1 January 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Army Demolishes Home In Jerusalem
IMEMC – Israeli military bulldozers demolished, Monday, a Palestinian home in Jabal Al-Mokabber, south of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext that it was built without a construction permit, the Palestine News Network (PNN) reported. …
Settlers raid Nablus village, burn Hebron car
1/1/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Dozens of settlers raided the northern West Bank village Qusra overnight Monday, uprooting more than 190 olive trees, an official told Ma’an. Several residents of the village, near Nablus, were assaulted, and homes and a tractor were also damaged in the raid, settlement monitoring official Ghassan Daghlas said. Palestinian…. Related: VIDEO – Red Crescent attacked during settler raids in Qusra
Dozens injured in Jenin clashes after undercover Israeli arrest raid
1/1/2013 – TUBAS (Ma’an) — At least thirty people were injured during clashes in a Jenin village on Tuesday after an undercover Israeli arrest operation in the area, Ma’an’s correspondent said. Israeli forces raided the village of Tamoun, south Jenin and arrested Murad Bani Odeh, a member of Islamic Jihad, leading to….
A precarious existence in the Jordan Valley
1/1/2013 – AL-JIFTLIK (IRIN) — For those who recently watched images of the Israeli bombardment in Gaza, the wide open hills of the Jordan Valley in the West Bank appear as a stark contrast. Flocks of sheep accompanied by their herders cross the hillsides, home to some of the most fertile land in all of the occupied Palestinian….
Egypt detains Israeli for ‘entering country illegally’
1/1/2013 – SHARM AL-SHEIK (Ma’an) — Egyptian military sources said Monday that Egypt had detained a former Israeli officer who entered the country illegally. Andre Pshenichnikov, 24, was taken for investigation after he tried to sneak across the border, the military sources said. Pshenichnikov told the military he is affiliated to a pro-Palestinian group. A former….
Report: Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drill
1/1/2013 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran has warned off foreign surveillance planes that have tried to approach its forces during naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesman said on Tuesday. The drills, which began on Friday, are aimed at showcasing Iran’s military capability in the shipping route through which 40 percent of….
Man dies after falling from electricity pole
1/1/2013 – QALQILIA (Ma’an) — A 23-year-old man died in the northern West Bank after he fell from an electricity pole he had climbed to raise the Palestinian flag. Muhammad Riyan from Bani Hassan, west of Salfit, was taken to a hospital in Qaliqilia where he died of his wounds on Monday night. [END]
Desperate for weapons, Syrian rebels make their own, fix tanks
1/1/2013 – ALEPPO PROVINCE, Syria (Reuters) — At a converted warehouse in the midst of a block of residential homes in a northern Syrian town, men are hard at work at giant lathes, shavings of metal gathering around them. Sacks of potassium nitrate and sugar lie nearby. In a neat row against the wall is the finished product….
US Senate report faults State Dept, intelligence on Benghazi
1/1/2013 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The State Department’s decision to keep the US mission in Benghazi open despite inadequate security and increasingly dangerous threat assessments before it was attacked in September was a “grievous mistake,” a Senate report said on Monday. The Senate Homeland Security Committee’s report about the Sept. 11 attacks on the….
013 with aerial strikes and clashes
1/1/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syrians woke on New Year’s Day to countrywide aerial bombardment, while President Bashar Assad’s forces and rebels fighting to topple him clashed on the outskirts of the capital. Residents of Damascus entered the new year to the sound of artillery hitting southern and eastern districts that form a rebel-held….
013 of peace, slams unbridled capitalism
1/1/2013 – VATICAN CITY (Reuters) — Pope Benedict said in his New Year’s message on Tuesday he hoped 2013 would be a year of peace and that the world was under threat from unbridled capitalism, terrorism and criminality. The 85-year-old pope rang in the new year with a mass for about 10,000 people in St….
Paper: Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood cell detained in UAE
1/1/2013 – ABU DHABI (Reuters) — The United Arab Emirates has arrested an “Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood cell” that trained local Islamists in how to overthrow Arab governments, a Sharjah-based newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source familiar with the investigation. The oil-rich Gulf state – of which Sharjah is one part – has previously voiced strong distrust of the….
New Egyptian party set to split Islamist vote further
1/1/2013 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Leading members of Egypt’s hardline Islamist movement unveiled a new political party on Tuesday, pointing to new rivalries that could split the Islamist vote in an impending parliamentary election. The creation of the al-Watan (‘Homeland’) Party is part of a political landscape that was dominated by a variety of….
Egypt satirist faces probe for insulting president
1/1/2013 – CAIRO (Reuters) — An Egyptian satirist who made fun of President Muhammed Mursi on television will be investigated by prosecutors following an accusation that he undermined the leader’s standing, a judicial source said on Tuesday. Bassem Youssef’s case will increase worries about freedom of speech in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, especially when….
Study: Iraqi civilian deaths rise in ‘low-level war’
1/1/2013 – BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A total of 4,471 civilians died in Iraq‘s festering “low-level war” with insurgents in 2012, the first annual climb in the death toll in three years, campaigners said on Tuesday. The deaths, up from 4,059 in 2011, showed militant fighters were still bent on carrying out large-scale bomb attacks, said rights….
Netanyahu: Hamas Could Replace the PA Before or After Agreement
Palestine News Network
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Palestine News Network
Colonial Democracy and Arab Spring of Nassar Ibrahim
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli forces attack Tammun. 4 injured from live bullets
1/1/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – From 9am to 6pm Israeli special forces, regular army and border police attacked the village of Tammun, south of Jenin. They used helicopters, many soldiers firing live rounds of ammunition, tear gas and plastic coated steel bullets. 35 people were injured, including 4 with live bullets. 2 children sustained serious head injuries from tear gas….
Israeli military conducts illegal operations in Tel Rumeida, Hebron
1/1/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – By Wyatt Black, 31 December 2012, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – The Israeli occupation forces have shown a large amount of aggression recently in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Al Khalil (Hebron). Three Palestinian homes near the ancient Jewish cemetery were entered and searched on the 30 December. Another apartment rented by internationals had soldiers….
VIDEO – Red Crescent attacked during settler raids in Qusra
1/1/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 1 January 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Qusra, Occupied Palestine – While people around the world were celebrating the start of a new year the Palestinian town of Qusra in the West Bank was under attack. Around midnight settlers entered the agricultural outskirts of the town, uprooting approximately 250 trees. Reports from some of the villagers spoke…. Related: 013 and Settlers raid Nablus village, burn Hebron car
Villagers in Yasouf plough land near Za’tara checkpoint despite settler harassment
1/1/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 31 December 2012, International Solidarity Movement, Yasouf, Occupied Palestine – For the last 11 years the villagers of Yasouf were denied entry to their land next to the road by Za’tara checkpoint. This land used to provide the village with much of what was needed in terms of vegetables. Over the last week they have successfully worked some….
occupied Palestinian territory: Dozens hurt in West Bank after Israeli commandos rumbled
Relief Web 1 Jan 2013 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 01/01/2013 18:03 GMT NABLUS, Palestinian Territories, Jan 1, 2013 (AFP) – Israeli troops wounded dozens of Palestinians in clashes in a West Bank village on Tuesday after the discovery of a small commando…
occupied Palestinian territory: West Bank vehicle torched in ‘price tag’ attack
Relief Web 1 Jan 2013 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory HEBRON, Palestinian Territories, Jan 1, 2013 (AFP) – Suspected Jewish extremists have torched a vehicle in a West Bank village and scrawled racist graffiti on a nearby wall, Palestinians and Israelis said Tuesday….
Dubai Metro users left in the lurch by power failure
The National 31 Dec 2012 – But the RTA says everything was back on track within 30 minutes.
Scare for nine in lift as elevator plummets six floors in Sharjah
The National 1 Jan 2013 – A elderly woman was injured yesterday when a lift in a Sharjah building fell six floors. Police said nine people were in the lift when it fell.
013 babies bring hope and joy
The National 1 Jan 2013 – As the world ushered in 2013, some parents in the UAE were in hospital welcoming their newborns.
No sign woman was raped, doctor tells Abu Dhabi court
The National 1 Jan 2013 – A woman who claims she was gang-raped showed no signs of having been assaulted, doctor who examined her tells court.
New study seeks answers to stress in the UAE
The National 1 Jan 2013 – What stresses the people of the UAE? A new study at Zayed University finds out.
Emirates Road renamed to honour Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
The National 1 Jan 2013 – Dubai’s Ruler has ordered Emirates Road to be renamed Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road
Moscow on the Med: the million Russians in Israel
The National 1 Jan 2013 – 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Jews who fled to Israel in the aftermath have successfully managed to stamp their own unique identity on to their adopted homeland.
Playboy Hugh Hefner marries his ‘runaway bride’
The National 1 Jan 2013 – The 86-year-old Playboy magazine founder exchanged vows with Crystal Harris, 26, at a private Playboy Mansion ceremony on New Year’s Eve.
IDF soldier with Arab-sounding name accuses El Al of discrimination
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Supreme Court orders state to evacuate West Bank outpost of Amona by end-April
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Habayit Hayehudi platform calls to ‘make local media more balanced’
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Likud member targets Bennett using Holocaust symbols
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Hasidic leader Yaakov Friedman, the Admor of Sadigura, dies at 84
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
In implied criticism of President Peres, Netanyahu warns against ‘rushing forward’ with Palestinian state
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Israeli-Palestinian clashes erupt in northern West Bank
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
IAF squadron deploys pilots in self-censorship operation on heritage books
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
East Jerusalem villagers: Israel Police subjecting us to collective punishment
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Top security adviser to Israeli diplomats: If you don’t like government’s policy, quit
Ha’aretz – 1 Jan 2013
Jerusalem refuses to take on water debt of Church of Holy Sepulchre
Ha’aretz – 31 Dec 2012
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Ha’aretz – 31 Dec 2012
Archive of Jerusalem’s 1949 wartime governor for sale in U.S
Ha’aretz – 31 Dec 2012
Shas organization gets NIS 2.1 million in state funds without tender
Ha’aretz – 31 Dec 2012
All the news that’s fit for kids
Ha’aretz – 31 Dec 2012
Health Ministry plan to train more nurses delayed
Ha’aretz – 31 Dec 2012
Egypt extends detention of Israeli ‘infiltrator’
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Andre Pshenichnikov is suspected of espionage; ‘Post’ blogger Ahmed Meligy arrested, allegedly because of his blog, sources say.
Peres returns to roots in Moshav Movement talks
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – President waxes nostalgic about his farming days when he was a student at Ben Shemen Youth Village.
Technion to launch one-year English-language MBA program
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – As part of their studies, students will be exposed to the start-up scene in Israel through regular meetings with professionals from various hi-tech companies.
Public Health Coalition slams gov’t on air quality
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – NGO criticizes Environmental Protection Ministry for abandoning Clean Air Law as well as public health.
Native Americans turning on Israel?
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – As far as American Indians are concerned, that nation certainly knows the risks of yielding land for peace.
View From the Hills: Jewish man’s best friend
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Thanks to an organization called Defenders of the Land there are currently 70 anti-terror security guard dogs stationed in communities throughout Judea and Samaria.
No Holds Barred: The dangers of favoring a child
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – In Jacob, as in Jefferson, we find a man who is timeless and relevant, inspirational and a role model; strong-willed, determined and effective precisely because of his humanity.
High Court orders state to evacuate Amona outpost
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Court sets April deadline for evacuation of outpost in response to state request; MK Uri Ariel attacks Likud over decision.
Reflections for the secular New Year
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – ‘Tis the season to communicate.
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Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – We Israelis should have faith in our ability to meet future challenges skillfully courageously and, ultimately, with success.
Olmert warns Israelis not to vote Tzipi Livni Party
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Former prime minister lashes out against Livni, Yacimovich, Netanyahu; sings praises of Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz.
PM: Hamas could replace PA in W. Bank if peace deal rushed
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – In apparent response to Peres’s call to renew talks with Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu says in spite of “voices urging concessions,” he will avoid allowing a “third Iranian terror base” in Israel by putting security before peace.
Egypt satirist faces probe for ‘undermining’ Morsi
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Bassem Youssef, Egypt’s alternative to Jon Stewart, faces investigation after insulting the president on television.
IDF arrests Islamic Jihad member in West Bank
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Clashes break out in Palestinian village following arrest of Islamic Jihad suspect; five Palestinians, 2 IDF soldiers lightly injured.
The Blog Down: Year in Review
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Hot button topics that seized readers’ attention in 2012 included the Iranian threat, the Palestinian UN bid, and Operation Pillar of Defense.
Happy new tax! Price and tax hikes set in
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Yacimovich, Lapid and Livni attack Netanyahu government for increasing tax burden on middle class.
Anti-Bayit Yehudi ‘Jewish Ghetto’ ads removed
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Likud primary candidate funded campaign showing Bennett behind barbed wire with yellow star; party says it has no connection to ads.
Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drills
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Commander says some 30 warnings issued to surveillance planes attempting to approach the site of military exercises.
One killed in clan clash as fire blazes in J’lem
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – 22-year-old man dies in hospital after being stabbed in a conflict between two family clans; six apartments, cars burned in fire.
1 dead, 6 apartments burned in J’lem clash of clans
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – 22-year-old man dies in hospital after being stabbed in a conflict between two family clans; six apartments, cars burned in fire.
Netanyahu: We’re building a digital Iron Dome
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Speaking at opening of new initiative to train youth in cyberwarfare, PM says Israel’s systems under attack from Iran.
Amidror tells ambassadors: Quit or enter politics
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – National Security Council head bristles at criticism from envoys over policy, says they should either represent Israel or resign.
Israelis to plant 3,000 trees for Newtown victims
Jerusalem Post 1 Jan 2013 – Over 2,000 people donate funds to plant trees in memory of 26 Connecticut school shooting victims.
IMA: Knesset candidates ‘not interested’ in health
Jerusalem Post 31 Dec 2012 – Israel Medical Association chairman writes paper claiming “Israeli health system does not interest the average politician.”
Government makes land cheaper in 667 locations
Jerusalem Post 31 Dec 2012 – New grants toward buying land are now available in 667 Israeli communities, including 87 West Bank settlements.
Relations between Christians, Hezbollah warming up
Jerusalem Post 31 Dec 2012 – As Sunni Islamists rise throughout Middle East, Lebanese Christians and Shi’ite Hezbollah find themselves cooperating as regional minorities.
Poll: Majority of Israeli Jews pessimistic about peace
Jerusalem Post 31 Dec 2012 – 83% of Israeli Jews do not believe that a withdrawal to the pre-’67 lines, division of Jerusalem would end Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to poll conducted on behalf of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Israel’s Jewish population passes 6 million mark
The Guardian 1 Jan 2013 – Symbolically significant figure, equivalent to number of Jews killed in Holocaust, is ‘a great joy’, says historian Israel’s Jewish population has passed the symbolically significant 6 million mark for the first time – equivalent to the…
Press freedom group shocked at Hamas ban on Gaza journalists
The Guardian 1 Jan 2013 – The ban imposed by Hamas on Palestinian journalists in Gaza from co-operating with the Israeli media has outraged an international press freedom watchdog. The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) registered its shock at last week’s order…
Iran: another year on the edge of the volcano
The Guardian 1 Jan 2013 – Power struggles and nuclear ambitions mean that Iran and the Middle East will remain volatile and any peace will be precarious The spectre of military confrontation with Iran, igniting a wider Middle East conflict, looms large…
The economy of Egypt is fine in another parallel universe
Uruknet
The Idol Smasher
Uruknet
Afghanistan: NATO Air Strike Victims Seek Compensation
Uruknet
Military Resistance 10L20 : Good Guys Bad Guys
Uruknet
An Open Letter of Response to CRIF (Counsèil Représentif des Institutions juives de France)
Uruknet
New Facts Emerge About the 2006 Al-Ishaqi Massacre. Investigation Must Be Reopened
Uruknet
Iraq: Organizers of Anbar protest intend to sue Mutlaq on charges of killing, wounding protesters
Uruknet
Eleven young men embark on solidarity hunger strike with the Palestinian prisoners
Uruknet
Iraq : 1 protester dead and four injured.
Uruknet
Syria files second complaint against Lebanon aid to refugees
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Syria’s envoy to Lebanon has sent another letter of complaint accusing the Social Affairs Ministry of aiding refugees based on their political affiliation, the minister said Tuesday.
013 with aerial strikes and clashes
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Syrians wake on New Year’s Day to countrywide aerial bombardment, while President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and rebels fighting to topple him clash on the outskirts of the capital.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes erupt in West Bank
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Palestinians say a raid by Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors to seize members of a militant group has sparked clashes in the northern West Bank.
Six charity workers shot dead in Pakistan: police
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Five women teachers and a man working for a charity were shot dead in a drive-by shooting after they left a community centre in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, police said.
Iran warns foreign planes near Strait of Hormuz
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Iran’s navy issued dozens of warnings to foreign planes and warships that approached its forces during a five-day sea maneuver near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a semi-official news agency reported Tuesday.
Airport in Syria’s Aleppo closed due to rebel attacks
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 The international airport in Syria’s second city of Aleppo has been temporarily closed due to repeated attacks by rebel fighters, an official said on Tuesday.
US intelligence agencies faulted for Libya fallout
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 A Senate report has found that the White House did not make major changes in the script that Obama administration officials used after the attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya.
Israeli produce discovered in south Lebanon shop
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 A Lebanese shopper discovered Tuesday several food items made in Israel in one of Lebanon’s largest retailers.
Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head say blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery.
Iraq December toll down despite wave of unrest
Daily Star 1 Jan 2013 Deadly violence in Iraq dropped to near its lowest levels of 2012 in December, figures compiled by AFP show, despite a wave of attacks Monday which killed 23 people.
Angola: 10 crushed to death, 120 injured at church event
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – ….
Teenage girl stoned by haredi boys
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – ….
Livni: Likud-Beiteinu will lead to Zionism’s demise
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – ….
The heart of the conflict
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: A.B. Yehoshua says dovish camp must demand end to settlement enterprise before joining Bibi’s third government ….
Egypt prosecutors investigate popular TV comedian
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – ….
Likud MKs back annexation of West Bank territories
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – ….
Zealotry threatens Western Wall
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: Liberal, conservative fanatics trying to turn Jerusalem holy site into ideological battleground ….
Peres bursting with anger
YNet News, 1 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: President has every right to speak up if he believes government leading Israel to disaster ….
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YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Israelis usher in new year with fireworks, alcohol and kisses; captain of Russian cargo ship docked in Ashdod wishes ‘warm and friendly’ Israelis a happy New Year; Europe holding scaled-back festivities ….
Report: Israeli held in Egypt photographed security sites
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Egyptian security officials says 24-year-old Andre Pshenichnikov, who was detained in Sinai over the weekend, tried to gather information from drives; ‘interrogations will reveal motive,’ one of them says ….
Obama: ‘Fiscal cliff’ deal is ‘within sight’
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Officials familiar with negotiations between White House, Republicans say agreement would raise tax rates on family income over $450,000 a year. Senator: This whole thing is a national embarrassment ….
012 one of ‘bloodiest years’ for journalists
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Heavy death toll in war zones result of ‘failure by governments, UN to fulfill their international obligations to protect journalists’ basic right to life,’ group says ….
Protest: South Tel Aviv conquered by refugees
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Residents of Tel Aviv’s southern neighborhoods, right-wing activists protest in wake of rape of 83-year-old woman by Eritrean refugee: ‘Crime in the area is ceaseless’ ….
Turkey accuses EU of bigotry, says its reforms are ignored
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Minister Bagis says European Commission’s latest report on Turkey’s progress was ‘overshadowed by more subjective, biased, unwarranted and bigoted attitudes’ ….
Egypt says detained Israeli was trying to reach Gaza
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Foreign Ministry confirms Andre Pshenichnikov, 24, was arrested by Egyptian police Friday; Egyptian officials say he was trying to enter Gaza to fight alongside Palestinians ….
Study: Christianity disappearing from Mideast
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – UK Christianophobia report states Christians in Middle East face persecution ‘intensifying with rise of militant Islam’; in Israel, however, Christian population is thriving ….
Israel eases building materials blockade on Gaza
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – IDF begins allowing shipments of gravel to Gaza’s private sector; says ‘the longer the calm persists, the more we’ll weigh additional easings of restrictions.’ Palestinian economist: Gaza needs more than what Israel has allowed ….
Iran test-fires missiles near Strait of Hormuz
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Exercise spokesman says Iranian-made air defense system Raad among weapons tested by Islamic Republic’s navy Monday ….
Arab women highlight of grim year, columnist says
YNet News, 31 Dec 2012 – Past year was fraught with bloodshed and oppression but Arab women fought for better future, Lebanese journalist writes ….
Palestinian Information Center
Settlers attack a citizen from Qaryut in Nablus
PIC – Jewish settlers attacked Abdul Latif Hassan Yousef, 55, on Tuesday afternoon while he was heading to the village of Qasra to provide medical assistance to local residents..
Occupation grants soldier who killed Salaymeh a medal of honor
PIC – The Inspector General of the Israeli occupation Police, Yohanan Danino, granted the Israeli soldier who had killed the youth Muhammad Salaymeh a medal of honor.
Workgroup for Palestinians in Syria condemn killings and siege of Yarmouk
PIC – The workgroup for Palestinians in Syria condemned killing humanitarian activists from the Yarmouk refugee camp by the Syrian regular army, and strongly denounced the siege imposed on the camps.
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PIC – The Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Resistance Committees, have announced that 13 of their cadres were killed during 2012.
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PIC – According to a report issued by the Department of Statistics, the total number of arrests against Palestinian children by the Israeli authorities has increased by 26% during 2012 compared to 2011.
Three hunger striking captives boycott the prison clinic
PIC – The hunger striking prisoners from Jenin; Tarek Kaadan, Jafar Ezzeddine and Youssef Shaaban, launched escalatory steps in and started refusing to go to and take medicines from the prison clinic.
Resheq lashes out at IOA for razing house of Issawi’s brother
PIC – Political bureau member of Hamas Ezzet Al-Resheq condemned the IOA for razing the home of Rafat Al-Issawi, the brother of hunger striker Samer Al-Issawi, in occupied Jerusalem.
Five Palestinians injured in IOF shooting in Tamon
PIC – Five Palestinian citizens were injured in Tamon village, Tobas district, on Tuesday when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at citizens during an arrest operation of a Jihad activist.
Islamic Christian authority slams Judaization of names of Jerusalem streets
PIC – The Islamic Christian authority for supporting Jerusalem and holy sites said Israel’s use of fabricated names of streets and historical places in Jerusalem was a violation of the international law.
Algeria Transfers $26m to Alleviate PA’s Financial Crisis
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
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WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Teenager Plunges to Death During Flag Hanging
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Three Hurt During Israeli Army Raid in Tammoun
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Palestinian Home Demolished in East Jerusalem
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Jewish Settlers Attack West Bank Village
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Settlers Vandalize Property near Hebron
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Newspapers Review: Launch of Armed Struggle Anniversary Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Peace Requires Ending Settlements, Occupation, says Official
WAFA – 1 Jan 2013
Moktada al-Sadr Encourages Demonstrations in Iraq
New York Times 1 Jan 2013 – An Iraqi Shiite leader, Moktada al-Sadr, expressed support on Tuesday for new protests against Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite but his political opponent.
Clashes in West Bank Injure Palestinians
New York Times 1 Jan 2013 – The violence broke out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians after an undercover Israeli force entered a West Bank village.
After Rocket Attack, an Israeli City Seems Resigned to More in the Future
New York Times 1 Jan 2013 – Intense fighting with Gaza has heightened concerns about safety in Rishon LeZion and seems to have renewed the sentiment among residents of the unlikeliness of a long-term solution in their lifetimes.
Syrian Military Mounts Offensive in Damascus Suburb
New York Times 1 Jan 2013 – Opposition activists said the incursion, in Daraya, southwest of Damascus, was the largest incursion by government forces in months.
Attacks in Iraq Leave at Least 3 Dozen Dead
New York Times 1 Jan 2013 – The attacks signaled a bloody end to a year of rising ethnic, political and sectarian troubles that showed little sign of easing.
Oil Refineries streamlines
Globes Energy & Water – Executive salaries are cut by 10% and employees will take early retirement.
Amdocs axes scores of Israeli employees
Globes Main News – Amdocs: In a global company with 20,000 employees – changes in the workforce are a routine matter.
Rafael hiring 150 Technion students
Globes Main News – Rafael wants to recruit the next generation of the country’s top engineers to lead a breakthrough in defense developments.
Zim heading for new debt settlement
Globes Main News – The shipping company risks violating its covenants with the banks.
Tue: Banks boost market after fiscal cliff deal
Globes Main News – Hapoalim rose 3.3% on the day’s largest turnover, while Mellanox was the only Tel Aviv 25 share to lose ground.
Hapoalim has lowest bank fees
Globes Main News – In the first half of 2012, the average actual monthly expenditure by households on checking account services was NIS 14.
013 – “Globes” survey
Globes Main News – 90% of respondents in the “Globes” Big Money survey advise investing in stocks in 2013, compared with 36% of respondents who advised avoiding stocks in 2012
“Netanyahu will abolish free preschool education”
Globes Macro Economics – Labor Party chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans scrapping his signature reform.
Obama reaches tentative fiscal cliff deal
Globes Macro Economics – An agreement to prevent the US falling over the so-called fiscal cliff has been approved by the Senate, but not yet by the House of Representatives.
Egypt Arrests Israeli Activist Traveling to Gaza
Tikun Olam – Arrested Israeli anti-Occupation activist, Andrei Pshenichnikov, who renounced Israeli citizenship and attempted to move to Gaza Last summer, after leaving IDF service, Andrei Pshenichnikov, age 24, underwent a radical political conversion. He began working with anti-Occupation groups and decided to renounce his Israeli citizenship. Further, he…
Al Mufaqara to rebuild their demolished mosque for the third time
Palestine Monitor – Photos by Lazar Simeonov. On December 22nd residents of Al Mufaqara village in the South Hebron Hills began to clear the remains of their mosque in preparation for its rebuild, which was destroyed by…
Endless ‘debate over two-state solution’ is cover for the real story, annexation of West Bank
Mondoweiss – One of the wiser political observations I’ve read lately was from Joseph Dana in the National : “the debate about the two-state solution has become an important diversion from discussing the true nature of Israeli colonialism.” I’ve noticed the same thing, from rightwingers and even liberal Zionists:…
Bil’in protesters oppose a ‘horrible, horrible wrong’ — Michael Moore
Mondoweiss – Michael Moore tweeted his followers to watch the film about Palestine that launched earlier in the departed year called 5 Broken Cameras . Twice . The chieftain of cinematic guerrilla activism sings it up as “one of the best films of the year” and “that rare documentary that has…
Hagel’s purported rivals for Defense job, Flournoy and Carter, are neocon-friendly militarists
Mondoweiss – Little news on the Chuck Hagel front. One friend says he’s hoping for Obama to announce his nomination to be Defense Secretary tomorrow. But who knows. Some developments on the mighty power struggle that is the Hagel balloon: Outgoing congressman Barney Frank “strongly” opposes Chuck Hagel…
Right-Winger Arrested for Praying at Temple Mount
The Foward Breaking News 1 Jan 2013 – Likud Party activist Moshe Feiglin was detained and later released by Israel Police after praying on the Temple Mount. Click here for the rest of the article…
Historic Shuls Battle Over $7.4M Torah Bells
The Foward Breaking News 1 Jan 2013 – Two historic congregations are feuding over a $7.4M set of ritual Torah bells. Touro Synagogue wants to sell the decorations but Shearith Israel objects. Click here for the rest of the article…
Beate Sirota Gordon Dies at 89
The Forward New 1 Jan 2013 – Beate Sirota Gordon, who enshrined equal rights for women in Japan’s post-World War II constitution and championed Asian arts programs, died at 89. Click here for the rest of the article…
Laying Groundwork for Life After Syria’s Assad
The Forward New 1 Jan 2013 – As the days of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad increasingly look numbered, Jewish and pro-Israel activists are starting to grapple with the question of who will be in power after he’s gone Click here for the rest of the article…
Fierce clash near Aleppo airport
BBC 1 Jan 2013 – Fierce clashes erupt near the international airport in Syria’s second city of Aleppo, with unconfirmed reports it has been temporarily closed.
Stuart Littlewood: The conspiracy to thwart Palestinian freedom hopes
Sabbah report 1 Jan 2013 – How could the Palestinians possibly go wrong with all that expertise and communications firepower behind them? Yet none of these noble tasks ever seems to get done. The PLO explains very little, doesn’t even try to mobilize international civil society, and lets Israel run propaganda rings…
On Ziad Rahbani, Al-Akhbar, and the Left
Al-Akhbar Opinion 1 Jan 2013 – The Left we dream of is one which allows someone, from among the people, to grow and become a leader (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The Left we dream of is one which allows someone, from among the people, to grow and become a leader (Photo: Marwan Tahtah)…
Lebanon: Stories of Women Behind Bars
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jan 2013 – She has been behind bars for four and half years now. (Photo: Haytham alMoussawi) She has been behind bars for four and half years now. (Photo: Haytham alMoussawi) In Lebanon’s Baabda prison for women, there is no shortage of appalling stories. From false imprisonment to domestic…
Israel attacks Palestinian village, injures dozens
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jan 2013 – Updated: 9:12pm: Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors raided the northern West Bank town of Tamoun and fired live ammunition at residents, injuring at least 30, locals said. Residents said youths threw stones and bottles at the soldiers after they arrested Murad Bani Odeh, a member…
Fierce clash near Aleppo airport
BBC 1 Jan 2013 – Fierce clashes erupt near the international airport in Syria’s second city of Aleppo, with unconfirmed reports it has been temporarily closed.
Egyptian TV satirist faces probe
BBC 1 Jan 2013 – Popular Egyptian television satirist Bassem Youssef is being investigated by prosecutors for allegedly insulting President Mohammed Morsi.
Articles
A defining moment
Sister Miriam Ward, Times Argus 1/1/2013
In defiance of international law and the Geneva Conventions, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announces plans for 3,000 housing units for Jewish settlers. The announcement of more Israeli settlement construction probably gets a ho-hum, “what else is new?” reaction from many people. I submit that this is not just another expansion move. It is known as E-1 (from East One). It is a defining moment, a watershed, in the history of the colonial occupation of Palestine. I am not an alarmist, but my 40-plus years of experience of observing firsthand the expansion and acceleration of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land tell me that Israel has whittled away chances for a real durable peace. And this move is a critical point of no return for the future of Israelis and Palestinians.
What is E-1? Why is it so critical? Looking at a map of Israel, find Jerusalem; on the west side is West Jerusalem and Israel proper; to the east is Arab East Jerusalem, Palestinian villages and E-1 proposed settlements and to the east is Maale Adumin. When completed it will cut the West Bank in two — North and South will not be contiguous. It will connect Maale Adumin with Jerusalem. It will cut off Arab East Jerusalem from Palestinians in West Bank towns. It forecloses on any hope for a shared Jerusalem as capital of both Israel and Palestine. (See B’Tselem.org, E-map.)
B’Tselem reports that despite the illegality, the police station, roads and street lights have already been built for E-1. Long before this recent announcement of 3,000 housing units, E-1 plans were formulated in the 1990s and approved as early as 2005. Hotels and a business center are planned. What a number of concerned Israelis have noted is Palestinians are not mentioned anywhere nor have they been consulted. Palestinians are forbidden to use the roads to the settlements. The Jahalin Bedouin tribe has been moved to a garbage dump near Abu Dis, and land confiscation continues in the nearby Palestinian villages of Anata, Abu Dis and Al-Izaryyah. — See also: B’Tselem: E-1 Human Rights Ramifications more.. e-mail
A precarious existence in the Jordan Valley
IRIN, Ma’an News Agency 1/1/2013
AL-JIFTLIK (IRIN) — For those who recently watched images of the Israeli bombardment in Gaza, the wide open hills of the Jordan Valley in the West Bank appear as a stark contrast.
Flocks of sheep accompanied by their herders cross the hillsides, home to some of the most fertile land in all of the occupied Palestinian territory and unrivaled even in Israel.
And yet despite the abundant land and resources, Palestinians living in the Valley are some of the poorest in the Palestinian territory, lacking even the most basic infrastructure.
The Jordan Valley is marked by a patchwork of zones in which Palestinians are allowed to live, which leave little room for manoeuvre.
“These restrictions have removed their ability to be self-sustaining. They are in an artificial humanitarian crisis; they have the capacity, the training, the education, but because of man-made restrictions, they are made vulnerable,” Ramesh Rajasingham, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in oPt, told IRIN.
For a start, much of the Valley is officially out of bounds to Palestinians – 44 percent is marked as closed military zones (including so-called firing zones) and nature reserves. An additional 50 percent is controlled by Israeli settlements, regarded as illegal by many in the international community. That leaves only 6 percent for Palestinians, according to figures from Save the Children.
A second layer of restrictions reinforces this exclusion…. more.. e-mail
Israeli minister aptly compares Ariel settlement with Falklands
Roi Maor, +972 Magazine 12/30/2012
Last Tuesday, it became official: the IDF (following approval from Defense Minister Barak) recognized the academic center in the settlement of Ariel as a full-fledged university. International condemnation soon followed. A UK minister, for instance, expressed disappointment regarding Israel’s decision, and labeled it an obstacle to peace.
In response, Israeli Education Minister Gideon Saar (Likud) argued that “[o]ur connection to Ariel is at least as strong as the UK’s connection to the Falkland Islands.” This comparison is quite apt because Ariel, like the Falklands, is the product of a colonial enterprise, meant to place a metropolitan population amidst a weaker people.
Furthermore, Ariel and the Falklands are both islands. Whereas the Falklands are surrounded by an ocean of water, Ariel is surrounded by Palestinians. It is at the very heart of the West Bank with very little geographic contiguity with Jewish areas of residence inside the Green Line, or even with other settlements in the West Bank. That is why any map that attempts to include it as part of Israel within a two-state solution ends up looking like it was drawn by a cubist painter.
There are distinctions, of course. Most importantly, the other claimant for sovereignty over the Falklands – Argentina – is a sovereign and independent nation. The Palestinians, who have been uprooted to make room for Ariel, are a stateless people living on lands inhabited by them for generations, kept in this position by the very Israeli power that founded and recognized the “university” in Ariel. more.. e-mail
Does Arab progress founder on an ossified language?
Robert Fisk, Dawn 1/1/2013
I’VE HEARD all kinds of reasons for the Arab-Israeli failure to agree on UN Security Council Resolution 242 — because the Arabic text calls upon Israel to withdraw from “the lands occupied by Israel in 1967” (including the West Bank, Gaza and Golan) whereas the English text (as the Americans intended) leaves out the word “the”. So “occupied land” leaves the Israelis free to decide which bits of land they want to hand back.
But the French version also takes the definite article “les” — so it can’t be the Arabs’ fault. Or does this all come about because the language Arabs speak and the language they write is not the same. Does it lack clarity? I hear this all the time — from Westerners.
There can be a kind of imprecision in practical life. I recall arriving in southern Lebanon during one of Israel’s five invasions and asking how many Israeli
tanks were on the road in front of us. “Many’, came the reply of the refugees. How many? “Ktir” — very many. 10? “Na’am”. (Yes.) 20? “Na’am” (Yes again.)
A dangerous lack of clarity there, surely.
Hasan Karmi, the Palestinian lexicographer who died six years ago, nursed the theory that having learnt colloquial Arabic as children before progression to the much more precise written form — and because language is so crucial to the development of thought — “Arabs were often handicapped by a lack of precision in their thinking”. Hence, perhaps, the failure of Arabs to maintain their historical superiority in science and intellectual thought. more.. e-mail
Al Mufaqara to rebuild their demolished mosque for the third time
Palestine Monitor: 1 Jan 2013 – Photos by Lazar Simeonov. On December 22nd residents of Al Mufaqara village in the South Hebron Hills began to clear the remains of their mosque in preparation for its rebuild, which was destroyed by…more
Abbas Too Weak to Make Transition from PA to Functioning State
Palestine Chronicle: 31 Dec 2012 – By Hasan Afif El-Hasan After wasting twenty years of negotiations in which basic Palestinian rights were squandered while Israel was colonizing the West Bank and Jerusalem and millions of Palestinians rot in refugee camps, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), decided to ask the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestine as non-member state. The vast majority of the world governments especially in Asia, Africa and South America have been always supportive of the Palestinian cause and direction. The UN vote was substantial: 138 votes in favor, 9 against and 41 abstentions. The euphoria among the Palestinians created by the vote reminds us with the sense of relief and optimism among the Palestinians when the Oslo Accords were signed and sold to the Palestinians by their self-appointed leaders as the road to “the peace of the brave.” Twenty years later, the Oslo Agreements proved to be catastrophic. Many…more
Canada Complicit in Israeli Occupation of Palestine
Dissident Voice: 1 Jan 2013 – The double standard of Israel-no-matter-what supporters can reach spectacular proportions. The recent case of Liberal Party leadership candidate Justin Trudeau’s speech proves the point and also illustrates the tactics employed to demonize the Islamic community. Montreal-based anti-Muslim website Point de Bascule and pro-Israel Jewish group B’nai Brith successfully turned Trudeau’s speech to the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference last weekend into a controversy. With help from some right-wing media outlets they made a big deal of the fact that one of (17) sponsors of the Toronto event has been accused of aiding Hamas by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). In a bid to quiet the controversy the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (IRFAN), which is challenging the CRA’s accusations in court, withdrew its sponsorship of the conference. Operating in a dozen countries, IRFAN is a leading Canadian Muslim charity that sponsored four thousand orphans at its high…more
Syria Swings between Hell and Dialogue
Dissident Voice: 1 Jan 2013 – It is admittedly not hard to imagine how someone can predict a vision of hell in a country like Syria which has become a hornet’s nest of terrorism and that which is tumbling into further chaos and bloodshed. Lakhdar Brahimi, who represents the United Nations and the Arab League, has predicted as many as 100,000 people could be killed “in the next year as Syria moves toward Somalization and rule by warlords.” Apart from his foreboding tone, his remarks are testimony to a broader gamut of interference at the hands of those who have infiltrated into the country from abroad. In point of fact, what is corroding Syria is not an internal unrest but a ‘foreign-made’ crisis. The Syrian opposition group insists that the start of dialogue would be made possible only with the departure of President Assad and says that it would not be ready to engage in any…more
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The New Dark Age 
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