11 December 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Abbas Threatens To Head To ICC Should Israel Implement E1 Project
IMEMC – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, threatened to head to the International Criminal Court (ICC) should Israel insist on implementing its decision to build more than 3000 homes for Jewish settlers as part of its E1 illegal settlement project in occupied East Jerusalem. …
PCHR Condemns Raids of Three Civil and Human Rights Organisations in Ramallah by Israeli Forces
IMEMC – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the raids of the offices of three civil and human rights organisations in Ramallah in the West Bank by Israeli Occupation Forces. The organisations affected were the Palestinian NGO Network, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights. …
Two Injured as Israeli Troops Invade Ni’lin
IMEMC – Two Palestinian youth were reported injured on Tuesday night when Israeli troops invaded the central West Bank village of Ni’lin and clashed with local youth. …
Army Invades Ramallah, Breaks Into NGO’s [1]
IMEMC – Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday at dawn, the central West Bank city of Ramallah, broke into and searched several nongovernmental institutions, including the office of the Palestinian Women’s Union, and confiscated several computers; damage was reported. …
Army Invades Ramallah, Breaks Into NGO’s [2]
IMEMC – Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday at dawn, the central West Bank city of Ramallah, broke into and searched several nongovernmental institutions, including the office of the Palestinian Women’s Union, and confiscated several computers; damage was reported. …
Report: “Obama Will Let Netanyahu Face International Isolation On His Own”
IMEMC – A recent report published in the Newsweek by Peter Beinart, who is described as a “Jewish liberal at the American-Jewish community in the United States”, also close to the Obama Administration, stated that Barack Obama will not help Netanyahu in overcoming international pressure against his policies with the Palestinians. …
Israel To Sponsor Ads Attacking Abbas In European Papers
IMEMC – Israeli daily, Maariv, reported, Tuesday morning, that Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, instructed Israeli ambassadors in five European countries to sponsor ads in major newspapers attacking the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and describing him as an obstacle to peace. …
Five Palestinians, Including Mother, Her Two Underage Daughters, Kidnapped In Jerusalem
IMEMC – Local sources in occupied East Jerusalem reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Monday evening, five Palestinians, including a mother and her two daughters, in Qaa’ Al-Hara area, in At-Tour in occupied East Jerusalem. …
Israeli forces raid NGO offices in Ramallah
12/11/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided three civil society organizations in Ramallah early Tuesday, a Ma’an correspondent said. Soldiers raided the offices of the Agricultural Work Committees, prisoners group Addameer, and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, located in Qaddura refugee camp. Four laptops, one hard disk and a video…. Related: WATCH: Three Palestinian NGO offices raided by IDF overnight
Palestinians call for freer access to Gaza land and sea
12/11/2012 – GAZA CITY (IRIN) — When Jaber Abu Rjaila heard about the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza, he rushed back to his farmland – for the first time in more than 10 years.” We have been farmers for generations. It’s our life and I’m very glad that we are back here now freely working…. Related: Oxfam Briefing Paper: Beyond Ceasefire – Ending the blockade of Gaza
Israel ‘detained 70-year-old woman’ in Tubas
12/11/2012 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Sunday briefly detained a 70-year-old Palestinian woman after ransacking her home in Tubas in the northern West Bank, Palestinian officials said Tuesday. Palestinian liaison officials told Ma’an they contacted their Israeli counterparts demanding the release of Sabja Farah Daraghmah and she was freed on Monday….
Lawyer’s car torched in Jenin
12/11/2012 – JENIN (Ma’an) — A lawyer’s car was set on fire in Jenin overnight Monday, Palestinian police said. Mansour Massad told Ma’an that he heard a explosion outside of his home at around 1 a. m. and looked outside to find his car on fire. He immediately called the police, who….
Protesters shut down UNRWA offices after layoffs
12/11/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Labor leaders at Palestinian refugee camps on Tuesday shut down all UNRWA sub-offices in the West Bank in protest of the dismissal of 130 employees and reductions of services. Munthir Amira, director of the youth center of Aida refugee camp, told Ma’an that “it is time that UNRWA’….
2 men sentenced to hard labor for selling land to Israel
12/11/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian court on Monday sentenced two men from Bethlehem to 10 years hard labor for selling land to Israel. The men are both from Husan village and were convicted of selling land in the West Bank to Israeli settlers. The court said one of the accused, a 64-old identified….
Qatar committee to begin Gaza reconstruction projects
12/11/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Qatari committee will begin work on reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a committee official said. Muhammad al-Amadi, head of Qatar’s committee for reconstructing Gaza, said 24 projects would be launched on Wednesday. Some 52 companies applied for the Gaza reconstruction bids and the Qatari….
Israel rejects ‘preconditions’ for negotiations
12/11/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel on Tuesday accused the Palestinian Authority of insisting on a settlement freeze before resuming talks as a way to avoid resuming the peace process.”It seems that the Palestinian side is interested in the further development of preconditions. We reject this and are interested to negotiate without preconditions,” said Ofir….
Haniyeh: We have no homeland except Palestine
12/11/2012 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Palestinian people have one homeland, Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday.” The blood of Hamas leader Ahmed al-Jaabari and other martyrs were the gate to victory despite the fact that we lost a great resistance and Jihad figure,” Haniyeh said, addressing a delegation representing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Palestinian….
Egypt police detain suspects in Fatah activist’s murder
12/11/2012 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities in North Sinai on Monday detained two men suspected of killing a Palestinian activist affiliated to the Fatah movement, officials said. Jamal Madhi, 44, a Palestinian merchant affiliated to Fatah, was found dead in November in his apartment by the beach in el-Arish. He died of multiple stab….
Abbas warns of ICC action if Israel implements settlement plans
12/11/2012 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – President Mahmoud Abbas warned Tuesday that Palestine would file a petition to the International Criminal Court if Israel follows through on announced plans to build settlements in the flashpoint E1 area of the occupied West Bank. Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Abbas said, “Israel’s announcement to build….
Election candidate hopes to draw Palestinian voters out of shadow
12/11/2012 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — One Palestinian candidate in Israeli elections aims to lead his community out of the margins of Israeli politics — saying their interests have been overshadowed for too long by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Atef Krinawi says he would even be willing to make an unprecedented electoral alliance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s….
Man seriously wounded in East Jerusalem car crash
12/11/2012 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — An 18-year-old man was seriously injured in a car crash late Monday in al-Eizariya in East Jerusalem, Israeli police said. Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Sumri told Ma’an that a Palestinian man with a Jerusalem identity card was critically wounded in the accident and transferred to Hadassah hospital. The….
Number of imprisoned journalists sets record
12/11/2012 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Turkey, Iran and China lead the world in the number of imprisoned journalists within their borders, a new report said Tuesday. The report, compiled by the New York-based group Committee to Protect Journalists, said the number of journalists jailed reached a record of 232, among them at least three Palestinians. The….
Unknown attackers fire at Cairo protesters, 9 hurt
12/11/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Nine people were hurt when unknown attackers fired at protesters camping at Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as opponents and supporters of President Muhammed Mursi’s plans to vote on a new constitution geared up for a day of street demonstrations. Police cars surrounded….
UNHCR: Syrian refugee numbers top 500,000
12/11/2012 – GENEVA (Reuters) — More than half a million Syrian refugees are now registered or awaiting registration in the region, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.” According to UNHCR’s latest figures for Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and North Africa, 509,559 Syrians are either already registered (425,160) or in the process of being registered….
US blacklists radical Islamist Syrian rebel group
12/11/2012 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States has designated the radical Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra, which is suspected of ties to al-Qaida, as a foreign terrorist organization. In an order released on Tuesday, the US State Department essentially classified the group, which has advocated for an Islamic state in Syria, as an affiliate of al….
Army spokesman: President to attend Egypt unity talks
12/11/2012 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi will attend Wednesday’s planned talks on national unity aimed at ending the political crisis, the army spokesman said on his Facebook page. The spokesman said armed forces chief and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had called for a meeting of “national unity for the love of Egypt….
Syrian Brotherhood says US wrong to blacklist al-Nusra
12/11/2012 – AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) — A high-level official in the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood said Tuesday the United States had made a “very wrong” decision by designating the militant Islamist al-Nusra Front rebel group as a terrorist organization.” The designation is very wrong and too hasty. I think it is too early to categorize people inside Syria this….
Israeli army raids West Bank NGO offices
AlJazeera 11 Dec 2012 – Soldiers raid offices of three civil society organisations in Ramallah, confiscating and damaging equipment.
Israel Launches Anti-Abbas Campaign
Palestine News Network
IOF Raid Palestinians NGO Offices
Palestine News Network
Dr. Ashrawi on the Council’s Conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Struggle Against Firing Zone 918
Palestine News Network
Israeli Occupation Demolish a House East of Occupied Jerusalem
Palestine News Network
Gush Shalom Welcomes the Decision of the Court to Issue an Order Risi in the Appeals Against the “Boycott Law”
Palestine News Network
A Year After the Killing of Mustafa Tamimi, a Campaign Launched to Expose His Murderers
Palestine News Network
Council Conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process
Palestine News Network
Declaration by High Representative Catherine Ashton on Behalf of the EU on Human Rights Day
Palestine News Network
In Defense of President Mursi
Palestine News Network
Window Closing on Two-State Solution and US Involvement in Peace Process
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
Gazan farmers at work in Kuzaa
12/11/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – By Joshua Brollier, 10 December 2012, International Solidarity Movement, Besieged Gaza – Today, Gazan farmers from Kuzaa, a small village near Khan Younis, worked on their land in defiance of Israeli military harassment. Farmers ploughed approximately seven dunams and then sowed wheat in a plot that they had previously been denied access to before the November…. Related: Jan 2009: Fresh evidence of Israeli phosphorus use in Gaza emerges
More evictions for army training in the Jordan Valley
12/11/2012 – International Solidarity Movement – 10th December 2012, International Solidarity Movement, Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine – 5am in Homsa in the northern Jordan Valley. Abdullah Ghanni, his family and his livestock are on the move under the watchful eyes of the Israeli Army. Two days earlier Ghanni had received a visit from soldiers informing him that military training would take place….
Alternative Information Center
Joy Harjo: cancel your Tel Aviv show!
Alternative Information Center – We at PACBI urge you to cancel your performance at Tel Aviv University set for Monday, December 10, 2012. Tel Aviv University, as other Israeli academic institutions, is notorious for its deep and well documented collaboration…
Ehud Barak translates political irrelevance into retirement
Alternative Information Center – In a press conference on Monday in Tel Aviv, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that after the “successful operation in Gaza,” he has decided to leave political life. He will not be running in Israel’s…
occupied Palestinian territory: International Development Minister Alan Duncan announced new UK medical aid and shelter for thousands affected by the conflict in Gaza
Relief Web 11 Dec 2012 – Source: Department for International Development Country: occupied Palestinian territory, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) New British support will provide medical aid, temporary shelter and help with rebuilding damaged homes for around 85,000 people affected by the…
occupied Palestinian territory: Call for freer access to Gaza land and sea
Relief Web 11 Dec 2012 – Source: IRIN Country: occupied Palestinian territory GAZA, 11 December 2012 (IRIN) – When Jaber Abu Rjaila heard about the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza, he rushed back to his farmland – for the first time in more than 10 years. “…
occupied Palestinian territory: After violence, Gaza children struggle with trauma
Relief Web 11 Dec 2012 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory 11 December 2012, Gaza – After the recent conflict, UNRWA staff in Gaza teamed up with local communities in an effort to clean…
012–13
Relief Web 11 Dec 2012 – Source: Australian Agency for International Development Country: Australia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (the), Egypt, Fiji, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, Paraguay, Solomon Islands, Uganda, World AusAID has observed International Human Rights Day by announcing the names and details of projects…
Head of statistics bureau quizzed by FNC on missing data
The National 11 Dec 2012 – The chairwoman of the National Bureau of Statistics was questioned by FNC over the lack of important statistics, such as national cancer rates.
Ministers summoned to next FNC session for Q&A
The National 11 Dec 2012 – Two ministers have been callled to attend the next FNC session after their written responses were deemed unsatisfactory.
Etihad puts membership numbers up for auction
The National 11 Dec 2012 – Etihad Airways will allow members of its loyalty programme to bid on special membership numbers.
Expo 2020: Dubai’s place in a five-city contest
The National 11 Dec 2012 – Dubai and the other four cities competing to host Expo 2020 have submitted their final dossiers to the Paris headquarters of the Bureau International des Expositions.
Abu Dhabi bus stops to get cooler by 2014
The National 11 Dec 2012 – The Department of Transport unveils plans to install air-conditioned bus shelters across the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Man kidnapped over Dh36,000 debt, Dubai court told
The National 11 Dec 2012 – A man was held hostage for three days over an unpaid debt of Dh36,000, hears court.
Egypt army throws out call for ‘sake of country’
The National 11 Dec 2012 – Armed forces chief reportedly appeals to political movements to thrash out a deal on the future for the ‘sake of the country’.
US military to retain ‘strong’ presence in Middle East: Panetta
The National 11 Dec 2012 – America plans to deploy most of its naval fleet to the Asia Pacific along with other advanced weaponry but US defence secretary insists that a robust American force will remain in the region.
Lieberman: Israel won’t renew transfer of PA tax funds for at least four months
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Netanyahu answers deputy criticism: Judge Levy acted impeccably
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
PM defends Judge Levy’s appointment as head of committee that legitimized West Bank construction
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Israeli university heads to PM: Clarify whether academic excluded from Merkel meet over political views
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
‘IDF soldiers in recent West Bank clashes were allowed to fire, but chose not to’
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Lieberman invokes the Holocaust to slam Europe’s Israel policy
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Nine scientists join Israel’s national academy – but nary a woman
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Prominent Orthodox rabbi calls on Israel to recognize Reform Judaism
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
First snow falls on Israel’s Mount Hermon
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Israel ranks 7th in mathematics in international education tests
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Israel raids Palestinian NGO offices amid heightened tension
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
U.S. to sell Israel munitions to renew stock after Operation Pillar of Defense
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
Israeli nurses walk off wards after talks with Finance Ministry break down
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
In Lieberman’s little Soviet Russia, Netanyahu should watch his back
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2012
‘Obama planning talks with Iran, excluding Israel’
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – US official says Obama to give 4-5 months for talks to succeed, if they don’t may resort to military option, Channel 10 reports.
Corrupt primaries? Let’s reform them US-style
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – One should ask: Why invent the wheel rather than learn from the US primaries and from other countries in which buying votes is negligible or even nonexistent?
The trembling flame of the revolution
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – One of the most recognized Jewish symbols in the world is the flame of the Hanukka menorah.
Terra Incognita: From ‘The Hobbit’ to Howard Roark
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Baggins and Roark could not have confronted terrorism and the dull, valueless post-modernist critique.
FM: Israel won’t transfer tax revenue to PA for 4 months
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Liberman says Israel won’t transfer tax revenues to PA for next four months, slams EU for statement condemning Israel’s settlement plans, warns Israel will take over Gaza if Hamas against fires rockets on south.
‘State must recognize non-Orthodox denominations’
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Leading national-religious Rabbi Yuval Cherlow says state should give political recognition to all Jews to strengthen Jewish identity.
A step forward
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – What is needed is a more comprehensive approach that will be balance the unique needs of the haredi community with the state’s requirement of shared service for all.
Undoing democracy – democratically
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – There are instances whereby the framework of democracy can be used to undermine its most fundamental characteristics.
Moderate proposals to stop a Palestinian state
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – A Palestinian state in our homeland, on the other hand, is a danger we may never escape. But this danger is not inevitable.
IDF: Offices searched in Ramallah served terror
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – IDF troops break into Women’s Union, the Palestinian NGO Network and Addameer offices, confiscate computers.
Egypt army calls for national unity to end crisis
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Muslim Brotherhood set to attend talks initiated by army after vital IMF loan is delayed; 1,000s of demonstrators take to streets.
Egypt army seeks national unity as crisis mounts
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Brotherhood set to attend unity talks initiated by army after vital IMF loan is delayed; 1000s of demonstrators take to streets.
IDF sources defend restraint against rock throwers
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Sources say document instructs soldiers not to open fire against rock throwers unless they identify immediate danger.
In Turkey, Abbas threatens to take Israel to ICC over E1
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – President Mahmoud Abbas says PA may file charges with International Criminal Court over plan to build 3,000 new units in J’lem, W. Bank; denounces move as “act of aggression” at joint conference with Turkish president in Ankara.
Barak defends appointing deputy chief of staff
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – A-G questions timing of move ahead of elections; Barak says he had to wait for clearance of Eizenkot ties to Harpaz affair.
Court mulls issuing restraining orders on nurses
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – TA court discuss state request to issue restraining orders against 28,000 nurses for implementing sanctions in public hospitals.
Iran insists on nuclear ‘right’ ahead of IAEA talks
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – IAEA, Iranian officials to meet in Tehran; UN watchdog seeks access to Parchin military site.
PM backs Levy c’tee following leaked Shalom tape
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Comments come after Shalom taped saying c’tee members selected to examine settlements because of their backgrounds.
Turkey: Israel playing with fire, burdening allies
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Gül condemns Israels “very dangerous” move to build new settlements in joint conference with Abbas, Turkish media reports.
Appaholic: Shining a light on top 5 Hanukka apps
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Hanukka meets modernity with 5 fun smartphones apps to help you feel the spirit of the season.
US: No signs Syria has moved on chemical weapons
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Panetta says US intelligence has detected no new moves on chemical weapons; US blacklists Islamist Syrian rebel group.
‘Israeli students register highest-ever test scores’
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Education Ministry report shows dramatic improvements in student scores from all sectors; Sa’ar warns against complacency.
Israel raids Palestinian NGO offices in Ramallah
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – IDF troops break into Women’s Union, the Palestinian NGO Network and Addameer offices, confiscate computers.
‘PA police who attack IDF ‘shouldn’t remain alive”
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Foreign Minister says Israeli restraint “motivates further provocations”, compares EU position on Israel to the Holocaust.
Re-thinking US policy toward Egypt
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – The US can only protect its own interests by coming out strongly against anti-democratic actions.
Gunmen fire at Cairo anti-Morsi protesters; 9 hurt
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Attackers shoot, lob firebombs at Tahrir Square activists protesting Egyptian president’s decree awarding himself sweeping powers.
‘UK plans to provide military aid to Syria rebels’
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2012 – Int’l coalition plans to provide training to Syria rebels, ‘The Independent’ reports; officials tell ABC Assad will use WMDs.
‘Unofficial steps could lead to ‘Palestine’ by 2030′
Jerusalem Post 10 Dec 2012 – New US intelligence report predicts a founding of Palestinian state, but key issues such as J’lem’s status likely to remain unresolved.
Fluoridated water reduces dental cavities in kids
Jerusalem Post 10 Dec 2012 – Teeth of children in towns with fluoridated water twice as healthy as those of other kids.
Gaza: ‘My child was killed and nothing has changed’
The Guardian 11 Dec 2012 – After eight days of war, an uneasy peace has been patched up once again between Israel and Gaza. Hamas are jubilant, but for ordinary people, there’s little cause to celebrate amid the ruins of a shattered…
Israeli separation wall threatens world heritage site of Battir’s ancient terraces
The Guardian 11 Dec 2012 – Israeli environmentalists and even the state parks authority are backing Palestinian villagers’ attempts to preserve landscape The future of an ancient agricultural landscape, incorporating extensive stone-walled terraces and a unique natural irrigation system, could be decided…
Tunisia Gears Up to Host World Social Forum
IPS Following in the wake of the wave of revolutions dubbed the ‘Arab Spring’, which originated here nearly two years ago, North Africa is gearing up to host the World Social Forum (WSF) for the first time. While Egypt was initially considered for the role, organisers finally settled on Tunisia. Now,…
How the IDF Targeted Civilians Shattered Lives in Gaza
Uruknet
Syria: How long can the regime keep its grip?
Uruknet
Egypt army given arrest powers before referendum
Uruknet
As American commanders target Afghan children Karzai offers immunity for continued US occupation
Uruknet
012
Uruknet
Israeli Army Deports Six Palestinian Families from Their Homes in the Jordan Valley
Uruknet
The fight to remain on their land: The Villagers of Al Mufaqara’s mosque destroyed yet again
Uruknet
Drones continue rapid development as Parliament begins to grapple with the issue
Uruknet
$384 million pledged to UN emergency relief fund
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 More than 40 countries pledged $384 million Tuesday to a United Nations fund that provides immediate money to respond to humanitarian emergencies around the world, from the conflict in Syria to earthquakes and typhoons.
Tunisian national strike averted after deal
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 Tunisia’s government has reached an agreement with the country’s leading labor union to avoid a nationwide strike over economic woes and power disputes.
Uruguay Congress prepares for gay marriage vote
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 Uruguay lawmakers on Tuesday debated a proposal to make all marriages equal and allow same-sex marriages to have the same rights and same divorce conditions as heterosexual unions.
Egypt cannot return to ‘bad days’ of Mubarak era: US
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 The United States warned Tuesday there must be no return to the “bad old days” of the Mubarak era in Egypt, as the army there called for talks to resolve a crisis over a constitutional referendum.
Egypt judges say most will boycott referendum
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 Egypt’s judges Tuesday said that most of them would not oversee a nationwide referendum on a contentious draft constitution, as tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of the country’s Islamist president staged rival rallies in…
Iran shows homemade helicopters with military role
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 Iran’s state TV says the country has put its first homemade helicopters into service, displaying them at an air show.
Kuwait reappoints oil minister Hussein in cabinet
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 Kuwait’s prime minister reappointed Oil Minister Hani Hussein in his new cabinet and brought back veteran policymaker Mustapha al-Shamali as finance minister, state news agency KUNA reported on Tuesday.
Egypt’s army says unity talks won’t cover politics
Daily Star 11 Dec 2012 Egypt’s army chief said that Wednesday’s national unity talks would not be about politics or a referendum on a constitution that liberals want scrapped but would be to bring Egyptians together, speaking in comments broadcast on…
Treasury: Outgoing gov’t can’t make major budget decisions
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – ….
We’re losing America’s Jews
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Op-ed: Israelis may wake up to reality of one state for two peoples and find that US Jews have abandoned them ….
Labor Court allows nurses to continue strike
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – ….
EU approves deals to boost trade with Latin America
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – ….
Meretz’s new campaign targets Russian speakers
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – ….
Iran shows homemade helicopters with military role
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – ….
Don’t give Abbas free pass
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Op-ed: PA leader got what he wanted – worldwide recognition of Palestine without his recognition of Israel ….
Syrian rebel to Ynet: Israel will benefit from backing us
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – In special interview, Syrian woman who left comfortable family life in Canada to help rebel forces in Aleppo and Idlib says Israel making ‘big mistake’ by not supporting struggle against Assad. Syrians are against extremists, she adds, but would ‘cooperate with the devil’ if it would help their cause ….
IDF defends policy of restraint
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Senior military source says policy of restraint in West Bank proved itself by preventing further violence. ‘We can’t fire at any stone-thrower and don’t want to hurt noncombatants,’ he said ….
Israel ranks 7th in international math tests
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – International studies examining students’ achievements in math, science and reading see Israeli students rank above average but point to gaps between Jewish, Arab students ….
Gunmen attack Egyptian opposition protesters
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Security officials say masked gunmen fired at opposition protesters at Cairo’s Tahrir Square ….
Israel’s anti-Abbas campaign
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Lieberman wants to use ads in foreign papers to portray Palestinian president as Mashaal’s cohort. Ads to be posted by Jewish groups ….
Don’t make Zoabi a hero
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Op-ed: By banning Arab MK from elections, Israel would be turning her into an admired international figure ….
US supplies Egypt with F-16 fighter jets
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Mubarak signed deal, Morsi to reap benefits: 20 fighter jets courtesy of US administration. Republicans fume: Egypt yet to prove itself democratic ….
Palestinian’s valid entry permit taken away by guard
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – West Bank resident who handed over valid permit forced to wait hours in vain after civilian security guard refuses to return it; Police admit action deviated from protocol ….
Nurses step up struggle; urge PM to intervene
YNet News, 11 Dec 2012 – Nurses in state-funded hospitals abandon posts for four hours as Finance Ministry seeks injunctions at National Labor Court ….
Strauss-Kahn, NYC hotel maid settle civil lawsuit
YNet News, 10 Dec 2012 – Former IMF chief and maid who accused him of sexual assault agree to settle her lawsuit for undisclosed sum ….
Report: Israel suspected of leaking docs from Iran probe
YNet News, 10 Dec 2012 – Jewish state may be responsible for series of leaks implicating Iran in nuclear weapons experiments, Western diplomats say ….
EU ‘deeply dismayed’ by Israeli settlements
YNet News, 10 Dec 2012 – European Union warns Israel against going through with plans to build new settler homes; PM dismisses criticism as double standard ….
Palestinian Information Center
Issawi taken to hospital in critical condition
PIC – The administration of the Israeli Ramle prison hospital took detained hunger striker Samer Al-Issawi to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center on Tuesday after his health badly worsened.
130 government buildings damaged in the Israeli aggression
PIC – More than 130 government buildings and utilities were damaged in the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip that lasted for eight days in November.
New tenders for the construction of housing units in East Jerusalem
PIC – The Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday invited offers for the expansion of “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement, on an area of twenty dunums of confiscated land..
Egyptian field hospital in Gaza within six months
PIC – An Egyptian field hospital is to be established in the Gaza Strip within the coming six months, the Egyptian health undersecretary Dr. Ahmed Siddik said.
Jihad movement calls for national unity and resistance against the occupation
PIC – Member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad movement, Mohammed al-Hindi, called for a resistance and political unity in light of a Palestinian reality that would witness other conflicts.
Abu Obeida: we make our own weapons
PIC – Spokesman of Qassam Brigades the military wing of Hamas movement said that “most weapons used against the Israeli army during the recent aggression on the Gaza Strip were homemade weapons”.
IOA destroys two Palestinian homes in Jerusalem
PIC – Israeli Municipality bulldozers demolished, on Tuesday morning, two Palestinian houses in Jabal Zaytoun in Tur neighborhood in the occupied city of Jerusalem..
Araqib village razed for the 45th time
PIC – The Israeli authorities razed the Araqib village in the Negev desert for the 45th time running claiming that the houses were built without permit.
IOF soldiers break into human rights building
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) broke into the Dhameer foundation for prisoners and human rights in Ramallah on Tuesday morning.
Abbas: Israel Must Choose Between Occupation or Peace
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Ashrawi says EU Must Follow Statement with Bold Initiatives
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Foreign Ministry Welcomes EU Council Statement
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Goods Imports Increased by 6.6%, says Bureau of Statistics
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Court Sentences Two for Attempting to Sell Land to Israeli
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Israeli Forces Raid, Ransack Rights and Civil Offices in Ramallah
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Israel Demolishes House in East Jerusalem
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
European Union says E1 Undermines Palestinian State Prospects
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Newspapers Review: Abbas in Turkey Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Weather Forecast: Cold Rainy Weather
WAFA – 11 Dec 2012
Abbas Arrives in Ankara
WAFA – 10 Dec 2012
Russia to Pull Out of Radar Station in Azerbaijan
New York Times 11 Dec 2012 – The move came after Azerbaijan asked for a steep increase in rent for the Gabala station, which can detect missile launchings throughout the Middle East.
In Egypt, New Challenge to Referendum as Loan Is Postponed
New York Times 11 Dec 2012 – The government postponed a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund that was intended to help Egypt avert financial collapse.
Bahrain Court Upholds Activist’s Conviction
New York Times 11 Dec 2012 – A court upheld the conviction of Nabeel Rajab on Tuesday, sentencing him to two years in a case that has exposed the government to international criticism.
Ministry allocates NIS 22m to fight pollution from offshore drilling
Globes Energy & Water – The Environment Ministry plans to procure two special ships for handling marine pollution from in the event of a spill from a platform in the Mediterranean.
Noble Energy VP: Allow gas exports from Tamar, Leviathan
Globes Energy & Water – Lawson Freeman: Israel’s policymakers face a decision on how to encourage foreign companies to invest in the Israeli gas market.
Micron seen laying off hundreds in Israel
Globes Main News – The company acquired a former Intel fab in Kiryat Gat when it bought Numonyx in 2010.
Finance Ministry seeks injunction against nurses
Globes Main News – There may be no alternative to an injunction because the nurses’ strike started three weeks before the expiration of the industrial quiet to which they are bound.
Tue: Oil Refineries leads rises
Globes Main News – The closing of the sale of Avgol boosted Oil Refineries, while Mellanox continued its comeback, and Teva rose again, in anticipation the release of its new strategic plan.
IDB postpones bond payment
Globes Main News – The NIS 65 million interest payment on the Series D bond has been postponed by five days to December 25.
Avi Gross invests in Elbit Vision
Globes Main News – Gross will invest up to $2 million in the inspection systems company.
Fidelity cuts Check Point holding
Globes Main News – Check Point’s share price has fallen 12% since the beginning of the year, while Nasdaq has risen 15%.
Israeli pupils ranked 7th in world for math
Globes Macro Economics – The ranking in math of eighth grade pupils rose strongly, and fourth graders reached second place in reading.
Spain Offers Citizenship to Jews Exiled in 1492
Tikun Olam – In November, the Spanish government made what at the time seemed a remarkable offer to restore citizenship to any Jew tracing his or her heritage back to those who were expelled during the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. It was a brave, courageous act of expiation by…
Exile and the prophetic: Elie Wiesel and the history of the court Jew
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. I’ve never been a fan of Bill Clinton. Nor of Hillary. I’m not sure I’d want to be known as an ‘old…
‘You have to demolish them while they’re small’ — Israel’s chief justice approves destruction of mosque
Mondoweiss – Mosque in Al Mufaqara,West Bank demolished Dec.4,2012 (Photo: Regavim ) Amira Hass wrote an important article in Haaretz yesterday about a gruesome phrase uttered by Israel’s new Supreme Court Chief Justice referencing the demolition of a mosque in the south Hebron Hills last week: “You have to…
ADL misrepresents Israel’s map to delegation it leads of 19 Latino leaders
Mondoweiss – In reaching out to potential new sources of support for Israel in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League took a group of 19 “influential” Latino leaders to Israel and the occupied territories in late November. But the trip seriously misrepresented the political landscape: The Latino leaders…
Israeli army raids three civil society offices in West Bank at 1 a.m.
Mondoweiss – The above video from Wattan TV of Israeli soldiers raiding NGO offices in Ramallah early today and seizing posters. (h/t Ben White) Early Tuesday morning the Israeli Defense Forces raided the offices of three Palestinian non-governmental organizations in Ramallah. From 1:05 a.m. to 3 a.m. eight…
Citing growing division among Australian Jews over Israel, cartoonist refuses to apologize for likening Gaza to Nazis’ victims
Mondoweiss – Here is an important bold piece in the Age in Australia. Several years ago, cartoonist Michael Leunig relates, the Jewish Museum in Melbourne withdrew an invitation to him to speak on the cartoonist as “society’s conscience” because of his then-“somewhat critical” views on Israel. Well, a…
Authorities informed the Shamasneh family of 8 they have until New Year’s to leave their Jerusalem house and turn it over to a Jewish organization
Mondoweiss – link to www.palestine-info.co.uk link to english.wafa.ps link to english.wafa.ps link to www.haaretz.com link to english.wafa.ps link to www.maannews.net link to www.palestine-info.co.uk link to 972mag.com link to english.wafa.ps link towww.maannews.net link to www.maannews.net link to www.ynetnews.com link to electronicintifada.net link towww.middleeastmonitor.com link to www.maannews.net link…
Were Ethiopian Women Forced Into Contraception?
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2012 – Israeli and Jewish aid officials are denying an Israeli TV report alleging that Ethiopian immigrant women have been coerced into taking contraceptive shots. Click here for the rest of the article…
New Party Seeks Different Path for Israeli Arabs
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2012 – One Israeli Arab election candidate aims to lead his community out of the margins of Israeli politics – saying their interests have been overshadowed for too long by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Click here for the rest of the article…
Probe Into ‘Sadistic’ Abuse at Israel Slaughterhouse
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2012 – Australian officials are investigating whether undercover footage of cattle being abused at Israel’s largest slaughterhouse are from Australia. Click here for the rest of the article…
New Clues Uncovered in ’82 Aussie Terror Bombing
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2012 – Australian police have uncovered new clues in the 1982 bombings of the Israeli Consulate and the Hakoah Club in Sydney. Click here for the rest of the article…
Plenty of Money Made at ‘Not-for-Profit’ Cemetery
The Forward New 11 Dec 2012 – Beth Israel cemetery in Woodbridge, N.J. is supposed to be a not for profit. So how did the company that controls its board score a sweet $8.5 million in fees? Click here for the rest of the article…
Morocco: ‘Friends of Syria’ Set for Marrakech
allAfrica.com 11 Dec 2012 – [Magharebia]The “Friends of Syria” group will meet in Morocco on Wednesday, AFP reported on Monday (December 10th). Arab and Western states will consider two key issues concerning the 21-month Syria conflict: the political transition in the event of President Bashar al-Assad’s exit, and the mobilisation of…
Veolia to end sponsorship of major UK photography exhibition
Global BDS 11 Dec 2012 – Campaigners against the business practices of French multinational Veolia are celebrating after the company announced it is ending its sponsorship of the prestigious and internationally acclaimed Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. For three years regular protests were organised outside the Natural History Museum in London and…
University of Oslo to end G4S contract over support for Israeli apartheid
Global BDS 11 Dec 2012 – Student campaigners created stickers imitating G4S’ logo to raise awareness on campus. (Photo courtesey of Palestine Committee at the University of Oslo) In a major success for the campaign against Israeli prison contractor G4S , the University of Oslo has announced that it will terminate its contract with…
Israeli arms companies forced to pull out of major aerospace convention in France
Global BDS 11 Dec 2012 – Campaigners protest the presence of Israeli arms manufacturers at Aeromart Toulouse 2012. (BDS Sud-Ouest) Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), two Israeli arms companies that assist Israel with the construction of its apartheid wall and supply drones to the Israeli military, have pulled out of…
Thousands march in Egypt rallies
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – Thousands of demonstrators are rallying in the Egyptian capital Cairo ahead of a referendum on a controversial new constitution.
Syrian refugees ‘number 509,000’
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – More than half a million refugees have now fled the conflict in Syria, with many more not yet registered, according to the UN‘s refugee agency.
Israeli raids on Palestinian NGOs
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – Israel’s military raids the West Bank offices of three Palestinian NGOs, accusing them of links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Stuart Littlewood: Will Palestinians ever ‘seize their destiny’
Sabbah report 11 Dec 2012 – Palestinians of both factions (Hamas and Fateh), no matter how unified, will never succeed in re-framing the international discussion and “seizing their destiny” unless they undergo a crash course in media skills. Stuart Littlewood: Will Palestinians ever ‘seize their destiny’ was published by Sabbah Report . Get…
Chicago Palestine Events
US Campaign to End the Occupation 11 Dec 2012 – Iyad Burnat Presentation and Discussion When: Wednesday, December 12, 7:00pm Where: School of the Art Institute, 280 S. Columbus, 2nd floor Suggested Donation $5 Iyad Burnat is head of the Bil’in Popular Committee and a leader in the village’s non-violent popular resistance movement. Since 2005, citizens…
Joy Harjo: cancel your Tel Aviv show!
AIC: Economy of the Occupoation 11 Dec 2012 – We at PACBI urge you to cancel your performance at Tel Aviv University set for Monday, December 10, 2012. Tel Aviv University, as other Israeli academic institutions, is notorious for its deep and well documented collaboration with the Israeli military and intelligence establishment, its racially exclusivist…
Ehud Barak translates political irrelevance into retirement
AIC: Israeli Society 11 Dec 2012 – In a press conference on Monday in Tel Aviv, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that after the “successful operation in Gaza,” he has decided to leave political life. He will not be running in Israel’s elections slated for January 2013, but will continue serving as…
What is Qatar hiding?
Al-Akhbar Blogs 11 Dec 2012 – Sometimes, it feels as if Qatar is the Arab North Korea; all mysterious and closed-in on itself. The Qatari model is yet to be studied closely as a new ‘successful’ experiment in governance and public policy. This country that came to the front suddenly in the…
Turkey Vis-à-vis the Arab Uprisings: A Closer Look
Al-Akhbar Opinion 11 Dec 2012 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sits in the Parliament as lawmakers debate the government’s budget for 2013 in Ankara, on 10 December 2012. (Photo: AFP – Adem Altan) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sits in the Parliament as lawmakers debate the government’s budget for…
Abbas says Palestine would go to court over E1 settlements
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2012 – The Palestinians could pursue Israel at the International Criminal Court if it builds new settler homes in a highly-sensitive area of the West Bank near Jerusalem, president Mahmud Abbas warned on Tuesday. “If Israel continues with this (settlement plan), we will respond using all methods, obviously…
Aleppo and Damascus Without Gas and Bread
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2012 – A Syrian man, who set up up a business outside a destroyed petrol station, sells petrol in plastic containers in the al-Fardos neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on 9 December 2012. (Photo: AFP – Odd Andersen) A Syrian man, who set up up…
Egypt IMF loan to hurt the country’s poorest: on hold
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2012 – The IMF said Tuesday that a proposed $4.8 billion loan to Egypt is on hold at the request of Egyptian authorities as violent protests mount in Cairo ahead of a constitutional referendum. “In light of the unfolding developments on the ground, the Egyptian authorities have asked…
Red Hot Chili Peppers Armenian-Style
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2012 – An Egyptian farmer harvests peppers from his field in a village, near Shubra on the outskirts of Cairo 27 September 2011. (Photo: Reuters – Mohamed Abd El-Ghany) An Egyptian farmer harvests peppers from his field in a village, near Shubra on the outskirts of Cairo 27…
Hariri Buys Ramlet al-Bayda Beach
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2012 – This indirectly allowed the area to be used by various social segments under the supervision of the Beirut municipality. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) This indirectly allowed the area to be used by various social segments under the supervision of the Beirut municipality. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)…
Milking the holocaust: appealing to European guilt
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2012 – Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, in an effort to invoke European guilt, unsoundly criticized Europe on Tuesday, saying its treatment of the Jewish state was comparable to policies during the Holocaust. Lieberman said Europe had turned a blind eye to a speech by Hamas chief Khaled…
An Industrial Coast for Mount Lebanon
Al-Akhbar Politics 11 Dec 2012 – More than 1.35 million square meters (m²) of this coastal area has been converted into exclusive tourist resorts in addition to fuel depots and industrial facilities. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) More than 1.35 million square meters (m²) of this coastal area has been converted into exclusive tourist…
Tripoli, the City that Can Neither Sleep nor Wake Up
Al-Akhbar Politics 10 Dec 2012 – Lebanese army soldiers stand on their military vehicles after being deployed following days of clashes between in the city of Tripoli, northern Lebanon 10 December 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Omar Ibrahim) Lebanese army soldiers stand on their military vehicles after being deployed following days of clashes…
Where to Find Lebanon’s Worst Seafront Violations
Al-Akhbar Politics 10 Dec 2012 – In simpler terms, influential figures will seize parcels of public seafront property and hastily put up structures, like a fence, to bar entry (Photo: Al-Akhbar) In simpler terms, influential figures will seize parcels of public seafront property and hastily put up structures, like a fence, to…
Thousands march in Egypt rallies
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – Thousands of demonstrators are rallying in the Egyptian capital Cairo ahead of a referendum on a controversial new constitution.
Syrian refugees ‘number 509,000’
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – More than half a million refugees have now fled the conflict in Syria, with many more not yet registered, according to the UN‘s refugee agency.
Bahrain activist’s sentence cut
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – An appeals court in Bahrain reduces the prison sentence handed to prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab from three years to two.
Israeli raids on Palestinian NGOs
BBC 11 Dec 2012 – Israel’s military raids the West Bank offices of three Palestinian NGOs, accusing them of links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Articles
Hamas at 25: Beyond the tired language
Ramzy Baroud, Asia Times 12/11/2012
“In a moment of high theatre he dropped to his knees, placed his lips on the ground and kissed the land he has commanded by proxy”.
That’s how Robert Tait of the British Telegraph worded the moment Khaled Meshaal arrived in Gaza on December 7. Tait’s report on what many in Gaza and elsewhere consider a watershed event in the history of the Islamic movement, was mostly consistent with mainstream reporting on any event concerning the impoverished and besieged Strip: often biased, selective, and devoid of real understanding or empathy.
Media reporting on Hamas is doubly provocative, controversial and similar to political stances towards Hamas. However, in the eyes of Israel, through the prism of its media and among Israel’s Western supporters, Hamas is an unequaled terrorist organization, sworn to destroy Israel and unlike the other “moderate” Palestinians – for example, Western-backed Palestinian Authority – it refuses to recognize Israel’s “right to exist”. The latter point was faithfully emphasized by Tait. He, like many others, unthinkingly or deliberately fails to question the incredulous condition placed on a relatively small movement as it faces a powerful and habitually brutal military.
Hamas’ supporters, on the other hand, see the 25-year-old movement as the pinnacle of Palestinian resistance; a iconic organization that unlike leading secular Palestinian factions refuses to compromise. To make the point, they cite various battles and numerous assassinations of Hamas’ leaders, including that of quadriplegic Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who was pitilessly murdered by an Israeli missile in 2004. They argue that a movement which is willing to pay this kind of a price – life itself – for its political and moral stances must be above suspicion, if not criticism. more.. e-mail
The Civilian Toll of Israel’s Bombs
Eva Bartlett, Antiwar.com 12/11/2012
GAZA CITY — When Israeli bombs struck the Abu Khadra complex for civil administration, they also gutted the sixth floor of the Abu Shabaan complex, located 10 meters across the road. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), eight Israeli warplane-fired bombs leveled roughly half of the government compound in eastern Gaza City in the early hours of Nov. 21.
The bombings also took a considerable toll on the homes and businesses nearby, including the Gaza bureau of Al Jazeera.
Over 50 percent of the private medical center in the Abu Shabaan building was destroyed, says Dr. Naim Shariff, 42, owner of the Benoon In Vitro Fertilization clinic.
Two weeks after the bombing tore apart the sixth floor and ravaged the fifth floor, Shariff has re-paned the windows, ordered new specialized machinery, and re-opened for clients.
“The problem with replacing my machines and equipment is that most of it doesn’t exist in Gaza. It takes months to arrive and costs more money than it would elsewhere,” he says.
“What else can I do but start again? There’s no insurance here for war damages.”
Three floors down, a privately run dentist’s office has replaced broken windows and office glass and installed a new reclining dental chair in place of the destroyed one.
“The walls were completely black before,” says Doa’a Moshaawi, 32, a dentist. “Everything was damaged here, all the jars of medicine and instruments we use in our practice were destroyed.” more.. e-mail
Rafah crossing with Egypt still a prison gate for many Palestinians in Gaza
Rami Almeghari, Gaza Strip, Electronic Intifada 12/7/2012
“I am on my way home,” I told my wife over the phone as I rode the bus back from the Egyptian terminal at the Rafah crossing with Gaza. “What?” she said surprised, “I thought you had already crossed into Egypt. It’s now almost 5pm! What is going on?”
Early on Thursday, I set off from our home in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, carrying my wife’s medical file, including the results of her latest MRI tests. My destination was Cairo, where I planned to show the new scans to my wife’s doctors who would decide on the latest course of treatment for her chronic cancer.
We have been making the arduous journey from Gaza to Cairo for her treatment for years, but this time I was going alone to spare her — and our children — the ordeal. I would come back and get her later if the doctors decided it was necessary.
During what I expected would be a visit of only a few days to the Egyptian capital, I also wanted to renew my press accreditation papers as my official Egyptian press pass expires at the end of the month. Not without my wife
I arrived at the Rafah crossing terminal at about 10:30am and, like dozens of other travelers, began filling in the registration forms. I wrote that I wanted to cross for medical and other purposes.
After waiting a few hours, an officer at the crossing called my name, apparently so I could be questioned by Egypt’s “National Security” agency, previously known under the old regime as “State Security.”
“Why are you going to Egypt?” the officer asked. I explained my purpose and showed him all the papers I was carrying.
“I cannot let you pass unless your wife is with you,” he said. more.. e-mail
The Exiling of Sheikh Jarrah
Rema Hammami, Jerusalem Quarterly File 12/11/2012
Autumn, 2012
Sheikh Jarrah
For more than twenty years i’ve lived on a small stretch of the nablus road in Sheikh Jarrah, making the neighborhood my most constant home. i moved in a penniless graduate student in the late 1980s and found an apartment in a nondescript mid-century building that i shared with a series of grad students and solidarity workers who were as poorly dressed and penniless as i was. recklessly, i had chosen Gaza as a place to do my fieldwork in anthropology, a year after it had exploded in the first uprising’s fog of tear gas and black tire smoke. the only way i could make it through a week of Gaza’s heavy mix of intifada violence and social repression was by knowing that on my horizon were a few days in the little apartment on the nablus road where i could grab some oxygen, a few sips of Gold Star beer and remember what it was like to have bare arms. Sheikh Jarrah was a haven, but a rather odd one.
1989
A neighborhood of arab East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah ambles over two hills cut in the middle by a wadi with its three main quarters determined by this topography. the quarter on its southern hill is home to the american Colony hotel and the mosque and tomb of the eponymous Sheikh Jarrah. in the wadi is the mythical tomb of Simon the Just (actually the resting place of Julia Sabine, a roman woman) and the now infamous settler takeovers of Palestinian refugee family homes. my quarter, on the northern hill (sometimes called “upper Sheikh Jarrah”), is home to turn-of-the-century family mansions that mirror those lost to israel when it took the western part of the city in 1948, as well as to a handful of foreign consulates that survived israel’s arrival on this side of town in 1967. more.. e-mail
Gaza doctors rebuild medical center destroyed by Israel
Electronic Intifada: 11 Dec 2012 – Eva Bartlett Gaza City 11 December 2012 Fertility specialist can’t find equipment he needs in Gaza but feels he has no choice than to resume work.more
Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike “until freedom or death”
Electronic Intifada: 11 Dec 2012 – Nour Joudah Ramallah 11 December 2012 Palestinian political prisoners were put back on the agenda in 2012.more
The Civilian Toll of Israel’s Bombs
In Gaza: 11 Dec 2012 – Abu Mohammed’s home is opposite the bombed Ministry of Interior complex; his family of 15 are homeless. first published at IPS –By Eva Bartlett (**blog version longer than published) When Israeli bombs struck the Abu Khadra complex for civil administration, they also gutted the sixth floor of the Abu Shabaan complex, located ten metres across the road. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), eight Israeli warplane-fired bombs levelled roughly half of the government compound in eastern Gaza City in the early hours of Nov. 21. The bombings also took a considerable toll on the homes and businesses nearby, including the Gaza bureau of Al Jazeera. Over 50 percent of the private medical centre in the Abu Shabaan building was destroyed, says Dr. Naim Shariff (42), owner of the Benoon In Vitro Fertilisation clinic. Two weeks after the bombing tore apart the sixth floor and ravaged the fifth…more
U.S.-Israel Lose Twice in UN
Dissident Voice: 11 Dec 2012 – The UN General Assembly has delivered two major defeats to Israel in the last two weeks. The governments of the U.S. and Israel are furious. On November 29, UN member states voted 138-9 with 41 abstentions to advance Palestine’s status from a non-member “observer entity” to non-member “observer state”. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas brought the statehood issue to the world body arguing that a “yes” vote was the “last chance to save the two-state solution.” On December 3 the General Assembly voted 174-6 with 6 abstentions to insist nuclear-armed Israel join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. To do so would oblige the right wing Netanyahu regime to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to periodically inspect Israel’s nuclear arsenal to determine if it is in compliance with treaty obligations. (The six “no” voters were the U.S., Israel, Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.) Had these votes been taken in the more…more
Will Palestinians ever Seize Their Destiny
Dissident Voice: 11 Dec 2012 – Some commentators have been saying that Israel’s latest land-grab has effectively killed off the two-state solution (if such a thing was ever truly feasible). And this has led to questions like, what should the Palestinians do next? Palestinians must have been asking themselves the same thing for the last 64 years. They are well acquainted with their rights and the crimes committed against them. They know what they must defend to the last. They also know — and if they don’t, they must figure it out quickly — what to do next in order to secure those rights. More than four years ago I came across a report entitled “ Regaining the Initiative – Palestinian Strategic Options to End Israeli Occupation “ by the Palestine Strategy Group, which shows that at least some of them had the answer. The document “reflects an alternative to an official but impotent Palestinian discourse…more
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The New Dark Age 