9 November 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
PCHR Weekly Report: 3 Palestinians killed, 14 wounded by Israeli forces in last two weeks
IMEMC – In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the two week period of 24 Oct. -07 Nov. 2012, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian suffering from epilepsy in the central Gaza Strip. 2 Palestinian resistance members were killed by an airstrike in the Gaza Strip. …
Hamas Prohibits Public Commemoration of Yasser Arafat In Gaza
IMEMC – The Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip, informed senior Fateh leaders in the coastal enclave that public commemorations and activities marking the eighth anniversary of the death of Fateh leader, and late Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, will be prohibited. …
Soldiers Injured As Fighters Target Soldiers Invading Khan Younis
IMEMC – Israeli media sources reported that several soldiers were injured, on Thursday evening, after Palestinian fighters fired shells at Israeli forces who invaded an area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. …
Ashton: “New Israeli Settlements Bids, Regrettable”
IMEMC – European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, stated that the new Israeli decision to announce bids for new constructions meant at expanding two Israeli settlements in occupied Jerusalem, is regrettable and leads to further complicates the situation. …
Israel evacuates hundreds of Palestinians to conduct army training
11/9/2012 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — Hundreds of Palestinians are being evacuated from the northern Jordan Valley to make way for an Israeli military training exercise, local officials told Ma’an. Villagers received orders this week from the Israeli army to leave their homes for the duration of the exercise, which begins on Sunday. Aqaba and….
Hamas brigades claim attack on Israeli military in Gaza
11/9/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The military wing of Hamas says it detonated a roadside bomb targeting the Israeli military in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday evening. The Al-Qassam Brigades said the bomb, east of Khan Younis, was a response to Israeli incursions into Gaza and attacks on Palestinians, particularly the killing of a….
UNRWA chief: Palestinian refugees sidelined, ignored, undermined
11/10/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The sidelining of Palestinian refugees could have dire consequences for regional stability, UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi has warned.” Ignored and undermined, Palestinian hopes for a better future have never been as low as they are today. Predicting the outcome of collective hopelessness is not difficult; we all know what frustration and….
Israeli forces stop weekly Kufr Qaddoum protest
11/9/2012 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Friday suppressed a weekly march in Kufr Qadoum against settlements. The march was organized by Fatah on the eighth anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death, and as part of a campaign leading up to Palestine’s UN upgrade in status this month. Israeli soldiers attacked participants….
An alternative aid agenda for Palestinians
11/10/2012 – By Nadia Hijab, Alaa Tartir and Jeremy Wildeman – In an earlier piece on Maan, we analyzed the persistence failure of the World Bank’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territory and argued for alternative models of international aid that “challenge the status quo while enabling Palestinians to survive.” It is often easier to criticize….
Official: 51 states ‘undecided’ over Palestinian UN bid
11/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fifty-one countries are undecided over whether to support in its bid to become a non-member state of the UN, an Arab League official said Friday. Mohammad Sbeih, secretary-general of Palestinian affairs at the Arab League, said 115 states were expected to vote for the upgrade while 27 countries would not support….
Israel warns Assad over stray Syrian fire on Golan
11/9/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel warned Syrian President Bashar Assad on Friday to prevent his anti-insurgency sweeps from spilling over into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, saying it was prepared to defend itself. The Golan, lost by Damascus in the 1967 Middle East war and mostly quiet for decades, was repeatedly hit by what the Israelis described as….
Report: Syrian teen arrested entering Golan
11/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers from a canine unit arrested a 17-year-old Syrian teen on Thursday morning after he crossed a ceasefire line into the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, reports said. The Israeli settler news agency Arutz Sheva said the army unit’s dogs caught the teenager and bit him. The report….
PLO circulating UN draft resolution
11/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A draft United Nations resolution asking the General Assembly to upgrade Palestine’s status in the world body has been distributed to 192 states but not Israel. PLO sources say the draft is being discussed as the basis for the resolution which will seek to upgrade Palestine’s status….
Palestinian man murdered near Jerusalem
11/9/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A 50-year-old man was found murdered near Anata village in Jerusalem on Thursday, Palestinian Authority police said. Ghassan Odah, a taxi driver from Anata, went missing after leaving for work on Wednesday morning. His family notified police, who found his body on Thursday. Police said Odah had been killed with….
Medics: Man found hanged in northern Gaza
11/9/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 30-year-old man was found hanged on Friday in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said. An autopsy will be conducted on the man’s body, medics told Ma’an. [END]
Egypt detains ‘Jihadist leader’ in Sinai
11/9/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities have detained a Jihadist leader in Sinai, security officials announced Friday. Mohammad Abdullah Abed al-Rahman, a well-known leader in a Jihadist organization, was detained on Wednesday morning by the Egyptian authorities. Al-Rahman is accused of plotting clashes between the police and the army. [END]
Syria opposition seen uniting after US, Qatari push
11/9/2012 – DOHA (Reuters) — Syria’s fractious opposition, under pressure from the United States and Qatar to unite, looked likely on Friday to agree to form an inclusive new opposition body that would serve as a unity government if Bashar Assad falls. Qatar, which has bankrolled the opposition to Assad and played a leading role in….
US intelligence official: CIA Director Petraeus resigns
11/9/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — CIA Director David Petraeus has submitted a letter of resignation to President Barack Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Friday.” Dave’s decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants,” Clapper said in a statement without giving a reason for….
Obama accepts Petraeus resignation, voices confidence in CIA
11/9/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Barack Obama on Friday accepted the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, praised him as as one of the most outstanding generals of his generation and expressed confidence that the intelligence agency would continue to thrive. Petraeus, a highly decorated former combat commander who took over at the CIA in 2011, said….
Israel blames Hamas for Gaza blast
AlJazeera 9 Nov 2012 – Defence minister says Hamas responsible for injury of soldier on border, after “detonation of an explosive tunnel”.
Israeli Occupation Sentences a Jordanian to 30 Months in Prison over Involvement with Hamas Movement
Palestine News Network
Interrogation of Addameer Researcher, Ayman Nasser, Extended Once Again
Palestine News Network
An Italian Peace Activist Injured, Dozens Suffocated During Bil’in Weekly March
Palestine News Network
Israeli Occupation Forces Raid Hebron Governorate, Set Military Checkpoints at its Main Entrances
Palestine News Network
The Persistent Battle on Rampant Sexual Harassment in Egypt
Palestine News Network
Ashton Deeply Regrets the Publication of Tenders to Expand Israeli Settlements
Palestine News Network
MADA :Support the Campaign of Solidarity with Shtayyeh and all Journalists
Palestine News Network
63%: Politics and Palestinian Youth
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Receives AECID Delegation
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
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Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
2 Internationals hit by tear gas canisters at the Bil’in weekly demonstration
11/9/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Vicky Blackwell, 9th November 2012, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – Today, during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Bil’in, 2 international activists were struck by tear gas canisters shot by the Israeli army. One Italian activist was struck by a canister in the leg and an American activist was struck….
Settler attacks Palestinian man in Hebron – Israeli soldiers look on
11/9/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – 9th November 2012, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On Thursday in Hebron, Palestinian activist Imad Al Atrash was beaten by an illegal Israeli settler whilst two soldiers watched, without intervening. Imad reports that he was walking through an olive grove in Tel Rumeida when a man from a nearby illegal settlement shouted abuse at him….
GOP plots the way forward after Obama victory
The National 9 Nov 2012 – During the election campaign, Republicans generally pandered to fears among a predominantly white constituency that immigrants were taking their jobs.
Cancer screen follow-up shunned
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Women are failing to attend follow-up breast cancer screening appointments, putting themselves at risk.
Drone attack unlikely to derail US-Iran relations
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Washington insists its Predator drone was fired on in international airspace east of Kuwait but Tehran maintains its airspace was violated. Just 6.5 kilometres separates those boundaries.
Syrian opposition move towards deal
The National 9 Nov 2012 – The new council, which will likely be announced on Saturday, would broaden the range of opposition forces under a single umbrella and increase the representation of Syria-based dissidents and rebel fighters.
Sheikh Sultan’s gift to destroyed Egyptian science academy
The National 9 Nov 2012 –
Multiple-entry visa is introduced by decree
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Available to property owners, businessmen and cruise tourists. Property owners will be allowed entries within six months tourist visas are only for cruise-line passengers and business valid for one month only.
Preventive treatment ‘should be insured’
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Preventative health care is often limited to those who are affluent and it is realm of the rich, medical experts say.
Timely discovery for one heart patient
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Early detection a benefit of personalised health care.
Date trees prospering from irrigation
The National 9 Nov 2012 – With 41 million date palms in the UAE and less than 100mm of rain annually, the trees are a major drain on the country¿s limited water supplies.
Kejriwal takes aim at Swiss bank account holders
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Arvind Kejriwal said HSBC was expediting the flow of black money – a term for money that is not declared to tax authorities – into accounts in its Geneva branch.
Report: Iran, UN nuclear agency plan December talks
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
Israel warns Assad over stray Syrian fire on Golan Heights
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
U.S. Senators pushing for tougher sanctions on Iran, to the point of bankruptcy
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
Netanyahu can relax, Obama won’t punish him
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
Palestinians distribute draft resolution on UN status upgrade
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
State wants to delay Ulpana evacuation to January 15
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Families living in Israeli towns discover paroled pedophiles down the street
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Ancient well reveals secrets of first Jezreel Valley farmers
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Holocaust survivors’ compensation fund runs out of money, rejects needy applications
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Thousands of Islamists protest for sharia in Egypt
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Calls for the implementation of Islamic law intensify as Egyptian lawmakers near completion of new constitution.
Harvard ‘deeply troubled’ by row over Israeli buffet
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Business School responds to former student’s criticism, description of Israeli dining station as affront to Arabs.
UN official: 4 million needy in Syria by early 2013
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Concern for welfare of Syrian people heightens after Turkey announces that 8,000 Syrian refugees enter country in 24 hrs.
Ireland supports a ban on settlement products
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Irish FM says his country would support, on moral grounds, EU ban of Israeli products manufactured across Green Line.
Jonathan Pollard not bearing grudge against Peres
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Jailed former Israeli spy reacts to his handler’s admission that Pollard was incriminated under orders from Shimon Peres.
Iran, UN nuclear agency plan December talks
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – IAEA announces plans to hold nuclear talks with Iran on December 13th; diplomatic mission to be headed by Herman Nackaerts, chief UN nuclear inspector; previous round of talks held in August failed to make progress.
Yacimovich defends victims after Sagi quits Labor
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Sexual harassment victims cannot be forced to come forward, Labor leader tells primary panel, advocates equality in Labor.
Turkey says 8,000 Syrians flee in past 24 hours
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Twenty-six Syrian army officers defect to Turkey overnight, officials say; government fortifies state buildings in Damascus.
Ya’alon: We’ve sent warning messages to Syria
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Strategic affairs minister says Israel knows how to defend itself should Syria violence begin “spilling in our direction.”
Battling the post-election blues
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – For those intensely following presidential campaigns, feelings of “morning after” can include, disbelief, de-realization.
Hebrew U research: Swing with your hormones
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Eating complex carbs in the evening helps to lose weight, feeling full and lowers risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Study: Israeli youth more negative than other teens
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – New study shows Israeli youth display more negative behavior, spend more time on computers than their European counterparts.
FM heads to Vienna to thwart Palestinian UN bid
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – FM warns of “far-reaching implications” to PA statehood bid; Fatah official: Bid will mark an end to Oslo Accords.
Holon hospital denounces near fatal home birth
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Wolfson Medical Center calls for Health Ministry investigation on midwife who delivered baby that almost died.
Research finds undersea gas leaks in Haifa Bay
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Geophysics researchers find natural active gas springs leaking on Haifa Bay sea floor, scientists don’t yet know if gas is usable.
J’lem parley to tackle challenges of ‘mixed cities’
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Conference is set to examine new ways to improve the quality of life for different populations that live in Jerusalem.
Belgium rejects putting Hezbollah on EU terror list
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Brussels prefers isolating armed subgroups or individuals to classifying Hezbollah as a whole as a terrorist organization.
Gazans set off explosives in massive tunnel
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – No one was injured by the blast, but a jeep which was in the area was blown sideways by the force of the blast.
Peres inaugurates Russian Jewish museum
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Museum includes section on persecution experienced by Jews in former USSR; project to help normalize interfaith relations.
‘We should be jealous of haredi unity in US’
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Agudat Yisrael’s Israel branch is comprised predominantly of hassidic dynasties and is one of two parties in the UTJ Knesset.
Politics: Keys to a successful Netanyahu-Obama relationship
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – No surprises, no political interference, no daylight.
Another Tack: Shelly’s macho-man mentor
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – In this treacherous neighborhood our guiding motto should always be caveat emptor – buyer beware.
Into the Fray: Abu who?
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – It is difficult to conceive of anything more imbecilic than the debate raging over whether Mahmoud Abbas’s recent declarations are sincere.
Column One: A time for courage – and action
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Israel’s demographic and economic power have been largely ignored and undervalued.
Starcatcher: Astrology for week of November 9
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – TIP FOR THE WEEK: Breakdown in communication could cause a few uncomfortable moments, but will soon pass.
Veterens: Crystal clear memories of Kristallnacht
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – John Katten tells of the night the synagogue in Bamberg, of which his father was spiritual leader, was burned to the ground – and how they escaped.
Parshat Hayei Sara: The anonymous Eliezer
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Hayei Sara comprises 2 chapters in Genesis: Chapter 23 dealing with matriarch Sarah, and 24 with the selection of a wife for Isaac.
Iran’s strike on US drone demonstrates the fragility of uneasy peace
The Guardian 9 Nov 2012 – Western officials warn that minority elements on both sides have vested interest in triggering ‘spoiler’ incident that leads to war A mid-air incident in which Iranian warplanes opened fire on a US surveillance drone high over…
The Middle East greets Barack Obama’s re-election with a shrug | Issandr El Amrani
The Guardian 9 Nov 2012 – President Obama cannot offer grand solutions to the Middle East’s problems, and Arabs are not expecting him to What a difference four years can make. In 2008, Barack Obama‘s victory turned into a worldwide celebration . Just…
Palestine activism on campus and beyond: overcoming Israel’s efforts to erase history
Uruknet
Tunnel closures exacerbate Gaza housing crisis
Uruknet
Egypt To Continue Demolishing Border Tunnels
Uruknet
Syria Closes Hamas Offices In Damascus
Uruknet
Who Will Watch the Watchmen? Amnesty International and the Human Rights Industry
Uruknet
Stripped of my clothes, my father, but not of my right to return
Uruknet
To Honor the Value of a Single Life: The First Murder
Uruknet
Palestinians Barred from Studying in West Bank
Uruknet
Video: As distraught villagers watch, Israel destroys homes with Caterpillar, Hyundai equipment
Uruknet
‘A taboo subject, being tackled by a woman’
Daily Star 9 Nov 2012 In a Q&A session during the premiere of her first short fiction film at the Busan International Film Festival, Lebanese film director Farah Shaer was asked how her film, I Offered You Pleasure, was allowed to…
Facing the rain with storm-proof style
Daily Star 9 Nov 2012 As the thunderstorms and temperature dip into the mid-teens this weekend, Beirut will break out its rain gear for another season of numbing wetness.
A literary pick and mix from Iraq and beyond
Daily Star 9 Nov 2012 If you see the lion’s teeth, the 10th-century Abbasid poet Mutanabbi advised, do not think that the lion is smiling at you. This tip for recognizing danger did not save him from an untimely death, however.
Egyptian Islamists rally for Shariah law
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Syria opposition bloc elects Christian as leader
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Iran says repelled unidentified plane from its airspace
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
CIA director quits over extramarital affair
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Obama says open to compromise in talks on fiscal cliff
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Childish weapon
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – Op-ed: Palestinians using kids to provoke soldiers realize picture worth a thousand words ….
Palestinian Information Center
Palestinian child killed in Gaza by Israeli gunfire
PIC – A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was fatally shot on Thursday by Israeli helicopter gunfire during incursion by the occupation forces in the southern Gaza Strip.
Syrian security forces storm Office of Hamas leader Ezzat Rishq
PIC – Hamas movement announced that the Syrian security services raided on Thursday the Office of member of its Political Bureau, Ezzat Rishq, and closed it after confiscating the cars belonging to it.
IOF cut down dozens of olive trees south of Bethlehem
PIC – Israeli Occupation Forces ( IOF) cut down on Thursday dozens of olive trees from land belonging to Palestinians in the village of al-Nahalin, west of Bethlehem.
Clashes erupt during Israeli raid into the town of al-Yamoun
PIC – Clashes erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli occupation soldiers who raided the town of al-Yamoun west of Jenin. The IOF soldiers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
IOF displace the Jordan Valley’s residents under pretext of military exercises
PIC – The northern Jordan Valley has been recently witnessing mass deportations, to be added to relentless campaigns of house demolitions, chasing the citizens, arresting shepherds..
Families of Marmara victims: We will continue to pursue Israeli war criminals
PIC – The families of the Turkish martyrs, killed in the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara ship confirmed they will continue to pursue the Israeli officials for their crime.
A leader in Fath opposes Abbas’s position on visiting occupied Jerusalem
PIC – Fatah official in charge of the Jerusalem file, Hatem Abdel Qader, has considered the non-Palestinian visits to occupied Jerusalem as a recognition to the legitimacy of Israeli occupation.
Tunisia: arrangements for the Palestinian prisoners’ conference are complete
PIC – The General Director of the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies confirmed that all arrangements relating to the International Conference on Palestinian prisoners have been completed..
Qassam brigades target Israeli soldiers invading Khan Younis
PIC – The Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for firing shells, on Thursday evening, at Israeli forces which invaded an area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Syria border fighting sends 8,000 fleeing to Turkey
LA Times 9 Nov 2012 – The total of 11,000 who fled the country in 24 hours is one of the largest since the Syrian conflict began, underscoring the crisis for civilians. BEIRUT — Fierce fighting in a border town in northeastern Syrian sent about 8,000 people fleeing into neighboring Turkey…
Iran confirms its planes fired on U.S. drone
LA Times 9 Nov 2012 – Iran says the Predator drone was over Iranian territorial waters; the Pentagon says the spy plane was in international airspace. It was not damaged. WASHINGTON — Iran’s government confirmed Friday that two of its warplanes fired at a U.S. surveillance drone flying over the Persian…
Syria President Bashar Assad warns against foreign invasion
LA Times 8 Nov 2012 – He says an invasion by the West would lead to a global catastrophe. Meanwhile, opposition factions struggle to form a coalition and the Red Cross says the crisis is growing too fast. BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar Assad predicted a global catastrophe should the West…
Israel historian Benny Morris responds to critics left and right
LA Times 8 Nov 2012 – The writer once riled right-wingers with his research on the 1948 war and the Palestinian refugee problem, but his political views have changed. JERUSALEM — Historian Benny Morris has a knack for enraging Israelis of every political stripe.
Draft Egyptian Constitution Adopts a Role for Religion
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – A compromise in the constituent assembly accepted that “the principles of Islamic law” should guide law, but leaves it up to Parliament and the courts to determine how and what.
Syrian Refugee Flow Escalates Sharply
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The United Nations reported that 11,000 Syrians fled on Friday, the vast majority of them clambering for safety over the Turkish border.
In Syria, Missteps by Rebels Erode Their Support
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The Syrian public is increasingly disgusted with the actions of some rebels, including poorly planned missions, senseless destruction, criminal behavior and the coldblooded killing of prisoners.
Syria Opposition Meets to Seek Unity
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The opposition was locked in extended bartering over the creation of a more diverse yet unified umbrella organization, as President Bashar al-Assad warned against foreign intervention in a rare interview.
Palestinians Renew Push for Enhanced U.N. Status
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The distribution of a draft resolution to all United Nations member states is the first practical act in an effort likely to pit the Palestinians against Israel.
Iran Confirms Firing on U.S. Drone, Saying It Entered Airspace
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – Iran’s defense minister on Friday confirmed that Iranian warplanes had fired shots at an American drone last week but said they had taken the action after the unmanned aircraft had entered Iranian airspace.
Iran Fired on Military Drone in First Such Attack, U.S. Says
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – Pentagon officials said that while a surveillance drone targeted in international airspace over the Persian Gulf last week was not hit, the incident prompted a strong protest to Tehran.
Tensions rise as Iran shoots at American predator drone and covert war heats up
Mondoweiss – An MQ-1 Predator drone. (Photo: Reuters) The American and Israeli covert war against Iran has been cranked up a notch over the last few days and representatives of Iran and the Pentagon are engaged in some rhetorical sparring over another drone incident , so far with no…
Netanyahu’s reliance on Arthur Finkelstein led him to completely misread the US presidential race
Mondoweiss – One of the more entertaining subplots to emerge since Tuesday’s U.S. election has been learning how absolutely ” shellshocked ” the Romney campaign was by the loss. They totally didn’t see it coming and it seems much of their misplaced optimism was due to a ” super-secret, super-duper vote…
Irish Foreign Minister plans to push for EU ban on settlement products
Mondoweiss – Ireland will be taking over as President of the Council of the European Union at the beginning of 2013, and Haaretz reports it will use the position to push for an EU ban on settlement products: Ireland is planning to utilize its upcoming term as President…
Following Abbas statement on right of return, Palestinian youth in Lebanon call for end to Oslo and the Palestinian Authority
Mondoweiss – The statement below was issued today at a protest in Beirut outside the Palestinian embassy. It follows an interview Mahmoud Abbas gave to Israeli television where he said he has no right to live on the land he was displaced from inside Israel. This was understood…
Exile and the Prophetic: Obama’s (and our) Jewish politics
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. During the Presidential election some wondered about the Jewish vote and whether it would continue to be overwhelmingly Democratic. One pundit argued…
Is Israel finally pushing Palestinians out of the Jordan Valley? — Over 1,000 evacuated from Jordan Valley villages for Israeli military exercise
Mondoweiss – Ma’an reports : Hundreds of Palestinians are being evacuated from the northern Jordan Valley to make way for an Israeli military training exercise, local officials told Ma’an. Villagers received orders this week from the Israeli army to leave their homes for the duration of the exercise, which…
Medical Aid Fund Turns Away Holocaust Survivors
The Foward Breaking News 9 Nov 2012 – A fund that helps Israeli Holocaust survivors pay medical expenses told recipients that it would stop receiving applications until next year, citing an overflow of requests. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Riled Over Palestinian U.N. Bid: Oren
The Foward Breaking News 9 Nov 2012 – The Palestinian Authority’s bid for an upgrade in U.N. status is of immediate concern in the U.S.-Israel relationship, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren said in a post-U.S. election interview. Click here for the rest of the article…
Ghana: Israeli Experts Join Rescue
allAfrica.com 9 Nov 2012 – [Ghanaian Chronicle]An eight-member Israeli special rescue team arrived yesterday to complement rescue efforts by a combined security team in Ghana to rescue trapped persons under the debris of the collapsed Melcom Shopping Mall.
Mauritania: Mauritania to Import Iraq Anti-Terror Techniques
allAfrica.com 9 Nov 2012 – [Magharebia]Nouakchott -Faced with surging terror threats from abroad and within, Mauritania is willing to employ the experience of Iraq’s tribal forces.
Christian activist to head SNC
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, chooses a Christian as its leader amid tense talks in Qatar over the group’s future.
Netanyahu’s Nightmare
Sabbah report 9 Nov 2012 – “The night Netanyahu won’t forget” and “the astonishment that seized Netanyahu and his advisers this week was absolute” were typical comments. “Spitting on America’s Face,” was the harsher comment of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who after being acquitted by the court, is becoming increasingly active…
CNN claims Iran shot at a US drone, revealing the news network’s mindset
Sabbah report 9 Nov 2012 – That CNN’s prime mission is to serve the US government is hardly news. But given the magnitude of these kinds of accusations – their obvious ability, if not intent, to bolster animosity on the part of the US public toward Iran and heighten tensions between the…
Uzi Arad: Israel’s Dr. Strangelove
Sabbah report 9 Nov 2012 – Uniting Netanyahu and Lieberman is bad enough. Combined with Uzi Arad’s influence makes it combustible. They deplore peace. They spurn democratic values. Why Israelis tolerate them they’ll have to explain. They should vote them out of office instead. Uzi Arad: Israel’s Dr. Strangelove was published by…
A Zionist Tribute to Fred Halliday (I): A Critique of Susie Linfield’s Review in The Nation
Al-Akhbar Blogs 9 Nov 2012 – The Nation magazine has long ceased to be a leftist magazine. It has served for years now as a mere propaganda sheet for the Democratic Party. On foreign policy, it has pretty much adhered to the Zionism of Amos Oz: the Zionism that accepts and approves…
The Future Movement Without Wissam al-Hassan
Al-Akhbar Opinion 9 Nov 2012 – Samir Geagea, ordered more security at his main headquarters and for his entourage. (Photo: Haytham AlMoussawi) Samir Geagea, ordered more security at his main headquarters and for his entourage. (Photo: Haytham AlMoussawi) The assassination of Gen. Wissam al-Hassan has begun to cast it shadow over the…
UN asks South Sudan to reverse investigator’s expulsion
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – The United Nations on Friday called on South Sudan to reverse the expulsion of a human rights investigator looking into abuses in the newly independent African country. UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said the South Sudan government has still not given a “satisfactory” explanation for…
Moroccans demand release of rights activist
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Dozens of Moroccan and foreign activists demonstrated Friday in front of a Rabat courthouse where a Guinean advocate for sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco is being tried in what the demonstrators called part of a wider crackdown. Laye Camara, the founder of the Council of Sub-Saharan Migrants…
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Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – 6 November 2012 Fudan University’s student members of the Chinese Communist Party stand in formation to create the party’s emblem, a hammer and sickle, to mark the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which kicked off on Thursday, in Shanghai. (Photo: Reuters…
Yarmouk Refugee Camp Divided Over Syrian Crisis
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Syrians feed pigeons at Marjeh Square in the capital Damascus on 7 November 2012. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid) Syrians feed pigeons at Marjeh Square in the capital Damascus on 7 November 2012. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid) The situation in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp…
Iran: Nations that stockpile nuclear weapons “retarded”
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Nations that stockpile nuclear weapons are “mentally retarded,” Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a meeting in Indonesia Thursday while insisting his country’s nuclear ambitions are limited to peaceful purposes. “The period and era of using nuclear weapons is over…Nuclear bombs are not anymore helpful and…
China’s Communist Party: Change of the Guard
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Chinese President Hu Jintao gives a speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party’s five-yearly Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November 2012. (Photo: AFP – Mark Ralston) Chinese President Hu Jintao gives a speech at the opening…
Kabbalah Head: Seeking Court with Nasrallah
Al-Akhbar Politics 9 Nov 2012 – I visited Lebanon previously, but it was a quick, one-day visit. Now I am here to get to know the country more and to communicate and debate. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) I visited Lebanon previously, but it was a quick, one-day visit. Now I am here to…
At Root of Kurdish Hunger Strikes, Decades of Struggle
Al-Akhbar Politics 8 Nov 2012 – Kurds residing in Lebanon hold portraits of jailed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, during a demonstration in Beirut on 9 September 2012 (AFP – Anwar Amro) Kurds residing in Lebanon hold portraits of jailed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, during a demonstration…
Israeli Military Drops Warning Leaflets on the Gaza Strip
Al-Haq 8 Nov 2012 – Ad: Restoring The Republic Ebook Series – Compare The Key Differences Between A Democracy And A Republic, Uncover Trojan Horses Being Used In American Society Today To Destabilize Free Enterprise And Promote Socialism And What Legal Safeguards The Founding Fathers Placed In The U.s.
Christian activist to head SNC
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, chooses a Christian as its leader amid tense talks in Qatar over the group’s future.
Clashes near Bahrain Shia mosque
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Police disrupt efforts by opposition supporters to attend Friday prayers at the mosque of the most senior Shia cleric in Bahrain, Sheikh Isa Qassem.
VIDEO: The ‘Miami of the West Bank’
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Expat Palestinians returning to the West Bank village of Mazraa Sharqiya are outdoing each other in building luxury homes for their families.
Articles
UNRWA chief: Palestinian refugees sidelined, ignored, undermined
Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2012
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The sidelining of Palestinian refugees could have dire consequences for regional stability, UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi has warned.
“Ignored and undermined, Palestinian hopes for a better future have never been as low as they are today. Predicting the outcome of collective hopelessness is not difficult; we all know what frustration and marginalization can breed in volatile regions,” Grandi told a committee of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
“At a time when the Arab Spring has brought dynamism and attention to the Middle East, Palestinians — and Palestine refugees in particular — remain sidelined, to all intents and purposes forgotten by the international community and increasingly vulnerable amidst both unresolved and fresh conflicts,” he added.
Grandi, commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said the lack of a just solution for 5 million Palestinian refugees bred hopelessness and despair.
He called on Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to a growing population of 1.2 million Palestinian refugees. By 2020 the enclave will be unlivable, he added.
“The message is stark, and dramatic. Unless the blockade is lifted and the economy restarts, Gaza will not be a liveable place by any standards.”
Israel’s blockade has created a skewed economy based on public salaries funded by international assistance and the tunnel trade. “Most people do not benefit – or benefit very little – from this situation, and continue to depend on food and cash assistance,” Grandi said. more.. e-mail
An alternative aid agenda for Palestinians
Nadia Hijab, Alaa Tartir and Jeremy Wildeman, Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2012
In an earlier piece on Maan, we analyzed the persistence failure of the World Bank’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territory and argued for alternative models of international aid that “challenge the status quo while enabling Palestinians to survive.”
It is often easier to criticize than to make alternative suggestions. Yet there are areas that donors can and should support that would focus aid on ways to counter dispossession, keep Palestinians on their land, and challenge Israel’s occupation policies and practices without forfeiting the ability to function in the oPt.
Here are three: promoting self-reliance in basic foods and reversing the decline of the agricultural sector; supporting cooperatives and local economic enterprises; and assisting sectors such as information technology that could break through the barriers Israel has erected around the Palestinian economy. Most importantly, they should do no harm.
None of this is impossible. During the first Intifada, and despite Israeli counter-measures, Palestinians in the oPt reduced their economic dependence on Israel by promoting local consumption and generating local employment. The situation is much more complex today given the far greater fragmentation of the territories and illegal Israeli settlement building. Nevertheless, there is still much that can be done.
The first step must be to reverse the decline in the agricultural sector: Its contribution to GDP fell from around 13.3 percent in 1994 to 5.2 percent in 2010. Although this was largely due to Israeli colonization practices, it is also due to Palestinian Authority and donor neglect that have left the sector seriously under-resourced. No more than 1 percent of the total annual budget has been allocated to agriculture sector since the PA was formed (around 85 percent of which goes to staff salaries) and agriculture dropped to around 0.74 percent of international total aid by 2006. more.. e-mail
Haniyeh, Meshaal face off
Saleh Al-Naami, Al-Ahram Weekly 10/25/2012
With two big names dropping out of the running, it would appear that the way is clear for Ismail Haniyeh to take over as Hamas head, unless Khaled Meshaal demurs.
At first glance it seems that there’s a significant chance that Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will succeed Khaled Meshaal as head of Hamas‘s politburo, especially after Moussa Abu Marzouq, the politburo’s deputy chief, and member Saleh Al-Aruri, who had a better chance to succeed Meshaal, announced they will not run for the position. But Haniyeh’s election — something he really wants — faces opposition on principle and for personal reasons.
On principle, several members of Hamas‘s General Shura Council, which is expected to pick the next politburo chief within two months, still believe that the person in the top job should be based overseas, not inside Gaza. The reasoning is that current conditions require the group’s leadership to have freedom of movement, to be able to visit other countries and meet with officials. This is a key task for the Hamas chief, in order to secure political and financial support for the group.
Some Hamas leaders are worried that Hamas‘s capacity for diplomatic and political action would be negatively affected if the next chief is located inside Gaza, in the case that the Rafah border is closed for one reason or another. They are also concerned that a politburo chief located inside would become an easy assassination target for Israel, like all other Hamas leaders in Gaza.
Others on the ground believe the new chief needs to be free of domestic problems resulting from governing the Gaza Strip, in order to better contribute to envisioning the priorities and problems facing the movement everywhere. Advocates of keeping the group’s leadership abroad also emphasise the fact that the large majority of Palestinians are living as refugees outside Palestine, which symbolically requires the leader of the group to also be in the Diaspora. This sends a clear political message to the world that Hamas will never compromise on the issue of the right of return of Palestinian refugees. more.. e-mail
Israel “more inhuman” than apartheid South Africa, ANC conference told
Electronic Intifada: 9 Nov 2012 – Adri Nieuwhof Geneva 9 November 2012 The recent ANC conference was a tribute to anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo combined with a call to boycott Israel.more
Gaza housing crisis worsens as Egypt restricts building material
Electronic Intifada: 8 Nov 2012 – Gaza Strip 8 November 2012 Dreams of owning a home are thwarted by Egypt’s tunnel closures as well as Israel’s ongoing blockade.more
Cycling for Gaza, where the future is frozen
Electronic Intifada: 9 Nov 2012 – Adnan Abu Sharrar 9 November 2012 The worst effect of Palestine’s catastrophe is that young people express no hope.more
Palestine Entangled
Dissident Voice: 9 Nov 2012 – In Malaysia, a small group of community activists are busy at work developing projects that benefit most vulnerable members of Palestinian society in Gaza. Working under the umbrella of Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM), the group shows solidarity through empowerment projects: interest free loans for micro projects, providing employment for women, supplying thousands of solar lamps aimed at ending the persistent darkness for many families, and more. The overall value of the combined efforts of VPM is important, because it is long-lasting. But equally important, the channeled funds are not part of a political scheme nor are aimed to exact concession. This can hardly be said of much of the relationship between Palestinian leadership and society, and outside funds, which began pouring in, with a clear political manual that has been dutifully followed by those who provide the funds and those who receive them. That relationship was once more a subject…more
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International Middle East Media Center
PCHR Weekly Report: 3 Palestinians killed, 14 wounded by Israeli forces in last two weeks
IMEMC – In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the two week period of 24 Oct. -07 Nov. 2012, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian suffering from epilepsy in the central Gaza Strip. 2 Palestinian resistance members were killed by an airstrike in the Gaza Strip. …
Hamas Prohibits Public Commemoration of Yasser Arafat In Gaza
IMEMC – The Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip, informed senior Fateh leaders in the coastal enclave that public commemorations and activities marking the eighth anniversary of the death of Fateh leader, and late Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, will be prohibited. …
Soldiers Injured As Fighters Target Soldiers Invading Khan Younis
IMEMC – Israeli media sources reported that several soldiers were injured, on Thursday evening, after Palestinian fighters fired shells at Israeli forces who invaded an area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. …
Ashton: “New Israeli Settlements Bids, Regrettable”
IMEMC – European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, stated that the new Israeli decision to announce bids for new constructions meant at expanding two Israeli settlements in occupied Jerusalem, is regrettable and leads to further complicates the situation. …
Israel evacuates hundreds of Palestinians to conduct army training
11/9/2012 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — Hundreds of Palestinians are being evacuated from the northern Jordan Valley to make way for an Israeli military training exercise, local officials told Ma’an. Villagers received orders this week from the Israeli army to leave their homes for the duration of the exercise, which begins on Sunday. Aqaba and….
Hamas brigades claim attack on Israeli military in Gaza
11/9/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The military wing of Hamas says it detonated a roadside bomb targeting the Israeli military in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday evening. The Al-Qassam Brigades said the bomb, east of Khan Younis, was a response to Israeli incursions into Gaza and attacks on Palestinians, particularly the killing of a….
UNRWA chief: Palestinian refugees sidelined, ignored, undermined
11/10/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The sidelining of Palestinian refugees could have dire consequences for regional stability, UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi has warned.” Ignored and undermined, Palestinian hopes for a better future have never been as low as they are today. Predicting the outcome of collective hopelessness is not difficult; we all know what frustration and….
Israeli forces stop weekly Kufr Qaddoum protest
11/9/2012 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Friday suppressed a weekly march in Kufr Qadoum against settlements. The march was organized by Fatah on the eighth anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death, and as part of a campaign leading up to Palestine’s UN upgrade in status this month. Israeli soldiers attacked participants….
An alternative aid agenda for Palestinians
11/10/2012 – By Nadia Hijab, Alaa Tartir and Jeremy Wildeman – In an earlier piece on Maan, we analyzed the persistence failure of the World Bank’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territory and argued for alternative models of international aid that “challenge the status quo while enabling Palestinians to survive.” It is often easier to criticize….
Official: 51 states ‘undecided’ over Palestinian UN bid
11/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fifty-one countries are undecided over whether to support in its bid to become a non-member state of the UN, an Arab League official said Friday. Mohammad Sbeih, secretary-general of Palestinian affairs at the Arab League, said 115 states were expected to vote for the upgrade while 27 countries would not support….
Israel warns Assad over stray Syrian fire on Golan
11/9/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel warned Syrian President Bashar Assad on Friday to prevent his anti-insurgency sweeps from spilling over into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, saying it was prepared to defend itself. The Golan, lost by Damascus in the 1967 Middle East war and mostly quiet for decades, was repeatedly hit by what the Israelis described as….
Report: Syrian teen arrested entering Golan
11/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers from a canine unit arrested a 17-year-old Syrian teen on Thursday morning after he crossed a ceasefire line into the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, reports said. The Israeli settler news agency Arutz Sheva said the army unit’s dogs caught the teenager and bit him. The report….
PLO circulating UN draft resolution
11/9/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A draft United Nations resolution asking the General Assembly to upgrade Palestine’s status in the world body has been distributed to 192 states but not Israel. PLO sources say the draft is being discussed as the basis for the resolution which will seek to upgrade Palestine’s status….
Palestinian man murdered near Jerusalem
11/9/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A 50-year-old man was found murdered near Anata village in Jerusalem on Thursday, Palestinian Authority police said. Ghassan Odah, a taxi driver from Anata, went missing after leaving for work on Wednesday morning. His family notified police, who found his body on Thursday. Police said Odah had been killed with….
Medics: Man found hanged in northern Gaza
11/9/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 30-year-old man was found hanged on Friday in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said. An autopsy will be conducted on the man’s body, medics told Ma’an. [END]
Egypt detains ‘Jihadist leader’ in Sinai
11/9/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities have detained a Jihadist leader in Sinai, security officials announced Friday. Mohammad Abdullah Abed al-Rahman, a well-known leader in a Jihadist organization, was detained on Wednesday morning by the Egyptian authorities. Al-Rahman is accused of plotting clashes between the police and the army. [END]
Syria opposition seen uniting after US, Qatari push
11/9/2012 – DOHA (Reuters) — Syria’s fractious opposition, under pressure from the United States and Qatar to unite, looked likely on Friday to agree to form an inclusive new opposition body that would serve as a unity government if Bashar Assad falls. Qatar, which has bankrolled the opposition to Assad and played a leading role in….
US intelligence official: CIA Director Petraeus resigns
11/9/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — CIA Director David Petraeus has submitted a letter of resignation to President Barack Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Friday.” Dave’s decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants,” Clapper said in a statement without giving a reason for….
Obama accepts Petraeus resignation, voices confidence in CIA
11/9/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Barack Obama on Friday accepted the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, praised him as as one of the most outstanding generals of his generation and expressed confidence that the intelligence agency would continue to thrive. Petraeus, a highly decorated former combat commander who took over at the CIA in 2011, said….
Israel blames Hamas for Gaza blast
AlJazeera 9 Nov 2012 – Defence minister says Hamas responsible for injury of soldier on border, after “detonation of an explosive tunnel”.
Israeli Occupation Sentences a Jordanian to 30 Months in Prison over Involvement with Hamas Movement
Palestine News Network
Interrogation of Addameer Researcher, Ayman Nasser, Extended Once Again
Palestine News Network
An Italian Peace Activist Injured, Dozens Suffocated During Bil’in Weekly March
Palestine News Network
Israeli Occupation Forces Raid Hebron Governorate, Set Military Checkpoints at its Main Entrances
Palestine News Network
The Persistent Battle on Rampant Sexual Harassment in Egypt
Palestine News Network
Ashton Deeply Regrets the Publication of Tenders to Expand Israeli Settlements
Palestine News Network
MADA :Support the Campaign of Solidarity with Shtayyeh and all Journalists
Palestine News Network
63%: Politics and Palestinian Youth
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Receives AECID Delegation
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
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Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
2 Internationals hit by tear gas canisters at the Bil’in weekly demonstration
11/9/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Vicky Blackwell, 9th November 2012, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – Today, during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Bil’in, 2 international activists were struck by tear gas canisters shot by the Israeli army. One Italian activist was struck by a canister in the leg and an American activist was struck….
Settler attacks Palestinian man in Hebron – Israeli soldiers look on
11/9/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – 9th November 2012, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – On Thursday in Hebron, Palestinian activist Imad Al Atrash was beaten by an illegal Israeli settler whilst two soldiers watched, without intervening. Imad reports that he was walking through an olive grove in Tel Rumeida when a man from a nearby illegal settlement shouted abuse at him….
GOP plots the way forward after Obama victory
The National 9 Nov 2012 – During the election campaign, Republicans generally pandered to fears among a predominantly white constituency that immigrants were taking their jobs.
Cancer screen follow-up shunned
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Women are failing to attend follow-up breast cancer screening appointments, putting themselves at risk.
Drone attack unlikely to derail US-Iran relations
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Washington insists its Predator drone was fired on in international airspace east of Kuwait but Tehran maintains its airspace was violated. Just 6.5 kilometres separates those boundaries.
Syrian opposition move towards deal
The National 9 Nov 2012 – The new council, which will likely be announced on Saturday, would broaden the range of opposition forces under a single umbrella and increase the representation of Syria-based dissidents and rebel fighters.
Sheikh Sultan’s gift to destroyed Egyptian science academy
The National 9 Nov 2012 –
Multiple-entry visa is introduced by decree
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Available to property owners, businessmen and cruise tourists. Property owners will be allowed entries within six months tourist visas are only for cruise-line passengers and business valid for one month only.
Preventive treatment ‘should be insured’
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Preventative health care is often limited to those who are affluent and it is realm of the rich, medical experts say.
Timely discovery for one heart patient
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Early detection a benefit of personalised health care.
Date trees prospering from irrigation
The National 9 Nov 2012 – With 41 million date palms in the UAE and less than 100mm of rain annually, the trees are a major drain on the country¿s limited water supplies.
Kejriwal takes aim at Swiss bank account holders
The National 9 Nov 2012 – Arvind Kejriwal said HSBC was expediting the flow of black money – a term for money that is not declared to tax authorities – into accounts in its Geneva branch.
Report: Iran, UN nuclear agency plan December talks
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
Israel warns Assad over stray Syrian fire on Golan Heights
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
U.S. Senators pushing for tougher sanctions on Iran, to the point of bankruptcy
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
Netanyahu can relax, Obama won’t punish him
Ha’aretz – 9 Nov 2012
Palestinians distribute draft resolution on UN status upgrade
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
State wants to delay Ulpana evacuation to January 15
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Families living in Israeli towns discover paroled pedophiles down the street
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Ancient well reveals secrets of first Jezreel Valley farmers
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Holocaust survivors’ compensation fund runs out of money, rejects needy applications
Ha’aretz – 8 Nov 2012
Thousands of Islamists protest for sharia in Egypt
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Calls for the implementation of Islamic law intensify as Egyptian lawmakers near completion of new constitution.
Harvard ‘deeply troubled’ by row over Israeli buffet
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Business School responds to former student’s criticism, description of Israeli dining station as affront to Arabs.
UN official: 4 million needy in Syria by early 2013
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Concern for welfare of Syrian people heightens after Turkey announces that 8,000 Syrian refugees enter country in 24 hrs.
Ireland supports a ban on settlement products
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Irish FM says his country would support, on moral grounds, EU ban of Israeli products manufactured across Green Line.
Jonathan Pollard not bearing grudge against Peres
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Jailed former Israeli spy reacts to his handler’s admission that Pollard was incriminated under orders from Shimon Peres.
Iran, UN nuclear agency plan December talks
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – IAEA announces plans to hold nuclear talks with Iran on December 13th; diplomatic mission to be headed by Herman Nackaerts, chief UN nuclear inspector; previous round of talks held in August failed to make progress.
Yacimovich defends victims after Sagi quits Labor
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Sexual harassment victims cannot be forced to come forward, Labor leader tells primary panel, advocates equality in Labor.
Turkey says 8,000 Syrians flee in past 24 hours
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Twenty-six Syrian army officers defect to Turkey overnight, officials say; government fortifies state buildings in Damascus.
Ya’alon: We’ve sent warning messages to Syria
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – Strategic affairs minister says Israel knows how to defend itself should Syria violence begin “spilling in our direction.”
Battling the post-election blues
Jerusalem Post 9 Nov 2012 – For those intensely following presidential campaigns, feelings of “morning after” can include, disbelief, de-realization.
Hebrew U research: Swing with your hormones
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Eating complex carbs in the evening helps to lose weight, feeling full and lowers risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Study: Israeli youth more negative than other teens
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – New study shows Israeli youth display more negative behavior, spend more time on computers than their European counterparts.
FM heads to Vienna to thwart Palestinian UN bid
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – FM warns of “far-reaching implications” to PA statehood bid; Fatah official: Bid will mark an end to Oslo Accords.
Holon hospital denounces near fatal home birth
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Wolfson Medical Center calls for Health Ministry investigation on midwife who delivered baby that almost died.
Research finds undersea gas leaks in Haifa Bay
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Geophysics researchers find natural active gas springs leaking on Haifa Bay sea floor, scientists don’t yet know if gas is usable.
J’lem parley to tackle challenges of ‘mixed cities’
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Conference is set to examine new ways to improve the quality of life for different populations that live in Jerusalem.
Belgium rejects putting Hezbollah on EU terror list
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Brussels prefers isolating armed subgroups or individuals to classifying Hezbollah as a whole as a terrorist organization.
Gazans set off explosives in massive tunnel
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – No one was injured by the blast, but a jeep which was in the area was blown sideways by the force of the blast.
Peres inaugurates Russian Jewish museum
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Museum includes section on persecution experienced by Jews in former USSR; project to help normalize interfaith relations.
‘We should be jealous of haredi unity in US’
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Agudat Yisrael’s Israel branch is comprised predominantly of hassidic dynasties and is one of two parties in the UTJ Knesset.
Politics: Keys to a successful Netanyahu-Obama relationship
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – No surprises, no political interference, no daylight.
Another Tack: Shelly’s macho-man mentor
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – In this treacherous neighborhood our guiding motto should always be caveat emptor – buyer beware.
Into the Fray: Abu who?
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – It is difficult to conceive of anything more imbecilic than the debate raging over whether Mahmoud Abbas’s recent declarations are sincere.
Column One: A time for courage – and action
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Israel’s demographic and economic power have been largely ignored and undervalued.
Starcatcher: Astrology for week of November 9
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – TIP FOR THE WEEK: Breakdown in communication could cause a few uncomfortable moments, but will soon pass.
Veterens: Crystal clear memories of Kristallnacht
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – John Katten tells of the night the synagogue in Bamberg, of which his father was spiritual leader, was burned to the ground – and how they escaped.
Parshat Hayei Sara: The anonymous Eliezer
Jerusalem Post 8 Nov 2012 – Hayei Sara comprises 2 chapters in Genesis: Chapter 23 dealing with matriarch Sarah, and 24 with the selection of a wife for Isaac.
Iran’s strike on US drone demonstrates the fragility of uneasy peace
The Guardian 9 Nov 2012 – Western officials warn that minority elements on both sides have vested interest in triggering ‘spoiler’ incident that leads to war A mid-air incident in which Iranian warplanes opened fire on a US surveillance drone high over…
The Middle East greets Barack Obama’s re-election with a shrug | Issandr El Amrani
The Guardian 9 Nov 2012 – President Obama cannot offer grand solutions to the Middle East’s problems, and Arabs are not expecting him to What a difference four years can make. In 2008, Barack Obama‘s victory turned into a worldwide celebration . Just…
Palestine activism on campus and beyond: overcoming Israel’s efforts to erase history
Uruknet
Tunnel closures exacerbate Gaza housing crisis
Uruknet
Egypt To Continue Demolishing Border Tunnels
Uruknet
Syria Closes Hamas Offices In Damascus
Uruknet
Who Will Watch the Watchmen? Amnesty International and the Human Rights Industry
Uruknet
Stripped of my clothes, my father, but not of my right to return
Uruknet
To Honor the Value of a Single Life: The First Murder
Uruknet
Palestinians Barred from Studying in West Bank
Uruknet
Video: As distraught villagers watch, Israel destroys homes with Caterpillar, Hyundai equipment
Uruknet
‘A taboo subject, being tackled by a woman’
Daily Star 9 Nov 2012 In a Q&A session during the premiere of her first short fiction film at the Busan International Film Festival, Lebanese film director Farah Shaer was asked how her film, I Offered You Pleasure, was allowed to…
Facing the rain with storm-proof style
Daily Star 9 Nov 2012 As the thunderstorms and temperature dip into the mid-teens this weekend, Beirut will break out its rain gear for another season of numbing wetness.
A literary pick and mix from Iraq and beyond
Daily Star 9 Nov 2012 If you see the lion’s teeth, the 10th-century Abbasid poet Mutanabbi advised, do not think that the lion is smiling at you. This tip for recognizing danger did not save him from an untimely death, however.
Egyptian Islamists rally for Shariah law
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Syria opposition bloc elects Christian as leader
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Iran says repelled unidentified plane from its airspace
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
CIA director quits over extramarital affair
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Obama says open to compromise in talks on fiscal cliff
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – ….
Childish weapon
YNet News, 9 Nov 2012 – Op-ed: Palestinians using kids to provoke soldiers realize picture worth a thousand words ….
Palestinian Information Center
Palestinian child killed in Gaza by Israeli gunfire
PIC – A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was fatally shot on Thursday by Israeli helicopter gunfire during incursion by the occupation forces in the southern Gaza Strip.
Syrian security forces storm Office of Hamas leader Ezzat Rishq
PIC – Hamas movement announced that the Syrian security services raided on Thursday the Office of member of its Political Bureau, Ezzat Rishq, and closed it after confiscating the cars belonging to it.
IOF cut down dozens of olive trees south of Bethlehem
PIC – Israeli Occupation Forces ( IOF) cut down on Thursday dozens of olive trees from land belonging to Palestinians in the village of al-Nahalin, west of Bethlehem.
Clashes erupt during Israeli raid into the town of al-Yamoun
PIC – Clashes erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli occupation soldiers who raided the town of al-Yamoun west of Jenin. The IOF soldiers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
IOF displace the Jordan Valley’s residents under pretext of military exercises
PIC – The northern Jordan Valley has been recently witnessing mass deportations, to be added to relentless campaigns of house demolitions, chasing the citizens, arresting shepherds..
Families of Marmara victims: We will continue to pursue Israeli war criminals
PIC – The families of the Turkish martyrs, killed in the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara ship confirmed they will continue to pursue the Israeli officials for their crime.
A leader in Fath opposes Abbas’s position on visiting occupied Jerusalem
PIC – Fatah official in charge of the Jerusalem file, Hatem Abdel Qader, has considered the non-Palestinian visits to occupied Jerusalem as a recognition to the legitimacy of Israeli occupation.
Tunisia: arrangements for the Palestinian prisoners’ conference are complete
PIC – The General Director of the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies confirmed that all arrangements relating to the International Conference on Palestinian prisoners have been completed..
Qassam brigades target Israeli soldiers invading Khan Younis
PIC – The Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for firing shells, on Thursday evening, at Israeli forces which invaded an area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Syria border fighting sends 8,000 fleeing to Turkey
LA Times 9 Nov 2012 – The total of 11,000 who fled the country in 24 hours is one of the largest since the Syrian conflict began, underscoring the crisis for civilians. BEIRUT — Fierce fighting in a border town in northeastern Syrian sent about 8,000 people fleeing into neighboring Turkey…
Iran confirms its planes fired on U.S. drone
LA Times 9 Nov 2012 – Iran says the Predator drone was over Iranian territorial waters; the Pentagon says the spy plane was in international airspace. It was not damaged. WASHINGTON — Iran’s government confirmed Friday that two of its warplanes fired at a U.S. surveillance drone flying over the Persian…
Syria President Bashar Assad warns against foreign invasion
LA Times 8 Nov 2012 – He says an invasion by the West would lead to a global catastrophe. Meanwhile, opposition factions struggle to form a coalition and the Red Cross says the crisis is growing too fast. BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar Assad predicted a global catastrophe should the West…
Israel historian Benny Morris responds to critics left and right
LA Times 8 Nov 2012 – The writer once riled right-wingers with his research on the 1948 war and the Palestinian refugee problem, but his political views have changed. JERUSALEM — Historian Benny Morris has a knack for enraging Israelis of every political stripe.
Draft Egyptian Constitution Adopts a Role for Religion
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – A compromise in the constituent assembly accepted that “the principles of Islamic law” should guide law, but leaves it up to Parliament and the courts to determine how and what.
Syrian Refugee Flow Escalates Sharply
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The United Nations reported that 11,000 Syrians fled on Friday, the vast majority of them clambering for safety over the Turkish border.
In Syria, Missteps by Rebels Erode Their Support
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The Syrian public is increasingly disgusted with the actions of some rebels, including poorly planned missions, senseless destruction, criminal behavior and the coldblooded killing of prisoners.
Syria Opposition Meets to Seek Unity
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The opposition was locked in extended bartering over the creation of a more diverse yet unified umbrella organization, as President Bashar al-Assad warned against foreign intervention in a rare interview.
Palestinians Renew Push for Enhanced U.N. Status
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – The distribution of a draft resolution to all United Nations member states is the first practical act in an effort likely to pit the Palestinians against Israel.
Iran Confirms Firing on U.S. Drone, Saying It Entered Airspace
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – Iran’s defense minister on Friday confirmed that Iranian warplanes had fired shots at an American drone last week but said they had taken the action after the unmanned aircraft had entered Iranian airspace.
Iran Fired on Military Drone in First Such Attack, U.S. Says
New York Times 9 Nov 2012 – Pentagon officials said that while a surveillance drone targeted in international airspace over the Persian Gulf last week was not hit, the incident prompted a strong protest to Tehran.
Tensions rise as Iran shoots at American predator drone and covert war heats up
Mondoweiss – An MQ-1 Predator drone. (Photo: Reuters) The American and Israeli covert war against Iran has been cranked up a notch over the last few days and representatives of Iran and the Pentagon are engaged in some rhetorical sparring over another drone incident , so far with no…
Netanyahu’s reliance on Arthur Finkelstein led him to completely misread the US presidential race
Mondoweiss – One of the more entertaining subplots to emerge since Tuesday’s U.S. election has been learning how absolutely ” shellshocked ” the Romney campaign was by the loss. They totally didn’t see it coming and it seems much of their misplaced optimism was due to a ” super-secret, super-duper vote…
Irish Foreign Minister plans to push for EU ban on settlement products
Mondoweiss – Ireland will be taking over as President of the Council of the European Union at the beginning of 2013, and Haaretz reports it will use the position to push for an EU ban on settlement products: Ireland is planning to utilize its upcoming term as President…
Following Abbas statement on right of return, Palestinian youth in Lebanon call for end to Oslo and the Palestinian Authority
Mondoweiss – The statement below was issued today at a protest in Beirut outside the Palestinian embassy. It follows an interview Mahmoud Abbas gave to Israeli television where he said he has no right to live on the land he was displaced from inside Israel. This was understood…
Exile and the Prophetic: Obama’s (and our) Jewish politics
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. During the Presidential election some wondered about the Jewish vote and whether it would continue to be overwhelmingly Democratic. One pundit argued…
Is Israel finally pushing Palestinians out of the Jordan Valley? — Over 1,000 evacuated from Jordan Valley villages for Israeli military exercise
Mondoweiss – Ma’an reports : Hundreds of Palestinians are being evacuated from the northern Jordan Valley to make way for an Israeli military training exercise, local officials told Ma’an. Villagers received orders this week from the Israeli army to leave their homes for the duration of the exercise, which…
Medical Aid Fund Turns Away Holocaust Survivors
The Foward Breaking News 9 Nov 2012 – A fund that helps Israeli Holocaust survivors pay medical expenses told recipients that it would stop receiving applications until next year, citing an overflow of requests. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Riled Over Palestinian U.N. Bid: Oren
The Foward Breaking News 9 Nov 2012 – The Palestinian Authority’s bid for an upgrade in U.N. status is of immediate concern in the U.S.-Israel relationship, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren said in a post-U.S. election interview. Click here for the rest of the article…
Ghana: Israeli Experts Join Rescue
allAfrica.com 9 Nov 2012 – [Ghanaian Chronicle]An eight-member Israeli special rescue team arrived yesterday to complement rescue efforts by a combined security team in Ghana to rescue trapped persons under the debris of the collapsed Melcom Shopping Mall.
Mauritania: Mauritania to Import Iraq Anti-Terror Techniques
allAfrica.com 9 Nov 2012 – [Magharebia]Nouakchott -Faced with surging terror threats from abroad and within, Mauritania is willing to employ the experience of Iraq’s tribal forces.
Christian activist to head SNC
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, chooses a Christian as its leader amid tense talks in Qatar over the group’s future.
Netanyahu’s Nightmare
Sabbah report 9 Nov 2012 – “The night Netanyahu won’t forget” and “the astonishment that seized Netanyahu and his advisers this week was absolute” were typical comments. “Spitting on America’s Face,” was the harsher comment of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who after being acquitted by the court, is becoming increasingly active…
CNN claims Iran shot at a US drone, revealing the news network’s mindset
Sabbah report 9 Nov 2012 – That CNN’s prime mission is to serve the US government is hardly news. But given the magnitude of these kinds of accusations – their obvious ability, if not intent, to bolster animosity on the part of the US public toward Iran and heighten tensions between the…
Uzi Arad: Israel’s Dr. Strangelove
Sabbah report 9 Nov 2012 – Uniting Netanyahu and Lieberman is bad enough. Combined with Uzi Arad’s influence makes it combustible. They deplore peace. They spurn democratic values. Why Israelis tolerate them they’ll have to explain. They should vote them out of office instead. Uzi Arad: Israel’s Dr. Strangelove was published by…
A Zionist Tribute to Fred Halliday (I): A Critique of Susie Linfield’s Review in The Nation
Al-Akhbar Blogs 9 Nov 2012 – The Nation magazine has long ceased to be a leftist magazine. It has served for years now as a mere propaganda sheet for the Democratic Party. On foreign policy, it has pretty much adhered to the Zionism of Amos Oz: the Zionism that accepts and approves…
The Future Movement Without Wissam al-Hassan
Al-Akhbar Opinion 9 Nov 2012 – Samir Geagea, ordered more security at his main headquarters and for his entourage. (Photo: Haytham AlMoussawi) Samir Geagea, ordered more security at his main headquarters and for his entourage. (Photo: Haytham AlMoussawi) The assassination of Gen. Wissam al-Hassan has begun to cast it shadow over the…
UN asks South Sudan to reverse investigator’s expulsion
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – The United Nations on Friday called on South Sudan to reverse the expulsion of a human rights investigator looking into abuses in the newly independent African country. UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said the South Sudan government has still not given a “satisfactory” explanation for…
Moroccans demand release of rights activist
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Dozens of Moroccan and foreign activists demonstrated Friday in front of a Rabat courthouse where a Guinean advocate for sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco is being tried in what the demonstrators called part of a wider crackdown. Laye Camara, the founder of the Council of Sub-Saharan Migrants…
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Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – 6 November 2012 Fudan University’s student members of the Chinese Communist Party stand in formation to create the party’s emblem, a hammer and sickle, to mark the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which kicked off on Thursday, in Shanghai. (Photo: Reuters…
Yarmouk Refugee Camp Divided Over Syrian Crisis
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Syrians feed pigeons at Marjeh Square in the capital Damascus on 7 November 2012. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid) Syrians feed pigeons at Marjeh Square in the capital Damascus on 7 November 2012. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid) The situation in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp…
Iran: Nations that stockpile nuclear weapons “retarded”
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Nations that stockpile nuclear weapons are “mentally retarded,” Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a meeting in Indonesia Thursday while insisting his country’s nuclear ambitions are limited to peaceful purposes. “The period and era of using nuclear weapons is over…Nuclear bombs are not anymore helpful and…
China’s Communist Party: Change of the Guard
Al-Akhbar News 9 Nov 2012 – Chinese President Hu Jintao gives a speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party’s five-yearly Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November 2012. (Photo: AFP – Mark Ralston) Chinese President Hu Jintao gives a speech at the opening…
Kabbalah Head: Seeking Court with Nasrallah
Al-Akhbar Politics 9 Nov 2012 – I visited Lebanon previously, but it was a quick, one-day visit. Now I am here to get to know the country more and to communicate and debate. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) I visited Lebanon previously, but it was a quick, one-day visit. Now I am here to…
At Root of Kurdish Hunger Strikes, Decades of Struggle
Al-Akhbar Politics 8 Nov 2012 – Kurds residing in Lebanon hold portraits of jailed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, during a demonstration in Beirut on 9 September 2012 (AFP – Anwar Amro) Kurds residing in Lebanon hold portraits of jailed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, during a demonstration…
Israeli Military Drops Warning Leaflets on the Gaza Strip
Al-Haq 8 Nov 2012 – Ad: Restoring The Republic Ebook Series – Compare The Key Differences Between A Democracy And A Republic, Uncover Trojan Horses Being Used In American Society Today To Destabilize Free Enterprise And Promote Socialism And What Legal Safeguards The Founding Fathers Placed In The U.s.
Christian activist to head SNC
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, chooses a Christian as its leader amid tense talks in Qatar over the group’s future.
Clashes near Bahrain Shia mosque
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Police disrupt efforts by opposition supporters to attend Friday prayers at the mosque of the most senior Shia cleric in Bahrain, Sheikh Isa Qassem.
VIDEO: The ‘Miami of the West Bank’
BBC 9 Nov 2012 – Expat Palestinians returning to the West Bank village of Mazraa Sharqiya are outdoing each other in building luxury homes for their families.
Articles
UNRWA chief: Palestinian refugees sidelined, ignored, undermined
Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2012
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The sidelining of Palestinian refugees could have dire consequences for regional stability, UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi has warned.
“Ignored and undermined, Palestinian hopes for a better future have never been as low as they are today. Predicting the outcome of collective hopelessness is not difficult; we all know what frustration and marginalization can breed in volatile regions,” Grandi told a committee of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
“At a time when the Arab Spring has brought dynamism and attention to the Middle East, Palestinians — and Palestine refugees in particular — remain sidelined, to all intents and purposes forgotten by the international community and increasingly vulnerable amidst both unresolved and fresh conflicts,” he added.
Grandi, commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said the lack of a just solution for 5 million Palestinian refugees bred hopelessness and despair.
He called on Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to a growing population of 1.2 million Palestinian refugees. By 2020 the enclave will be unlivable, he added.
“The message is stark, and dramatic. Unless the blockade is lifted and the economy restarts, Gaza will not be a liveable place by any standards.”
Israel’s blockade has created a skewed economy based on public salaries funded by international assistance and the tunnel trade. “Most people do not benefit – or benefit very little – from this situation, and continue to depend on food and cash assistance,” Grandi said. more.. e-mail
An alternative aid agenda for Palestinians
Nadia Hijab, Alaa Tartir and Jeremy Wildeman, Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2012
In an earlier piece on Maan, we analyzed the persistence failure of the World Bank’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territory and argued for alternative models of international aid that “challenge the status quo while enabling Palestinians to survive.”
It is often easier to criticize than to make alternative suggestions. Yet there are areas that donors can and should support that would focus aid on ways to counter dispossession, keep Palestinians on their land, and challenge Israel’s occupation policies and practices without forfeiting the ability to function in the oPt.
Here are three: promoting self-reliance in basic foods and reversing the decline of the agricultural sector; supporting cooperatives and local economic enterprises; and assisting sectors such as information technology that could break through the barriers Israel has erected around the Palestinian economy. Most importantly, they should do no harm.
None of this is impossible. During the first Intifada, and despite Israeli counter-measures, Palestinians in the oPt reduced their economic dependence on Israel by promoting local consumption and generating local employment. The situation is much more complex today given the far greater fragmentation of the territories and illegal Israeli settlement building. Nevertheless, there is still much that can be done.
The first step must be to reverse the decline in the agricultural sector: Its contribution to GDP fell from around 13.3 percent in 1994 to 5.2 percent in 2010. Although this was largely due to Israeli colonization practices, it is also due to Palestinian Authority and donor neglect that have left the sector seriously under-resourced. No more than 1 percent of the total annual budget has been allocated to agriculture sector since the PA was formed (around 85 percent of which goes to staff salaries) and agriculture dropped to around 0.74 percent of international total aid by 2006. more.. e-mail
Haniyeh, Meshaal face off
Saleh Al-Naami, Al-Ahram Weekly 10/25/2012
With two big names dropping out of the running, it would appear that the way is clear for Ismail Haniyeh to take over as Hamas head, unless Khaled Meshaal demurs.
At first glance it seems that there’s a significant chance that Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will succeed Khaled Meshaal as head of Hamas‘s politburo, especially after Moussa Abu Marzouq, the politburo’s deputy chief, and member Saleh Al-Aruri, who had a better chance to succeed Meshaal, announced they will not run for the position. But Haniyeh’s election — something he really wants — faces opposition on principle and for personal reasons.
On principle, several members of Hamas‘s General Shura Council, which is expected to pick the next politburo chief within two months, still believe that the person in the top job should be based overseas, not inside Gaza. The reasoning is that current conditions require the group’s leadership to have freedom of movement, to be able to visit other countries and meet with officials. This is a key task for the Hamas chief, in order to secure political and financial support for the group.
Some Hamas leaders are worried that Hamas‘s capacity for diplomatic and political action would be negatively affected if the next chief is located inside Gaza, in the case that the Rafah border is closed for one reason or another. They are also concerned that a politburo chief located inside would become an easy assassination target for Israel, like all other Hamas leaders in Gaza.
Others on the ground believe the new chief needs to be free of domestic problems resulting from governing the Gaza Strip, in order to better contribute to envisioning the priorities and problems facing the movement everywhere. Advocates of keeping the group’s leadership abroad also emphasise the fact that the large majority of Palestinians are living as refugees outside Palestine, which symbolically requires the leader of the group to also be in the Diaspora. This sends a clear political message to the world that Hamas will never compromise on the issue of the right of return of Palestinian refugees. more.. e-mail
Israel “more inhuman” than apartheid South Africa, ANC conference told
Electronic Intifada: 9 Nov 2012 – Adri Nieuwhof Geneva 9 November 2012 The recent ANC conference was a tribute to anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo combined with a call to boycott Israel.more
Gaza housing crisis worsens as Egypt restricts building material
Electronic Intifada: 8 Nov 2012 – Gaza Strip 8 November 2012 Dreams of owning a home are thwarted by Egypt’s tunnel closures as well as Israel’s ongoing blockade.more
Cycling for Gaza, where the future is frozen
Electronic Intifada: 9 Nov 2012 – Adnan Abu Sharrar 9 November 2012 The worst effect of Palestine’s catastrophe is that young people express no hope.more
Palestine Entangled
Dissident Voice: 9 Nov 2012 – In Malaysia, a small group of community activists are busy at work developing projects that benefit most vulnerable members of Palestinian society in Gaza. Working under the umbrella of Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM), the group shows solidarity through empowerment projects: interest free loans for micro projects, providing employment for women, supplying thousands of solar lamps aimed at ending the persistent darkness for many families, and more. The overall value of the combined efforts of VPM is important, because it is long-lasting. But equally important, the channeled funds are not part of a political scheme nor are aimed to exact concession. This can hardly be said of much of the relationship between Palestinian leadership and society, and outside funds, which began pouring in, with a clear political manual that has been dutifully followed by those who provide the funds and those who receive them. That relationship was once more a subject…more
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