19 February 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Several College Students Injured By Army Fire Near Ramallah
IMEMC – Ramallah – Tuesday February 19; Palestinian medical sources reported that several students of the Birzeit University, near Ramallah, were mildly injured after Israeli soldiers attacked a nonviolent protest held in support of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. …
Soldiers Kidnap Two Palestinians In Jerusalem
IMEMC – Israeli soldiers and Policemen attacked, on Tuesday evening, dozens of Palestinians holding a nonviolent protest, in occupied East Jerusalem, in solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel, and kidnapped two. Eight more Palestinians have been kidnapped near Nablus. …
Israeli Court Refuses To Release Al-Eesawy, on 210th day of hunger strike
IMEMC – On Tuesday February 19, head of the Legal Unit of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), Lawyer Jawad Boulos, reported that the Israeli District Court in Jerusalem rejected an appeal for the release of hunger striking detainee, Samer Al-Eesawy. …
PCHR Condemns the Israeli Forces’ Assaults on Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza Waters
IMEMC – 2 Fishermen Arrested and Fishing Boat Confiscated The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Israeli Navy’s escalation of attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip and expresses its deep concern for such escalation, which resulted in arresting two fishermen and confiscating their boat today. …
Two Fishermen Injured By Army Fire
IMEMC – Palestinian medical sources reported, on Monday evening, that two fishermen have been moderately injured by Israeli Navy fire on the Gaza shore, in As-Sudaniyya, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. …
Egyptian Mediators To Visit Tel Aviv
IMEMC – Egyptian officials are planning to visit Tel Aviv to hold talks on maintaining the ceasefire with the Hamas movement, and other resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s siege on the coastal region. …
Twenty Palestinians Injured In Hebron Clashes
IMEMC – Hebron – Monday Evening, February 18; Palestinian medical sources reported that at least twenty Palestinians have been injured during clashes that took place with Israeli soldiers who attacked a protest held in solidarity with Palestinian detainees imprisoned by Israel. …
P.A To Ask U.S. For Peace Initiative
IMEMC – The Palestinian Authority (P.A.) in the West Bank intends to ask the United States to present a new peace initiative that could end the current stalemate in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. …
Israeli court orders Issawi to remain in custody
2/19/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli court on Tuesday ruled that Samer Issawi, who has been on hunger strike for over 200 days, must remain in custody. Issawi’s lawyer Jawad Bulous requested Issawi’s release at a magistrate’s court in Jerusalem. An Israeli military prosecutor opposed the request. Issawi, who…. Related: Hundreds of prisoners launch solidarity hunger strike
Hundreds of prisoners launch solidarity hunger strike
2/19/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Around 800 prisoners in Israeli jails launched a one day hunger strike on Tuesday to show solidarity with long-term hunger strikers, a prisoner group said. Prisoners in the Israeli jails of Nafha, Ramon and Eshel launched the strike action to put pressure on Israeli prison authorities to deal with the demands…. Related: Israel transfers 4 prisoners on solidarity hunger strike and Israeli court orders Issawi to remain in custody
Israel transfers 4 prisoners on solidarity hunger strike
2/19/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli prison authorities transferred four prisoners taking part in a solidarity hunger strike on Tuesday, a representative for the detainees said. Mahmud Ghalami said that detainee Fadi Washa was transferred to Hadarim detention center, while Sufian Rabee, Ayman Saker, and Omar Ayoub were transferred to Eshel jail from Hadarim. Nearly 800…. Related: Hundreds of prisoners launch solidarity hunger strike and Israeli court orders Issawi to remain in custody
Israel issues order to seize 120 dunams of Yatta land
2/19/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Monday issued orders to seize 120 dunams of land in an area near Yatta, a local official said. Coordinator of the popular committee against settlements in Yatta, Rateb al-Jbour, told Ma’an that Israeli authorities want to seize Hussein Ahmad Hamamdeh’s land on the pretext….
Israeli forces clash with protesters outside Ofer jail
2/19/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces clashed with protestors outside Ofer detention center near Ramallah on Tuesday at a demonstration in support of Palestinian prisoners. The rally in solidarity with hunger-strikers marched towards the Israeli prison from Birzeit, Beitunia and Ramallah. Israeli forces fired tear gas at protesters and youths responded by throwing stones at…. Related:Hundreds of prisoners launch solidarity hunger strike and Israel transfers 4 prisoners on solidarity hunger strike
Gaza: Kerem Shalom crossing to be enlarged
2/19/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – The European Union will fund expansion of Gaza’s Kerem Shalom crossing increasing its capacity to 500 truckloads per day, chief of the Palestinian borders and crossings department Nathmi Muhanna said Tuesday. Speaking to a Ma’an, Muhanna explained that new gates, new roads would be built as…. Related: Official: Israel allows more improvements on Gaza borders
Egypt brokering talks between Hamas and Israel on humanitarian issues
2/19/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – For the second time in a week, Israeli security officials visited Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials focusing on the ceasefire brokered by Egypt last year between Israel and the Palestinian factions operating in the Gaza Strip. A high-level Hamas official told Ma’an that the ongoing Egypt-brokered negotiations between…. Related: Official: Israel allows more improvements on Gaza borders
Outcry over Israel soldier’s photo of boy in cross-hairs
2/19/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — An Israeli soldier has provoked an outcry by publishing a photograph that appeared to show the back of a Palestinian boy’s head seen through the cross-hairs of a rifle. Israel‘s army said on Tuesday it would hold an investigation into the conduct of the soldier, who posted the picture….
Israeli forces detain 3 teens in Salfit
2/19/2013 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested three teenagers in a Salfit village overnight Monday, locals said. Rabee Samir Salih Sultan, 15, his brother Murad, 18, and Nour Attallah Farid Sultan, 15 were detained in an overnight arrest raid in the village of Haris, witnesses said. An Israeli army spokesman said three people were arrested….
Prisoner X story alarms Palestinian families
2/19/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – The exposure of Israel‘s “Prisoner X” story has alarmed several Palestinian families whose children went missing and they never learned of their fate. One of these families is Nawati family from the Gaza Strip. Family members say that Muatazz Nawati was working in Israel in the 1980s before…. Related: Israel releases judge’s report into Australian’s suicide
Abbas meets Yemeni president in Sanaa
2/19/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbasmet his Yemeni counterpart Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi on Tuesday in Sanaa, Palestinian Authority media reported. Abbas discussed bilateral relations, Palestinian reconciliation and Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people with the Yemeni president, state news agency Wafa reported. Abbas, who is joined by his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdaineh, PA….
Israel releases judge’s report into Australian’s suicide
2/19/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel released details on Tuesday about the 2010 jailhouse suicide of an Australian immigrant reported to have been a disgraced Mossad spy, saying he hanged himself in his cell and no foul play was involved. The affair was kept under wraps until it emerged last week with an Australian television expose that identified…. Related: Prisoner X story alarms Palestinian families
Sources: Israel, Turkey in first defense deal since ties frozen
2/19/2013 – ANKARA (Reuters) — An Israeli firm has supplied Turkey with military equipment in the first such reported deal since the two nations froze ties over the 2010 killing of nine Turks aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkish government sources said on Monday. Israeli defense firm Elta delivered to Turkey $100 million of electronic equipment last week….
Official: Israel allows more improvements on Gaza borders
2/19/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Israel has informed the Palestinian borders and crossings department in Ramallah that more improvements will be introduced on Gaza borders, says official. Nathmi Muhanna, chief of the borders and crossings department told Ma’an Tuesday that Israel decided to allow entry of new empty domestic gas cylinders into the…. Related: Gaza: Kerem Shalom crossing to be enlarged and Egypt brokering talks between Hamas and Israel on humanitarian issues
PA: Civil servants to receive part of January wages
2/19/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority will pay a portion of civil servant salaries for January in two days, according to a statement by the cabinet released after its weekly session Tuesday. According to the statement, civil servants will receive half of their monthly wage provided that the minimum payment is 2,000 shekels ($540….
Source: Netanyahu reaches first deal on new Israel government
2/19/2013 – JERUSALEM(Reuters) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took his first step in forming a new government on Tuesday by reaching a coalition deal with former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a political source said. A draft copy of a five-page coalition deal, obtained by Reuters, said the centrist Livni would be named Justice Minister and would….
19-year-old woman burns to death in Gaza camp
2/19/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 19-year-old woman died from burns on Tuesday in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, police said. Police spokesman Ayman al-Batneiji said the woman’s body was brought to the Kamal Udwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya early Tuesday morning.”An initial medical examination showed burns all….
4 injured in Hebron car crash
2/19/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A man and three children were injured Tuesday in a car accident north of Hebron, medics said. Driver Omar Ighnemat, 50, Samara Slaibi, 13, Mai Abu Sara, 13 and 11-year-old Ayman Abu Sara were injured when a school bus collided with a car in al-Hawawer in Halhul, Red Crescent official….
Egypt in political clinch as economic cliff looms
2/19/2013 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Two years after a pro-democracy uprising, Egypt resembles a rickety bus rolling towards a cliff, its passengers too busy feuding over blame to wrench the steering wheel to safety. Foreign exchange reserves are dwindling. Tourism is moribund. Investment is at a standstill. Subsidized diesel fuel and fertilizer are in short supply, while the….
US security officials arrive in Cairo
2/19/2013 – CAIRO (Ma’an) – An American security delegation landed Tuesday in Cairo national airport on board a private airplane which took off from Amman airport, a high-profile officer at the Cairo airport told Ma’an. The US delegation was welcomed by Egyptian national security commanders. The Egyptian source highlighted that the delegation encompassed 17….
Tunisian PM Jebali quits
2/19/2013 – TUNIS (Reuters) — Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned on Tuesday after his attempt to form a government of technocrats and end a political crisis failed.” I vowed that if my initiative did not succeed, I would resign and. . . I have already done so,” Jebali told a news conference after meeting with President Moncef Marzouki. Jebali….
Israel court defers release of hunger striker
AlJazeera 19 Feb 2013 – Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, after refusing food for over 200 days, appeared in court to request release on bail.
Israeli Court Defers Release of Hunger Striker Al-Issawi
Palestine News Network
PCHR Condemns the Israeli Forces’ Assaults on Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza Waters
Palestine News Network
IOF Forces, Palestinians Clash Near Ofer Prison
Palestine News Network
Report Finds Nearly 10% of Palestinians Victims of Criminal Offenses
Palestine News Network
Meshaal Meets with Erdogan during Turkey Visit
Palestine News Network
Senior Egyptian Aide: Gaza Tunnels Flooded to Cut Flow of Arms
Palestine News Network
Free Marwan Barghouti
Palestine News Network
France Expresses Concern over the Health of Palestinian Prisoners
Palestine News Network
PA to Ask Obama to Personally Kickstart Peace Process
Palestine News Network
Increase in Gazans Joining Anti-Regime Forces in Syria
Palestine News Network
Abbas to Meet with Yemen President, Discuss Relations
Palestine News Network
IOF Troops Detain 5 Youngsters from Jenin
Palestine News Network
Israeli Navy Shoots Palestinian Fishermen Near Gaza Shore
Palestine News Network
20 Palestinians Injured during Demonstrations in Hebron
Palestine News Network
Israel Demolishes House in a Jerusalem Neighborhood
Palestine News Network
800 Prisoners Carry Out One-Day Solidarity Hunger Strike Today
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Israeli Court Dismisses Three Cases, Denying Palestinians the Right to Judicial Remedy and Compensation
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Fishermen arrested and boat confiscated
2/19/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 19 February 2013, Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Besieged Gaza, Palestine – The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Israeli Navy’s escalation of attacks against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip and expresses its deep concern for such escalation, which resulted in arresting two fishermen and confiscating their boat today. According to….
Photo essay : demonstration in Nablus against Israels use of administrative detention
2/19/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 18 February 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Nablus, Occupied Palestine. [END]
Thirsting for Justice Campaign Teach-in for Palestinian water rights World Water Day – 22 March 201
2/19/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 19 February, Thirsting for Justice – On World Water Day show your support for the Palestinian struggle for water justice, organize a teach-in to learn the facts about the context and take action in support of this basic human right. REGISTER NOW! The Thirsting for Justice Campaign calls on supporters worldwide to observe World Water Day…. Related: Thirsting for Justice
013 Syrian Refugees at a Glance Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, February 2013
Relief Web 19 Feb 2013 – Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Country: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey February 2013 The dramatic increase in the number of refugees from the Syrian Arab Re-public fleeing to neighbouring countries continues to require…
013, February 19, 2013
Relief Web 19 Feb 2013 – Source: US Agency for International Development Country: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United States of America KEY DEVELOPMENTS At the February 19 Syria Humanitarian Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, USAID Assistant Administrator for Democracy,…
013
Relief Web 19 Feb 2013 – Source: Oxfam Country: Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic 1. Syria Programme Manager’s Analysis Oxfam’s assessment in Lebanon confirmed the refugees’ priorities such as shelter and food. Following the exercise the Oxfam team is now working on concept…
Syrian Arab Republic: Supporting Palestinian Resilience in Syria UNRWA Syria crisis response
Relief Web 19 Feb 2013 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Recent developments In the past two months, Palestine refugees in Syria have increasingly found themselves in danger and…
World: The use and abuse of humanitarian principle
Relief Web 19 Feb 2013 – Source: IRIN Country: Haiti, Mali, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, World DAKAR, 19 February 2013 (IRIN) – Following the 9/11 attacks and the launch of the Global War on Terror, many humanitarian policy wonks…
The cultural divide, and how we might bridge it
The National 19 Feb 2013 – If self-segregation of Emiratis and expatriates takes root in schools, it can grow into inaccurate and damaging stereotypes among adults. Asmaa Al Hameli reports
Sandy Hook killer may have tried to beat Breivik’s ‘score’
The National 19 Feb 2013 – Authorities say Adam Lanza selected the school in Newtown, Connecticut, because it offered the ‘easiest target’ with the ‘largest cluster of people’. Taimur Khan reports from New York
Why staff ratings are vital for UAE’s universities
The National 19 Feb 2013 – Student and peer assessments of staff is becoming increasingly important to universities’ efforts to improve, academics believe.
UAE should enter missile defence training, says Nato official
The National 19 Feb 2013 – Idex 2013: The UAE has been advised by Nato to enter into sophisticated ballistic missile defence training in the Mediterranean to counter any potential threats.
Multi-million roads and housing projects for UAQ approved
The National 19 Feb 2013 – A Dh110 million roads project and a Dh22 million Emirati housing development have been approved for the northern emirate of Umm Al Quwain, the state news agency Wam reported.
Tunisia’s prime minister resigns amid political chaos
The National 19 Feb 2013 – Hamadi Jebali quits his post after failing to bring about reconciliation between his ruling Ennahda party and the opposition. Alice Fordham reports from Tunis
Migrants in Kerala are unexpected backbone for economy
The National 19 Feb 2013 – Unskilled workers, who have filled the gap left by emigrant skilled labourers, are remitting billions of rupees out of the state’s economy. Suryatapa Bhattacharya reports from New Delhi
Jetpack designed by UAE institutions goes on sale for high-flyers
The National 19 Feb 2013 – Idex 2013: Gadget designed for adventure lovers – but it costs $100,000
Shas likely to join Netanyahu coalition next, Habayit Hayehudi still needs wooing
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
PMO: Ben Zygier was not in contact with Australia’s security service
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Jewish Agency urges Obama to free Pollard
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Ten lingering questions on the Prisoner X affair
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Israel releases report on Zygier’s death, concludes he hanged himself in shower
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Israel arrests Beitar Jerusalem fans suspected of torching soccer club’s office
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails declare hunger strike
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Netanyahu thanks pope for deepening Christian-Jewish ties
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Nazareth girl seriously wounded in acid attack after refusing marriage proposal
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
Mayor of Beitar Illit settlement suspected of ignoring violence by ‘modesty patrol’
Ha’aretz – 19 Feb 2013
AG orders probe into allegations education minister had affair with subordinate
Ha’aretz – 18 Feb 2013
Police chief suspends his driver after getting caught running red light, hitting biker
Ha’aretz – 18 Feb 2013
Transportation Ministry blocking plan to ban polluting vehicles from Tel Aviv streets
Ha’aretz – 18 Feb 2013
Analysis: Hezbollah is acting just as it always has
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Lebanese terrorist group an integral branch of the Iranian revolutionary regime.
Sa’ar may resign over sex scandal
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Letter alleging affair with employee, relations with minor, is attempt by rivals to prevent Saar from getting a senior portfolio, allies say.
Remaining a ‘Start-up Nation’
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – We must invest a lot of hard work to ensure that Israel continues to be a Start-up Nation.
Center Field: Stop calling critics anti-Israel
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – When Obama visits Israel, we will all benefit by celebrating the existential bonds rather than exaggerating the tensions.
Begin’s ‘prisoner’s dilemma’
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Like so many of Begin’s deeds, there is much here that we as a nation can learn and draw lessons from even today.
Facebook users choose logo for Obama visit
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Prime Minister’s Office asking the public to choose the design of Obama‘s visit to Israel.
Hezbollah, Syria and the Golan Heights
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – EU blindness to Hezbollah’s threat is a repetition of what happened in the 1930s.
Terra Incognita: Socialism and nepotism
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – In Israel this is a serious problem. Every few months there are allegations that someone received a position due to connections.
Time for professional ministers
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – The coalition process guarantees that cabinet positions are given to politicians who have no experience in the relevant fields.
TA police arrest 29 dealers, close six nightclubs
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – In major anti-drug sting, undercover Tel Aviv police officer makes drug purchases in the open and at the bars and bathrooms.
UN: Syria needs grow, rebel-held north out of reach
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Syrian government refuses to allow aid to cross into area, as most border crossings controlled by rebels, UN aid chief Amos says.
American superstar Alicia Keys to make Israel debut
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – One of the leading musical artists of the last 10 years will arrive in Israel for the 1st time on the birthday of her country.
Disputed Jewish texts to stay in Russia, Putin says
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – A Washington judge in January ordered Russia to pay $50,000 a day in fines for failure to adhere to a 2010 ruling to return collection.
Will a notorious anti-Semite become the pope?
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Rodriguez Maradiaga is an out and out Jew-hater who says that Jews are to blame for sexual scandals of priests.
PM echoes Livni, extends hand to Palestinians
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – At conference announcing Livni had become 1st member of his coalition, Netanyahu says he hopes Livni will revive peace process.
Nat’l Council approves Beer Tuviya gas plant
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Residents “stunned” at decision, vow to take issue to High Court; National Council accused of prejudice against periphery.
UAE leads Gulf push to build up defense industries
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Wary of non-Arab adversary Iran, Gulf Arab monarchies have some of the fastest growing military budgets in the world.
Palestinian prisoners declare day-long hunger fast
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – International pressure mounts on Israel over Palestinian prisoner fasts, which have touched off violent protests in West Bank towns.
Top 5: Upcoming family activities in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Activities include Ice-skating at Malha Mall, Jerusalem Art Festival, and Fridays at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.
MKs defend breaking gag order on ‘Prisoner X’
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – After Knesset legal advisor suggests MKs should face criminal charges, Tibi, Gal-On express concern over freedom of speech.
Sa’ar allies: Sexual allegations are made up
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Letter alleging affair with employee, relations with minor, is attempt by rivals to prevent Saar from getting a senior portfolio, allies say.
Netanyahu: Zygier had no connection to Australian agencies
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Amid speculation alleged Mossad man was jailed for leaking information to foreign agencies, PM says Israel, Australia fully coordinated; Israel releases internal report showing ‘Prisoner X’ killed himself in his prison cell.
Court report: Zygier killed himself in prison cell
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Netanyahu says Zygier had no connection to Australian agencies; adds Israel, Australia fully coordinated.
Activists: Syrian rocket attack on Aleppo kills 20
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Russian official describes calls to refer suspected war criminals in Syria to the International Criminal Court as “untimely.”
The kosher Harlem Shake
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Israelis join in the latest internet craze with their own version of the viral video.
Police arrest two suspects in Beitar arson attack
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Both men are members of hardcore Beitar fan group “La Familia”; one suspect confessed to torching the soccer team’s offices.
Argentina: Jewish FM defends ‘truth c’tee’ with Iran
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – “I did not betray my Judaism in the pact with Iran because we are trying to solve the AMIA bombing case,” says Hector Timerman.
Girl hospitalized after acid attack in Nazareth
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – A teenage girl is hospitalized after 51-year-old man threw acid in her face because she refused his marriage proposal.
‘Iran can ease nuke fears if rights are recognized’
Jerusalem Post 19 Feb 2013 – Iranian FM spokesman: If Western states recognize right to operate civilian nuke program, Tehran will offer ways to remove concerns.
‘Increase in Gazans joining rebel forces in Syria’
Jerusalem Post 18 Feb 2013 – Number of Palestinians traveling to Syria is on the rise, according to ‘Al-Quds’ newspaper; most members of Salafi, Jihadi groups.
Tzipi Livni appointed Israeli justice minister
The Guardian 19 Feb 2013 – Leader of Hatnuah party will join Netanyahu’s coalition to take on responsibility for reviving Palestinian peace process Tzipi Livni was named as Binyamin Netanyahu’s first partner in a new coalition on Tuesday, committing the next Israeli…
Syria crisis: ‘Missile strike levels Aleppo neighbourhood’ – Tuesday 19 February
The Guardian 19 Feb 2013 – Follow the day’s events as they unfolded Haroon Siddique
China ‘aiding hacker attacks on west’
The Guardian 19 Feb 2013 – Study claims military unit based in Shanghai has stolen vast amounts of data from companies and defence groups The Chinese army has launched hundreds of cyber-attacks against western companies and defence groups from a nondescript office…
Widespread discrimination mars second anniversary of Libya’s revolt
Uruknet
Report: Israel’s ‘Prisoner X’ Was Poised to Uncover Italy Spy Mission
Uruknet
Mass strikes and protests shut down Port Said in Egypt
Uruknet
Brennan refuses to rule out drone assassinations within the US
Uruknet
‘Price tag’ attackers hit West Bank town of Yasouf for second time
Uruknet
Israeli court orders Issawi to remain in custody
Uruknet
013 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
On strategies of spatial resistance in Palestine
Uruknet
Lieberman’s Trial Begins
Uruknet
Egyptian flooding washes away Gaza tunnel business
Uruknet
Tunisia PM resigns after cabinet initiative fails
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 Tunisia’s prime minister announced his resignation Tuesday following a failed effort to form a technocratic government to see the country out of its political crisis.
Bahrain accuses Iran of mounting ‘terror cell’
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 Sunni Muslim-ruled Bahrain accused Shiite Iran on Tuesday of having formed a “terrorist cell” busted at the weekend, saying its aim was to foster violence in the Gulf kingdom.
Sunni protesters dig in as tensions flare in Iraq
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 Sunni protesters are camped out in dozens of tents festooned with tribal banners on the edge of this one-time Iraqi insurgent stronghold.
Missile strike in northern Syria kills 33
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 A Syrian missile strike leveled a block of buildings in an impoverished district of northern Syria Tuesday, killing at least 33 people, almost half of them children.
Strike, protests hit Egypt’s Port Said for 3rd day
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 A third day of protests and strikes brought the restive city of Port Said to a halt on Tuesday, as demonstrators demanded security officials be held accountable for the killings of over 40 residents in riots…
UN chief concerned about Palestinian hunger strikers
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon raised deep concern on Tuesday over Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli prisons, saying they must be charged and tried or be released.
Russia opposes referring Syrians to ICC now -official
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 A senior Russian official said Moscow would not immediately back calls to refer suspected war criminals in Syria to the International Criminal Court, adding such a move would obstruct efforts to stop the violence.
Mortars land near Syrian presidential palace
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 Two mortars exploded near one of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s palaces in Damascus on Tuesday but caused only material damage, Syria‘s state news service said.
Israel, Turkey in first defence deal since ties frozen: sources
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 An Israeli firm has supplied Turkey with military equipment in the first such reported deal since the two nations froze ties over the 2010 killing of nine Turks aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkish government sources…
EU, Russia call for flexibility from Iran
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 The European Union and Russia call on Iran to be flexible at much-anticipated talks next week over its disputed nuclear program.
Syria eyes Western reparation for ‘deaths by sanctions’
Daily Star 19 Feb 2013 A cabinet minister says his country will demand compensation from Western officials who have imposed sanctions on Syria causing the deaths of “thousands”.
Israel versus Abu Jamal’s cow
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign خالد دراغمة وخان اللبن شوكة في حلق المستوطنين- أثناء زراعة أرضه When colonial supremacy and racial hatred are entering into a perverse spiral of folly, then not even cows are safe anymore. Yesterday in the night, Israeli settlers tried to poison the only cow of…
Military court: “11 days more of interrogation for Hassan Karajah”
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign hassan valentine Last Thursday, the Israeli military court in Jalamah prison has decided to extend the interrogation period for Hassan Karajah for another 11 days. The lawyer has immediately appealed the decision and today was another hearing scheduled. No decision has been communicated to the…
California shooting spree leaves 4 dead
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – ….
Obama reaches out to 3 key Republicans on immigration reform
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – ….
Likud-Beiteinu: Bennet breaks promise to voters
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – ….
Habayit Hayehudi: Livni makes it harder for us to join
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – ….
Livni to meet with MK Mitzna, tensions high
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – ….
Jewish establishment still frightened
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – Op-ed: Given his narrow support base in Congress, no one truly believes Hagel will be able to implement major changes in US policy ….
Civil revolt
YNet News, 19 Feb 2013 – Op-ed: Enlightened Israel refuses to recognize its citizens’ right to choose manner in which they get married ….
Palestinian Information Center
Confrontations and cases of suffocation in Beit Ummar
PIC – Violent clashes broke out on Tuesday in the town of Beit Ummar, near al-Khalil in southern West Bank after Israeli soldiers attacked an elementary school for girls.
20 Palestinians wounded during clashes with IOF
PIC – More than 20 Palestinian citizens were wounded in the clashes that broke out on Tuesday afternoon in front of Ofer prison, after a march organized by Birzeit University students..
Occupation summons 6 citizens from the south of the West Bank for interrogation
PIC – The occupation forces summoned on Tuesday six citizens from al-Khalil and Bethlehem, in the southern the occupied West Bank, to the Israeli intelligence headquarters.
Israel soldier posts photo of Palestinian boy in cross-hairs of sniper rifle
PIC – An IOF soldier has published a photograph of what appears to be a Palestinian boy in the cross-hairs of a sniper’s rifle, prompting angry criticism after it was picked up by The Electronic Intifada..
IOF breaks into al-Khalil and sets up checkpoints
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided at dawn Tuesday, a number of neighborhoods and towns in al-Khalil and boosted its presence in points of contact that had witnessed yesterday violent clashes.
IOA to seize 120 dunums of citizen’s land
PIC – Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) handed a Palestinian citizen from Yatta village east of al-Khalil a notification to confiscate 120 dunums of his land east of the town.
Settlement construction in “Beit Haggai” south of al-Khalil
PIC – Settlement construction and expansion are continued at the entrance to the settlement of “Beit Haggai” south of al-Khalil since a few days ago, eyewitnesses confirmed on Tuesday.
Israeli schemes targeting Islamic monuments in Jerusalem
PIC – AFEH warned of an Israeli organized campaign in Jerusalem, carried out by the so-called Israeli Antiquities Authority, targeting Islamic and Arabic monuments in the holy city..
Israeli Navy kidnaps fishermen, confiscates their boat
PIC – Israeli Navy Forces have kidnapped on Tuesday morning Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza Strip coast and confiscated their boat and fishing equipment.
Israeli Gunboats Attack Fishermen, Arrest Two in Gaza
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
PA to Pay Public Employees’ Remaining Half of January Salary
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
Statistics: 10% of Palestinians were Victims of Criminal Offenses
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
Soldiers in West Bank Village Harass Residents
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
France Expresses Concern over Palestinian Prisoners’ Health
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
Presidency Calls to Keep Syria’s Palestinian Refugees Out of Conflict
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
Prisoners Go on Solidarity Hunger Strike
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
Weather Forecast: Cloudy and Rainy
WAFA – 19 Feb 2013
Iranian Wrestlers See Big Loss in Olympics
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – The decision to drop wrestling from the 2020 Olympics hits hard in Iran, where the sport is deeply imbedded in the national cultural narrative.
The Lede: Palestinian Blogger Chips Away at Israel’s Image, One Ill-Advised Instagram at a Time
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – An Israeli soldier’s Instagram snapshot of a boy’s head in the cross-hairs of a sniper rifle, discovered last week by a Palestinian-American activist, is another self-inflicted blow to Israel‘s effort to use the Web to burnish its image.
At War Blog: Korean War Veteran Is Buried Six Decades After He Disappeared
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – Cpl. James R. Hare was reported missing on Feb. 13, 1951. His remains were identified last month using military forensic science.
Syrian Army Rocket Kills 19 and Levels Buildings in Aleppo, Rebels Say
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – Anti-Assad activists also reported that at least two mortar rounds had exploded near one of the presidential palaces in Damascus.
Palestinian Prisoners Refuse Meals to Support 4 Hunger Strikers
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – The one-day protest was held as the Palestinians sought to pressure Israel before President Obama’s visit to the region next month.
Israel Releases Part of Report on Prisoner X’s Death
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – Details from a government investigation into the 2010 suicide of an Australian-Israeli man cited gaps in prison procedures that created “a suicidal window of opportunity.”
President Serzh Sargsyan Wins Easy Victory in Armenia
New York Times 19 Feb 2013 – Armenians returned President Serzh Sargsyan to office for a second five-year term, with preliminary results showing him with about 59 percent of the vote.
Briefs | Middle East: Iran: Rivals Forced to Apologize to Supreme Leader
New York Times 18 Feb 2013 – Rival politicians apologized to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend for having been embroiled in an unusually public feud involving secret tapes and a tit-for-tat impeachment.
Tax Authority demands NIS 2b from Iscar
Globes Main News – Iscar, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, and the Tax Authority are wrangling over use of the company’s profits.
BoI tightens mortgage lending rules
Globes Main News – The banks will have to increase their provisions against mortgages, and classify them at a higher risk.
Enzymotec mulls Nasdaq IPO at $200m value
Globes Main News – Enzymotec develops lipid-based food supplements, infant nutrition, and medicines.
Tue: Teva boosts market
Globes Main News – Except for Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, the banks shrugged off the Bank of Israel‘s new mortgage restrictions.
Psagot acquires Meitav ETFs for NIS 150m
Globes Main News – Meitav Index Linked Certificates has NIS 10.2 billion in exchange traded funds assets under management.
Seattle Talk: Iran, Nuclear Impasse and Prospect for War
Tikun Olam – Leaders to war, followers to peace (Mana Neyestani) This coming Thursday, February 21st at 7PM, I will be speaking with Reza Firouzbakht of National Iranian American Council and Dick Blakney, a Northwest peace activist. Our topic will be Iran: Nuclear Impasse and Prospect for War at…
Campaign to reject Veolia contract in St. Louis heats up as company’s losses mount from BDS activism
Mondoweiss – A powerful BDS video produced by Rihab Charida and Aamer Rahman. Adri Nieuwhof reports for Electronic Intifada that the BDS movement is taking a bite out of Veolia: asked a number of people to read some lines for a video about boycotting Israel. Brown Planet ) asked…
‘NYT’ lecture to Palestinians on democracy was written by former ‘Hasbara Fellow’
Mondoweiss – Last week David Keyes, who works for a human rights organization called Advancing Human Rights, penned an op-ed for the New York Times , saying Palestinians were not ready for democracy. On our site David Samel said that Keyes is an Israel lobbyist masquerading as a human…
The ethnic cleansing of the Jordan Valley
Mondoweiss – Consider the following quotation, taking into account its moral, political and legal implications: ‘You don’t simply bundle people onto trucks and drive them away … I prefer to advocate a more positive policy, to create, in effect, a condition that in a positive way will induce people to…
‘You live or die based on your support of Israel’ — Christian Zionists are no nightflowers!
Mondoweiss – The Hagel opposition in the Senate is strongest on the right, of course, and no one should ignore the role of the Pastor John Hagee’s rapture-ready Christian Zionist advocacy organization Christians United for Israel ( CUFI ), which hosted an ” emergency summit ” days before the now infamous Senate…
‘Cabal’ of advisers with ‘domestic political’ concerns steered Obama away from confronting Israel over settlements
Mondoweiss – During the Bush years it was common to hear the neocons described as a “cabal” that sought to direct foreign policy–and often succeeded. Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post used the term, so did former R.I. Senator (and now Governor) Lincoln Chafee. And authors Jacob Heilbrunn…
Natan Sharansky Wins Second Term as Head of Israel’s Jewish Agency
The Foward Breaking News 19 Feb 2013 – Natan Sharansky was elected today to a second four-year term as chairman of the Jewish Agency in a unanimous vote by the organization’s Board of Governors. Deputy Chairman Rany Trainin was also reelected to a second term. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Ex-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Agrees To Join Netanyahyu Coalition
The Foward Breaking News 19 Feb 2013 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took his first step in forming a new government on Tuesday by reaching a coalition deal with former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a political source said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel’s Prisoner X Hanged Himself in Cell Amid Mossad Spy Claims: Judge
The Foward Breaking News 19 Feb 2013 – Israel released details on Tuesday about the 2010 jailhouse suicide of an Australian immigrant reported to have been a disgraced Mossad spy, saying he hanged himself in his cell and no foul play was involved. Click here for the rest of the article…
Hundreds of Palestinians Stage 1-Day Prison Fast
The Foward Breaking News 19 Feb 2013 – Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails declared a one-day fast on Tuesday in solidarity with four inmates whose hunger strike has fuelled anti-Israel protests in the occupied West Bank. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: India to Double Investments in Nation – Ambassador
allAfrica.com 19 Feb 2013 – [Aswat Masriya]The size of India’s investments in Egypt is expected to be doubled through 50 Indian companies working in different fields in Egypt, Indian Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri said on Monday.
Syria ‘rocket kills 31 in Aleppo’
BBC 19 Feb 2013 – A Syrian army rocket attack kills at least 31 people in the northern city of Aleppo, eyewitnesses and activists say.
Israel’s Prisoner X ‘hanged himself’
BBC 19 Feb 2013 – Israel confirms that a secret detainee known as Prisoner X – identified as Australian-Israeli Ben Zygier – hanged himself in his cell 2010.
013, or the Salute to the Kuwaiti Royal Family
Al-Akhbar Blogs 19 Feb 2013 – Every year, the international organization Reporters without Borders releases its annual Press Freedom Index. And every year, the same headlines are shared in Western media focusing only on those countries that dare defy Western political will. This year was no exception. Related Articles: World Press Freedom…
Mughniyeh’s Family Remembers their Enigmatic Son
Al-Akhbar Opinion 19 Feb 2013 – Imad Mughniyeh went to his parents’ home. He was there for the family’s regular weekly reunion over lunch cooked by his mother Umm Imad and his wife Umm Mustafa. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Imad Mughniyeh went to his parents’ home. He was there for the family’s regular weekly…
Hundreds of protesters rally against “racist” Lebanese “Orthodox law”
Al-Akhbar News 19 Feb 2013 – Hundreds of activists rallied outside Lebanese parliament building in downtown Beirut on 19 February 2013 to oppose the so-called Orthodox gathering proposal to replace the country’s electoral law. (Photo: Tamara Qiblawi) Around 300 protesters gathered outside Lebanon’s parliament Tuesday evening to protest the ‘Orthodox law’ and…
Lebanon investigates posters mocking Saudi king
Al-Akhbar News 19 Feb 2013 – A banner depicting Saudi Arabia’s king as the King of Spades holding a blood-stained sword hangs on a bridge north of the Lebanese capital Beirut on 19 February 2013. (Photo: AFP – Chady Souaid) Lebanon’s state prosecutor on Tuesday ordered an investigation to reveal the source…
Exclusive: The Final Hours of Imad Mughniyeh
Al-Akhbar News 19 Feb 2013 – The explosion was heard around 10:20 pm. Some people rushed to the location, including those Mughniyeh was seeing in the apartment. (Photo: Wael Ladki) The explosion was heard around 10:20 pm. Some people rushed to the location, including those Mughniyeh was seeing in the apartment. (Photo:…
Egypt: Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood Part Ways
Al-Akhbar News 19 Feb 2013 – A woman walks past a graffiti of the electoral slogan for Salafi political party Al-Nour in Toukh in El-Kalubia, about 25 km northeast of Cairo 31 December 2011. (Photo: Reuters – Amr Abdallah Dalsh) A woman walks past a graffiti of the electoral slogan for Salafi…
Murmurs of Yahya Skaf, Another “Prisoner X” in Israel
Al-Akhbar News 19 Feb 2013 – the family received a document from the International Red Cross, dated 11 September 2000, that confirms Yahya’s presence in Ashkelon Prison under the authority of the Israeli military intelligence. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) the family received a document from the International Red Cross, dated 11 September 2000,…
Israelis reject release of hunger striker Samer Issawi
Al-Akhbar News 19 Feb 2013 – Palestinian children cover their mouths with stickers that read: “Yes to hunger, no to kneeling,” during a rally in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, in Gaza City on 19 February 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Suhaib Salem) Updated 4:27pm: An Israeli court…
Libya: Unemployment and Insecurity Mar Revolution’s Anniversary
Al-Akhbar Politics 18 Feb 2013 – Libyan National Congress President Mohammed Magarief speaks at a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the country’s revolution in Benghazi on 17 February 2013. (Photo: Esam al-Fetori – Reuters) Libyan National Congress President Mohammed Magarief speaks at a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of…
Lebanon: Syria Diesel Trade Means Big Money
Al-Akhbar Politics 18 Feb 2013 – A Free Syrian Army fighters sits in a pickup with anti-aircraft artillery near the Menagh military airport, in Aleppo’s countryside on 17 February 2013. (Photo: Mahmoud Hassano – Reuters) A Free Syrian Army fighters sits in a pickup with anti-aircraft artillery near the Menagh military airport,…
Syria ‘rocket kills 31 in Aleppo’
BBC 19 Feb 2013 – A Syrian army rocket attack kills at least 31 people in the northern city of Aleppo, eyewitnesses and activists say.
Tunisia PM Hamadi Jebali resigns
BBC 19 Feb 2013 – Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigns after failing to form a new government following a political assassination.
Israel’s Prisoner X ‘hanged himself’
BBC 19 Feb 2013 – Israel confirms that a secret detainee known as Prisoner X – identified as Australian-Israeli Ben Zygier – hanged himself in his cell 2010.
Fighter plane crashes in Yemen
BBC 19 Feb 2013 – A fighter plane crashes into a residential neighbourhood of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, killing at least nine people, reports say.
Articles
Racism and the hypocrisy of Israel’s advocates
Ben White, Al Jazeera.com 2/16/2013
The vital fight against anti-Semitism is “cynically abused to defend Israel’s institutionalised racism”.
Two recent episodes serve as useful illustrations of the hypocrisy of Israel‘s apologists in the West and their approach to racism.
Firstly, there was the outrage that greeted Gerald Scarfe’s cartoon in The Sunday Times and which forced an eventual climb down by the newspaper. Some did not hesitate to call the cartoon anti-Semitic – others were more ambiguous but explained why others could think it was anti-Semitic.
Of course, not everyone agreed with that analysis, seeing the cartoon as “an image critical of Binyamin Netanyahu’s policies in the West Bank” and the chorus of condemnation as “an exploitation of Jewish historical trauma”. But the dissenting voices were drowned out.
Yet the same people who wrote blog posts, opinion columns, and appeared on TV and radio to denounce a cartoon were silent about the Israeli army murdering Sameer Awad by the Apartheid Wall in Budrus just two weeks before Scarfe’s cartoon was published (and the Wall is bloody indeed).
The second example: during the furore over an event at Brooklyn College about the boycott of Israel, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) compared the talk to the sociology department co-sponsoring an event with “members of the Ku Klux Klan who were going to talk about why America must remain a white-dominated country and how non-white people were ruining the country”. more.. e-mail
Back to square one
Saleh Al-Naami, Al-Ahram Weekly 2/13/2013
Palestinian reconciliation efforts, which seemed so close to resolution, have seemingly crashed, with past agreements back on the table for negotiation.
Nahla Ouda, 42, was annoyed that her neighbour, Tahani, knocked on her door early on Saturday morning. Although they visit each other often, it was obvious to Nahla this time that Tahani was coming in unusual circumstances; indeed, as soon as Nahla opened the door Tahani was lobbying her to convince her children, Haitham, 20, and Eman, 21, to register as voters as soon as possible so they can vote in the coming elections. Nahla knows that Tahani, who is a Fatah activist, is not lobbying her so that Haitham and Eman can exercise their political rights, but because she hopes the pair will vote for her group if elections take place.
Tahani’s outreach is similar to hundreds of other activists in all Palestinian groups, where behind the scenes there is a secret battle between factions, especially Fatah and Hamas. Each group is keen on having the largest number of its supporters register in electoral lists in order to make greater gains. Each faction is doing this quietly so that its opponents don’t find out the constituencies they are trying to sway.
Ironically, Palestinian factions are dealing with elections as if they are certain to take place, which is a belief divorced from reality, especially in light of the modest outcome of the meeting of the temporary leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) that took place in Cairo 2 February. It was obvious there is a wide gap between rival parties on the Palestinian scene. Informed sources told Al-Ahram Weekly that the meeting finalised agreement on very little on any of the issues on the agenda, and that it should have been just a protocol gathering at the end of which the parties would sign an agreement on what was previously reached in the Cairo Agreement and Doha Declaration. more.. e-mail
Israeli messages to the delegates holding talks in Cairo
Oraib Al Rantawi, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 2/18/2013
Israel has been sending messages confirming its intentions to undermine the merit of Palestinian elections and derail their national reconciliation efforts. The most prominent of these messages have been the threats to continue withholding tax revenue owed to the PA and its recent campaign of arrests against Hamas activists and leaders.
Israel has no interest in ending the Palestinian division. It has used this as its best excuse and justification for the theory of “the absence of a Palestinian partner”. The resumption of reconciliation and restoration of unity will surely be unwelcomed by the Israeli right and the extreme right-wing government led by Netanyahu. There is also no doubt that Tel Aviv will do all it can to keep this division permanent and ensure that it is the final destiny for the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, it has found everything it needs to achieve its goals with the least amount of effort and cost in the prevalent selfish factional disputes.
Israel will resort to two methods to undermine the merit of the elections: the first is to exert pressure to bar the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad from participating under the pretext that they are terrorist movements; the second is to place obstacles that stand in the way of holding elections in Jerusalem under the pretext that it is the “united eternal capital.” In both cases, there will be no elections and there shouldn’t be, as elections must be demographically comprehensive (including all factions, groups and residential components), as well as geographically comprehensive (including all the Palestinian land occupied in 1967).
Previous Palestinian elections were not conducted free from Israeli obstacles. The same pretexts and excuses were given before, but despite this, Palestinians were able to hold their elections, which were conducted freely, fairly and transparently. I do not believe that they are unable to mobilise international support to pressure Israel to stop its arbitrary interference with their right for elections, and lift the restrictions it has imposed against Palestinian reconciliation. more.. e-mail
What do Obama and Abbas have in common?
Alan Hart, Redress 2/17/2013
Short answer – both are grovellers (definition in a moment). The president of the United States of America grovels to the Zionist lobby and its neo-con and Christian fundamentalist allies. The Palestinian “president” grovels to Obama as well as Israel’s leaders more often than not.
Barack Obama and Mahmoud Abbas are, one could say, grovelling twins, but if there was the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for grovelling, it would have to be awarded to Obama. (If when he leaves office Israel is still able to impose its will on the occupied and oppressed Palestinians, I think he should hand back the Nobel Peace Prize he was awarded.)
The idea for this article was inspired by Daud Abdullah in a piece he wrote for the Middle East Monitor. His main point was that the Palestinian national reconciliation talks have become a “process” and that, like the peace process, “they are without progress and an apparent end… As long as Abbas continues to grovel to the Americans and Israelis, it [a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and unity] will remain an illusion.” Grovelling – a definition
The Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1843-81) had one of his characters say that the choice was “either to be a hero or grovel in the mud – there was nothing in between”.
I’ll get to my suggestion about what Abbas could do to become a hero in a moment but first let’s explore the terminology.
The notion of grovelling apparently comes from the Old Norse language – a grufu meaning face down. (The Norsemen were early Scandinavians and during the Mediaeval period some of them travelled to the British Isles to trade, raid and settle. In the final decade of the 8th century, Norse raiders attacked a series of Christian monasteries located in the British Isles.) more.. e-mail
For Samer Issawi: a poem by Susan Abulhawa
Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2013 – Susan Abulhawa 19 February 2013 Renowned author of Morning in Jenin’s tribute to hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoner.more
Yad Vashem, Power, and the Politics of History
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Feb 2013 – By David Langstaff “I was like other men, I fed on bread, and on dreams, and on despair. I too loved, I cried, I hated, I suffered… But when you dry this bouquet of nettles, that once was me, in a future time when my story seems dated to you remember that I was innocent that like you, the bodied of your own day, I too had a face defined in anger, in pity, in joy I had a man’s face.” – Benjamin Fondane , who perished in the Nazi gas chambers (displayed inside Yad Vashem) (1) “In the hymns that we sing, there’s a flute In the flute that shelters us fire In the fire that we feed a green phoenix In its elegy I couldn’t tell my ashes from your dus.” – Mahmoud Darwish , who was exiled from his homeland by Zionist settler-colonialism (2) As my friend and…more
Lapid and the ‘Zuabis’: Marginalization of Arabs Continues
Palestine Chronicle: 18 Feb 2013 – By Uri Avnery The sole contribution of Ya’ir Lapid to Israeli folklore so far is his saying that he would not join a move to block Binyamin Netanyahu, since this would mean joining forces with “the Zuabis”. This needs explanation to a foreign audience. The Zuabi family is a large Hamula (extended Arab family) located in Nazareth and the vicinity. Several members of this family served in the Knesset in the early days of Israel, all as members of Zionist parties or Arab factions attached to Zionist parties. The present member of the Knesset bearing that distinguished name is Ms. Hanin Zuabi, the 44 year-old representative of the Arab nationalist Balad party. The founder of the party, Azmi Bishara, left Israel after being accused of security offenses. He said that because of his severe diabetes, he could not afford to go to prison. Hanin. however, is widely hated on her…more
Birds of Prey
Dissident Voice: 19 Feb 2013 – Since March 1978, for thirty-five years, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon, UNIFIL , has been monitoring the conflict between Israel and Lebanon— the tension, the daring, the mayhem, the killing. The enthusiastic efforts UNIFIL made in the early years soon waned. Perhaps it was the politics, perhaps it was the frustration of an ineffectual mandate, or perhaps it was losing 279 troops to-date. Whatever the cause, public statements from UNIFIL seem to have settled into a laissez-faire yawn. For instance, when the Head of Mission, Major-General Serra, recently held a regular tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defence Forces, he stated (23 January 2013) that he “was pleased to see the positive engagement of both the parties on all the issues.” It had been a “generally quiet period in the area of operations,” he said, “with both parties maintaining a strong commitment…more
Russia must be careful on Bahrain, Syria
Dissident Voice: 19 Feb 2013 – As Bahrain marked the second anniversary of its popular uprising on 14 February, the embattled Western-backed monarchy has renewed attempts apparently to seek a negotiated political settlement with various opposition groups to its two-year crisis. However, many analysts both within and outside the Persian Gulf kingdom see the new push for “national dialogue” as nothing more than a cynical political maneuver by the Sunni regime to buy off a popular, mainly Shia, challenge to its unelected rule. The ulterior agenda of the talks process, which opened on 10 February, is not to produce a genuine democratic political solution, but rather to revamp the corrupt status quo with a sticking-plaster appearance of reform. This is where Russia’s recent engagement in Bahrain’s political affairs should tread carefully. Ahead of the kingdom’s political dialogue, the Russian foreign ministry hosted a delegation from Bahrain’s main extant opposition group, Al Wefaq, in Moscow. The word…more
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The New Dark Age 
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