7 January 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Farawna: “Palestinian Christians, Partners In Struggle, Pain And Captivity”
IMEMC – Former political prisoner, a Palestinian researcher specialized in detainee’s affairs, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, wished all Palestinian Christians a Merry Christmas and a happy new year, and stated that Palestinian Christians are partners in the struggle against the occupation, working with their Muslim brothers and sisters for the liberation of their land and people. …
P.A. To Issue Passports, ID Card, License Plates, Stamps, Carrying State Of Palestine
IMEMC – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, gave his orders to the Palestinian Authority (P.A), Sunday, to start issuing Palestinian Passports, ID Cards, Postage Stamps and License Plates carrying “State Of Palestine”, instead of the Palestinian Authority. …
Arab League To Convene Next Week To Discuss P.A. Financial Crises
IMEMC – The Arab League announced Sunday that it will be holding a session for Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo, next Sunday, in order to discuss the Palestinian financial crisis, and the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon. …
Dr. Erekat Demands Israel To Stop Settlement Activities, Release All Detainees
IMEMC – Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, demanded Israel to stop all of its violations, mainly its ongoing illegal settlements construction and expansion activities in the West Bank including in occupied Jerusalem, and to release all Palestinian political prisoners. …
Israeli forces arrest 13 across the West Bank
1/7/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested 13 people in the West Bank overnight Sunday, Israel’s army and locals said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said six were detained in Nablus, three in Ramallah, two in Beit Ummar, one person in Jenin and one in Hebron. Sadiq Saqar Abu Mariya, 15, and Yahya Falah….
Report: 100 foreign jets training for Syria scenarios in Israel
1/7/2013 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israel’s Channel 2 TV station reported on Sunday that 100 fighter jets from around the world are training in Israel, including preparation for possible intervention in Syria. The foreign pilots and aircraft arrived in the country in recent days, and will examine crisis scenarios if Syria uses….
Leaders unmoved by Israeli objections to State of Palestine IDs
1/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian leadership couldn’t care less about Israel’s objections to planned State of Palestine passports and other identity documents, a Fatah official said Monday. Party spokesman Ahmad Assaf said Israel’s opposition to the measure, implemented after the UN accepted Palestine as a non-member state in….
Egypt allows Qatar building materials to enter Gaza
1/7/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egypt allowed building materials into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing on Sunday, the second shipment of its kind since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. Sixty-two truckloads of gravel entered the coastal enclave, part of a shipment by the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, which has….
PECDAR begins using State of Palestine on official documents
1/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The semi-official aid supervision body PECDAR began using State of Palestine on its official documents on Monday, an official said. The Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction has implemented Abbas’ order to use the state designation, former managing director and Fatah official Muhammad Ishtayeh said. [END]
Official: PLO seeking return of refugees to Damascus camp
1/7/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) –PLO leaders, the Free Syria Army and Syrian regime forces are in ongoing talks to finalize an agreement to allow Palestinian refugees who fled fighting in a Damascus camp to return, a PLO official said. Anwar Abdul-Hadi, a senior PLO official in Damascus, told Ma’an late Sunday that the…. Related: Activists: 2 Palestinians killed in Yarmouk camp
Egypt thwarts car-bomb targeting Rafah military base
1/7/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian military forces foiled an attempted car-bombing near a Sinai base on Monday, security sources said. Egypt’s military received intelligence from field agents about two suspicious vehicles parked behind a border guard camp and a deserted church in Rafah, security sources told Ma’an. Three military vehicles…. Related:Security alert announced in Sinai after thwarted attack
Security alert announced in Sinai after thwarted attack
1/7/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egypt’s army on Monday announced a security alert in the Sinai peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip, after an attempted bomb attack was foiled by security forces earlier in the day. A military source told Ma’an that intelligence services have received information in the last…. Related: Egypt thwarts car-bomb targeting Rafah military base
Abbas celebrates Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem
1/7/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — President Abbas attended midnight mass in Bethlehem’s Nativty Church on Sunday evening to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas. The mass was led by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and attended by Jordanian official Bassam Haddadin, representing King Abdullah II, the consul general of Greece and a host of diplomats and…. Related: In-photos: Worshipers celebrate Orthodox Christmas
Netanyahu rivals fail to form election pact in Israel
1/7/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Three Israeli centrist and left-leaning parties have failed in an initial attempt to form a united bloc that might have cut into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opinion poll lead before the Jan. 22 election.” We didn’t reach any agreement, unfortunately,” centrist Hatenuah party chief Tzipi Livni told Israel Radio….
West Bank public sector on partial strike this week
1/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Over two days this week, West Bank civil servants will work half days as part of a strike against salary delays that will be upped next week, their union said Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday, government employees will stop work at midday, union chief Bassam Zakarneh said. Next Tuesday they picket…. Related: Teachers despair over unpaid salaries
Teachers despair over unpaid salaries
1/7/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Civil servants in the West Bank are struggling to cover transportation costs, as the delays in their salary payments stretches on amid the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis. Public sector staff last received partial payments of their November salaries in December. They are striking this week and the next to…. Related: West Bank public sector on partial strike this week
In-photos: Worshipers celebrate Orthodox Christmas
1/7/2013 – Reuters / Suhaib Salem / Ammar Awad / MaanImages – Greek Orthodox clergy and worshipers take part in Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity and Gaza City.”The message of peace started in Bethlehem, and the Church announces today a message of peace, tolerance and reconciliation,” Patriarch Theophilos III said at midnight mass in Bethlehem…. Related: Abbas celebrates Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem
West Bank hit by floods, lightning
1/7/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — The West Bank was hit by flooding and lightning overnight Sunday, causing extensive damage to residential properties. Lightning struck 19 homes in Nablus overnight, local resident Mahir al-Juneidi told Ma’an, causing serious damage to electrical circuits and the exterior of several homes. No injuries were reported. Heavy rainfall also…. Related: School canceled in West Bank as storm hits
10-year-old boy killed in Gaza road accident
1/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 10-year-old boy was killed in a road accident in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, a medical official said. Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma’an that Diya al-Farra was run over by a truck in Khan Younis and died from his wounds. [END]
School canceled in West Bank as storm hits
1/7/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Schools in the West Bank will close this week due to severe weather conditions, a Palestinian education official announced on Monday. On Tuesday, classes are cancelled for first to fourth-graders, and on Wednesday all classes are suspended, deputy of minister of education Muhmmad Abu Zaid. School will be back in session…. Related: West Bank hit by floods, lightning
Vatican rejects rebel bishop’s denunciation of Jews
1/7/2013 – VATICAN CITY (Reuters) — The Vatican on Monday dismissed anti-Semitic comments by the head of a rebel Catholic traditionalist group, saying the Roman church did not see Jews as enemies. Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the rebel Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), said last month that Jews were among those “who over centuries have been….
Activists: 2 Palestinians killed in Yarmouk camp
1/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two Palestinian refugees were shot dead on Monday by the Syrian army in Al-Yarmouk camp in Syria, activists said. An activist from the camp told Ma’an that Ahmad Kousa was shot by Syrian troops and Rami Majdalawi was fatally hit by a sniper. Their bodies were taken to…. Related: Official: PLO seeking return of refugees to Damascus camp
Iran welcomes Assad’s ‘peace plan’ for Syria
1/7/2013 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran welcomed Syrian President Bashar Assad’s television address, saying he had rejected violence and offered a “comprehensive political process” to end his country’s conflict, Iranian media reported on Monday. Assad’s speech on Sunday was billed as the unveiling of a new peace plan but the president offered….
Pope: Stop Syria war before it becomes ‘field of ruins’
1/7/2013 – VATICAN CITY (Reuters) — Pope Benedict on Monday urged the international community to end what he called the endless slaughter in Syria before the entire country became a “a field of ruins.” He made the appeal in particularly strong terms during a yearly “state of the world” address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican. He said….
US gives unstable Lebanon 200 armored vehicles
1/7/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — The United States has given 200 armored vehicles to Lebanon, the Lebanese army said on Monday, bolstering forces that have been struggling to deal with sectarian violence inflamed by the war across the border in Syria. The M113 armored personnel carriers arrived by ship to Beirut on Sunday, the army said in a….
Dutch send Patriots to Turkey citing Syria missile threat
1/7/2013 – VREDEPEEL, The Netherlands (Reuters) — Dozens of camouflaged military trucks streamed out of an army base in the southern Netherlands on Monday carrying Patriot missiles to defend Turkey from what the Dutch defense chief called the real threat of missile attack from Syria. Five convoys totaling 160 vehicles ferried two Dutch Patriot missile batteries from an….
UN chief: Assad’s speech doesn’t help resolve Syrian crisis
1/7/2013 – UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced disappointment on Monday with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rejection of peace talks with his enemies made in a defiant weekend speech that his opponents described as a renewed declaration of war. Ban was “disappointed that the speech by President Bashar Assad on 6 January does….
Amnesty: Military trial ‘unfair’ for Egypt journalist held in Sinai
1/7/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Amnesty International said Monday that an Egyptian freelance journalist arrested in North Sinai last week should not face military trial. Muhammad Sabry was detained on Friday by the army near Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip, and is charged with trespassing and filming in a prohibited military zone, which….
Obama picks Hagel for defense, Brennan for CIA
1/7/2013 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday nominated former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA, potentially setting up a Senate confirmation battle on two fronts and establishing a tough tone to start his second term. Mindful of the concerns about both Hagel and….
Abbas orders issue of ‘Palestine’ passports
AlJazeera 7 Jan 2013 – Palestinian president asks government to stop using “Palestinian Authority” on public documents, as budget woes worsen.
Netanyahu Probed for Allegedly Accepting Money from Businessman
Palestine News Network
MADA: Violations of Media Freedoms in Palestine During December 2012
Palestine News Network
Israeli Authority Recognizes Two Settlement Outposts
Palestine News Network
Eastern Christians Celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem
Palestine News Network
Weather Forecast: Cold Air Mass Dominates through Wednesday
Palestine News Network
Morsi: Syrians Must Decide How to Condemn Assad for his Crimes
Palestine News Network
Prisoner Barghouti Calls for ‘Palestinian Spring’
Palestine News Network
AICinema: Screening of “Private”
Palestine News Network
Farming Injustice: End all Trade with Israeli Agricultural Companies
Palestine News Network
Israeli Forces Arrest 13 Palestinians from West Bank
Palestine News Network
PA Rethink Mollifies Armenians, Heralds Return to Status Quo
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
Nabi Saleh, still fighting
1/7/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 5 January 2013, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank – After dreaming of this moment over and over for the past three years, last Friday, 4th January, I was finally able to go to Nabi Saleh’s demonstration and meet its wonderful villagers again. When we arrived in the village, we went to the main square….
Alternative Information Center
ACT! Support Israeli CO sentenced to 3rd prison term
Alternative Information Center – Conscientious objector Natan Blanc sentenced to prison for the third time for his refusal to join the Israeli army. ACT NOW! Send Natan a letter of support and protest his imprisonment with the Israeli military and…
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Relief Web 7 Jan 2013 – Source: Assessment Capacities Project Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic (the), Chad, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the), Democratic Republic of the Congo (the), Djibouti, Dominican Republic (the), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho,…
Syrian Arab Republic (the): Deliver shipments of Iranian Red Crescent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian residents in Syria
Relief Web 6 Jan 2013 – Source: Iranian Red Crescent Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic (the) The first shipment of humanitarian aid sent by the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the Palestinians living in Syria after entering to Syria…
Bounced cheque decree ‘freed me from wheel of debts’
The National 7 Jan 2013 – Bounced cheques: For Jad Al Qubati, Sheikh Khalifa’s decree to exempt Emiratis from prosecution over bounced cheques has changed his life.
Families split by civil war reunited by UAE charity
The National 7 Jan 2013 – UAE Red Crescent is appealing for donations of winter clothing and blankets as winter hits Jordan and Yemen.
Tehran choked up by winter smog
The National 7 Jan 2013 – Worsening pollution crisis caused by low-quality petrol production adds to misery of inflation and unemployment in Iran. Michael Theodoulou reports
Syrian opposition rejects Assad talks offer
The National 7 Jan 2013 – Group says demands that should be met include an end to violence, release of prisoners, aid pledge and information on the missing.
Abu Dhabi companies to cut waste or face fines
The National 7 Jan 2013 – Companies generating more the 250 tonnes of waste a year have to file reports on efforts to reduce it, or pay penalties.
Bell rings as UAE schools re-open for new term
The National 6 Jan 2013 – School halls are filled with chatter and laughter again as students in the UAE return to school after the winter holidays.
Public, media banned from India gang-rape trial
The National 7 Jan 2013 – Ban follows rowdy scenes in southern Delhi courtroom before the accused make first appearance to hear murder charges against them.
Turbine that turns wind to water may be answer to UAE’s water problems
The National 7 Jan 2013 – The wind turbine can theoretically produce 100 litres of drinkable water in an hour and is being tested in the UAE now.
Hagel: My record shows ‘unequivocal, total support for Israel’
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Education Minister calls extraordinary meeting of higher education panel to approve Ariel University
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Yacimovich, Lapid slam Livni over ‘calculated’ call for unity
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
‘Dysfunctional Obama-Netanyahu relationship is one of main reasons for Hagel controversy’
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Israeli physicians could get green light to deny treatment to HIV-positive patients
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Cannibalism in the bloc
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
IDF chief on Harpaz report: This is a sad day for Israel
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
WATCH: Livni calls on Israelis to vote for any centrist party
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Hatnuah Chairwoman Tzipi Livni to answer Haaretz readers’ questions
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Stormy weather causes damage, injures more than 10 Israelis
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Jitters in the palace
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Netanyahu receives letters from more than 700 Jewish clergy protesting settlement expansion
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Settler council lied to High Court to prevent West Bank outpost evacuation
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Netanyahu fiddles while his defense establishment burns
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Netanyahu fiddled while Israel’s defense establishment burned
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Leading Israeli rabbi blasts anti-abortion group Efrat for ‘irresponsible’ language
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Current IDF chief lags in pay
Ha’aretz – 7 Jan 2013
Egyptian military thwarts attack in Sinai raid
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Militants planned car bombing targeting church and military camp, but forced to flee by Egyptian army, official says.
Single mother lured girls into prostitution ring
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – At least 9 girls, ages 14-16 from poor families in Gush Dan region, lured into sex trade by suspect, police say.
Sunni protests intensify in Iraq against Maliki
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Iraqi troops fire in the air to disperse Sunni protesters, as 2-week-old protests against Shi’ite government gathers steam.
Gov’t sets up c’tee on autistic kids after protests
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Cabinet establishes inter-ministerial committee to draw up arrangements for measures on autistic children.
The betrayal of Israel’s elites
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – ISRAEL’S SUPREME court only upholds decisions barring Jews. If your name is Meir Kahane, you can be barred for racism and incitement, but if your name is Bishara or Zahalka or Zoabi, you can pretty much do or say whatever you want.
Center-Left bloc erupts in internal war
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Yacimovich, Lapid slam Livni for presenting “false version” of tripartite meeting, claim they were used for Livni’s political spin.
Bibi’s bomb, army boots and words from the heart
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Parties show their creative side in clips for concentrated election commercials broadcast.
Borderline Views: The arbitrariness of borders
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – The arbitrary decision by the CEA to automatically adhere to an administrative boundary which was clearly out of synch with the realities of the recent war is part of the same pattern of thinking which does not allow for reasoning or adaptation.
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Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Looking into my crystal ball for the year ahead, what I see is a new, broad Israeli government that doesn’t last long, another futile settlement freeze, exacerbated Peres-Netanyahu tensions, continued stalemate with Iran, trouble on the Golan, and despite it all – life in Israel will remain great.
On My Mind: Syria’s body count
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Assad’s defiance guarantees that the war his regime initiated will go on and the recorded death toll will rapidly rise beyond the 60,000 figure.
Harpaz’s lessons
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – If it hasn’t already, our defense establishment needs to put its house in order, for Israel’s sake.
Obama taps Hagel for defense amid row over Israel stance
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – US president nominates Chuck Hagel to Pentagon, John Brennan to CIA; White House: Hagel is staunchly pro-Israel, favors tough Iran sanctions; Cantor responds: Doubtful Hagel can manage ties with greatest Middle East ally.
Iran: Oil exports declined by 40% due to sanctions
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Iranian oil minister Qasemi for the first time concedes that Western sanctions have impacted crude exports.
Amnon Yitzhak: I won’t stop, I’ll save the Jews
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Haredi outreach preacher Amnon Yitzhak says Koah Lehashpia party will run despite attack by Shas’s Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef.
Bulgaria bombing investigator fired over leak
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Lead investigator into last July’s bus bombing in Burgas, which killed 6 people, including 5 Israeli tourists, removed from position.
Gantz: Harpaz Affair report a ‘sad day for Israel’
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – IDF chief says those involved in Harpaz Affair “crossed lines,” and that he could not accept such conduct under his command.
Police indict Leef, fail to give her timely notice
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Social justice protest leader only sends attorney, hearing postponed; “All the protesters are being indicted,” attorney says.
Alternatively Speaking: Healthy winter hibernation
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Alternative medicine expert Natalie Marx answers your questions: What vitamins or herbs can decrease a winter appetite?
Syrians expect war after Assad’s speech of peace
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Hours after president addresses cheering loyalists, clashes raged in the Syrian capital; cabinet present plan to solve crisis.
Bennett: Netanyahu wants Livni in next gov’t
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Bayit Yehudi leader tells ‘Post’ he believes just like PM brought Barak into the current coalition, he will want Livni in the next.
IN PICTURES: Israel battered by storms
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Israelis brace themselves for a week of torrential rains, thunderous winds; Modi’in mall flooded; snow expected Wednesday in J’lem.
PM: Syrian chemical weapons danger to entire Middle East
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – In joint press conference with Avigdor Liberman in Jerusalem, Netanyahu says Syrian crisis “burdens entire region” as well as Russia, US; Pope urges international community to stop Syria becoming “field of ruins.”
Court extends remand of alleged TA bus bomber
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Muhammad Abed al-Jaffer Nasser Mafarja is remanded into custody until the end of legal proceedings against him.
Rand Paul in Israel: US foreign aid can’t be one-way
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Republican Senator tells Israeli audience it will be harder to be a friend to Israel if the US is “out of money.”
Iran welcomes Assad’s Syrian peace plan
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Iranian FM Salehi says president offers “comprehensive political process” for Syrian future; urges “Syrian solution” to crisis.
Morsi: Syrians must decide how to punish Assad
Jerusalem Post 7 Jan 2013 – Egyptian president pledges support for Syrian people, says he believes they will ultimately defeat embattled Syrian president.
NGO fighting teen drug abuse could fold
Jerusalem Post 6 Jan 2013 – Al Sam NGO, which treats drug use in youth and young adults below 24 years of age, calls on government to allocate funds.
Gov’t to compensate farmers hurt Gaza operation
Jerusalem Post 6 Jan 2013 – Gov’t approves plan to compensate farmers in Gaza vicinity whose crops were damaged due to Operation Pillar of Defense.
Chaos in Israel as rain and winds pound the country
Jerusalem Post 6 Jan 2013 – Stormy weather causes heavy traffic, shuts down roads, causes damage; snow possible in capital Wednesday, forecasters say.
Chuck Hagel ‘not antisemitic for saying pro-Israel lobby has a powerful voice’
The Guardian 7 Jan 2013 – Ex-adviser Aaron David Miller says Hagel’s language could do with a polish but that he is voicing a truth others will not confront The author of a book that quotes Chuck Hagel criticising the influence of…
Naftali Bennett interview: ‘There won’t be a Palestinian state within Israel’
The Guardian 7 Jan 2013 – Leader of rightwing Jewish Home party, which looks set for a coalition role, wants ‘more realistic approach’ to insoluble conflict The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “insoluble” and most Israelis “couldn’t care less about it any more”, according…
Pope asks world to stop Syria becoming ‘field of ruins’
The Guardian 7 Jan 2013 – • Catholic leader calls for governments to deal with conflict • ‘At least 33’ killed in Syria • Iran welcomes Assad speech; opposition and US reject it • Bahrain high court upholds protest sentences • Unrest continues among…
Yemeni Women Struggle to Step Forward
IPS Yemeni women have played an integral role in the protests against ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year regime last year. But despite the country’s upcoming political ‘National Dialogue’ – brokered by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and intended to bring together a cross-section of Yemeni constituencies – females still face a…
Qusra settler attack, two hospitalised
Uruknet
Punishment before charge
Uruknet
The Only CIA Officer Scheduled to Go to Jail Over Torture Never Tortured Anybody
Uruknet
Video: Overcrowded Schools in War-Torn Besieged Gaza
Uruknet
Israeli Army: “West Bank Arrests Aims At Preventing 3rd Intifada”
Uruknet
Bashar Al-Assad’s Speech On Syrian Crisis (FULL TEXT & VIDEO )
Uruknet
Obama advisor who had decried ‘war on terror’ now defends drones
Uruknet
Drone war cover-up: Now in Yemen, too!
Uruknet
Pakistan: 17 killed in three drone attacks
Uruknet
40 drone strikes claimed 255 lives in NWA in 2012
Uruknet
Obama picks Hagel for defense, Brennan for CIA
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Obama on Monday nominated former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA.
US drone attacks kill eight in Pakistan
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 At least eight militants were killed and four others wounded Tuesday when US drones fired missiles at militant compounds in a lawless Pakistani tribal area, security officials said.
Islamists strengthened in Egypt reshuffle: reports
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 The Muslim Brotherhood has strengthened its position in the Egyptian government following the latest government reshuffle, which saw members secure three more portfolios, media reports said on Monday.
Russian banks should beware blacklisted Syria banks: US
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Major Russian banks should beware dealing with two blacklisted Syrian financial institutions, a senior U.S. Treasury official said, saying U.S. and other banks could shun them as a result.
IMF official in Egypt as currency crisis bites
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 A senior IMF official met Egypt’s government to discuss a vital $4.8 billion loan as the Islamist-led state battles to contain a currency crisis set off by political turmoil that is depleting its foreign reserves.
Egypt’s pope urges Copts to ‘not be afraid’
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Egypt’s pope urged his congregants to be joyful and “not be afraid” in his Mass for Coptic Christmas, trying to reassure a community feeling anxious about the rise of Islamists to power here.
Egypt says it foils car bombing near Gaza border
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 The Egyptian military said it foiled an attempted car bombing that was likely targeting an abandoned church or a nearby military camp under construction along the Egypt-Gaza border.
Iran oil revenues down 45 percent
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Iran’s revenues from vital oil and gas exports have dropped by 45 percent because of sanctions over its suspect nuclear program, a senior lawmaker said Monday.
UN chief: Assad has no real plan to end suffering
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Ban said Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rejection of the most important elements in an international roadmap to end the country’s civil war means Assad has no real plan to end Syrians’ “terrible suffering.”
Syrians brush off Assad speech, fighting continues
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Fighting raged across Syria with clashes reported just a few miles from where President Bashar al-Assad had unveiled a “peace plan” that Syrians on both sides said would do nothing to end a 21-month-old uprising.
Abbas avoids clash with Israel over state symbols
Daily Star 7 Jan 2013 Palestinian officials said Monday they will not rush to issue new passports and ID cards with the emblem “State of Palestine” to avoid confrontation with Israel.
Why didn’t they warn us sooner?
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: New trend of former security officials criticizing leaders’ decision-making process is infuriating ….
Cameroon judge frees 2 men jailed for looking gay
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – ….
Messi wins record world’s best player award
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – ….
Study: Billions of Earth-size planets in Milky Way
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – ….
Libya’s largest parliamentary group boycotts congress
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – ….
Hagel nomination unnerves some in Israel
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – ….
Nukes, fences and cottage cheese
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: Upcoming elections in Israel not about quality of life, but about survival of Zionist enterprise ….
Arab Spring’s side effects
YNet News, 7 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: Threats against Israel desperate attempt by Arab leaders to divert attention from ailing economies ….
Protest leader Leef indicted for disrupting order
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Daphni Leef to be indicted for protesting illegally, hindering police officer in line of duty. Leef: I was dragged and injured in hand, ribs ….
Palestinian PM blasts Arab donors
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Fayyad accuses Arab states of failing to meet their promises of support, says his gov’t close to being ‘ completely incapacitated’ ….
Diskin: Bibi, Barak motivated by personal interests
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – In second part of interview with director of ‘The Gatekeepers,’ former Shin Bet chief says Israel’s decision-makers are driven by ego. ‘There’s a crisis of leadership, of values – it’s total disregard of the public,’ he says ….
Lieberman fined again over poor Knesset attendance
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Knesset’s Ethics Committee deducts four days’ pay from Yisrael Beiteinu chairman’s wages for missing 22 plenum sessions ….
Palestinians change their name following UN bid
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Abbas orders government to officially change name of Palestinian Authority to ‘State of Palestine’ ….
State Comptroller finds misconduct in Harpaz affair
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Report into forged document criticizes former IDF chief Ashkenazi for allowing his aide to collect information on Barak. Report also finds faults in defense minister’s conduct ….
Israeli billionaire’s son missing in Hollywood
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Aspiring Israeli filmmaker Syril Zimand has not been heard of since mid November ….
Assad: Syrian revolution fictitious
YNet News, 6 Jan 2013 – Faced with growing international pressure, alarming civilian death toll and rebels’ achievements, Syrian president seeks to assure his public he’s ‘in control’ ….
Palestinian Information Center
Arab league holds extraordinary session on Palestinian prisoners
PIC – The Arab League council is told an extraordinary session on Tuesday at the level of permanent representatives to discuss the issue of Palestinian and Arab prisoners in Israeli occupation jails.
Rainwater cause material damage to the citizens’ properties in West Bank
PIC – A state of emergency has been announced in the West Bank’s governorates, particularly in the North, after heavy material damage has been recorded due to heavy rain.
Barhoum: Washington’s support to Israel a permit to kill Palestinians
PIC – Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman, considered that U.S. President’s material support for Israeli military programs openly encourages killing and committing more crimes against Palestinians.
IOF summons a citizen and raids villages
PIC – The Israeli occupation intelligence handed a citizen a summons to its headquarters, after storming his house in the village of Deir al-Assal in the west of al-Khalil, at dawn Monday.
The launch of a project to serve heart patients in Gaza
PIC – The Qatari Red Crescent, in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, is scheduled to launch a project of equipping cardiac surgery sections in Gaza’s Shifa Hospital.
Conditions in Ofer prison deteriorate
PIC – A Palestinian Human Rights organization warned of the deterioration of the situations in the Ofer military prison as a result of the “squalid conditions” experienced by the Palestinian prisoners.
Settlers attack on the Mosque of the Prophet Daud in Jerusalem
PIC – For the second time in two weeks, Israeli settlers stormed the historical Mosque of the Prophet Daud in Jerusalem, and they broke the ceramic and marble tiles covering three walls.
IOF arrests Palestinian prisoner’s wife
PIC – The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have arrested early on Monday the wife of a Palestinian prisoner from “Al-Qassam Brigades”, sentenced to life imprisonment seven times..
Al-Hamad praises the Palestinian neutral position on the Syrian crisis
PIC – Dr. Jawad Al-Hamad called on the Syrian leadership not to involve the Palestinian people and resistance in the Syrian internal differences…
Israeli Army Arrests 13 People in West Bank
WAFA – 7 Jan 2013
Abbas Attends Greek Orthodox Christmas Midnight Mass
WAFA – 7 Jan 2013
Egypt Cabinet reshuffled as economic concerns mount
LA Times 6 Jan 2013 – President Mohamed Morsi replaces his finance and interior ministers a day before meeting with the IMF over an anticipated $4.8-billion loan. CAIRO — President Mohamed Morsi replaced Egypt’s finance and interior ministers Sunday in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at calming growing economic and security pressures…
Syria President Bashar Assad makes clear he won’t step down
LA Times 6 Jan 2013 – Bashar Assad’s address outlines his own peace plan, which includes him running the nation. He continues to brand the opposition as killers and terrorists. BEIRUT — Ignoring mounting casualties and dwindling support, Syrian President Bashar Assad made clear to the world Sunday in his first…
Bahrain Court Confirms Jail Terms for 13 Dissidents
New York Times 7 Jan 2013 – A court on Monday upheld convictions for 13 prominent dissidents, a decision government opponents say is evidence of the monarchy’s resistance to a political solution.
Chemical Weapons Showdown With Syria Led to Rare Accord
New York Times 7 Jan 2013 – Syrian troops have stopped the chemical mixing and bomb preparation, but concern remains that President Bashar al-Assad may use already-produced weapons at any moment.
Iran’s Oil Exports and Sales Down 40 Percent, Official Admits
New York Times 7 Jan 2013 – The oil minister, Rostam Qasemi, acknowledged that petroleum exports and sales had fallen by at least 40 percent over the past year, contradicting his previous denials.
At War Blog: Pentagon Agrees to Full Discharge Pay for Gay Troops
New York Times 7 Jan 2013 – Under a settlement to a class-action lawsuit, the Pentagon will now pay full separation pay to service members involuntarily separated from the military because of their sexual orientation.
At War Blog: Hagel Is First Vietnam Veteran to Be Nominated as Defense Secretary
New York Times 7 Jan 2013 – President Obama hailed Chuck Hagel as “the leader that our troops deserve,” describing how he once dragged his brother to safety after he struck a land mine.
Isramco seeks to buy ATP’s Shimshon, Daniel rights
Globes Energy & Water – Approval of a sale is subject to approval of the courts, the Oil Supervisor, and the Antitrust Authority.
PwC: $5.5b in Israeli exits in 2012
Globes Main News – PwC Israel: 2013 has all the necessary components to exceed 2012 and we expect interesting IPOs.
Flextronics to get credit insurance for ECI deal
Globes Main News – Flextronics Israel needs a $50 million guarantee to produce components for an $85 million contract with ECI.
Water Authority: We can’t remember anything like it
Globes Main News – The Water Authority estimates rainfall will add another 30 centimeters to the Kinneret’s water level in the next three days.
Mon: Banks weigh on market
Globes Main News – Banks fell hard and Mellanox again lost ground, but Bezeq, Teva, and Perrigo bucked the market.
Clal Finance sells main businesses to Harel
Globes Main News – Izzy Cohen, CEO of parent company Clal Insurance: The deal is part of a strategy of focusing on our core activity.
Leumi mulls spinning off real estate assets
Globes Main News – Such a move could bring the bank a potential profit of hundreds of millions of shekels.
Jewish Voice for Peace supporters send over 10,000 emails to President Obama supporting nomination of Chuck Hagel
Jewish Voice for Peace – Response shows American Jews are divided over Secretary of Defense nomination FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sydney Levy, sydney@jvp.org Immediately prior to President Obama‘s nomination of Senator Chuck Hagel to the position of Secretary of Defense, American Jewish group Jewish Voice for Peace announced that supporters sent…
Desperate to break Samer Issawi hunger strike, Israel relentlessly targets his family
Palestine Monitor – As people all over the world participate in today’s global hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, Samer Issawi has become an international figure of determination in his fight against the violations of the…
Elliott Abrams calls Chuck Hagel an anti-Semite
Mondoweiss – It’s happening. The Hagel nomination is fostering a discussion of Israel policy. Well, the start of one anyway. But it turns out you’re only supposed to be for Israel. Hagel has denied that he doesn’t love Israel. From Politico : Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska,…
More than 700 rabbis, cantors and rabbinical students protest E1 construction
Mondoweiss – Jahalin Bedouin encampment in E1, in front f Ma’ale Adumim. (Photo: Reuters/Jahalin.org) Despite an announcement on Friday that Benjamin Netanyahu delayed construction in the E1 corridor between Jerusalem and the West Bank, Jewish religious leaders delivered a letter to the Prime Minister’s office today signed by…
The education of Rand Paul
Mondoweiss – Rand Paul told the Louisville Courier Journal he wouldn’t cut aid to Israel, and he’s going to visit the country this week. The Courier-Journal says he’s considering running for president. Well if you’re running for president, who do you need on your side? Rosie Gray at…
Changing PA’s name to ‘State of Palestine’ raises questions on where Gaza stands in PLO’s political vision
Mondoweiss – A sticker bearing the slogan “State of Palestine,” part of a campaign to support the Palestinian UN bid for statehood, is seen on barbed wire at the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah on 22 September 2011. (Photo: Marco Longari/AFP / Al-Akhbar English ) What’s in a name? On…
Obama taps Hagel with combative speech– following outreach to AIPAC
Mondoweiss – Hagel and Obama in Amman 2008 Paul Richards AFP Update: President Obama just nominated former Senator Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense. Obama‘s speech was combative. It emphasized Hagel’s military service, his injuries in Vietnam, and said that Hagel was his choice because he could…
A message from Samer Issawi on the 164th day of his hunger strike
Mondoweiss – A letter from Samer Issawi, who has been on hunger strike for over 164 days now, was submitted through one of the lawyer’s who visited him on Sunday, January 1st, 2013. The message in the letter contains how Samer has several pains and diseases as a…
Chuck Hagel Would Be War Skeptic in Pentagon
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jan 2013 – A decorated Vietnam veteran acutely aware of the limits of military power, Chuck Hagel is likely to favor a sizable drawdown in Afghanistan, more frugal spending at the Pentagon and extreme caution when contemplating the use of force in places like Iran or Syria. Click here…
Chuck Hagel: ‘Total Support for Israel’
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jan 2013 – Pentagon nominee Chuck Hagel says he looks forward to facing his critics, especially from the pro-Israel community, who he said have “completely distorted” his record. Click here for the rest of the article…
Rand Paul Calls for End to Aid for Israel
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jan 2013 – Sen. Rand Paul called for a reduction of foreign assistance during a visit to Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel’s Center-Left Fails To Unite Against Bibi
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jan 2013 – Three Israeli centrist and left-leaning parties have failed in an initial attempt to form a united bloc that might have cut into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opinion poll lead before the Jan. 22 election. Click here for the rest of the article…
New Faces of Israel’s Election
The Forward New 7 Jan 2013 – Israel’s general election looks unlikely to bring a change in government. But it does promise to shake up the Knesset by bringing new players into politics. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Morsi Invites Saudi King to Attend Islamic Summit in Cairo
allAfrica.com 7 Jan 2013 – [Egypt Online]President Mohamed Morsi has invited Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz to participate in the Islamic Summit to be held in Cairo on February 6-7, Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said in a press conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Faisal.
Tunisia: Fatah Holds Rally in Gaza
allAfrica.com 7 Jan 2013 – [Tunis Afrique Presse]Gaza -The Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held a mass rally in Gaza on Friday to mark the 48th anniversary of its founding, the first such gathering permitted by the rival Islamist Hamas group since it seized control of the territory…
Egypt: Families of UAE Detainees Stage Protest in Cairo
allAfrica.com 7 Jan 2013 – [Aswat Masriya]Families of the Egyptian detainees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) staged a protest on Sunday in front of the headquarters of the Arab League demanding their release.
Egypt: Nation Reaffirms Stance Against Military Intervention in Syria
allAfrica.com 7 Jan 2013 – [Aswat Masriya]Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has reaffirmed Egypt’s rejection of any military intervention in Syria.
Why Chuck Hagel’s Confirmation is a Slam-Dunk
The Magnes Zionist 7 Jan 2013 – Chuck Hagel is going to be the next Secretary of Defense, unless there are surprises or skeletons in his closet. Already his “opposition” has defectors, such as Barney Frank , who initially expressed reservations. There will be grandstanding at the Senate confirmation hearings by Lindsay Graham and…
National BDS action in Australia
Global BDS 7 Jan 2013 – In early September 2012 over 60 Australian pro-Palestinian activists met in Adelaide for a Solidarity Weekend which included the 8 th Edward Said Memorial Lecture presented by Ilan Pappe, the 3 rd National BDS conference, the inaugural APAN (Australia Palestine Advocacy Network) AGM and a concert…
Vote for G4S as worst company of the year
Global BDS 4 Jan 2013 – G4S has been nominated for the infamous ‘Worst Company of the Year’ Public Eye People’s Award. G4S is complicit in human rights abuses across the world and helps Israel commit crimes against the Palestinians. G4S is involved in running Israel’s prisons, checkpoints, police force and Apartheid…
Libya’s liberals boycott assembly
BBC 7 Jan 2013 – Libya’s main liberal coalition withdraws from the national assembly to protest against delays in drafting a constitution for the post-Gaddafi era.
Mohamed Khodr: Who Will Congress Choose AIPAC or Chuck Hagel
Sabbah report 7 Jan 2013 – The “Jewish Lobby” has such power and influence on the U.S. government; one only needs to read the main reason U.S. Senators, mostly Republicans vying for a piece of the Democrats Jewish subsidy, are opposing the nomination of Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. According…
Jews For Palestinian Right of Return
Sabbah report 7 Jan 2013 – As Jews of conscience, we call on all supporters of social justice to stand up for Palestinian Right of Return and a democratic state throughout historic Palestine — “From the River to the Sea” — with equal rights for all. Read More: Jews For Palestinian Right…
ACT! Support Israeli CO sentenced to 3rd prison term
AIC: Israeli Society 7 Jan 2013 – Conscientious objector Natan Blanc sentenced to prison for the third time for his refusal to join the Israeli army. ACT NOW! Send Natan a letter of support and protest his imprisonment with the Israeli military and political authorities. Image: Stencils & Pochoirs Natan Blanc, 19 years…
The Elephant in Egypt’s Economic Woes
Al-Akhbar Blogs 7 Jan 2013 – Related Articles: Egypt Workers Striking in Record Numbers read more
Bashar’s Speech
Al-Akhbar Blogs 7 Jan 2013 – The features of the media and propaganda war on Syria are so clear now: each side asserts confidently that its calculations, assumptions, and predictions have been accurate all along. No side shows – or wants to show – the slightest signs of doubt or insecurity when…
Kuwait jails activist over Twitter posts
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jan 2013 – Kuwaiti riot police raise their batons at a Kuwaiti opposition protester during an anti-government demonstration in Kuwait City on 6 January 2013. (Photo: AFP – Yasser al-Zayyet) A Kuwaiti court sentenced a man to two years in prison on Monday for insulting the country’s ruler on…
Lebanon Prison Blues
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jan 2013 – Photoblog by Haytham al-Moussawi (Roumieh Prison), Marwan Bu Haidar (Juvenile Detention Center), and Marwan Tahtah (Baabda Women’s Prison) (Photo: Marwan Bu Haidar) (Photo: Marwan Bu Haidar) (Photo: Haytham Al-Moussawi) (Photo: Haytham Al-Moussawi) (Photo: Haytham Al-Moussawi) (Photo: Haytham Al-Moussawi) (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) (Photo: Marwan…
Tunisian police attack protest, six injured
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jan 2013 – Six demonstrators were injured Monday in the Tunisian border city of Ben Gardane after security forces fired tear gas in a second day of clashes, medics said. Hundreds of protesters since Sunday have demanded the reopening of a major transit point to Libya that was recently…
Lebanon: Gulf Arabs Sell Off Local Properties
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jan 2013 – Major investors and real estate owners started to put up their properties for sale. (Photo: Bilal Jawich) Major investors and real estate owners started to put up their properties for sale. (Photo: Bilal Jawich) Starting a year ago, Gulf Arabs who own a substantial amount of…
Lebanese Border Town Under Siege from Snow and Fire
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jan 2013 – Mikati promised them that he would not visit them again except through a direct a road from Lebanon. (Photo: Afif Diab) Mikati promised them that he would not visit them again except through a direct a road from Lebanon. (Photo: Afif Diab) Tufail, a mountain town…
Storm hits Lebanon, schools closed
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jan 2013 – A driver sits in his stranded car on a flooded highway, waiting for help, during a winter storm in Beirut on 7 January 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Mohamed Azakir) Lebanon’s minister of education ordered all schools in Lebanon to close Tuesday and Wednesday in anticipation of…
Bahrain rejects activists’ appeal
BBC 7 Jan 2013 – Bahrain’s highest appeal court upholds the sentences of 13 activists for their part in pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Iranian oil revenues ‘plunge 45%’
BBC 7 Jan 2013 – A leading Iranian MP says oil revenues have dropped 45% because of sanctions, amid reports of airlines cancelling flights over unpaid fuel bills.
Libya’s liberals boycott assembly
BBC 7 Jan 2013 – Libya’s main liberal coalition withdraws from the national assembly to protest against delays in drafting a constitution for the post-Gaddafi era.
Anger as Saudi in 90s weds teen
BBC 7 Jan 2013 – The marriage of a Saudi man in his 90s to a 15-year-old girl draws a wave of criticism on social media in the conservative Gulf kingdom.
Articles
013?
Ilan Pappe, Electronic Intifada 1/4/2013
I have just spent the last few days of 2012 in the city of Haifa. Accidentally, I met a few of my acquaintances who in the past deemed me at best as deluded and at worst as a traitor. They seemed more embarrassed today — almost confessing that mine and my friends’ worst predictions about Israel’s future seemed to be materializing painfully in front of their very eyes.
In fact, our predictions came very late in the day. Already in 1950, with unsettling accuracy, Sir Thomas Rapp, the head of the British Middle East Office in Cairo, foresaw the future. He was the last person sent by London to decide whether or not Britain should establish diplomatic relations with Israel. He approved but warned his superiors in London:
“The younger generation is being brought up in an environment of militarism and thus a permanent threat to the Middle East tranquillity is thereby being created and Israel would thus tend to move away from the democratic way of life towards totalitarianisms of the right or the left” (Public Record Office, Foreign Office Files 371/82179, E1015/119, a letter to Ernest Bevin the Foreign Secretary, 15 December 1950).
It is the totalitarianism of the right which is going to be the hallmark of the Jewish state in 2013. And some of the liberal Zionists who were once willing to devour me and like-minded Jews in Israel now realize we, like Sir Thomas before us, may have been right. And maybe because of their more benign attitude I would like to reciprocate by attempting, for a very short while, a different approach in 2013.
Compassion towards Israelis?
Those of us who write frequently for the Electronic Intifada have shown in the past — and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future — our utmost solidarity with the Palestinian victims of Israel’s existence and policies…. more.. e-mail
The spirit of Palestine
Amira Howeidy, Al-Ahram Weekly 1/2/2013
Amira Howeidy visits Gaza for the first time in her life.
When a friend asked me a few months ago if I want to join a French group of activists who were planning a trip to Gaza I was unable to digest the meaning of this invitation.
That the trip was scheduled months away to mark the fourth anniversary of the 28 December 2008 Israeli war on Gaza (which lasted for 22 days and killed more than 1,400 Palestinians) felt remote, even if the occasion was worthy of commemoration. Not only did so much happen since but the complexity of what Gaza presents vis-à-vis post-revolution Egypt, is both too intense and unresolved. In other words, since Hamas’s electoral victory in 2006 and the subsequent events that followed, the Strip become a barometer for Egypt’s foreign policy independence, or lack thereof.
I discovered Palestine and the tragedy of its occupation in 1948 by Zionist gangs at the age of eight or nine. My family was forced to voluntary exile in Kuwait in the late 1970s. My international school had a sizeable Palestinian community: the children and grandchildren of 1967 and 1948 refugees, with first hand accounts of how their families were forced out of Palestine in both wars by Zionist gangs. The details of the massacres their grandparents witnessed were recounted in acute detail.
At that time, Kuwait was a point of attraction for Arab dissidents — especially Egyptians — and many Palestinian politicians, writers and artists like the legendary political cartoonist Naji Al-Ali, the creator of the iconic Hanzala. I spent endless hours over the years poring over the poignant images he sketched in his book: Naji Al-Ali’s Cartoons (first edition 1967). This was how Palestine was carved in my memory as a child and when the nucleus of my political consciousness was formed. more.. e-mail
Why the numbers game doesn’t add up in the killing fields of Syria
Robert Fisk, The Independent 1/6/2013
Are the dead from Assad’s army even counted in these statistics?
Notice how Syria’s civil war casualty figures shot up by 15,000 overnight last week? The world’s press had happily settled into the “Syrian Observatory for Human Rights” statistic of 45,000 dead in almost three years.
But then at New Year’s the UN’s Human Rights Commission tells the world that the real figure is close to 60,000. Come again? Did 15,000 Syrians climb into a mass grave on 1 January, 2013?
First, however, a health warning. No-one disputes the carnage in Syria. But figuring out just how many souls die in a civil war – and whose “side” they were on when they expired – is a mighty dangerous game.
News desks beware, for history suggests that the “bad guy” must always be held responsible for the greatest number of deaths – at least in the Middle East – and that civilians who become “fighters” end up in civilian death lists, while men and women killed by the “good guys” don’t get on lists at all. It’s not just a question of lies, damned lies and statistics; in a war, each side produces its own rules for the dead. And none of them tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Government dead
For example, how many Syrian soldiers, pro-government militiamen, pro-government supporters and civilian sympathisers are counted among the statistics. SANA, the Syrian government news agency, once spoke of 2,000 dead among Assad’s military. Assad’s own officers suggested to me in Damascus last year that this figure had reached at least 6,000. I suspect it may be nearer to 10,000 pro-Assad soldiers who have now been killed…. more.. e-mail
Desperate to break Samer Issawi hunger strike, Israel relentlessly targets his family
Palestine Monitor: 7 Jan 2013 – As people all over the world participate in today’s global hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, Samer Issawi has become an international figure of determination in his fight against the violations of the…more
History of the People: Articulating ‘Palestine’ Despite Israeli Hasbara
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jan 2013 – By Ramzy Baroud What does a Palestinian farmer who is living in a village tucked in between the secluded West Bank hills, a prisoner on hunger strike in an Israeli jail and a Palestinian refugee roaming the Middle East for shelter all have in common? They are all characters in one single, authentic, solid and cohesive narrative. The problem however, is that western media and academia barely reflect that reality or intentionally distort it, disarticulate it and when necessary, defame its characters. An authentic Palestinian narrative – one that is positioned within an original Palestinian history and articulated through Palestinian thought – is mostly absent from western media and to a lesser degree, academia. If such consideration is ever provided, everything Palestinian suddenly falls into either a side note of a larger Israeli discourse, or at best, juxtaposed to a pro-Israeli plot that is often concealed with hostility. Palestinian news…more
Writing to Break the Pattern
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jan 2013 – By Tamar Fleishman – Qalandiya, West Bank A week after taking a photo of Majed presenting the pendant hanging from his neck with the engraving of the face of his good friend Ali Kalifa, who had died from a shot fired by soldiers on one of the allies at the refugee camp over a year ago, I came back to the usual place, at the usual time when the youngsters of the refugee camp meet. I wanted to give Majed his portrait. I didn’t find Majed and his friend. A person I know and who works there said: “Leave it with me, I’m part of his family”. I left it there. The days passed and I started to worry. I was struck with the memory of my encounter with Ali Kalifa and of his fate, it seemed as though a pattern had formed, as though there was a wheel that…more
Canada’s First Nations: Expect Resistance
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jan 2013 – By Eric Walberg “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance”, chant native Canadians as a showdown 11 January loams with Prime Minister Harper. Sparked by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger strike on tiny ‘Victoria’ Island near Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, now in its third frigid week, the native uprising across Canada is in fact the latest manifestation of the world’s colonized peoples trying to throw off the shackles of imperialism. An exciting moment, one of vital import for us all. Their warrior path brings to mind Egyptian Muslims fighting their westernizers and Mubarakite old guard since the revolution in January 2011, or the struggle by Palestinian natives against Israeli theft of their land. It is a continuation of the Iranian people’s struggle in the face of unrelenting subversion from the West. It’s no coincidence that Cairenes were some of the demonstrators at Canadian embassies, or that native activist-leader Terrance Nelson recently was offered…more
Conflict Created in Syria: The Bloody and the New
Dissident Voice: 7 Jan 2013 – They are termed new developments in the New Year, but these are hardly new given the pattern of events in Syria over the last year. Civil wars, when they take place in designated ‘hot spots’ of the globe, attract powers as moths to a flame. The flame raging between Bashir al-Assad and his opponents is such now such that there are more than enough vying for influence should his regime fall. Logistical support, diplomatic backing and sweet words are being cast towards the Syrian opposition. This has been the state of affairs for sometime, but there has been nothing decisive in the conflict so far. In fact, members of the Syrian opposition are complaining, citing no appreciable increase in capital or support since various pledges were made in November. Western countries are still observing the ban on the delivery of weapons. Gulf Arab states are also proving less enthusiastic in…more
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The New Dark Age 
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