4 February 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
“Arabic Not Allowed Here” Says Haifa University Employee
IMEMC – An Arab student studying at the Haifa University was prevented from speaking his mother tongue while at the Academic Counseling Center, and was explicitly told that “Arabic is not allowed in here”. …
Including 3 Legislators, Army Kidnaps 21 Palestinians
IMEMC – Monday at dawn February 4, 2013 l Israeli soldiers kidnapped 21 Palestinians, including three legislators, in several districts in the occupied West Bank. …
Israel detains Hamas MPs, officials across West Bank
2/5/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces conducted an arrest sweep of Hamas-affiliated officials in the West Bank overnight Sunday, including three Palestinian MPs. An Israeli military spokeswoman said 25 Palestinians were arrested overnight, with 23 belonging to the Islamist group. She would not confirm whether Hamas lawmakers had been arrested and did not provide any….
MK Tibi says Issawi risks death in Israeli jail
2/5/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Long-term hunger striker Samer Issawi is at risk of death after refusing food for 187 days, Palestinian Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said Monday. Tibi, who visited Issawi in Ramle prison clinic, said the prisoner’s health condition is critical. In a statement, the MK described Issawi as pale and skeletal….
Group: Israel detains children en-route to prison visit
2/4/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli police on Sunday detained two young girls and their grandmother after denying them permission to visit the children’s jailed father, the Palestinian prisoners society said. Hala Khanfar, 7, and Jana Khanfar, 8, were detained with their grandmother while trying to visit their father Rami Khanfar in Israel’….
Israeli forces detain woman in Hebron, locals say
2/4/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested a woman in Hebron on Monday accused of carrying a knife, locals said. Ayat Yousef Mahfouth, 21, was detained on her way to the Ibrahimi Mosque and taken to an Israeli police station for questioning, locals told Ma’an. An Israeli army spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment. [END]
Man wounded in Bethlehem car crash
2/4/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man was wounded on Monday when his car collided with an Israeli military vehicle southeast of Bethlehem. Khalil Jadal Muham, 23, was taken to hospital in Beit Jala with moderate wounds after the accident on a bypass road near al-Fardis, Red Crescent official Abdul-Halim al-Jaafra told Ma’an….
Fayyad welcomes Israeli, Palestinian textbooks study
2/5/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The head of the Palestinian Authority government welcomed a joint Israeli-Palestinian-US research study into school textbooks in Israel and Palestine, released on Monday. The study, commissioned by the inter-religious group Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, faulted both Israeli and Palestinian authorities for showing the other side of the….
Iran says Israel will regret Syria air strike
2/5/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Iran told Israel on Monday it would regret its air strike against Syria last week, without spelling out whether Iran or its ally planned any military response.” They will regret this recent aggression,” Saeed Jalili, Secretary of Iran‘s Supreme National Security Council, told a news conference in Damascus a day after…. Related: Iran’s Salehi says believes Obama changing US approach to Iran
Kerry speaks to Netanyahu, Peres, Abbas about peace
2/4/2013 – WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed his commitment to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on Sunday in telephone calls to the leaders of both sides, the State Department said. In separate conversations, Kerry, who took over as the top US diplomat from Hillary Clinton on Friday, spoke to President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as….
Mashaal says his reported ‘two-state’ comments are false
2/4/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal told Jordanian state TV on Saturday that media reports suggesting he accepts the two-state solution are false. Last week, the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq reported that Mashaal asked Jordan’s King Abdullah to inform US President Barack Obama that Hamas will accept two states for Israel….
Iran’s Salehi says believes Obama changing US approach to Iran
2/4/2013 – BERLIN (Reuters) — Iran‘s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday he saw US Vice-President Joe Biden’s offer this weekend of bilateral dialogue between their two countries as a sign of a change in approach to Iran by the US administration.” As I have said yesterday, I am optimistic, I feel…. Related: Iran says Israel will regret Syria air strike
Egypt forces arrest 11 migrants trying to enter Israel
2/4/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian forces detained eleven Eritrean migrants trying to cross into Israel on Monday, security officials said. Egyptian security officers stopped two vehicles driven by human traffickers in north Sinai, containing eleven Eritrean migrants headed for Israel, officials said. More than 60,000 Africans have entered Israel on foot in recent years….
Haniyeh: Hamas will never give up right of return
2/4/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Hamas will never give up the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Monday.” Those who abandon the right of return are not part of us. I say that I am from Asqalan, and I will return to my hometown,” Haniyeh said….
Saudi Arabia opens housing project in Gaza
2/4/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Saudi delegation on Monday opened the biggest housing project in the Gaza Strip and pledged further funding to support Palestinian refugees. Saudi Arabia financed the 752-home neighborhood in Rafah for families whose homes were destroyed by the Israeli army. It features four schools, a market, a mosque, a….
Ahmadinejad ‘wants to visit Gaza’
2/4/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Iran‘s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is due to take part in a summit in Egypt this week, expressed his desire on Monday to visit the neighboring Gaza Strip. Asked in an interview on the Al Mayadeen news channel whether he would visit Gaza while in Cairo next week or before his….
PA to pay remainder of December wages, official says
2/4/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – The Palestinian Authority will pay public sector workers the remainder of overdue December salaries on Monday, the PA finance minister said. Nabil Qassis said in a statement that this is the last overdue payment of salaries from 2012 and the ministry will do its best to pay public sector wages in….
Bezeq Israel Telecom’s says network malfunction fixed
2/4/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Pelephone, Israel’s third largest mobile phone carrier, said on Monday it had restored service to millions of customers following a four-hour network outage. Pelephone, a unit of Israel’s largest telecoms group, Bezeq Israel Telecom, has nearly 3 million subscribers, many of whom were prevented from receiving or making calls…. Related: Pelephone to compensate customers after network outage
Pelephone to compensate customers after network outage
2/4/2013 – JERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Pelephone, Israel’s third-largest mobile phone carrier, said on Monday it had restored service to millions of customers following a four-hour network outage and would compensate its customers. Pelephone, a unit of Israel’s largest telecoms group, Bezeq Israel Telecom, has some 3 million subscribers, many of whom were…. Related: Bezeq Israel Telecom’s says network malfunction fixed
Syria’s Alkhatib says ready to talk to Assad’s deputy
2/4/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib said on Monday he would accept negotiations with Bashar Assad’s deputy but said talks must be based on the principle of the regime’s departure. Alkhatib, who was speaking after meeting Iranian, Russian and US officials in Germany, told al-Arabiya news channel that he had….
Syrian defense minister says army can’t be beaten
2/4/2013 – BEIRUT (Reuters) — Syria’s defense minister said the army had proved it would not be defeated in its confrontation with rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad, but declined to say whether it would respond to an Israeli air strike last week.” This heroic Syrian Arab army proved to the world that it is….
Syria defence minister: Army will beat rebels
AlJazeera 4 Feb 2013 – Fahed al-Freij hints that Syrian army will not retaliate over an Israeli airstrike near Damascus last week.
Israel arrests Hamas lawmakers in West Bank
AlJazeera 4 Feb 2013 – Dozens arrested in overnight raids, including at least three members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Japan and PA Sign Agreement on Solid Waste Treatment
Palestine News Network
Israeli Media Reports Increased Police Brutality in East Jerusalem
Palestine News Network
Reconciliation Talks to Resume on Wednesday
Palestine News Network
Dr. Ashrawi Condemns the Recent Arrests of Palestinian Lawmakers
Palestine News Network
Newspapers Review: Dailies Highlight Settlers’ Vandalism of Trees
Palestine News Network
25 Palestinians, Including Hamas Leaders, Arrested in West Bank
Palestine News Network
IOF Releases Mother of Prisoner after Detaining Her Along with His Children
Palestine News Network
Sixteen Lawmakers Held in Israeli Jails, Says Group
Palestine News Network
Report: Samir Al-Issawi Health is at High Risk, Actions Required
Palestine News Network
Lebanese FM Calls for Boycott of Israel
Palestine News Network
US Secretary of State Kerry Calls Abbas, Netanyahu
Palestine News Network
Outrage over Lecture on Boycott of Israel at Brooklyn College
Palestine News Network
Euro-Mid Calls for Serious Steps to Encourage International Sanctions against Settlement Activity
Palestine News Network
Erekat: PA Refuses to Repeat Lunacy of Peace Talks
Palestine News Network
Israel Reopens Nablus Road after 13 Years
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Welcomes the Report of the International Fact-Finding Mission Investigating Israeli Settlements: Seek Accountabilit…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
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Relief Web 4 Feb 2013 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey HIGHLIGHTS · UN agencies and partners deliver assistance cross-line in Homs, Aleppo governorates. · Over 775,000 Syrian refugees in…
occupied Palestinian territory: Q&A: A royal message from Sharjah – together we can do a lot to help
Relief Web 4 Feb 2013 – Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic GENEVA, February 4 (UNHCR) – Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the ruler of Sharjah, has been helping Palestinian refugees for several years. More…
occupied Palestinian territory: Months after Gaza ceasefire, psychological scars remain
Relief Web 4 Feb 2013 – Source: AlertNet Country: occupied Palestinian territory By Isla Binnie LONDON (AlertNet) – Civilians in Gaza still struggle to sleep, eat and go to school, two months after the week of rocket fire and air strikes that hit the Palestinian territory…
013 – 4 February 2013
Relief Web 4 Feb 2013 – Source: Assessment Capacities Project Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, occupied…
Jordan: Refugee Faris fights rare disease from Jordan desert camp
Relief Web 4 Feb 2013 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: Jordan, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic 30 January 2013 Cyber City, Jordan A Palestinian teenager from Syria is battling a rare disease while languishing with…
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Relief Web 4 Feb 2013 – Source: Government of Israel Country: occupied Palestinian territory
24 killed and 24 injured in UAE’s deadliest road tragedy
The National 4 Feb 2013 – A lorry overturned on top of a bus and the victims died from suffocation after being buried under the lorry’s 75-tonne load of sand and building material.
Thousands duped by free Emirates flights to Dubai internet scam
The National 4 Feb 2013 – The hoax promotion, launched on Instagram, a social media site on which users share photographs, said that the first 20,000 users to follow the account would receive two free tickets to Dubai.
UAE parents want more traffic enforcement in schools
The National 4 Feb 2013 – One mother thinks schools should have some supervisors stand by, even police, as parents themselves drive carelessly or too quickly in school zones.
Hijri age claim in UAE gang rape trial
The National 4 Feb 2013 – The lawyer of five men charged with raping a teenager says she should be charged with consensual sex since she is older than 14 years according to Islamic calendar years.
Thousands pack immigration centres on last day of UAE visa amnesty
The National 4 Feb 2013 – Last minute rush for people to take advantage of visa amnesty results in confusion for many.
Family and friends of Al Ain crash victims fear the worst
The National 4 Feb 2013 – Friends and relatives of the workers feared dead in the crash crowded outside the doors of the morgue at Al Ain Hospital all day, desperate for any news of their loved ones.
Waterways work around Dubai Marina near completion
The National 4 Feb 2013 – Dubai waterways work will finish just in time for the new waterbus service that runs between Marina Mall and Marina Walk.
Italians join UAE in naval exercises
The National 4 Feb 2013 – Navies, in collaboration with the US and Bahrain, exchange expertise ahead of the unveiling of Italian-made patrol vessel scheduled for the International Defence Exhibition (Idex).
Of 240 allegations of IDF soldiers abusing Palestinians in 2012: 78 probes, 0 indictments
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Yale Professor blasts ‘blindness’ of Israeli Education Minister Saar over school textbook report
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Judge grants British father custody of sons who were living in Israel
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Who protects the Israeli civilian home front from cyber attack?
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Israel orders West Bank settlement to stop polluting nearby Palestinian village
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Kids in Israeli periphery town get a chance to practice their English – through opera
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Biggest trafficker of women in Israeli history exposed after years of legal battle
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Riled Netanyahu mulling government without Lapid
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Let women cut backroom deals, WIZO tells pols
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Israel’s Channel 10 reports on pro-Netanyahu slant at Israel Hayom daily newspaper
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Enforce the UNHRC settlements report to push Israel out of its state of denial
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Religious Zionist rabbi throws veiled threat at Habayit Hayehudi over IDF draft
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Religious settler seen as top candidate for Israel’s next cabinet secretary
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Israel’s former MI chief: Iran could build nuclear bomb within 4-6 months
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
On farewell tour, Barak says much more than goodbye
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Netanyahu confidant says Yair Lapid is ‘drunk with power’
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Israel State Archives in search of King George’s penpal
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
During Damascus visit, Iranian official says Israel will regret Syria strike
Ha’aretz – 4 Feb 2013
Third Jerusalem Marathon to draw larger int’l crowd
Jerusalem Post 5 Feb 2013 – Seventeen thousand runners set to descend on capital in an event that is expected to pump NIS 10 million into the local economy.
Witness, IDF prosecutor spar at trial of activist
Jerusalem Post 5 Feb 2013 – Trial of well-known human rights activist Ayman Nasser, accused of involvement with the PFLP continues.
Groups spar with NGO Monitor over foreign funding
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Watchdog group report finds foreign government funding for Israeli organizations totaled NIS 34,355,579 in 2012.
Court urges change in gay parenthood policies
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – High Court of Justice presses state to change process for recognizing homosexual parenthood of a child born through surrogacy.
Likud ready to overpay to bring Livni into coalition
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is prepared to make a substantial offer to bring Tzipi Livni’s party into his coalition if negotiations with Yesh Atid do not bear fruit, according to senior Likud sources.
Dayan: A Palestinian state never been further way
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Outgoing settler council leader says price tag attacks imperils future; chastises settlers for driving Benny Begin out of Knesset.
Cooking up a coalition
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Does Israel’s reality TV have any connection to our political reality?
Encountering Peace: Opportunities for US peace initiative
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – The coming months are crucial and in the absence of real Israeli and Palestinian leadership advancing peace, there is no replacement for an effective and confident US role.
Borderline Views: The coalition minefield
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – For those of us who remain disappointed by the election result, it is about time we got our act together and formed a real opposition.
The US vs. the ‘Shi’ite Crescent’?
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – The American approach to the Arab world can be criticized for inconsistency on a number of levels.
Some comments on Hagel’s appointment
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – The challenge will be to go beyond the debate over Hagel’s personal views and votes in the past and work out the existing differences between Washington and Jerusalem together through candid dialogue, not unilateral behavior.
No Holds Barred: AIPAC’s silence on Chuck Hagel
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Demonstrating a complete absence of political will to oppose a man like Hagel has its own risks.
Sharing the burden
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – If party leaders are unwilling to rise to the occasion, a more egalitarian approach to sharing in civic duties should be worked out and implemented without them.
Joining Forces
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – For Adi Salant, becoming co-artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company is ‘a big responsibility’ that she is happy to take on.
Facebook petition aims to remove ‘F**k Israel’ page
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Petition to remove anti-Israel page has 75,000 likes, according to campaign creator; ADL urges people to complain to Facebook.
Dignitaries honor Koch at funeral ceremony
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Former New York mayor remembered by Israeli ambassador as “most important, influential American Zionist of our time.”
Imams to commemorate Holocaust in Paris
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Unprecedented event to be held in Drancy, where Jews in 1942 were confined before being transported to extermination camps.
Yesh Atid, Bayit Yehudi deny forming unity bloc
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Party sources give lukewarm response to reports they plan to enter coalition or opposition together; say reports “exaggerated.”
Textbooks show both sides to blame for enmity
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – US gov’t-funded study shows youth inheriting conflict through schoolbooks; PA welcomes results; Israel says findings baseless.
Pelephone rules out cyberattack as cause for breakdown
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Company says network component failed, plans to compensate customers; class action filed against company for lost service.
Hamas: Israel sabotaging reconciliation efforts
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Spokesman says IDF arrests of organization’s members in W. Bank designed to foil efforts to reconcile with Fatah.
Ahmadinejad to meet with top Sunni cleric in Cairo
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Iranian president to be first Iranian head of state to visit Egypt since 1979 revolution; due to attend Islamic summit to improve ties.
‘Ospreys ideal bird for GPS tracking of migration’
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Int’l experts convene to discuss migration technology collaborations, educational opportunities.
Alternatively Speaking: Dealing with Chron’s
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Alternative medicine expert Natalie Marx answers your questions: Can you suggest any herbs that can help with Crohn’s disease?
Netanyahu jumps into Facebook trend
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Prime minister joins in global “doppelgänger week” by swapping out his profile picture with a surprising choice.
Cops target rival gangs battling in central Israel
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Police detain 5 members of Ben Moshe’s Tel Aviv gang after a nearly fatal case of mistaken identity in a shootout and car chase.
Yadlin: Israel’s threat to strike Iran ‘unhelpful’
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Ex-Intelligence chief says diplomatic solution better than military, adds Syria’s weakened state benefits Israel’s strategic standing.
Israel miscast as gun-toting society
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – As the gun debate resurges in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting, many try to draw comparisons between the US and Israel when it comes to firearms legislation
What is driving the anti-Semitism in radical Islam?
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Raphael Israeli speaks about Salafists, al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood
Yishai presses national religious on haredi draft
Jerusalem Post 4 Feb 2013 – Shas head tells Army Radio that he has asked the rabbis from the national religious parties not to strike a deal with Yair Lapid.
Water under the bridge: how the Oslo agreement robbed the Palestinians
The Guardian 4 Feb 2013 – Ian Black : ‘Cooperation’ with Israel over West Bank water supplies helped consolidate illegal settlements and undermine the two-state solution, a new study shows. Oslo, the landmark 1993 agreement between Israel and the PLO, has had a…
NYC officials threaten funding of Brooklyn College over Israel event | Glenn Greenwald
The Guardian 4 Feb 2013 – In defense of Israel, liberal officials are copying Giuliani’s 1999 termination of funding for a museum exhibiting “offensive” art (updated below) On Saturday, I wrote about the numerous New York City officials (including multiple members of…
Sunday Times apology for Netanyahu cartoon
The Guardian 4 Feb 2013 – For the record, here is yesterday’s Sunday Times editorial, headlined “NETANYAHU CARTOON: AN APOLOGY” . Last week we published, as we have almost every week since 1967, a cartoon by Gerald Scarfe. His works are brutal and…
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The Guardian 4 Feb 2013 – Follow how the day unfolded after President Bashar al-Assad threatened Israel over last week’s air strikes and ignored the opposition leader’s call for dialogue Matthew Weaver
Steve Bell’s If … on Rupert Murdoch’s apology
The Guardian 4 Feb 2013 – Steve Bell’s If … Steve Bell
Israeli and Palestinian textbooks omit borders
The Guardian 4 Feb 2013 – Schoolchildren grow up believing one homeland does not include the other as majority of maps erase dividing lines The vast majority of maps in Palestinian and Israeli schoolbooks omit the existence of the other entity, leading…
World Social Forum Faces Criticism, Tragedy and the Arab Spring
IPS The tragedy at the Kiss nightclub cast a dark shadow on proceedings at the Thematic Social Forum held in Porto Alegre, the southern Brazilian city renowned for hosting the first World Social Forum in 2001. People around the world were deeply shaken by the deaths of hundreds of young people…
Kirkuk Carnage: 42 Killed, 115 Wounded across Iraq
Uruknet
Brooklyn College’s academic freedom increasingly threatened over Israel event
Uruknet
Panetta: US Committed to ‘Enduring Presence’ in Afghanistan
Uruknet
Egypt : Dragged man retracts previous testimony, accuses police of beating him
Uruknet
Photos: Israeli forces attack Palestinian protest village
Uruknet
Detainees suffer medical neglect in Israel jail, group says
Uruknet
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Uruknet
Report: Samir Al-Issawi Health is at High Risk, Actions Required
Uruknet
UN Mission Condemns Israeli Settlements
Uruknet
Obama presses his gun proposals in US state
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 President Barack Obama took his case for universal background checks and banning some military-style weapons to the American heartland on Monday, looking to build public support for his measures and to apply pressure on lawmakers amid…
U.S. condemns violence in Egypt, urges government to investigate
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 The United States strongly condemned on Monday violence against protesters and sexual attacks on women in Egypt and called on the government to investigate and to hold those responsible to account.
Kerry has ‘big heels to fill’ at State Department
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 New Secretary of State John Kerry reported for duty Monday, acknowledging that as Hillary Rodham Clinton’s successor he has “big heels to fill” and promising to protect U.S. foreign service workers from terrorist attacks overseas.
Egypt central bank moves to curb pound’s decline
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Egypt‘s central bank tightens the pound’s trading band in the interbank foreign exchange market and reduced the frequency of foreign currency auctions.
Israel preparing for post-Assad Syria chaos
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Israel has implicitly confirmed it carried out an air strike in Syria last week but the Jewish state’s next step in anticipation of a post-Bashar al-Assad era remains a mystery.
Connelly, Safadi meet over minister’s U.S. visit
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly meetswith Minister of Finance Mohammad Safadi for talks on the latter’s recent visit to Washington.
Aleppo bishop speaks out against Christian kidnappings
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 The bishop of the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo urges the international community to pay greater attention to the fate of Syria’s Christian minority, saying they were being terrorized by a spate of kidnappings for money.
France and U.S. to pressure Iran on nuclear program: Hollande
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 France and the United States warn that they will up the pressure on Iran to reveal the true nature of its controversial nuclear program in upcoming talks with world powers.
Egypt opposition in muddle over call to oust Mursi
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Egypt‘s main opposition alliance has got itself into a muddle by appearing to endorse a call for the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammad Mursi, then backing away.
Jumblatt hails Khatib’s call for dialogue with Assad regime
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt hails the proposal by the Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib to hold dialogue with representatives of the Assad regime.
Egypt says to finish revised economy plan
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Egypt‘s finance minister has said the government will complete the revision of its economic reform plan this week and invite the International Monetary Fund to visit Egypt soon.
Iran’s nuclear advance may be no empty boast: expert
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Iran could be able to make thousands of next-generation uranium enrichment machines, according to a former chief U.N. inspector, adding credibility to Tehran’s claims of technical advances in its disputed nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia slams Israel air strike against Syria
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Saudi Arabia slams an Israeli air strike that hit targets near Damascus as a “flagrant violation” against the war-torn country’s territory, the kingdom’s official SPA news agency reports.
Afghan, Pakistani leaders commit to peace deal within six months: statement
Daily Star 4 Feb 2013 Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari vowed Monday to achieve a peace settlement for Afghanistan within six months, after talks hosted by Britain.
Ahmadinejad says war not solution in Syria
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – ….
Prisoner on leave escapes; possible connection to drug smuggling
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – ….
Egyptian Culture Minister resigns in protest of police brutality
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – ….
Housing Ministry issues tender for housing units in West Bank
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – ….
Yachimovich, Netanyahu expected to meet Tuesday
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – ….
Distorting election results
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – Op-ed: Majority of Israeli voters far more right-wing than certain media figures would like to admit ….
Don’t ignite entire region
YNet News, 4 Feb 2013 – Op-ed: Israelis have become addicted to expectation that something terrible is about to happen ….
Palestinian Information Center
IOA deprives 20,000 Jerusalemite children from reuniting with their families
PIC – The Israeli occupation authorities (IIOA) have deprived more than 20,000 Jerusalemite children from the right of reuniting with their families in occupied Jerusalem.
IOF soldiers round up 40 Palestinians in the past 48 hours
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) nabbed 40 Palestinians in the past 48 hours including MPs and leaders in Hamas, statistics by the Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights said on Monday.
Khreisha champions reactivating PLC in response to Israeli arrests
PIC – Dr. Hassan Khreisha, the PLC second deputy speaker, has said that Israel was cloning its previous step of detaining Palestinian MPs to influence their effective role in the Palestinian arena.
Hunger strikers in Israeli jails decide to stop drinking water
PIC – The hunger striking prisoner, Jafar Ezzedine, threatened that the hunger striking prisoners decided to escalate their steps, by stopping drinking water starting from February 17..
Hamas warns of repercussions of arrests of Palestinian leaders
PIC – Hamas condemned the extensive campaign of arbitrary arrests carried out by IOF against the movement’s leaders and MPs in various cities of the occupied West Bank.
Baraka receives European parliamentary delegation
PIC – Ali Baraka, Hamas representative in Lebanon, received a European parliamentary delegation headed by British MP Norman Reginald Warner, in the presence of Rafat Morra..
Haniyeh: We will be steadfast as long as the nation’s support continues
PIC – Ismail Haniyeh stressed, during a meeting with “Miles of Smiles 19” convoy, that the liberation of Palestine could be achieved only with the help of Arab and Islamic nation.
Demonstration of national forces in Jerusalem against EU policy
PIC – Dozens of representatives of the national and Islamic forces in the occupied city of Jerusalem demonstrated on Monday afternoon against the European Commission headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah..
nternational campaign for the release of striking prisoners
PIC – The European network for the defense of Palestinian prisoners (UFree), based in Oslo, declared an international campaign for the support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Report: IOA established 482 outposts last year
PIC – The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) demolished 465 Palestinian buildings and established 482 outposts in the West Bank and the occupied city of Jerusalem during the last year..
Israeli Municipality Hands Jerusalem Residents Demolition Order
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Sri Lanka Celebrates 65 Anniversary in State of Palestine
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Israeli Media Confirms Concern of Police Brutality in East Jerusalem
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Japan, PA Sign Solid Waste Agreements
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
PLO Condemns Israeli Arrest of Lawmakers
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Reconciliation Talks to Resume on Wednesday
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Fayyad Welcomes International Report on School Books
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Sixteen Lawmakers held in Israeli Jails, says Group
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
Israeli Army Arrests 24 People in West Bank
WAFA – 4 Feb 2013
PEX Report: Al-Quds Index Up
WAFA – 3 Feb 2013
PEX Report: Al Quds Index Down
WAFA – 31 Jan 2013
Russia, Iran support idea of talks in Syria
LA Times 4 Feb 2013 – Syria’s two key allies approve of an opposition figure’s offer of conditional talks with the government of President Bashar Assad. BEIRUT — A faint glimmer of hope of breaking the diplomatic standoff on Syria has emerged as two key allies, Russia and Iran, reacted positively…
At War Blog: Veterans in College: Share Your Stories
New York Times 4 Feb 2013 – It is unclear how the thousands of veterans who are in college are faring; only last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse and the Student Veterans of America to analyze data with an eye to determining if the veterans are succeeding — or failing — and why.
Syrian Opposition Says Assad Can Avoid Trial if He Leaves
New York Times 4 Feb 2013 – Syria’s opposition coalition gave qualified backing to its leader’s surprise offer last week for a dialogue with President Bashar al-Assad.
At War Blog: Remembering Chris Kyle, a Deadly American Sniper
New York Times 4 Feb 2013 – Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL, who was killed Saturday at a gun range in Texas, wasn’t just a legend. He was The Legend, with four tours in Iraq, two Purple Hearts and a hand in every major battle during the conflict.
Treasury: Israeli electricity prices relatively low
Globes Energy & Water – Finance Ministry energy coordinator Oren Moshe: Prices are at a level that cannot meet the needs of whoever builds the grid.
Pelephone to compensate subscribers for breakdown
Globes Main News – Subscribers can opt for 60 minutes free calls in Israel, 60 minutes overseas calls, or 500 megabytes of Internet access.
IDB bondholders suspend negotiations
Globes Main News – The bondholders cite breach of trust by Nochi Dankner’s company.
Lapid, Bennett strike deal
Globes Main News – “Ma’ariv”: Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett agree to either join the coalition together, or to stay in the opposition.
Mon: Banks fail to lift market
Globes Main News – Hapoalim and Leumi enjoyed strong gains, but the telcos were the day’s biggest losers.
Shekel flat against dollar
Globes Main News – Prico CEO Yossi Fraiman: We expect to see the Bank of Israel resume dollar purchases when the exchange rate hits NIS 3.60/$.
“Bloomberg” ranks Israel 32nd in Global Innovation Index
Globes Macro Economics – Even though it ranks Israel number 1 in R&D intensity, “Bloomberg” only placed Israel 32nd overall.
State Comptroller mulls Treasury probe into deficit
Globes Macro Economics – State Comptroller Joseph Shapira is concerned about the Budget Department’s conduct regarding the budget, in view of the deficit.
Defense budget cut won’t imperil readiness – study
Globes Aerospace & Defense – INSS: Despite growing threats against Israel, the country has opportunities to improve its strategic situation.
Labor Party Deal With Channel 2 Reporter Shuts Competing Party Out of Election Coverage
Tikun Olam – Shelly Yachimovich colluded to restrict media coverage of Eretz Chadasha (Yehoshua Yosef) In my conversations with leaders of the Eretz Chadasha Party, they noted that it had been shut out of news coverage by most of the major Israeli media. Now I know why, at least…
Obama Assumes Secret Powers to Pre-Empt Cyber-Attack, Bibi Rattles Sabers Against Iran
Tikun Olam – The NY Times reports that the Obama administration, continuing its aggressive approach to national security threats, has issued a secret ruling giving the president broad power to pre-emptively attack any nation or group planning a cyber-attack against the U.S. Wow. This is a rabbi hole that…
Official who threatened Brooklyn College funding calls BDS speakers ‘anti-Semitic fools’
Mondoweiss – Councilman Lew Fidler has threatened funding to Brooklyn College over the hosting of a BDS event.(Photo via CSA-NYC.org) The City Council member who threatened Brooklyn College’s funding over the school’s hosting of an event on the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movemen t has called those…
An unpleasant conversation with a staffer to Brooklyn congresswoman Yvette Clarke about her BDS letter
Mondoweiss – Two more items from the heroic battle for free speech that is taking place in Brooklyn and New York as we speak! First, a friend in Brooklyn who wishes to remain anonymous tells me about calling Congresswoman Yvette Clarke’s Brooklyn office today. Clarke is a progressive…
Brooklyn College president: ‘There is no academic obligation to present’ a pro-Israel perspective at boycott event
Mondoweiss – The excellent professor, Corey Robin, has just posted a new statement by Brooklyn College president Karen Gould affirming the college’s commitment to hold the boycott panel on Thursday. This is real bravery; I am sure she has come under donor pressure in addition to political pressure….
ADL’s pro-Israel mindset leads it to perpetuate anti-Muslim worldview
Mondoweiss – This piece, by founding members of the Jews Against Islamophobia Coalition, appeared on Alternet on February 1. The Anti-Defamation League bills itself, and is typically seen by many in the mainstream Jewish community and beyond, as the “nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency.”[1] In fact, the…
Chomsky: Obama strongly supported Israel’s 2006 Lebanon invasion
Mondoweiss – “Barack Obama was a senator before he was president. He didn’t do much as a senator, but he did a couple of things, including one he was particularly proud of. In fact, if you looked at his website before the primaries, he highlighted the fact that,…
75,000 Facebook Users Ask Ban of ‘F— Israel’ Page
The Foward Breaking News 4 Feb 2013 – A Facebook petition to remove an anti-Israel page that uses an expletive in its name has 75,000 likes, the removal campaign’s creator says. Click here for the rest of the article…
Brooklyn College President Won’t Cancel Boycott Israel Panel
The Foward Breaking News 4 Feb 2013 – The president of Brooklyn College hit back against New York City Council members who threatened to withhold funds to the school if it allows a panel discussion about the boycott Israel campaign to go forward later this week. Click here for the rest of the article……
Leaders of Jewish Reform Movement Plan Israel Advocacy Amid Tension
The Foward Breaking News 4 Feb 2013 – Dozens of Reform Jewish representatives attended an Israel advocacy seminar in Paris. Click here for the rest of the article…
Super Bowl Fever Hits Israel After Midnight
The Foward Breaking News 4 Feb 2013 – Beer, wings and shouts of ‘Go Niners’ filled the air. It was way after midnight but the Super Bowl party was getting started on the beach in Tel Aviv. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt on the Edge
The Forward Editorial 4 Feb 2013 – FORWARD EDITORIAL : A failed Egypt would be a disaster for the U.S. and Israel. Amid scenes of chaos, America must use its help to keep the spirit of Tahrir Square alive. Click here for the rest of the article…
Dissenters on Panel Blast Study Claiming Palestinian Textbooks Don’t Vilify Jews
The Forward New 4 Feb 2013 – Controversy quickly engulfed a new study on incitement in Palestinian textbooks. Israel blasted the report and some advisory panel members were blindsided by its release. Click here for the rest of the article…
Palestinian Textbooks Don’t Vilify Jews, New Study Reveals
The Forward New 4 Feb 2013 – Palestinians have long been accused of using school textbooks to teach hatred for Jews and Israel. A new U.S.-funded study says that’s not the case. Click here for the rest of the article…
Sudan: Sudanese President Receives Head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
allAfrica.com 4 Feb 2013 – [Sudan Tribune]Khartoum -The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir met at his residence in Khartoum with the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Ramadan Shalah.
Recognizing Palestine as the Homeland of the Palestinians (Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc.)
The Magnes Zionist 3 Feb 2013 – Yesterday I was speaking with a young graduate student in Islamic studies, an orthodox Jew, who told me that the question arose in one of his courses, “Where is Safed?” to which the professor replied, “In Palestine.” His story reminded me of the one told by…
Syrian opposition presses Assad
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib urges embattled President Bashar al-Assad to respond to his offer of peace talks.
US urges Egypt to control police
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – The US urges Egypt to investigate cases of police abuse after a man was stripped and beaten by uniformed officers during protests.
Iran arrests key ex-prosecutor
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – Saeed Mortazavi, the former prosecutor general of Tehran, is arrested on unspecified charges, Iranian news agencies say.
Hamas arrests across West Bank
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – Israeli forces in the West Bank arrest at least 20 members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, including three members of parliament.
Mohamed Khodr: A Petition to Reclaim Our Government, Our Democracy, Our Future from Israel
Sabbah report 4 Feb 2013 – America, two hundred and thirty seven years ago we overthrew a colonial foreign power that occupied our land, stole our treasury, and dictated its interests upon Americans. Americans launched a revolution against the most powerful military in the world and won. The United States of America…
Jamal Kanj: Megalomaniac vs monomaniacs in Syria
Sabbah report 4 Feb 2013 – Regardless of the conqueror, Syria – even if it remains united – will emerge as a devastated nation that relies on international benefactors to rebuild its infrastructure and economy. To Israel’s delight, the outcome of the conflict will leave the US and Russia, after the people…
Event: New Year — Old Wars in the Middle East
US Campaign to End the Occupation 4 Feb 2013 – From our member group Upper Hudson Peace Action . New Year — Old Wars in the Middle East Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, Iran…where’s it all going? Discussion with Phyllis Bennis , Director of New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. Wednesday, February 6 12:00pm Albany Public Library (161…
Israel in Syria
Al-Akhbar Blogs 4 Feb 2013 – It is abundantly clear that Israel has been involved in every Arab (and several non-Arab) civil and inter-state wars over the decades. There is hardly a civil war in which Israel was not criminally involved on the side of the most reactionary party. From Yemen to…
Saudi fined for killing 5-year-old daughter causes outrage
Al-Akhbar News 4 Feb 2013 – A Saudi preacher convicted of having brutally tortured and killed his young daughter will be released from prison in exchange for financially compensating the five-year-old’s family, sparking outrage from activists who demand a heavier sentence. Fayhan al-Ghamdi was arrested in November for the death of his…
Al-Nusra Front: Seeking a Lebanese Base in Ain al-Hilweh
Al-Akhbar News 4 Feb 2013 – Fighters from the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra sit in their tank near Taftanaz military airport January 12, 2013. Picture taken January 12, 2013.REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof (SYRIA – Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) Fighters from the al-Nusra front sit in their tank near Taftanaz military…
Iraq: Suicide blast kills 23 government militia men collecting salaries
Al-Akhbar News 4 Feb 2013 – A suicide bomber blew himself up near a group Sahwa fighters, Iraqi government-backed militia men, receiving salaries north of Baghdad on Monday, killing 23 people, the second bloody attack to hit Iraq in as many days. The blast, which officials said also wounded at least 44…
The Balustrades of Beirut
Al-Akhbar News 4 Feb 2013 – Designs by Mazen Haidar. Designs by Mazen Haidar. In a gaping white gallery, black and white prints of patterns are evenly spaced along the walls: studies of the wrought-ironwork that typify the balconies of Beirut. Represented as architectural drawings, the clinical attention to clean lines throughout…
Lebanese Army Refuses to Sweep Ersal Ambush Under the Rug
Al-Akhbar News 4 Feb 2013 – A picture taken on 1 February 2013 shows residents standing on the top of a military vehicle that was hit during a clash between gunmen and the army in which two soldiers were killed in Arsal (Photo: AFP – STR) A picture taken on 1 February…
Ahmadinejad ready to be “the first man in space” sent by Iran
Al-Akhbar News 4 Feb 2013 – A picture released by the Iranian presidency website shows President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looking at a space monkey during a ceremony to mark Iran‘s National Day of Space Technology in Tehran on 4 February 2013. Ahmadinejad unveiled two small satellites, “Nahid” and “Zohreh” (Venus in Farsi and…
Ersal and the Army: Blame it on Conspiracy
Al-Akhbar Politics 4 Feb 2013 – Lebanese soldiers are deployed on a road at the entrance of the village of Arsal, on the border with Syria, on 2 February 2013 (Photo: AFP – STR) Lebanese soldiers are deployed on a road at the entrance of the village of Arsal, on the border…
Disappeared Under Yemen’s Saleh, Activist Found Alive Decades Later
Al-Akhbar Politics 3 Feb 2013 – Yemeni men chew qat as they attend a rally in Sanaa on 24 January 2013. (Photo: Khaled Abdullah – Reuters) Yemeni men chew qat as they attend a rally in Sanaa on 24 January 2013. (Photo: Khaled Abdullah – Reuters) When Mathar al-Iriani was disappeared in…
Syrian opposition presses Assad
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib urges embattled President Bashar al-Assad to respond to his offer of peace talks.
US urges Egypt to control police
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – The US urges Egypt to investigate cases of police abuse after a man was stripped and beaten by uniformed officers during protests.
Iran arrests key ex-prosecutor
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – Saeed Mortazavi, the former prosecutor general of Tehran, is arrested on unspecified charges, Iranian news agencies say.
New bomb attack in Iraq kills 19
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – At least 19 people are killed in a suicide bomb attack in central Iraq aimed at pro-government militia, officials say.
Hamas arrests across West Bank
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – Israeli forces in the West Bank arrest at least 20 members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, including three members of parliament.
Asian workers die in UAE accident
BBC 4 Feb 2013 – At least 22 Asian workers are killed and 24 injured as a truck collides with the bus they are travelling in in the United Arab Emirates, reports say.
Articles
Report: Fewer IDF soldiers held accountable for alleged crimes against Palestinians in 2012
Yesh Din, +972 Magazine 2/4/2013
In the second half of January at least five unarmed Palestinian civilians were shot and killed by IDF fire in the West Bank and Gaza. The following report shows a dramatic downward trend in the rate of indictments served against IDF soldiers for alleged offenses in 2012, a year in which only one indictment was served against a soldier accused of abusing a Palestinian.
In the wake of recent events, Yesh Din has published a new data sheet about criminal accountability of IDF soldiers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The data indicates a clear downward trend in the rate of indictments served: in the years 2009-2011 indictments were served following 2.5% of the investigations opened into alleged offenses committed by Israeli soldiers while in 2012 not a single Military Police Criminal Investigations Division (MPCID) investigation resulted in an indictment.
The data sheet, based on information provided to Yesh Din by the IDF spokesperson, as well as the organization’s ongoing research, shows the following:
In 2012 the MPCID received 240 complaints and various reports of suspected crimes allegedly committed by IDF soldiers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The MPCID opened criminal investigations into 78 of the 240 reports it received. Another 25 investigation files were opened that year into reports received in 2011. The MPCID opened a total of 103 criminal investigations in 2012.
Data for the last years indicates a significant drop in the rate of indictments served. The data for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 shows that 14 investigation files out of the 534 opened during those three years produced indictments; i.e., only 2.62%.
Not a single investigation file opened by MPCID in 2012 yielded an indictment…. — See also: Click to download report more.. e-mail
Revisions to Prawer Plan for Negev Bedouin expose the farce of law in Israel
Nadia Ben-youssef, +972 Magazine 2/3/2013
The latest revision to the Prawer Plan, which will eventually displace tens of thousands of Arab Bedouin from their ancestral land in the Negev (Naqab), in some ways improves its tone toward the Bedouin. But the Arab Bedouin community has resolutely rejected the Prawer Plan, and Benny Begin’s latest report reminds us succinctly that the law was never intended to be a friend to the oppressed.
On the day after the Israeli elections, outgoing MK Benny Begin finished writing his recommended revisions to the Prawer Plan. The Minister without portfolio had been charged with responding to public grievances about the government-approved plan and its implementing legislation, which together aimed to displace tens of thousands of Arab Bedouin from their ancestral land in the Negev (Naqab). In the cabinet meeting on January 27, the Begin report was quickly approved and incorporated into the Prawer Plan, with the prime minister calling the decision “brave” and Minister Begin calling the revised plan “an expression of the Government’s goodwill and readiness to reach a solution.” But despite the pretense of generosity attached to the revisions, the amended Prawer Plan, which has been rejected by the Arab Bedouin community, retains both its discrimination and injustice.
Begin’s 13-page report (translated here in English) is the minister’s single response to the grievances of “over 1,000 Negev Bedouin, as well as their relevant groups and organizations” who participated in a three-month public consultation period in early 2012. The government called the consultations, which were held after the Prawer Plan and the draft Prawer Plan Law were already approved by the government, “unprecedented.” In the 10 months following the end of consultations, Minister Begin was able to craft a sophisticated response that demonstrated careful attention to language and tone. Gone are the explicit statements designating the Bedouin as squatters or legitimizing permission to evict them with “reasonable force.” more.. e-mail
Could UNHRC’s settlement report put the ‘S’ back in BDS?
Michael Omer-man, +972 Magazine 2/4/2013
The last paragraph of the UN Human Rights Council-sanctioned report on Israeli settlements may lay the legal and practical foundations for a new, untried regime of economic and trade sanctions against Israel, or at least provide new tools to those already advocating BDS.
The UNHRC-sanctioned International Fact Finding Mission’s report on Israeli settlements is by no means the harshest UN document on Israel. But its last paragraph introduces one element that previously existed only in small pro-Palestinian and human rights activist circles. Namely, it puts the “S” back in BDS.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign has had mixed, but limited, success since its official launch in its current iteration nearly seven years ago. Divestment and boycott campaigns have claimed small victories after targeting educational and labor pension investment funds, transportation companies serving Israelis in the occupied Palestinian territories, academic conferences and musical and cultural events. But many “big-picture” observers will admit that its successes have led to little if any change in Israeli policy, and subsequently, in the Palestinian reality.
While former international officials have called for limited sanctions against Israel should it fail to cease its settlement enterprise, and current officials have hinted at limited travel sanctions against violent settlers, the notion of sanctions against Israel has largely taken a back seat to the more constricted and arguably less impactful boycott and divestment campaigns.
Last week’s UN report, however, advanced the prospects of – and possibly laid the beginnings of a legal groundwork for – economic sanctions against Israel for its continued settlement enterprise, which is viewed as illegal under international law in every corner of the globe. — See also: UNHRC Advance Report more.. e-mail
India-Israel anti-terror axis evolves
Ninan Koshy, Asia Times 2/2/2013
India-Palestinian relations have long been subsumed by India-Israel relations.
“It is advisable for the democratic countries of the US, Israel and India to come together with an integrated task force to effectively defeat the threats of terrorists”, stated former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam in a speech in New Delhi last Friday.
Given his status, is the former president really oblivious to the fact that such a US-India-Israel axis on counter-terrorism already exists?
During then Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to New Delhi in September 2003, his deputy, Yosef Lapid, told journalists that an “unwritten and abstract” axis had been created among India, Israel and the US to combat international terrorism.
“While there was no formal triangular agreement there is a mutual interest of the three countries in making the world a more secure place for all of us. There is American support for the development of the unwritten axis”, Lapid told them. “Therefore in the abstract sense we are creating such an axis.”
Just four months before the announcement of the creation of the axis by the Israeli deputy prime minister, Brajesh Mishra, India’s National Security Adviser, had called for such an alliance.
Speaking to the American Jewish Committee on May 8, 2003, Mishra said, “Only a ‘core’ consisting of democracies such as India, Israel and USA can deal with terrorism. Such an alliance would have the political will and moral authority to make bold decisions in extreme cases of terrorist provocations”. more.. e-mail
Dershowitz’s attack on boycott Israel campaign smacks of desperation
Electronic Intifada: 4 Feb 2013 – David Letwin New York City 4 February 2013 Adherents of Zionism have few cards left, other than to smear rights activists with accusations of anti-Semitism.more
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Electronic Intifada: 4 Feb 2013 – 4 February 2013 A monthly roundup of photographs documenting Palestine, Palestinian life, politics and culture, and international solidarity with Palestine.more
Child survivor of Gaza massacre denied medical treatment by Israel
Electronic Intifada: 4 Feb 2013 – Rami Almeghari Gaza City 4 February 2013 Amal Samouni lost both her father and brother when Israel bombed their neighborhood in 2009.more
Collective Punishment at Qalandiya
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Feb 2013 – By Tamar Fleishman It was announced on the noon news flashes that security forces had caught a terrorist at Qalandiya checkpoint. It was said that the man had tried to pass eight pipe bombs in his bag. It was reported that the terrorist had been taken for questioning, that the bombs were dismantled and that the checkpoint was closed. The report was suspicious, why would a person who didn’t suffer from mental illness or that hadn’t been sent by the system to check the alertness of the soldiers, try to pass not one bomb, not two bombs, but eight (!) bombs, when every reasonable person knows that even coins in a man’s pocket, earrings on a woman, nails in a laborer’s shoes or belt buckles are detected by the sensitive machine and cause it to beep. I don’t know whether it happened or not, I only know that closing the checkpoint…more
Israel’s Strike on Syria: Recurring Scenario, Different Conditions
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Feb 2013 – By Fadi Elhusseini Breaching U.N. Charter and violating territorial sovereignty of countries through quick air strikes is not a newfangled product. Major Powers have adopted such a practice in order to achieve quick, clean and accurate goals, avoiding any unnecessary complications of ground operations, which may bring about some unforeseen consequences. U.S. strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan in 1998 following the bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were a case in point. Its Continuous targeting of Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen is also another case in point. Israel has adopted such bullying behavior through conducting quick strikes against its enemies, and the most striking case was in 1981 when it targeted and destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor. Israel has also targeted several military posts and convoys in Sudan in the years 2009, 2011 and 2012. For Syria, Israel has adopted the “Quick Strike” strategy as many as five sporadic…more
Neither Justice nor Morality: Just Impunity from Crimes against Humanity
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Feb 2013 – By William A. Cook “The world is ruled by neither justice nor morality; crime is not punished nor virtue rewarded, one is forgotten as quickly as the other. The world is ruled by power and power is obtained with money. To work is senseless, because money cannot be obtained through work, but through exploitation of others. And if we cannot exploit as much as we wish, at least let us work as little as we can. Moral duty? We believe neither in the morality of man nor in the morality of systems.” – Tadeusz Borowsk i, This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. This hideous and degrading picture of the human animal Borowski painted at Auschwitz: humankind without benevolence, without compassion; lacking empathy, lacking mercy; inexorable, ruthless, and malevolent; a savage, brutal animal devoid of morals but obedient to laws. Borowski believed there was no crime a man would…more
UN: To Avoid Tensions with refugees, Lebanese Hosts Need Support
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Feb 2013 – By IRIN Donors channeling funds towards Syrian refugees in Lebanon must also assist their poor Lebanese hosts to diffuse rising tensions, aid workers and a government official said ahead of an international pledging conference for humanitarian aid to Syria and its neighbors. “We have seen a growing sense of resentment among the Lebanese host communities that see assistance going to refugees and not to them,” Robert Watkins, humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, told IRIN. “It is causing some tensions.” Most of the more than 220,000 Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon have settled in the poorest parts of the country, in districts like Akkar in the north and Ba’albek or Hermel in the eastern Beka’a Valley. The North Governorate is home to 20 percent of Lebanon’s population but 40 percent of its poor, with more than half the people living under US$4 a day, according to a 2005 study. Despite their…more
Chuck Hagel Should Withdraw His Nomination
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Feb 2013 – By Ludwig Watzal Chuck Hagel’s performance before the Senate Armed Services Committee was very shameful. He disappointed down the line. Hagel apologized for every truth he had said before about the Lobby’s bullying on the Hill, Iran, the disastrous wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, his prime loyalty to the US constitution and not to Israel or America’s real political interests. Even if he will be confirmed by the Senate, out of self-esteem he should not accept it. As Secretary of Defense he will only be a shadow of himself. What will he say to Benyamin Netanyahu except chorus of praise about their ironclad “friendship” and support for Israel’s permanent violations of human rights of the oppressed Palestinian people, Israel’s aggression in the region and its disdain for international law, not to speak of the daily crimes committed by their occupying forces? The pro-Zionist inquisitors have played their role perfectly. For…more
Syria’s First Line of Defense: Dial 133
Palestine Chronicle: 4 Feb 2013 – By Franklin Lamb – Damascus There are more than 9000 of them. Predominately young but of all ages. Volunteers everyone. Often risking their lives just to come for a twelve hour work-shift, as many as seven days a week at the Syrian Arab Republic Red Crescent Society (SARCS) Emergency Operation center. Located at The New Zahera (blooming flowers) Hospital in Damascus just to the south of Yarmouk refugee camp, SARCS has its main emergency response teams HQ. It is here where Syrians, some Palestinians and even a few from the region and the West receive training as qualified para-medics. Maybe two-thirds of those this observer spent a day with a few days ago are students and graduates. Nationalists all, and in the main, but not everyone, supporting the government, but sympathetic towards whomever can end the killing and return life even to “pre-events normalcy”. In the Operations Center main room,…more
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The New Dark Age 