incapable of reforming. It is simply against the laws of nature for a totalitarian system to transform itself into a democracy. What started as a civil uprising and a genuine extension of the Arab Spring has now been transformed into a full blown military conflict. The ruthless killings from both sides are polarizing Syrians across ethnic and religious lines and pushing the country further into the abyss of dissection. The militarization of the civil protests has also resulted in a shift of power from the streets…more
Evidence in Delhi Embassy Bombing Suggests Journalist Was Framed
Dissident Voice: 27 Aug 2012 – (IPS) — New Delhi police officials have released hundreds of pages of documents from their investigation into the February 13 bombing of an Israeli Embassy car. The documents aimed to show that a well-known Indian Muslim journalist aided an Iranian conspiracy to plan and carry out the bombing. But a review by IPS of the evidence filed in the case suggests that the Indian journalist accused in the case has been framed by the police, at least in part to implicate the Iranians in the terror plot. The “charge sheet” on the embassy car bombing filed by the “Special Cell” (SC) of the Delhi police July 31 claims Indian journalist Syed Mohommed Ahmad Kazmi confessed to helping officials from Iran plan the bombing plot in return for payments totalling 5,500 U.S. dollars. It also says that a moped used for reconnaissance by the Iranian said to have carried out the…more
Tehran NAM Summit: the Failure of Anti-Iranian Plots
Dissident Voice: 27 Aug 2012 – The 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement kicked off in the Iranian capital of Tehran on August 25 and the heads of state and government of the 120-member organization are slated to meet on August 30 and 31 to discuss the most important international developments ranging from the violence and crisis in Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to Iran’s nuclear program. During the summit, the rotating presidency of NAM will be conferred to Iran by Egypt which has held the movement’s presidency since 2009. Consisting of nearly two-thirds of the United Nations body, the Non-Aligned Movement is the second largest international organization, and its members are said to be politically independent of the world’s great powers; namely, the United States and its European allies. As the Cuban revolutionary President Fidel Castro stated, the ultimate objective of the movement is to foster “the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned…more
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The New Dark Age 