21 January 2012 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Army Demolishes Six Residential Structures Near Hebron
IMEMC – Monday – January 21, Israeli soldiers invaded the Ath-Thaheriyya town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and demolished six Palestinian homes and structures. …
Palestinians Clash With Palestinian Security Forces In Al-Amary
IMEMC – Palestinian sources reported, on Sunday at night, that violent clashes took place between refugees of the Al-Amary refugee camp, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and Palestinian Security Forces, leading to several injuries. …
Soldiers Demolish Bab Al-Karama
IMEMC – Monday at dawn – January 21, Israeli soldiers invaded the Bab Al-Karama Palestinian village, installed by Palestinian activists on lands Israel intends to illegally confiscate in Beit Iksa, north west of occupied Jerusalem, and removed all tents and structures. …
Israeli Authorities Change Route Of Wall To Fully Annex Jerusalem For Israel
IMEMC – The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that they will re-route a section of the Wall east of Jerusalem in order to close off an existing gap and fully annex the city of Jerusalem into Israel. The new route means the complete encirclement of the Palestinian village of Al-Zaim, with the Wall to the West and a security fence to the east. …
Netanyahu: “No To Palestinian State, Yes To Settlements”
IMEMC – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated Sunday that he totally rejects that idea of establishing a Palestinian state, and spoke of a “sort of autonomy for the Palestinians”. He also said that Israel will continue to build settlements in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied East Jerusalem. …
Israeli forces demolish Jerusalem protest village
1/21/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Monday morning demolished a protest village erected by Palestinian activists last week in northwest Jerusalem to protest Israeli land confiscation. Activists told Ma’an that Israeli troops demolished all the tents and evacuated all the activists in the the Al-Karamah (Dignity) village in Beit Iksa.” The demolition…. Related: Beit Iksa’s peaceful camp protest evicted and destroyed by Israeli forces
Report: Israel plans to complete wall around E1
1/21/2013 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to finish building the separation wall around planned Israeli settlement zone E1 which cuts off the West Bank from Jerusalem, Israeli media reported. The proposal to close a three-kilometer gap in the wall will prevent Palestinian access to E1, where activists erected a….
Medics: Israeli forces shoot man near Gaza border
1/21/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian worker near the Erez crossing in north Gaza on Monday, medics said. Adbullah Maaroof, 19, was shot in the leg by Israeli forces and taken to the Kamal Udwan hospital for treatment, Palestinian medics said. Israeli military sources said the army fired warning….
Israel demolishes sheds, water well in south Hebron
1/21/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Monday morning demolished sheds and a water well used for irrigation in a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank. Local farmers told Ma’an that large numbers of Israeli troops escorted bulldozers to al-Deirat village, south of Hebron. Last week, Israeli forces demolished four sheds in….
UN: Psychological trauma ‘doubled’ in Gaza since war
1/21/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Incidence of psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder have more than doubled in Gaza since Israel’s November war in the enclave, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees says. Since Israel’s eight-day bombardment of Gaza, which ended on Nov. 21, 42 percent of patients treated by UNRWA for….
Lawyer: Woman detained with baby to face court
1/21/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A 31-year-old Palestinian woman who was arrested with her baby by Israeli forces in south Hebron on Saturday is set to face a charge of assaulting officers, her lawyer said Monday. Rima Ismail Awad, from al-Deirat, was released on bail on Sunday morning but is under suspicion of aggression towards…. Related: Israel forces ‘detain 14’ at south Hebron protest
3 shot, injured by PA security in Ramallah camp
1/21/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Three Palestinian youth were shot and injured Sunday evening in clashes with Palestinian security forces in the al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah. The men were wounded by live ammunition in the legs, Palestinian medics said. Clashes broke out after a group of youth closed the main road between Ramallah and Jerusalem….
Abbas: Israel agreed to let refugees into West Bank from Syria
1/21/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel agreed to allow 150,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria to return to the West Bank,President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with Al-Mayadeen satellite channel on Monday. The offer was reportedly made last week, but Abbas rejected an Israeli condition which would force refugees to sign a statement saying that….
Egypt security officials to push reconciliation in Gaza visit
1/21/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — An Egyptian security delegation will visit the Gaza Strip soon to push forward reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, an official said Monday. An Egyptian security official told Ma’an the delegation would meet with the reconciliation committee to implement the timetable for national unity set out earlier this month…. Related: Hamas official: Ending political division requires great efforts and Al-Ahmad: Fatah, Hamas, Egypt to form committee
Israel releases Palestinian after 25 years in jail
1/21/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Israeli authorities on Sunday released one of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners in their custody, Jihad al-Obaidi. During 25 years in Israeli jail, al-Obaidi, from Jerusalem, got to know many fellow inmates. In the Gaza Strip, released prisoners gathered on Sunday to celebrate his release. Many had served time with al-Obaidi….
Official: Kerem Shalom crossing to shut for Israeli election
1/21/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities have decided to shut the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip during their election day on Tuesday, a Palestinian official said. An official in the Palestinian crossings department told Ma’an on Monday that Kerem Shalom would be shut for the day, while the….
Protests continue against PA detentions in Nablus camp
1/21/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Demonstrators burned tires at a Nablus refugee camp on Monday in protest against the Palestinian Authority’s continued detention of Fatah members. At Balata camp, protesters accused the PA of escalating measures against Fatah gunmen who gave themselves in to PA security services on Thursday. PLC deputies Jamal Hwail and….
Malaysian delegation arrives in Gaza
1/21/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — An official delegation from Malaysia arrived in the Gaza Strip via Egypt on Monday morning, in preparation for the arrival of the Malaysian premier, who is scheduled to visit on Tuesday. Prime Minister Muhammad Najib Abdul Razak will visit the Gaza Strip along with his wife, foreign minister, and other….
Analysis: Israeli vote is least of neighbors’ worries
1/21/2013 – By Alistair Lyon – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — A hardline Israeli government or a very hardline one. With those widely viewed as the likeliest outcomes of Tuesday’s election in Israel, the ballot has aroused minimal interest from Middle Eastern states who once scrutinized such votes for clues about the fate of the so-called peace process. Whether….
Abbas calls on Arab states to support Jerusalem
1/21/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called on Arab states to provide funds to implement a strategic plan to support Jerusalem at a summit in Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Authority media reported. Abbas said Arab states must pay their quotas to sponsor projects outlined in the plan, which was agreed at previous Arab….
Hamas official: Ending political division requires great efforts
1/21/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Ending the political split between Fatah and Hamas will require extensive efforts by both sides, a senior Hamas official said Monday.” What happened in Cairo in recent meetings was positive, and we hope to find a way to change on the ground,” Hamas politburo member Osama Hamdan told Ma’…. Related: Egypt security officials to push reconciliation in Gaza visit and Al-Ahmad: Fatah, Hamas, Egypt to form committee
Al-Ahmad: Fatah, Hamas, Egypt to form committee
1/21/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas and Fatah will form a tripartite committee with Egypt to implement national reconciliation, a Fatah leader said Monday. Azzam al-Ahmad told Voice of Palestine radio that he will represent Fatah in the committee and Musa Abu Marzouq will represent Hamas. An Egyptian delegation will visit the West Bank and Gaza…. Related: Egypt security officials to push reconciliation in Gaza visit
Egyptian officer shot, injured by human traffickers in Sinai
1/21/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — An Egyptian police officer was shot and injured on Sunday evening in clashes between Egyptian police and human traffickers on the borders between Egypt and Israel in the Sinai. Egyptian security sources told Ma’an that an Egyptian force was patrolling the borders when human traffickers opened fire on….
Syrian opposition postpones forming government
1/21/2013 – ISTANBUL (Reuters) — Syrian opposition leaders meeting in Istanbul have postponed forming a transitional government, the Syrian National Coalition said on Monday, in a setback for efforts to fill a power vacuum in the war-torn country. The talks launched on Saturday were the opposition’s second bid to form a government, with its credibility at….
Report: Russia sending aircraft to evacuate citizens in Syria
1/21/2013 – MOSCOW (Reuters) — Russia is sending two planes to Beirut to evacuate more than 100 of its citizens from Syria, Interfax quoted the Emergencies Ministry’s spokeswoman Irina Rossius as saying on Monday.” On orders from the leadership of the Russian Federation, the Emergencies Ministry is sending two airplanes to Beirut so that all Russians….
Emboldened Obama lays out battle plan as he launches 2nd term
1/21/2013 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Barack Obama urged Americans on Monday to reject political “absolutism” and partisan rancor, as he kicked off his second term with an impassioned call for collective action and established a more assertive tone for the challenges he faces over the next four years. Obama‘s ceremonial swearing-in at the US Capitol….
Israel removes new Palestinian protest camp
AlJazeera 21 Jan 2013 – Army removes encampment in the occupied West Bank saying the tents and building were on land owned by Israel.
Hamas’ Foreign Minister Visits Gaza for First Time
Palestine News Network
Three Palestinians Injured in Riot in Ramallah
Palestine News Network
Memo of Recommendations to President Obama, Particularly the Palestinian File
Palestine News Network
AICafe: “World Social Forum – Free Palestine” with Ahmad Jaradat
Palestine News Network
For Palestinians, Israeli Elections Signal Deepening Occupation
Palestine News Network
Call to Release Palestinian Hunger Striker Samer Al-Issawi
Palestine News Network
Israeli Occupation Arrests Several Palestinians from the West Bank
Palestine News Network
Israel Demolishes Bab Al-Karameh Palestinian Village
Palestine News Network
President Abbas Arrives in Saudia Arabia for Economic Summit
Palestine News Network
Netanyahu is the Jewish State’s Worst Enemy
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
Beit Iksa’s peaceful camp protest evicted and destroyed by Israeli forces
1/21/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 21 January 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine – In the early hours of Sunday morning, Israeli forces stormed into a peaceful Palestinian camp protest in the small village of Beit Iksa to demolish a half built mosque and tear down four large tents that had been erected since Friday. Israeli occupation forces surrounded the camp…. Related: Israeli forces demolish Jerusalem protest village
This must be the place – Campaign for the abolition of ‘Firing Zone 918? in South Hebron Hills
1/21/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – This must be the place. Sign the petition – PETITION – In the southern West Bank (oPt), in the South Hebron Hills, there exists an area called Masafer Yatta. The area encompasses some 1000 inhabitants and twelve Palestinian villages: Tuba, al-Mufaqarah, Isfey, Maghayir al Abeed, al-Majaz, at-Tabban, al-Fakheit, Halaweh, Mirkez, Jinba, Kharoubeh and Sarura. According to the…. Related: Sign the petition and This Must Be The Place
occupied Palestinian territory: Arab nations must broaden reforms to improve lives and advance equality, says Ban
Relief Web 21 Jan 2013 – Source: UN News Service Country: Egypt, Iraq, Libya, occupied Palestinian territory, Tunisia, Yemen 21 January 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Arab nations to deepen and broaden the reforms under way in order to improve lives, enhance opportunities and…
013) 311 truckloads containing a variety of goods and 150 tons of gas were delivered into the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 21 Jan 2013 – Source: Government of Israel Country: occupied Palestinian territory The trucks were delivered through Kerem Shalom Crossing under the coordination of the Coordination and Liaison Administration in Gaza.
013
Relief Web 21 Jan 2013 – Source: Assessment Capacities Project Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic (the), Chad, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the), Democratic Republic of the Congo (the), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho,…
occupied Palestinian territory: Palestinians clash with security in Ramallah camp
Relief Web 21 Jan 2013 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 01/21/2013 08:42 GMT RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, Jan 21, 2013 (AFP) – At least 20 Palestinians were injured in clashes between protesters and Palestinian security forces at a refugee camp in Ramallah, medical sources…
occupied Palestinian territory: Israel removes new Palestinian protest camp
Relief Web 21 Jan 2013 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 01/21/2013 07:44 GMT BEIT IKSA, Palestinian Territories, Jan 21, 2013 (AFP) – The Israeli army early Monday morning removed a Palestinian protest encampment of four tents and a building under construction near a…
occupied Palestinian territory: Denmark and the Netherlands contribute €7.2 million to the Palestinian Authority’s payment of December salaries and pensions through the European Union’s PEGASE mechanism
Relief Web 20 Jan 2013 – Source: European Union Country: Denmark, Netherlands (the), occupied Palestinian territory Press Release PR/01/2013 Jerusalem The European Union is making today a contribution of approximately €7.2 million to the payment of the December salaries and pensions of around 83,800 Palestinian civil…
Palestinians left out of Obama’s swearing-in over ‘address mix-up’
The National 22 Jan 2013 – Palestinian envoy has been told he was not invited to Barack Obama‘s inauguration along with hundreds of other foreign dignitaries because he recently changed addresses and emails. Taimur Khan reports from Washington
Algeria hostage recounts survival tactics, as confusion surrounds toll
The National 21 Jan 2013 – Tony Grisedale’s account of survival amid the carnage of the terrorist attack on the Algerian gas plant makes an agonising ordeal seem almost commonplace. Colin Randall pieces together the drama
Obama urges Americans to end suspicion and fear
The National 21 Jan 2013 – Yesterday’s theme was in sharp contrast to the giddy optimism of hope and change that pervaded Obama‘s first inauguration speech. Taimur Khan reports from Washington
Algeria PM says militants were well prepared and had help from inside gas plant
The National 21 Jan 2013 – Attackers included two Canadians and a team of explosives experts who were ready to blow up gas plant, says Abdelmalek Sellal.
Emiratisation: rising through ranks is part of career vision
The National 21 Jan 2013 – Talk to people like Ali Ahli, the manager of two stores in Dubai, and others who have chosen to work for themselves or corporations and the future seems distinctly rosier.
UAE shipping industry sets course for regulation
The National 21 Jan 2013 – Tasneef, which was launched last November, aims to regulate about 350 medium-sized vessels, between 300 and 400 yachts and 40 naval ships.
Eritrea hits back at mutineers after they storm ministry
The National 21 Jan 2013 – More than 100 dissident Eritrean soldiers stormed the ministry of information, holding ministry workers, including the daughter of the president, and demanded their country’s 1997 constitution be put into force.
The UAE supermarket with national interest in job creation for Emiratis
The National 21 Jan 2013 – The Aswaaq supermarket chain and the Al Futaim Group are two success stories when it comes to recruiting Emiratis to the private sector.
Housing more than twice as pricey in Israel as in the U.S., data shows
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Leaders of notorious Taibeh crime family indicted
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
The Iranian threat suddenly seemed to disappear
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Jerusalem film fund to pour NIS 8 million into movies and TV
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
The State of Netanyahu
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Good night and good luck
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Israeli election for dummies: How votes become seats
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
More than 5.6 million Israelis to go to the polls
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Can Israel live with a nuclear Iran?
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
A quarter of Israeli citizens struggle with Hebrew, survey finds
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Israel’s Barzilai hospital takes precautions after outbreak kills one preemie
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Moshe Kahlon’s appointment will be the shortest in Israeli history
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Politicians too quick to tout boost in Israeli education, say experts
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
What happened to Palestinian books when Israel was created in 1948?
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Israel removes Palestinian protest camp outside Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Otzma Leyisrael accuses Israeli Arab activists of attacking them on campaign tour
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Israel Hayom buries top pundit for criticizing Netanyahu
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Israel to change route of separation fence near Jerusalem to cut off Palestinians from E-1 area
Ha’aretz – 21 Jan 2013
Study: Allow Gaza population to expand into Sinai
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Palestinian study recommends solving “population explosion” by transferring residents to West Bank, setting birth control rules.
Muslim ‘modesty patrol’ stalking streets of London
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Group “commands the good and forbids the evil” in confronting those who dress inappropriately or drink alcohol.
Knesset seats: What happens to surplus votes?
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Bader- Ofer Law of 1973 deals with votes given to parties not passing threshold, or do not make up number needed for Knesset seat.
ADI: Vote for life by registering as organ donor
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Some 750 representatives of the National Transplant Center will set up registration stands near polling stations around the country.
Finance Ministry launches Election Day apps
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – E-Government launches applications for tracking votes, locating polling stations and follow election results until tallies final.
Campaign ad ratings show that nobody is watching
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – According to the latest TV ratings numbers, increasingly smaller audiences are tuning into the campaign ad broadcasts ahead of the election.
Israelis enjoy Election Day workplace respite
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Those in Israel are set to enjoy Election Day’s expected sunny and warm weather with friends and family across the country.
‘Employers intimidate workers on Election Day’
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Lawyer says there may be a “widespread phenomenon” of employers illegally intimidating employees, especially women, Israeli-Arabs.
Rabbi Yosef calls on Ashkenazim to vote Shas
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Shas spiritual leader says Ashkenazim should show gratitude to Sephardi party for housing subsidies; denounces Amnon Yitzhak.
Encountering Peace: Our celebration of democracy
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – We must continue to remind our MK and government that they work for us – we employ them on our behalf and they owe their loyalty to us, the electorate.
Borderline Views: Bayit Yehudi – failure in success
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – The world of religious Zionism has come a long way since the early days of Sebastia, but it is by no means clear that their success at today’s polls will have a positive impact on Israel during the next four years.
With Labor, there is hope for peace
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – We can change the public discourse and the reactionary politics of rejectionism. It can be so much better here.
Meretz takes one last small step for a big Left
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – On last day on elections campaign, Meretz pounds the pavements of Tel Aviv and petitions the court.
Jewish Ideas Daily: When prayers for rain are answered
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – The flooding in Israel and elsewhere shows that nature will not be mastered.
Egypt says Mali intervention will inflame conflict
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Morsi calls for development funds, not military intervention; concerned over unity between Arabs and rest of Africa.
I’ve come to fight for peace
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – This victory will be for all of us who believe that hope can triumph over fear. That the State of Israel can be the kind of country we dream of for our children.
The three great challenges of this generation
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – We can vote for smaller parties which will further disintegrate our political system or we can support Likud-Yisrael Beytenu.
Spirit of the vote
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Resisting the influence of hype, spin and manipulation and educating oneself on the issues is essential to the functioning of a healthy and enlightened democracy.
‘Abbas claims Zionists and Nazis were linked before WWII’
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – In interview with Lebanon TV station, PA president quoted as saying PM agreed to allow Palestinian refugees to flee Syria to W. Bank on condition they relinquish right of return; spokesman denies Abbas linked Zionism, Nazism.
Success of an Argentinian Jewish philanthropist
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Billionaire Eduardo Elsztain’s first major investment in Israel is in Ganden, the company that controls IDB Holdings.
Netanyahu plays J’lem card on campaign’s final day
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Prime minister holds press conference in Old City vowing a vote for him is a vote for “a united Jerusalem.”
Israeli Voter’s Voice: Ramy Sayegh
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – An Arab Christian living in Jaffa has been a Balad member for 10 years, says party objects Jewish democratic state because the laws will obviously favor Jewish sector.
Obama vows support for democracy as term starts
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – At second inaugural address in Washington, US president stresses his commitment to supporting democracy in Mideast.
PA police clash with protesters in refugee camp
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Hundreds of protests clash with police in Al-Amari refugee camp at entrance to Ramallah; at least 23 protesters, 15 policemen hurt.
Defense Ministry tests ‘upgraded’ Iron Dome
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Upgrades designed to give the rocket defense system “improved capabilities against an unprecedented range of threats.”
Election Day guide: Who, what, where, when, how
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Now that Election Day has arrived, we have your full guide on voting: When, where, what , but not who to vote for.
Analysis: Israeli vote least of neighbors’ worries
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – The region also has more compelling worries than a seemingly predictable parliamentary poll.
New government faces tough choices
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – The new prime minster will have to deal with a host of pressing existential issues. Will the government be able to handle them?
Divided by a common goal
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Most of us want a thriving Jewish state. Battles over how to get there shouldn’t make us forget it.
PM dangles housing in front of voters
Jerusalem Post 21 Jan 2013 – Day ahead of elections PM urges voters to strengthen Likud-Beytenu in last press conference prior to election.
Israeli politicians round up campaigns – video
The Guardian 21 Jan 2013 – The final stages of political campaigning are underway on in Israel on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s general election
Canadian ‘co-ordinated’ terrorist attack, says Algerian PM – live updates
The Guardian 21 Jan 2013 – • 37 foreigners killed in siege, says Abdelmalek Sellal • Prime minister says terrorists intended to blow up gas facility • Six Britons and one British resident assumed among dead • Syrian opposition fails to form transitional government…
Israeli elections set to amplify religious voice in Knesset
The Guardian 21 Jan 2013 – Polls suggest one in three Knesset members will be religious and ultra-orthodox Jews and one in six West Bank settlers Religious and ultra-orthodox Jews and inhabitants of West Bank settlements are expected to have disproportionately high…
The left in Israel is its own worst enemy | Rachel Shabi
The Guardian 21 Jan 2013 – Elitist, splintered, myopic and Eurocentric – small wonder the centre-left has contributed to the rise of the Israeli right Israelis have rarely seemed so despondent. During a recent trip ahead of the impending elections, the popular…
Algeria hostage crisis: Most weapons used in attack came from Libya
Uruknet
013 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
Military Resistance 11A16 Warlord
Uruknet
Hebron families struggle for existence
Uruknet
What the FBI Doesn’t Want You To Know About Its “Secret” Surveillance Techniques
Uruknet
Choice between extremists
Uruknet
55 buildings demolished in Al Maleh
Uruknet
Napoleon in Mali French socialists reinvigorate French imperialism
Uruknet
More than 30 Syrians killed in Hama suicide blast: Activists
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 More than 30 people, both civilians and pro-regime militiamen, were killed Monday in a suicide car bombing in the town of Salmiyeh in the central province of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Bahrain king invites opposition to restart talks
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Bahrain’s king invited opposition parties to restart stalled talks, officials said on Monday, in the latest sign of efforts to break a political deadlock since a crackdown on a popular uprising in 2011.
Moscow to start evacuating Russians from Syria
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Russia is sending two planes to Lebanon to evacuate Russians from civil war-struck Syria, a move that appears to reflect Moscow’s increasing doubts about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ability to stay in power.
Egypt’s Morsi opposes French intervention in Mali
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Egypt’s Islamist president on Monday stated his opposition to France’s military intervention in Mali, saying its actions there would create a “new conflict hotspot” that separates the Arab north from its African neighbors to the south.
3 Americans die in Algeria standoff, 7 survive
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Three U.S. citizens were killed in last week’s hostage standoff at a natural gas complex in Algeria, while seven Americans made it out safely, Obama administration officials said Monday.
Morocco might scrap disputed rape law: ministry
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Morocco could scrap a disputed statutory rape law that favours the perpetrator, excusing them from jail if they marry their victim, the justice ministry said on Monday.
Polio virus found in Egypt linked to Pakistan: officials
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Pakistani health officials Monday called for infants leaving the country to be issued polio vaccinations at airports after virus samples linked to a southern Pakistani city were discovered in Egypt.
‘No flicker of hope’ for Syria envoy: Arab League
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said Monday that Syria peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi’s mission had not brought a “glimmer of hope” in ending the bloodshed, and urged UN action to enforce a ceasefire.
TEXT-Obama’s 2nd presidential Inaugural Address
Daily Star 21 Jan 2013 President Barack Obama took the ceremonial oath of office on Monday for his second term. Here is his Inaugural Address in full.
Lack of jurors prompts delay of Jamaican rapper’s trial
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – ….
Time for Goy Pride Parade?
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: Election season highlights ‘legitimate and patriotic’ use of term ‘goy’ to discredit adversaries ….
Britain’s Prince Harry returns from Afghanistan
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – ….
Hatnua candidate goes into labor, Livni escorts her to hospital
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – ….
EU to host international Mali meeting Feb. 5
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – ….
2 explosion rock Syria; more than 30 killed
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – ….
When were you circumcised?
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: Marriage registration process at rabbinate degrading and racist, must not be allowed to continue ….
Determining our own future
YNet News, 21 Jan 2013 – Op-ed: New olah says supporters of Israel abroad should focus on celebrating democracy, rather than criticizing country during election season ….
Palestinian Information Center
Barhoum lashes out at Israel’s continued detention of liberated prisoners
PIC – Hamas movement held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the lives of the Palestinian prisoners especially those on hunger strike.
IOF troops raze Palestinian house, agricultural utilities
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed the home of Ahmed Al-Amur in Erfaya area to the east of Yatta, south of Al-Khalil, on Monday and rendered his 16-member family homeless.
Israeli soldiers storm Negev prison cells
PIC – Israeli special forces of the Dror unit stormed the Negev prison cells at the early morning hours of Monday and forced prisoners out of their rooms for search.
Captive Sami Sha’balou suffers difficult health condition in Israeli jails
PIC – Umm Kamal, wife of captive Sami Sha’balou detained in Ofer prison, urged human rights organizations to intervene for the immediate release of her ailing husband.
Hamdan: real developments in the reconciliation process next month
PIC – Osama Hamdan, international relations official and member of Political Bureau of Hamas, confirmed his movement commitment to the implementation of what was agreed upon in the last meeting..
Occupation arrests 10 Palestinians in WB
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested at dawn Monday ten Palestinian young men during raids in towns of Jenin, Tubas and al-Khalil.
Occupation releases 2 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday
PIC – Israeli occupation authorities released on Sunday the Jerusalemite prisoner Jihad al-Obeidi, from the occupied city of Jerusalem after an arrest that lasted 25 years in Israeli jails..
Abu Rashid calls for the continuation resisting settlement activity
PIC – Amin Abu Rashid, head of the European initiative to remove the wall and settlements, called for the continuation of the “Palestinian Spring” against settlement activity in the occupied territories.
Sharp deterioration in al-Issawi’s health condition
PIC – The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) revealed that the hunger striker Samer al-Issawi’s health condition has seriously deteriorated two days ago due to his hunger strike since 181 days.
Ahrar center: medical negligence in Israeli jails violates international law
PIC – Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights confirmed that medical negligence practiced systematically in Israeli prisons violated international laws, norms and conventions.
Rights Center Says Israeli Ministry Violates Privacy
WAFA – 21 Jan 2013
Israeli Military Demolishes Home, Water Well
WAFA – 21 Jan 2013
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 21 Jan 2013
Prices up in 2012, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 21 Jan 2013
Denmark, Holland Contribute Over €7M to Palestinians
WAFA – 21 Jan 2013
Israeli Army Removes Activists from Bab al-Karameh
WAFA – 21 Jan 2013
Malaysian Premier to Visit Gaza
WAFA – 20 Jan 2013
In Iran, two muggers caught on video are hanged
LA Times 20 Jan 2013 – The death sentences are seen as a get-tough message from Iranian authorities alarmed about escalating street thuggery amid a sanctions-driven economic downturn. TEHRAN — A pair of thieves caught in the act on a video posted to YouTube were executed at dawn on a residential…
Israel election suspense centers on Likud’s coalition partners
LA Times 20 Jan 2013 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s party is expected to take the most seats and win the right to form the next government, but it’s unclear who will join it. JERUSALEM — As Israelis head to the polls Tuesday, most are expecting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s Likud…
More young Syrians disillusioned by the revolution
LA Times 20 Jan 2013 – Many educated, middle-class Syrians who had embraced the opposition now feel alienated by its drift toward extremism — and are aligned with neither side. BEIRUT — It was on a bus ride home from college that Ahmed lost his faith in the Syrian revolution.
Iran Publicly Hangs 2 Men Convicted in Stabbing
New York Times 21 Jan 2013 – Two men convicted in a stabbing were hanged as part of an offensive by Iranian authorities who say harsh examples can reduce crime rates.
Moscow Is Sending Planes to Lebanon for 100 Russians Leaving Syria
New York Times 21 Jan 2013 – The move reflects Moscow’s assessment that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are losing control of Syria, but it is not clear if a large-scale evacuation of Russian citizens will ensue.
Jeremy Gimpel, Candidate for Jewish Home Party, Causes Stir
New York Times 20 Jan 2013 – In a 2011 lecture, Jeremy Gimpel, a candidate on the rightist Jewish Home ticket, contemplated how “incredible” it would be if a Muslim shrine were blown up, making way for a Jewish temple.
Syria Urges Rebels to Lay Down Arms and Join Transition
New York Times 20 Jan 2013 – Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem invited rebels to join a national dialogue, promising that those who disarmed and rejected foreign intervention would be part of a transitional government.
French co seeks stake in $100m Negev solar venture
Globes Energy & Water – EDF unit EDF-EN is in talks to become a partner in the venture to build a solar energy farm at Kibbutz Ketura.
Likud-Beytenu fears falling to 30 Knesset seats
Globes Main News – Top Likud official: Without Yisrael Beytenu, the Likud will have just 20 Knesset seats, which is an embarrassment.
Short range missile defense system Iron Dome upgraded
Globes Main News – Defense Ministry: The upgrade gives the Iron Dome greater interception capabilities against a wider range of threats.
5,656,705 Israelis have right to vote
Globes Main News – 10,132 ballot stations will be open around Israel from 7 am until 10 pm on Tuesday.
Mon: Israel Chemicals lifts market
Globes Main News – Israel Chemicals rose on the day’s biggest turnover – a quarter of the trading volume. The TASE will be closed tomorrow for election day.
Comverse Inc. fires 30 in Israel
Globes Main News – The company is firing 120 employees out of its 4,000 global workforce.
013 off to flying start
Globes Main News – NIS 6 billion have been raised in bond offerings in just three weeks, compared with NIS 32 billion raised in the whole of 2012.
Yachimovich: Kahlon appointment hasty, pathetic, illegal, irregular
Globes Macro Economics – Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich: Netanyahu does not want the public to know the truth.
Land expert: Kahlon appointment will do more harm than good
Globes Macro Economics – Prof. Eran Feitelson: Moshe Kahlon’s appointment as Israel Land Administration Council chairman will not affect housing prices.
New Election Poll Forecasts Likud Implosion, Social Justice Party Breaks New Ground With Successful Social Media-Based Campaign
Tikun Olam – I’ve been forwarded results of a new Israeli election poll compiled over the past few hours. I know the pollster’s name, though I can’t name it. It’s one of Israel’s most reputable. I don’t have physical possession of the actual poll. If the poll is accurate…
Social Justice Party, Eretz Chadasha, Poised to Win 2 Knesset Seats
Tikun Olam – Israelis will be voting tomorrow for a new Knesset. Editorials in newspapers like Haaretz have urged Israelis to vote. Friends in Israel who share my politics are urging in their Facebook and Twitter accounts that their followers not give up on the system. That they not…
American Jews Gave Israel Gift of Jewish Terror
Tikun Olam – The latest right-wing Israeli insanity to grace the media in the run-up to today’s election is Ha-Bayit Ha-Yehudi Knesset candidate Jeremy Gimpel’s (number 14 on the party list) video in which he regales a Florida church audience will his dream of blowing up the Dome of…
Separation Barrier to sever Beit Iksa from its agricultural land
Palestine Monitor – Photos by Calum Toogood. Beit Iksa has become one of the latest villages affected by Israel’s on going construction of the separation Wall. The village has been issued with notices ordering the confiscation of 456…
Video: Naftali Bennett stands by party member who raised idea of destroying the Dome of the Rock
Mondoweiss – Check out this knockout interview with Naftali Bennett on an Israeli news program. The interviewer tried pinning him down on a statement made by Jeremy Gimpel, a candidate from his HaBayit HaYehudi party (Jewish Home party), about blowing up the Dome of the Rock . The clip…
Lupe Fiasco removed from inauguration event after criticizing Obama
Mondoweiss – Above is video of rapper Lupe Fiasco being removed from the stage at an Obama inauguration event after he performed his song Words I Never Said which criticizes President Obama for remaining silent during Operation Cast Lead. Here are the relevent lyrics: And these the same people…
Palestinian ghettos, created by violence, have been Israeli plan since ’67 — Amira Hass
Mondoweiss – Naftali Bennett, the new darling of Israeli politics, has made the annexation of the 60+ percent of the West Bank known as “Area C” the centerpiece of his campaign. Haaretz’s Amira Hass today puts his proposal in historical context: When Habayit Hayehudi party leader and rising…
More houses, more olive trees — Israeli demolitions in villages from the Jordan to Bethlehem
Mondoweiss – Israel to change route of separation fence near Jerusalem to cut off Palestinians from E1 area – Haaretz 12 Jan — Defense Minister Ehud Barak has decided to close the breach in the separation fence between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim, thereby positioning the fence between the Palestinian village of Al-Zaim and the contested E-1 area….
BDS campaign enters mainstream discourse as St. Louis mayoral candidates take sides over city Veolia contract
Mondoweiss – (St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee members and civil rights activist Percy Green at St. Louis City Hall, protesting Veolia’s involvement in apartheid and segregation in Palestine. Photo: St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee) On January 16, 2013 at City Hall in St. Louis, Missouri, a diverse group…
Palestinian Authority police use live fire inside of al-Amari refugee camp
Mondoweiss – Palestinian Authority police forces blocking the entrance to al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah during clashes on Monday evening, 21 January 2013. (Photo: Allison Deger/Mondoweiss) On Sunday night, Palestinian police fired live rounds at demonstrators in the al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah in the roughest encounter between…
Israel Set To Reelect Netanyahu, Shift to Right
The Foward Breaking News 21 Jan 2013 – Israelis look set to elect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a third term with a smaller majority on Tuesday, pushing the Jewish State even further to the right, away from peace with Palestinians and towards a showdown with Iran. Click here for the rest of the…
Netanyahu Fends Off Surge From Right Wing as Israel Election Looms
The Foward Breaking News 21 Jan 2013 – Israelis vote on Tuesday for the first time since revolutions convulsed their Arab neighbours, in an election expected to push the Jewish state even further to the right, away from peace with Palestinians and towards greater confrontation with Iran. Click here for the rest of the…
Benjamin Netanyahu Makes Late Push as Israeli Election Looms
The Foward Breaking News 21 Jan 2013 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an election-eve appeal on Monday to wavering supporters to “come home”, showing concern over a forecast far-right surge that would keep him in power but weaken him politically. Click here for the rest of the article…
Jewish Immigration to Israel Dips
The Foward Breaking News 21 Jan 2013 – Jewish Immigration to Israel registered a two-percent drop last year, a trend bucked by new arrivals from Europe and the former Soviet Union. Click here for the rest of the article…
Obama Gives Iran Clues in Soaring Inaugural Speech
The Forward New 21 Jan 2013 – President Obama offered a fleeting clue to his Iran strategy in a soaring inaugural speech. He suggested that direct engagement with the mullahs might be on the cards. Click here for the rest of the article…
Nazi’s ‘Righteous’ Sister Has Belgium Rethinking Shoah
The Forward New 21 Jan 2013 – The sister of Belgium’s top Nazi helped hide Jews from the Holocaust. Her story has prompted a reassessment of the country’s failure resist the German occupation. Click here for the rest of the article…
Rising Chorus Backs Israeli Annexation of West Bank
The Forward New 21 Jan 2013 – A rising chorus of right-wing Israelis are calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. The extreme option is even gaining strength within the ruling Likud party. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Arab Aid to Nation Amounts to U.S.$9 Billion – Planning Minister
allAfrica.com 21 Jan 2013 – [Aswat Masriya]Saudi Arabia and Qatar have given Egypt $9 billion in financial aids, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ashraf al-Arabi said on Sunday.
Egypt: Morsi to a German Newspaper – Peace Agreement With Israel Is Respected
allAfrica.com 21 Jan 2013 – [Egypt Online]President Mohamed Morsi has renewed respect for the peace agreement signed with Israel saying he will not seek to turn Egypt into a religious state.
VIDEO- Cindy & Craig Corrie interview from “Breaking the Set” RT-TV
Rachel Corrie Foundation 20 Jan 2013 – On January 19, 2013, Cindy and Craig Corrie were interviewed by Abby Martin of “Breaking the Set” on RT-TV about their lawsuit seeking justice for Rachel’s death, the ongoing Palestinian struggle, and activism. Below is the full video of the interview: Click here to view the…
Some Predictions and Recommendations for the Israeli Elections
The Magnes Zionist 21 Jan 2013 – [Update: After writing below about my blogger colleague Yossi Gurevitz’s explanation why he will vote for Meretz and not for Hadash, I see that he has basically endorsed voting for any party that is not Netanyahu from Labor to its left. He does not mention the…
013: BDS
Global BDS 21 Jan 2013 – A friend shared a New Year’s resolution card with me (pictured); it was originally published in 1946 in an Argentinian Jewish newspaper in the Yiddish language. It features a bandaged figure labelled “the world” (die velt), shaking hands with an angel labelled “Peace” (frieden). The card…
Syria suicide bomb ‘kills dozens’
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – A suicide bomb in central Syria kills many people, reports say, as Russia prepares to airlift its nationals fleeing the conflict.
Snow ‘attack’ Palestinians held
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – Nine Palestinians from East Jerusalem have been arrested after two Jews were abused and pelted with snowballs, footage of which drew outrage online.
Al-Akhbar and the STL: We Will Not Be Silenced
Al-Akhbar Opinion 21 Jan 2013 – The former head of the UN probe into the murder of Lebanon’s ex-premier Rafiq Hariri Detlev Mehlis in a press conference (Photo: Wael Latki) The former head of the UN probe into the murder of Lebanon’s ex-premier Rafiq Hariri Detlev Mehlis in a press conference (Photo:…
Russia to evacuate citizens from Syria, amid UN aid controversy
Al-Akhbar News 21 Jan 2013 – Russia is sending two planes to Lebanon on Tuesday to evacuate more than 100 of its citizens from Syria, the Emergencies Ministry said, as the 22-month-long crisis shows no signs of abating. The announcement comes as millions in Syria spent the day without electricity following an…
Polls see victory for Israel’s extreme-right
Al-Akhbar News 21 Jan 2013 – Campaign posters of Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, with text reading in Hebrew: “Only Netanyahu will guard Jerusalem” are seen in the Israeli occupied Old City of Jerusalem on 20 January 2013. (Photo: AFP) Israelis vote on Tuesday for the first time…
Palestinians in Gaza protest for Georges Abdallah release
Al-Akhbar News 21 Jan 2013 – Dozens of Palestinian leftists rallied outside the French Cultural Center in Gaza City on Monday to demand the immediate release of Lebanese prisoner Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. Protesters chanted anti-French slogans and carried banners of the former-Marxist rebel who has been jailed in France for over 28…
Lebanon: Hezbollah and the President
Al-Akhbar News 21 Jan 2013 – They can bypass the Hezbollah stronghold using the cement-columned Dahiyeh flyover. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) They can bypass the Hezbollah stronghold using the cement-columned Dahiyeh flyover. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) How best to characterize the relationship between Hezbollah and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman? While some issues remain touchy…
Saudi Oger Employees: Without Future
Al-Akhbar News 21 Jan 2013 – The layoff decision came on the heels of Saudi Oger’s success two years ago in obtaining a long-term loan of $800 million. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The layoff decision came on the heels of Saudi Oger’s success two years ago in obtaining a long-term loan of $800…
India gang-rape trial to open in fast-track court
Al-Akhbar News 21 Jan 2013 – The trial of five men accused of the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus was set to open on Monday in a special “fast-track” court established to deliver speedy justice. Emotions are still running high in India over the brutal attack…
The Inner Workings of Geagea’s Hyper-Secure Coterie
Al-Akhbar Politics 20 Jan 2013 – Geagea follows this system with precision. It allows him to interfere in all the offices’ work. (Photo: haytham al-Moussawi) Geagea follows this system with precision. It allows him to interfere in all the offices’ work. (Photo: haytham al-Moussawi) Samir Geagea and his wife Strida only eat…
The STL Witness List: Why We Published
Al-Akhbar Politics 20 Jan 2013 – Former chief investigator Detlev Mehlis openly published witnesses’ testimony in his reports. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Former chief investigator Detlev Mehlis openly published witnesses’ testimony in his reports. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Marten Youssef, spokesperson for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), has voiced his intense personal irritation…
Israelis prepare to go to polls
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – Israelis are preparing to go to the polls in a general election which looks set to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to office.
Algeria says 37 foreigners killed
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal says 37 foreigners of eight nationalities were killed during the siege at a remote desert gas plant.
Syria suicide bomb ‘kills dozens’
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – A suicide bomb in central Syria kills many people, reports say, as Russia prepares to airlift its nationals fleeing the conflict.
Snow ‘attack’ Palestinians held
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – Nine Palestinians from East Jerusalem have been arrested after two Jews were abused and pelted with snowballs, footage of which drew outrage online.
VIDEO: One hospital, 24 hours, four sets of twins…
BBC 21 Jan 2013 – A hospital in northern Israel has had a busy 24 hours after delivering four sets of twins.
Articles
Why Palestinian citizens don’t vote in Israeli elections
Thair Abu-rass, +972 Magazine 1/21/2013
Israeli society’s neglect of the Arab community over the past 20 years has left many Arab citizens with feelings of antagonism or apathy towards the “only democracy in the Middle East.”
With the Knesset elections only a day away, speculation about the final outcome is at its peak. Most analysts agree that these elections are unpredictable, with the exception of two facts: Bibi Netanyahu will be elected as prime minister, and there will be a considerable boycott of the election among the Palestinian Arab community in Israel.
A Haifa University study conducted last month claimed that only 50.7 percent of the Arab citizens eligible to vote will exercise their right to do so. In other words, half of the Arab population in Israel has lost faith in the political system and in the Arab MKs’ ability to affect the national agenda.
Arab participation in Israeli elections has been in decline over the past decade-and-a-half. In the 1999 elections, 75% participated; however, in the 2009 elections only 53% voted, and according to some polls, this number is only expected to decrease.
Some Israeli analysts claim that the decline in Arab participation is a result of the frustration from Arab lawmakers, but this is only partly true. Historically, the percentage of Arab voters has been similar to that of Jewish ones. In previous elections, the decline in the Arab vote has been met with apathy from the Jewish population in the country.
The situation has changed this time. Several Israeli newspapers have run opinion columns this week calling on Arabs to vote. The Haaretz newspaper took an unusual step of printing an editorial in Arabic encouraging Arabs to vote. Labor party leader Shelly Yacimovich began an extensive last-minute campaign on Arab websites and Arabic-language social media networks, also hoping to grudge out a few more Arab votes. more.. e-mail
The post-Netanyahu era starts tomorrow
Larry Derfner, +972 Magazine 1/21/2013
Bibi will be the lamest of ducks in his next and last term as PM. Hold the applause, though – what’s rising up to take his place is worse.
If, as expected tomorrow, Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu gets in the low-30s in Knesset seats, this election will mark the beginning of the post-Netanyahu era. Bibi will remain as prime minister as long as the new government survives, but he will be a lame duck, helpless to rein in the demagoguery and wild initiatives of the quasi- and not-so-quasi-fascists in his coalition. He will watch the chasm widen between Israel and the West, Israel and the Palestinians, Israel and Egypt, Turkey and the rest of the Middle East, and be unable to slow things down with some phony ameliorative. Whether there will be a full-blown confrontation between Israel and any of its adversaries during Netanyahu’s coming term, I don’t know, but I feel pretty sure that one of the things that will fall into that chasm is his political career.
Why do I say this? Because winning in the low 30s in Knesset seats – or even in the mid-30s – means a huge defeat for Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu, which went into the campaign with 42 seats combined. Joining the two parties on one ticket was Bibi’s doing, he ran a one-man campaign (again), so the electorate’s verdict stands as a rejection of him personally, and the bitterness inside Likud for all the Knesset seats they didn’t win and all the party hacks who didn’t get elected falls on him, too.
As the old L.A. Lakers announcer Chick Hearn used to say when a player tried to get too fancy and ended up losing the ball, the mustard’s off the hot dog. Bibi, whatever anyone could say about him as a statesman, knew how to appeal to the public, to attract support and votes – but even this is gone now. His handling of the 2013 election campaign will go down as one of the worst political performances by an Israeli leader ever. Yesterday’s pathetic attempt to win back Mizrahi votes by rolling out the popular Likudnik Moshe Kahlon is just the latest example. more.. e-mail
Links between struggle and art probed in new book on Palestinian poets
Sarah Irving, Electronic Intifada 1/21/2013
Khaled Furani’s Silencing the Sea: Secular Rhythms in Palestinian Poetry is an anthropological study of Palestinian poets, particularly those living in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Furani interviewed writers and attended readings and festivals in Palestine and the wider Arab world, while providing historical background drawn from poetry journals such as al-Jadid and the cultural pages of papers such as al-Ittihad.
Although this may sound dry as dust to anyone not absorbed in the minutiae of Palestinian literature, this is actually a fascinating book on several different levels.
Firstly, it gives an in-depth portrait of an obscure but intriguing phenomenon, the poetry festivals which bloomed in Israeli-occupied Palestinian villages, mainly in the Galilee, in the 1950s and ’60s. These festivals were an integral part of the cultural resistance of the era, and many of the older poets with whom Furani spoke were subjected to house arrest, sackings and imprisonment for participating.
Central to Furani’s thesis is the fact that the poems performed at these festivals were written in a classical Arabic style, in which the strict rules of rhyme and rhythm have guided writers in Arab countries for centuries. According to Furani, Palestinian poetry — like Arab verse in general — underwent radical changes during the twentieth century, from classical forms to shi’r hurr (free verse, with some rhyme and rhythm but not bound by strict rules), to almost unbounded “prose poetry” (35, 48).
For Furani, these changes reflect shifts in Palestinian politics and the wider Palestinian condition, and also deep-rooted differences in how poets and their audiences view poetry as a phenomenon. more.. e-mail
Remembering Palestinian refugees
Khaled Dawoud, Al-Ahram Weekly 1/16/2013
UNRWA’s commissioner-general, in an interview with Khaled Dawoud, sees some signs for optimism for Gaza following political developments in Egypt, but warns of a dire humanitarian crisis growing for Palestinian refugees in Syria
The United Nations Refugees and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been responsible for providing assistance, protection and advocacy for some five million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories pending a solution to their plight that began with the creation of Israel in 1948. UNRWA’s commissioner-general, Filippo Grandi, has been involved with the agency since 2005 and was appointed its head exactly three years ago. While in Cairo this week for talks with top government officials and Arab League Chief Nabil Al-Arabi, Grandi appeared optimistic that the new government in Egypt, headed by a president from the Muslim Brotherhood group, might augur positive changes in a long stagnant Middle East peace process. However, he described the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria as “very sad”, and called on the Arab world “not to forget the Palestinians”. The following are extracts from an interview with Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi.
How has the recent wave of Arab revolts, known as the Arab Spring, affected UNRWA and Palestinian refugees in general?
I sometimes say the way the Arab Spring has affected Palestinians is not affecting them at all. They are the only element of the Arab region for whom the situation hasn’t really changed in respect to their conflict with the Israelis. The process to resolve the conflict has been very stagnant for a long time. I sometimes feel that Palestinian refugees, in particular, are the most frustrated among frustrated Palestinians. They feel there is a big contrast between the dynamic situation in other parts of the Arab region and the stagnation that exists in Palestine. more.. e-mail
Links between struggle and art probed in new book on Palestinian poets
Electronic Intifada: 21 Jan 2013 – Sarah Irving 21 January 2013 Verse penned under Israeli occupation has been both revolutionary and introspective.more
Separation Barrier to sever Beit Iksa from its agricultural land
Palestine Monitor: 21 Jan 2013 – Photos by Calum Toogood. Beit Iksa has become one of the latest villages affected by Israel’s on going construction of the separation Wall. The village has been issued with notices ordering the confiscation of 456…more
Why the Palestinian Diaspora Must Become Politically Engaged
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Jan 2013 – By Alan Hart – London (The following is the text of an address I delivered yesterday to a conference in London organized by the Palestine Return Centre on the subject of Britain’s Legacy in Palestine, which included a session on how to reverse the catastrophic consequences of the legacy. I was aware that what I was going to say would be uncomfortable listening for some in the audience, but almost all thanked me for saying what has to be said.) I wasn’t here for the morning session so I’d like to start with my own very brief comment on the Balfour Declaration. Without it I think there would have been no Israel. What I mean is that without the spurious legitimacy the declaration gave Zionism to get organized, it would not have been well enough established on the ground in Palestine to take advantage of the Nazi holocaust and use…more
Is Syria Just Another Proxy War?
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Jan 2013 – By Ali Younes For those who have been following the bloody events in Syria in the past two years, it is clear that there is no doubt that the regime of Bashaar al-Assad is responsible for killing tens of thousands of Syrian citizens and destroying much of the country’s infrastructure. But to say that is to say only part of the story. The different militant groups of the Syrian opposition, ranging from the Free Syrian Army, which is supported by the US and other western countries, to the Islamic Jihadists and Salafist groups that seek to establish an Islamic state in Syria, share significant responsibility for committing atrocities in the Syrian countryside, according to news reports and eyewitness accounts reported by several international media outlets. The conflict in Syria where the government troops are fighting a losing battle against rebel groups has destroyed large parts of the modern Syrian state…more
The New State of Palestine: Division, Occupation and Diplomacy
Palestine Chronicle: 21 Jan 2013 – By Fadi Elhusseini While the U.S. administration reconciled itself to walking the walk of Israel and talking the talk of its diplomacy when it comes to foreign policy towards the Palestinians, it has been announced that in the ensuing weeks, vim and vigor Europe will be trying to mend fences between Palestinians and Israel, in an attempt to bridge differences and rejuvenate the screeching halt in the peace process. At this point, the U.S. administration appears to be a bystander, watching these fresh attempts which come to control a situation which could well veer out of control, and seemingly with neither a resolution in sight nor a thaw in relations in the offing. In the aftermath of the success of Palestine’s bid in the United Nations, Israel’s Realpolitick crudely came to the fore as it commenced a number of steps as per an immediate retaliation. It cut the PNA’s tax…more
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The New Dark Age 
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