7 March 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Sweden Upgrades Palestine Mission To Embassy Status
IMEMC – Thursday March 7, 2013; with an overwhelming vote of 299 to 20, the Swedish Parliament upgraded the status of the Palestinian representative office in the country to a full status granting the mission the title of embassy. The parliament failed to recognize a Palestinian State. …
On International Women’s Day:
IMEMC – Open Call for Justice for Palestinian Women and End of Their Suffering On the 8th of March, the world celebrates the International Women’s Day, which has been observed as a popular event since 1977, when the United Nations General Assembly invited Member States to proclaim this day as the UN Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. …
Palestinian Dies Of Injuries Suffered Two Weeks Ago
IMEMC – Thursday morning, March 7, 2013, Palestinian medical sources reported that Mohammad Sameeh Asfour, 22, from Aboud city, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, died of serious injuries he suffered during clashes that took place when the Israeli army invaded the village two week ago. …
Haredi Youth Attack 2 Arab And Jewish Women
IMEMC – A number of Haredi Jewish youth recently attacked two Arab and Israeli female teachers in Jerusalem and hurled stones at their car shattering one of the vehicle’s windows, Israeli Ynet News reported. …
Palestinians Hold Candle Vigil In Bethlehem
IMEMC – Wednesday evening, March 6, 2013, dozens of Palestinians held a candle vigil at the Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem to express solidarity with Palestinian detainees held by Israel, especially those holding extended hunger strikes protesting their illegal imprisonment by Israel. …
Jerusalem; Army Attacks Students Holding Vigil In Solidarity With Palestinian Detainees
IMEMC – Dozens of Israeli soldiers and police officers, attacked on Wednesday evening, Palestinian students at the Hebrew University, near Al-Esawiyya town, in occupied East Jerusalem, as they were holding a vigil in support of Palestinian detainees holding hunger strike in Israeli prisons. Three students have been kidnapped. …
Israeli forces order demolition of southern West Bank hamlet
3/7/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Wednesday handed eviction notices and 26 demolition orders to residents of a hamlet in the southern West Bank, a local official said. Israeli troops ordered the demolition of 10 homes, six wells, four bathrooms, four sheep pens and two traditional ovens in Khallet Athaba, east of Yatta, spokesman….
Ramallah man dies of injuries sustained in clashes
3/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A 22-year-old Palestinian died on Thursday morning of wounds sustained in clashes with Israeli forces two weeks ago, medical officials said. Mohammad Asfour was shot during protests in support of a hunger strike by four Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Clashes erupted in Abud village north of Ramallah and Asfour….
Israeli tanks, bulldozers enter southern Gaza
3/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Thursday conducted a limited incursion near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered an area near the Kerem Shalom border, a Ma’an correspondent said. An Israeli military spokeswomansaid forces were conducted “routine security activity” in the area. [END]
PA official: Soldiers assault villagers near Nablus
3/7/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers on Wednesday assaulted three Palestinians from Qusra village, near Nablus, in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ahmad Jabir, Jamil Audeh and Dhirgham Abu Reida were taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus after the attack, said Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities. Soldiers beat them at….
Palestinian street boils at plight of prisoners
3/7/2013 – OFER PRISON, West Bank (Reuters) — In a sprawling Israeli prison, Palestinian activist Hassan Karajeh sat through a hurried court hearing in a language he didn’t understand under the authority of a military occupation he and his people reject. The translator in the cramped portacabin-turned-courtroom seldom bothered to relay the military judge’s….
DFLP: Israel arrests party leader at flying checkpoint
3/7/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Wednesday detained a leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine at a flying checkpoint near Jericho, the movement said. Nader Jafal, 40, was returning home to Abu Dis from Jericho when Israeli forces stopped his car at a flying checkpoint, the DFLP said in a….
Israeli forces fire tear gas, stun grenades at journalists
3/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Thursday fired tear gas and stun grenades at journalists covering a sit-in protest outside Ofer prison near Ramallah. Dozens of protesters held a sit-in outside the detention center to demand the release of prisoners on hunger strike. Israeli forces ordered the demonstrators to move from the prison’….
Palestinians clash with soldiers near Jenin
3/7/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Thursday installed a flying checkpoint at a village in the northern West Bank, leading to clashes with locals. Soldiers erected a checkpoint at the entrance to Yamun, west of Jenin, and stopped dozens of vehicles. Local youth threw stones and bottles at the checkpoint and soldiers fired large….
Israel warns of Lebanon pain in next war with Hezbollah
3/7/2013 – REVIVIM, Israel (Reuters) — Wary of a spillover from the conflict in Syria, Israel is preparing to take on the Hezbollah militia that it suspects is getting advanced weapons from a distracted Damascus. Israel believes the Lebanese Shiite movement also stands ready to retaliate if it carries out long-threatened strikes on the nuclear sites of Iran….
Egypt’s tunnel closures hit Gaza builders
3/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Reuters) — Business was booming for Gaza brick-maker Yasser Qreqea, until neighboring Egypt shut down smuggling tunnels across its border that were funneling arms to militants in the territory and cement and other basic goods to everyone else. Overnight the price of building materials soared in the Gaza Strip, hitting Qreqea’s key….
Israel says sure UN can win peacekeepers’ release in Syria
3/7/2013 – JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel voiced confidence on Thursday that the United Nations could secure the release of UN peacekeepers seized by Syrian rebels near the Golan Heights, signalling it would not intervene in the crisis.” Restricting the movement of troops in an international force is a significant event,” Amos Gilad, a senior Defense Ministry official, told….
Official: Egypt never asked Hamas to quit armed struggle
3/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egypt has not asked Hamas to abandon its armed struggle against Israel, a spokesman for the party said Thursday.” Hamas will not leave the armed struggle, and will not respond to this fabricated news,” Salah al-Bardawil told Ma’an. Israel’s Ynet news reported Thursday that Egypt‘….
Egypt officers at Rafah crossing join strike
3/7/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian officers at the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border went on strike briefly on Thursday. Sami Mitwali, director of the Egyptian side of the crossing, said officers were joining a wider strike calling for the dismissal of Egypt‘s Interior Minister Mohamad Ibrahim. Following negotiations, the officers agreed….
Hamas: Obama can visit Gaza
3/7/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas would not oppose a visit by US President Barack Obama to the Gaza Strip, a party leader said Wednesday.”Hamas refuses to negotiate with Israel, but wouldn’t oppose Obama visiting Gaza with the hope that the US attitude to reality will change,” said Aziz Dweik, the speaker of….
Abbas to meet Russia’s Putin in Moscow
3/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – President Mahmoud Abbas will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, his spokesman said Thursday. Abbas and Putin will meet at the Kremlin on March 14 to discuss bilateral cooperation and the possibility of resuming peace talks with Israel, Nabil Abu Rudaineh told the official Wafa news agency. Abbas will….
Hamas government to pay salaries next week
3/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The government in Gaza will pay February salaries to public sector staff early next week, the deputy finance minister said Thursday. Ziyad al-Thatha said in a statement that salaries would be deposited to Islamic National Bank branches and approved post offices. [END]
EC: Europe not ready for sanctions against Hezbollah
3/7/2013 – BRUSSELS (Reuters) — The European Union will consider imposing sanctions on the Lebanese group Hezbollah but does not yet have sufficient evidence of its activities in Europe to make a decision, the European Commission said on Thursday. Bulgaria in February implicated Hezbollah in a bombing in the Black Sea resort of Burgas last year that killed….
2 men killed in crash in Khan Younis
3/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Two men died and two children were wounded on Thursday in a car crash in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said. Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesman of Gaza’s health ministry, said that the accident occurred near Dar al-Salam hospital in Khan Younis. Mohammad al-Astal, 33, and….
3 killed in Gaza road accidents
3/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Three people were killed Thursday in two car accidents in the Gaza Strip, a Health Ministry spokesman said. A speeding car crashed into a mechanics shop in Khan Younis, killing the shop’s owner Muhammad al-Astal, 33, and customer Amara al-Farra, 30. Two children were injured in the incident….
Iran arrests political editor of reformist paper
3/7/2013 – DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran arrested the managing director and political editor of a pro-reform daily on Wednesday, with the semi-official Fars news agency saying their detentions were linked to the publication of a letter from a former president about media freedom. With a presidential election three months away, Iran‘s clerical leadership appears to be….
Sources: Tribesmen kidnap 2 UK tourists in Egypt’s Sinai
3/7/2013 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Gunmen in Egypt‘s Sinai Peninsula kidnapped two British tourists on their way to a beach resort, security and tribal sources said on Thursday. Security in the isolated desert region has deteriorated since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising two years ago. Tourists kidnapped in similar circumstances last…. Related: Tribesmen release two Britons kidnapped in Egypt Sinai
Tribesmen release two Britons kidnapped in Egypt Sinai
3/7/2013 – CAIRO (Reuters) — Bedouin gunmen in Egypt‘s Sinai Peninsula have released two British tourists who were kidnapped earlier on Thursday as they drove from Cairo to the beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, security and tribal sources said. The British pair, who were traveling in a private car, had stopped to change money in the…. Related: Sources: Tribesmen kidnap 2 UK tourists in Egypt’s Sinai
Kidnapped UN peacekeepers say they are ‘safe’
AlJazeera 7 Mar 2013 – Troops held by Syrian rebels while patrolling armistice line with Israel say in video they are being catered for.
Palestinian youth shot during protest dies
AlJazeera 7 Mar 2013 – Victim was hit by rubber bullet fired by Israeli army during protest against death of a Palestinian in Israeli custody.
MADA: Dangerously Targeting of Journalists, Major Violations by the Occupation during February
Palestine News Network
ISESCO Condemns Israel’s Maltreatment of Detained Children
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No 46
Palestine News Network
Israeli Police Prevent Female Students from Entering Al-Aqsa Mosque
Palestine News Network
Broadcasters Get Push in Cairo
Palestine News Network
IOF Troops Raid Southern Gaza
Palestine News Network
Young Palestinian Dies of Wounds Sustained During Confrontations in Ramallah
Palestine News Network
IOF Forces Arrest Palestinian from Bethlehem, Summon 4 from Jenin for Interrogation
Palestine News Network
PCHR Concerned About ISS Ban on Travel by Journalists
Palestine News Network
Abbas Offers Condolences to Venezuela over Chavez’s Death
Palestine News Network
Most of the West Bank’s Tourists were Europeans, says Statistics Bureau
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
On International Women’s Day: Open Call for Justice for Palestinian Women and End of Their Suffering
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
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Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Israel bans ISM co-founder from witnessing birth of his first born
3/7/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 7th March 2013| International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine – “ISM Co-Founder and soon to be father, Adam Shapiro prohibited from witnessing the birth of his first child due to an undisclosed travel ban from 2009 and forthcoming deportation” “Adam and I are expecting our first child, a boy in about 5 weeks. As joyful as this….
occupied Palestinian territory: Open Call for Justice for Palestinian Women and End of Their Suffering
Relief Web 7 Mar 2013 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory Ref: 26/2013 On the 8th of March, the world celebrates the International Women’s Day, which has been observed as a popular event since 1977, when the United Nations General Assembly…
occupied Palestinian territory: Gaza Women Suffer on ‘Their’ Day
Relief Web 7 Mar 2013 – Source: Inter Press Service Country: occupied Palestinian territory GAZA CITY, Mar 7 2013 (IPS) – “In Gaza we don’t lead normal lives, we just cope, and adapt to our abnormal lives under siege and occupation,” says Dr. Mona El-Farra, a…
Israel: Israel will collaborate with UNICEF to implement report’s recommendations
Relief Web 7 Mar 2013 – Source: Government of Israel Country: Israel, occupied Palestinian territory Israel will study the conclusions and will work to implement them through ongoing cooperation with UNICEF, whose work we value and respect. (Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson) Israel participated in processing…
occupied Palestinian territory: Palestinian dies of wounds after demo: hospital
Relief Web 7 Mar 2013 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 03/07/2013 15:14 GMT JERUSALEM, March 7, 2013 (AFP) – A Palestinian who was hit in the head by a rubber bullet during a protest which erupted after a prisoner died in Israeli custody…
occupied Palestinian territory: Royal Charity Organisation of Bahrain donates hearing aids to young Palestine refugees
Relief Web 7 Mar 2013 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory 6 March 2013 Gaza Fifty hearing aids have been distributed to young hearing- impaired Palestine refugees at a specialized centre in Gaza thanks…
Solidarity group in Berlin advocates non-violent resistance in Syria
The National 8 Mar 2013 – Paul Hockenos meets an non-violent resistance group in Germany inspired by the Arab Spring and other successful pacifist revolutions.
UAE Red Crescent sends aid to Madagascar cyclone victims
The National 7 Mar 2013 – The UAE charity dispatches a team to Madagascar to help victims of Cyclone Haruna.
UAE women put their family’s health before their own, survey shows
The National 7 Mar 2013 – The survey carried out in Dubai and Abu Dhabi found that just 19 per cent of women aged 41 to 50 exercised daily.
Yemeni president raises security concerns ahead of crucial dialogue
The National 7 Mar 2013 – The army and security forces must be “vigilant” and be on the lookout for the enemies of security, stability and unity in Yemen, ahead of the March 18 talks, said president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
Lack of women leaders in education is not unique to UAE
The National 7 Mar 2013 – In the UK, just 14 per cent of vice chancellor positions are held by women. Sweden ranks highest with 43 per cent and, in stark contrast, Hong Kong has none.
Philippines urges Syrian rebels to release hostages
The National 7 Mar 2013 – The capture of the Filipino peacekeepers, and clashes yesterday between Syrian troops and rebels near the border, was likely to increase Israeli concern about the repercussions of Syria‘s civil war.
Sharjah shuts down water desalination units on safety concerns
The National 7 Mar 2013 – The operations were suspended due to algal blooming off the emirate’s coastal area.
Why some Emirati women choose to work
The National 7 Mar 2013 – Some do so to ease the financial burden on the family, others do so for personal gratification.
Britain’s next Jewish prime minister says he is a Zionist
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
As coalition deal nears, Lapid likely to drop demand for Foreign Ministry
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Obama to U.S. Jews: Still room for Iran diplomacy, no point in ‘chest beating’
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Netherlands calls on stores to label products from Israeli settlements
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
IDF soldiers may face indictment over death of Palestinian laborer
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Jerusalem teen who attacked Arab teacher and Jewish colleague released on bail
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Lapid-Bennett alliance faces tension over gay marriage
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Israel’s English teachers quitting over changes in high school curriculum
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Tourism Ministry ad named ‘most sexist’ by WIZO
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Iran’s Ahmadinejad to attend Chavez funeral
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Tortured Eritrean migrant loses appeal for release from Israeli prison
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Palestinian, 23, dies of wounds sustained in clashes with IDF soldiers
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Israel won’t intervene for release of UN peacekeepers seized by Syrian rebels in Golan, says defense official
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Peres: Iran sanctions helping, but not enough
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Syria claims to uncover Israeli spy equipment monitoring ‘sensitive site’
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Israeli scientists help develop breath test to sniff out stomach cancer
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Netanyahu assigning senior portfolios in bid to complete coalition deal
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Palestinian street boiling over plight of security prisoners
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2013
Rebels: Hostages to be freed when Assad troops leave
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – UN conducting negotiations for release of peacekeepers; rebel activist says hostages will be passed to safe hands when possible.
2 volunteer cops suspended for alleged robbery
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – The two plain-clothes men suspected of robbing African-migrant bar in Tel Aviv, pepper sprayed patrons; used police car.
Court: PA liable for terror attack by 15.5-year-old
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Court holds PA liable for NIS 1.3 m. in damages for murder of Amit Amos Monitin, because it conducted weapons training camp.
Syria opposition: UN observers to be released soon
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Free Syrian Army: We didn’t approve kidnapping; Syrian Observatory says talks for hostages release are ongoing.
Syrian video shows Filipino peacekeepers in ‘safe place’
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Video released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shows a man identifying as a captain in the UN Filipino battalion saying he and his men are in a “safe place” and treated well by captors.
Teen who attacked Arab teacher on house arrest
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Police Commissioner Danino condemns the attack of yeshiva student on teacher, calls it a “despicable phenomenon.”
‘Two kidnapped Britons in Egypt’s Sinai freed’
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Bedouin gunman kidnapped British couple in Ras es-Sidr to press for the release of prisoners held for arms smuggling.
‘We don’t expect Israel help in Syrian hostage crisis’
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Filipino ambassador tells the ‘Post’ Jerusalem should not get actively involved in helping secure the release of 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers in Syria, in order to avoid dragging Israel into the country’s civil war.
Syria says it uncovered Israel spy equipment
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Foreign Ministry spokesman refuses to comment on report, says “we will not be dragged into the Syrian civil war.”
Israel won’t intervene in Syria hostage crisis
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad voices confidence that UN can secure release of UN peacekeepers seized by Syrian rebels.
Syria rebels want pullback before freeing UN men
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2013 – UN confirms 21 peacekeepers were captured near the Golan Heights by rebel fighters from “Martyrs of Yarmouk” brigade.
Raiders of the tomb
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Authorities arrest two men for attempting to steal antiquities from ancient Jerusalem cave.
Police: Nazareth acid attack victim was also raped
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – 16-year-old victim tells police that two men had subjected her to months of abuse before the attack last month.
CBS: Women earn 17% less than men on hourly basis
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – While women make up nearly half of skilled workforce (48.6%), they comprise less than a third of the managerial positions.
‘No one immune from criminal interrogation, trial’
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Justice minister responds to MKs questions over case of judge suspected of child abuse.
A-G: Prosecute rabbinic judges for excommunication threats
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Directive states rabbinical courts issuing of excommunication writs could constitute obstruction of justice, witness intimidation and extortion.
Court petitioned to finish probe into Palestinian’s death
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Bassem Abu Rahmah was killed by a tear gas canister fired by soldiers during a demonstration in 2009, but the investigation into his death has not been completed.
Prisoner escapes Rabbinical Court through window
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Shai Cohen escaped through the bathroom window; he was jailed for refusing to grant wife a divorce for 12 years.
Yesh Atid: Coalition talks are ‘in crisis’
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Yair Lapid’s party suspends scheduled coalition talks, citing row over Likud desire for inflated cabinet.
Israel mobilizes as millions of locust descend
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Agriculture Ministry workers armed with pesticide spray area; swarm arrived Tuesday from Sinai after plaguing much of Egypt.
Australian FM: Zygier worked for Israel
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – Bob Carr says no information at this time that Zygier misused Australian passport, but doesn’t rule out possibility.
‘I just read it for the Hebrew articles’
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2013 – ‘Playboy Israel’ makes its debut today as Hugh Hefner praises “core values” Jewish state shares with men’s magazine.
TA to stop clutter from prostitutes’ business cards
Jerusalem Post 5 Mar 2013 – City enforcement workers will take part in lecturers on women trafficking, sex trade ahead of Int’l Women’s Day.
‘Murder suspect was subject of 2010 complaint’
Jerusalem Post 5 Mar 2013 – Kiryat Yam resident allegedly killed three people, including girlfriend and her son, before turning gun on himself.
Olmert lawyers: Ex-PM did not meet with Duchner
Jerusalem Post 5 Mar 2013 – Defense attorneys campaign to have state drop all Holyland charges because Olmert was abroad during time of meeting.
‘S.D.’ was investor Shmuel Duchner
Jerusalem Post 5 Mar 2013 – Court announces name of main state witness in the Holyland trial against former prime minister Ehud Olmert.
Police probe Peretz over primary payola
Jerusalem Post 5 Mar 2013 – Yacimovich attributes corruption in internal Labor vote to former party leader, who files own Ethics Committee complaint.
UN peacekeepers abducted by Syrian rebels safe and sound, videos suggest
The Guardian 7 Mar 2013 – Philippine president told to expect 21 troops from his country held in Golan Heights to be released within 24 hours Several UN peacekeepers from the Philippines who were abducted by Syrian rebels said in videos posted…
Israeli locust plague is a blessing for adventurous palates
The Guardian 7 Mar 2013 – Millions of locusts have swarmed into Israel just two weeks before Passover – and on to plates of hungry diners When Moshe Basson heard that millions of locusts were swarming across the border from Egypt just…
Gaza Women Suffer on ‘Their’ Day
IPS “In Gaza we don’t lead normal lives, we just cope, and adapt to our abnormal lives under siege and occupation,” says Dr. Mona El-Farra, a physician and a long-time human rights and women’s rights activist in the Gaza Strip. On International Women’s Day, when many of the world’s women are…
UNRWA Head Warns of Palestinian Crisis in Syria
IPS A top United Nations official is warning that the plight of Palestinian refugees is being neglected amidst the ongoing crisis in Syria. Currently in Washington, Filippo Grandi, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is urging U.S. lawmakers to maintain…
Israel accused of abusing detained children
Uruknet
Obama promised to close Guantánamo. Instead, he’s made it worse
Uruknet
Iraq’s depleted uranium clean-up to cost $30m as contamination spreads
Uruknet
Palestinian Students join hunger strike in solidarity with prisoners
Uruknet
From El Salvador to Iraq: Washington’s man behind brutal police squads
Uruknet
Australian government admits Prisoner ‘X’ worked for the Israeli government
Uruknet
“A growing feeling here that death is the road out of Guantanamo”
Uruknet
Revealed: Pentagon’s link to Iraqi torture centres
Uruknet
Pentagon Ran Torture Centers in Iraq, Atrocities Revealed
Uruknet
Little Wall in Bethlehem: 10 years on
Uruknet
Iran’s top leader unhappy with nuclear talks
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 Iran‘s top leader said on Thursday that the West failed to offer any concessions during the latest talks aimed at resolving a standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program.
UK hosts Friends of Yemen meeting in London
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday that any attempt to disrupt elections in Yemen will be met with a “serious” response from the U.N. Security Council.
Egypt cancels parliamentary vote dates after court ruling
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 Egypt‘s election committee has scrapped a timetable under which voting for the lower house of parliament should have begun next month, state media reported on Thursday, following a court ruling that threw the entire polling process…
UN approves new sanctions against North Korea
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday for tough new sanctions to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test, and a furious Pyongyang threatened a nuclear strike against the United States.
Libya women face Islamist rise since Gadhafi fall
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 On her way back from her job as a lecturer at a university near Tripoli, Libyan poet Aicha Almagrabi was stopped by a group of bearded militiamen.
Egypt’s police protest against Muslim Brotherhood
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 Thousands of low-ranking policemen on strike across Egypt on Thursday refused orders to work and protested what they claim is the politicization of the force in favor of the president’s Muslim Brotherhood party.
US official: Bin Laden spokesman caught in Jordan
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 Osama bin Laden’s spokesman and son-in-law has been captured by the United States, officials said Thursday, in what a senior congressman called a “very significant victory” in the fight against al-Qaida.
North Korea threatens nuclear strike
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 North Korea threatened the United States with a preemptive nuclear strike, raising the level of rhetoric just before the U.N. Security Council approved new sanctions against the reclusive country.
Gunmen storm private Libyan TV, seize staff
Daily Star 7 Mar 2013 Gunmen stormed the headquarters of a private Libyan television station on Thursday and took away the channel’s owner and four journalists, parliament’s human rights commission said in a statement.
Firefighters work to contain Carmel blaze
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – ….
US: Bin Laden son-in-law conspired to kill US nationals
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – ….
Yesha Council: Product marking leads to Palestinian unemployment
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – ….
Protester killed in clashes in Egypt’s Port Said
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – ….
US Senate approves Brennan as new CIA director
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – ….
Forced and divided government
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – Op-ed: Lapid and Bennett’s constant talk of ‘values’ and ‘essence’ giving PM Netanyahu a big headache ….
Letter to the prime minister
YNet News, 7 Mar 2013 – Op-ed: Former advisor says Netanyahu’s final term offers him opportunity to implement policies without fear ….
UN says 20 peacekeepers held by Syrian rebels
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Twenty UN peacekeepers detained in Golan area. Video posted online shows member of ‘Martyrs of Yarmouk’ saying convoy would not be released until Assad’s forces withdraw from Golan village of Jamla ….
Venezuelan expats worried of post-Chavez era
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Venezuelan-Israelis fear Jewish community will be persecuted more ferociously after dictator’s death; ‘Chavez’s death no light at end of tunnel,’ says community leader ….
Nasrallah meets Iranian clerics in Lebanon
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Week after denying cancer rumors, Hezbollah chief photographed with Iranian officials, ambassador to Lebanon ….
2 women assaulted in Jerusalem
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Arab, Jewish teachers from Ramat Hasharon pelted with stones, cursed by haredim on their way to shiva. Police: Act nationalistically motivated ….
AG: Netanyahu can hold FM post for Lieberman
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – In special statement, Weinstein explains there is no legal impediment to holding Foreign Ministry portfolio for Lieberman while he’s on trial ….
CTB issues travel advisory ahead of Passover
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Counter Terrorism Bureau says high risk of terror attacks, kidnappings in Sinai, lists warnings for Turkey, parts of Thailand ….
Prisoner escapes J’lem Rabbinical Court through window
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Man jailed for refusing to grant his wife a divorce climbs window, escapes rabbinical court; policemen, helicopters search for him; ‘He tricked us,’ says estranged wife ….
EU says Iran nuclear procrastination’ unacceptable
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – IAEA says Iran to suspend uranium enrichment work. Agency report says Tehran enrichment efforts giving ’cause for serious concern’ ….
Who Will Replace Hugo Chavez?
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – Deceased Venezuelan President mentions Nicolas Maduro as natural successor prior to death, saying, “he’s one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I’m unable to’ ….
UN: Israel ill-treatment of Palestinian minors ‘systematic’
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – UNICEF issues 22-page report leveling harsh criticism of Israeli authorities over ‘widespread, systematic and institutionalized’ mistreatment of Palestinian minors in custody ….
Obama: Chavez death opens new era for Venezuela
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – US president says Hugo Chavez’ death allows Venezuela to open new chapter in its history; reiterates Washington wishes to create ‘constructive’ relations with Caracas ….
UN: Syrian refugee figure hits 1 million
YNet News, 6 Mar 2013 – High Commission for Refugees estimates 1.1 million Syrian refugees to arrive in neighboring countries by mid 2013. Commissioner Guterres: Syria spiraling towards full-scale disaster ….
Aqsa foundation appeals for urgent action to save Mamanullah cemetary
PIC – Al-Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage called for urgent action to save the Islamic historical cemetery Mamanullah in occupied Jerusalem from destruction and Judaization.
1948-Palestinians organize several events in solidarity with prisoners
PIC – Several events were organized by 1948-Palestinians in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails, where supportive activities took place in a number of Arab towns and villages..
IPS continues to close section 6 in the Negev prison
PIC – The IPS in Negev prison continued to close section 6 in the prison, where it prevented family visits on Tuesday causing a state of tension among the prisoners..
IOA blocks entry of women into Aqsa mosque
PIC – The Israeli occupation authorities barred the entry of Palestinian women into the holy Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday.
IOF deliberately arrests H.R activists to disguise its crimes
PIC – The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Studies stated that the recent Israeli arrest campaigns targeting the Pale
stinian intellectual class aims at silencing the voice of the truth.
IOF launches raid and arrest campaign in West Bank
PIC – Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed at dawn on Thursday Namira neighborhood in al-Khalil, where they searched several houses.
Abu Zuhri: Hamas respects Egypt, regardless of the ruling regime
PIC – Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas movement, declared that the movement’s policy is based on resistance against the Israeli occupation in Palestine..
Prisoner: The patients in Ramla jail are medically neglected
PIC – Palestinian prisoner Riyadh Amour said that the detainees in the Ramla prison infirmary are medically neglected and their health conditions deteriorate everyday physically and psychologically.
University student succumbs to serious wounds
PIC – Mohammed Asfur, a fourth grade student at the Quds university, died in Hadassah Ein Karem hospital in Jerusalem on Wednesday of serious wounds sustained two week ago.
Females Share of Palestinian Population of 2012 is 49.2%, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 7 Mar 2013
Newspapers Review: UNICEF Report Focus of Daily
WAFA – 7 Mar 2013
College Student Injured By Israeli Army Bullet Dies of Wounds
WAFA – 7 Mar 2013
Weather Forecast: Cold and Cloudy
WAFA – 6 Mar 2013
Egypt’s new order creates identity crisis for police
LA Times 7 Mar 2013 – ‘We’re confused about who we are now,’ one officer says. Does Morsi ‘want the police to fight thugs and criminals, or crush the street protests against him?’ CAIRO — The young policeman with scuffed boots and sleepless eyes sat on a motorcycle in a neighborhood…
Critic’s Pick: Jack Nicholson’s trifecta of discontent
LA Times 6 Mar 2013 – The Egyptian Theatre is screening “Easy Rider,” “Five Easy Pieces” and “The Last Detail,” films that earned the actor his first three Oscar nominations. Feeling a little rebellious? Frustrated with authority? You can’t do much better than to spend Saturday night picking fights with Jack…
The Lede: Egyptian Activist Subjected to ‘Virginity Test’ Dropped From U.S. Honors List for Tweets
New York Times 7 Mar 2013 – The State Department dropped an Egyptian activist from a list of women to be honored in Washington on Friday after comments celebrating attacks on Israelis in Bulgaria and the American Embassy in Cairo were discovered in her Twitter feed, along with an anti-Semitic quotation from Adolph Hitler.
U.N. Starts Talks to Free Peacekeepers Held by Syrian Rebels
New York Times 7 Mar 2013 – It was not clear when 21 Filipino captives, seized on Wednesday in the Golan Heights, might be set free, but the authorities in Manila said they had not been harmed.
Bin Laden’s Son-in-Law Is Held in New York
New York Times 7 Mar 2013 – Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, a former spokesman for Al Qaeda, was taken into custody in Jordan and will appear in court in New York on Friday, a person briefed on the matter said.
The Lede: Video of Syrians With Seized U.N. Vehicles in Golan Heights
New York Times 7 Mar 2013 – A rebel group calling itself the Martyrs of Yarmouk Brigade claims to have abducted 20 United Nations peacekeepers in the Golan Heights
The Lede: Video of Captive U.N. Peacekeepers in Syria
New York Times 7 Mar 2013 – Syrian rebels released video on Thursday showing six of the 21 Filipino United Nations peacekeepers they abducted the day before in the Golan Heights.
Swarms of Locusts Cross Into Israel From Egypt
New York Times 6 Mar 2013 – It seemed, to many Israelis, a vivid enactment of the eighth plague visited upon the obdurate Pharaoh: Three weeks before Passover, locusts swarmed across the border from Egypt.
Egypt Court Cancels Parliamentary Elections
New York Times 6 Mar 2013 – The court referred the election law to the Supreme Constitutional Court, adding to the uncertainty about a vote that had been scheduled to begin as early as April 22.
Alon USA swings to profit
Globes En
ergy & Water – Non-GAAP net profit was $36.1 million ($0.58 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with a net loss of $43.7 million in the corresponding quarter.
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Globes Energy & Water – Delek US attributed its record 2012 results to higher refining margins, due to more stability in crude oil prices and more diversified sources of crude oil for its refineries.
Woodside CEO confident of closing Leviathan deal
Globes Energy & Water – At a press conference in Houston, Peter Coleman said that the Leviathan project did not break Israeli law.
US reduces Israel aid cut
Globes Main News – The US military aid cut to Israel for fiscal year 2013 will be reduced by 5% to $155 million, instead of the 8% cut initially planned.
Apple rents Ra’anana office for R&D center
Globes Main News – Apple has hired 100 employees of Texas Instruments Israel in Ra’anana, and rented premises for its third Israel R&D center.
Thu: Tel Aviv 25 up 0.4% on week
Globes Main News – Teva failed to lift the market despite rising sharply on the day’s biggest turnover.
Tower CEO: Business is booming; no idea why share fell
Globes Main News – Russell Elwanger: We expect double-digit growth for the second quarter, and the closer we get to the quarter, the more sure we are of our guidance.
Shekel stable
Globes Main News – Prico CEO Yossi Fraiman: Foreign currency trading will stay within a narrow band of NIS 3.71-3.74/$.
Average salary rose 3.8% in 2012
Globes Macro Economics – The average gross monthly salary was NIS 9,022 in seasonally adjusted prices in 2012.
Foreign currency reserves down in February
Globes Macro Economics – Israel’s foreign currency reserves fell to $77.28 billion.
Holder Says U.S. Might Kill Citizen on Our Soil
Tikun Olam – This is, as the English folk song says, the world turned upside down. Attorney General Eric Holder responds to a question from Senator Ron Paul saying he could conceive of a situation in which the U.S. government might kill a citizen on U.S. soil. In response,…
Playboy Comes to the Holy Land
Tikun Olam – “Ooh, hurt me baby,” says Bibi as he oogles the ancient Kingdom of Israel Natalie Dadon’s curves of conquest I’m about to tell you something that may shock you. I know it shocked me. Bibi Netanyahu likes pornography. No, not that kind of pornography. Though the…
California BDS debate heats up: Riverside campus passes divestment measure as Stanford rejects the same
Mondoweiss – Supporters of divestment at Stanford. While a divestment resolution failed to pass at Stanford, the Riverside campus of the University of California did successfully pass a divestment bill. (Photo: Stanford Students for Palestinian Equal Rights) The battle over the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement on…
Following Rand Paul’s historic filibuster there is room for common cause in challenging killer drones
Mondoweiss – The most positive outcome of Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster—which ended when Paul was forced to take a bathroom break—was giving the American public a sense of the treacherous path that President Obama’s drone program could take, i.e. the targeted killing of Americans here at home. It…
Celebrating 911
Mondoweiss – Dov Hikind, the New York Assemblyman, got in a lot of trouble ten days ago for going to a Purim party in blackface . Purim celebrates a triumph; and at about the same time, two Israeli parents constructed elaborate Purim costumes for their children that have also…
Netanyahu’s ‘lecture at the White House’ still rankles Obama supporters in Washington
Mondoweiss – In a discussion about Obama‘s relationship with Israel at the Wilson Center a month back, several speakers said that Obama doesn’t like Netanyahu, and he needs to get over it. But then in the Q-and-A, former diplomat Ted Kattouf got up and said the ball’s in…
In denouncing administrative detention and assassination-by-drone, dissident Rand Paul left one country out
Mondoweiss – I watched a couple of hours of Rand Paul’s filibuster last night and found it inspiring: At last an elected official is trying to politicize drone strikes. It was great that Ron Wyden, a Democrat, joined Paul; and I was thrilled when Paul, who opposed the…
Israel ‘Bromance’ Bloc Hits Skids Over Gay Marriage
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2013 – Yair Lapid’s party says it is demanding that homosexual couples be permitted to marry legally, as the negotiations to form Israel’s next coalition enter their final lap amidst a flurry of contradictory reports. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Parking App Comes to Big Apple
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2013 – Getting in and out of the parking garage could soon be easier for some New York drivers — thanks to an Israeli app. Click here for the rest of the article…
Alfred Dreyfus Document Trove Is Posted Online by French Defense Ministry
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2013 – France’s Defense Ministry has posted online hundreds of documents from the trial of Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish soldier whose wrongful espionage conviction was a determinant in the genesis of political Zionism. Click here for the rest of the article…
Palestinian Shot by Israeli Soldiers Dies
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2013 – A Palestinian shot by Israeli soldiers during a confrontation with stone-throwers in the occupied West Bank two weeks ago died of his wounds on Thursday, his family and a hospital official said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Iraqi Premier Decides Releasing Egyptian Prisoners
allAfrica.com 7 Mar 2013 – [Egypt Online]Prime Minister Hisham Qandeel said that the Iraqi Premier al-Maliki has pardoned 30 Egyptians jailed in Iraqi prisons, a gesture of good will from the Iraqi side.
Egypt: Egypt, Iraq Seeking to Boost Economic Cooperation
allAfrica.com 7 Mar 2013 – [Egypt Online]Egypt and Iraq have agreed to develop their ties based on the economic interests of both countries. Prime Minister Hisham Qandeel said Iraq is planning to invest between $70 and 100 billion annually in Egypt.
Planting Trees near Karmie Tzur
Palestine Solidarity Project 7 Mar 2013 – Today a group of 25 internationals accompanied by two farmers went to the farm land of Ali Ayad Awad and Ahmed Awad Marchid which lies beside the barrier fence on the north side of Karmie Tzur settlement. The owners of these plots of land suffer from…
Young Men Detained for Security Questioning
Palestine Solidarity Project 7 Mar 2013 – Israeli occupation forces arrested at dawnTuesday February 26th, 5 young men from Arroub refugee camp, the town of Beit Ommer and Yatta near Hebron. Israeli forces raided their homes searching the houses and using sound gernades and tear gas inside civilian property. According to local sources…
UN observers seized in Syria ‘safe’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – UN observers taken hostage by Syrian rebels appear in videos saying they are safe and being well treated, amid reports of their expected release.
US arrests Bin Laden ‘spokesman’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – A man described as a spokesman for Osama Bin Laden has been arrested in Jordan and will be tried in New York City, the US confirms.
Egypt election dates ‘scrapped’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – Egypt‘s electoral commission cancels dates for polls which were scheduled to begin next month, state TV reports.
Shot Palestinian dies in hospital
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – A Palestinian shot in the head by Israeli soldiers during a confrontation with stone-throwers has died of his wounds, hospital officials say.
From Greece to Lebanon, Labor Takes a Stand
Al-Akhbar Opinion 6 Mar 2013 – All this led to a rise in the share of wages to more than two-thirds of gross domestic product in many capitalist countries. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) All this led to a rise in the share of wages to more than two-thirds of gross domestic product in…
Lebanese women to launch hunger strike over domestic violence law
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2013 – A group of Lebanese activists vowed Thursday to launch an open hunger strike next week to protest delays in the passing of a law to protect women from domestic violence. Lebanon, which currently lacks legislation against domestic abuse, has seen over 16 gender-based murders in the…
Pentagon used “dirty wars” tactics in Iraq: BBC
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2013 – The Guardian and BBC Arabic revealed a link Wednesday between former CIA chief David Petraeus and Iraqi torture centers during the US‘s bloody occupation of the country. Former special forces officer Colonel James Steele, known for his training of El Salvador militias, was sent to Iraq…
Thousands of Palestinians pay tribute to Chavez
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2013 – A Palestinian takes part with his daughter in a tribute for late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Gaza City on 7 March 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Suhaib Salem) Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank were united in grief on Thursday over the death of Venezuela’s…
Syria: Latakia Fears ‘Chaos of Arms’
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2013 – A displaced Syrian girl makes the victory sign as she leaves at the end of classes at a makeshift school in the Jabal al-Turkman mountain area in Syria‘s northern Latakia province on 6 February 2013. (Photo: AFP – Aamir Qureshi) A displaced Syrian girl makes the…
Gulf Oil Monarchies Bully Lebanon Over Syria Stance
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2013 – Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi (L) and Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansur (R) talk during the opening session of the Arab foreign minister meeting in Cairo on 6 March 2013. (Photo: AFP – Gianluigi Guercia) Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi (L) an
d Lebanese…
Wadi Khaled: al-Nusra Front and March 14 Form Bonds
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2013 – A villager inspects a damaged van in Wadi Khaled town after shelling by Syrian forces towards villagers’ houses, in north Lebanon 24 February 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Roula Naeimeh) A villager inspects a damaged van in Wadi Khaled town after shelling by Syrian forces towards villagers’…
Arab League to the Syrians: Fight On
Al-Akhbar Politics 7 Mar 2013 – Permanent representatives of the Arab League attend a meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo 6 March 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Mohamed Abd El Ghany) Permanent representatives of the Arab League attend a meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo 6 March 2013. (Photo:…
Jumblatt: “I Am With al-Nusra Front Against Assad”
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Mar 2013 – His conclusion is that the regime will not fall, but Syria will be destroyed in the end. (Photo: Archive) His conclusion is that the regime will not fall, but Syria will be destroyed in the end. (Photo: Archive) Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt tells Al-Akhbar that…
Israel and Azerbaijan: A Strategic Alliance
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Mar 2013 – A man watches a swarm of locusts flying on 6 March 2013, above a highway in an occupied village in the Negev Desert near the Egyptian border. (Photo: AFP – Menahem Kahana) A man watches a swarm of locusts flying on 6 March 2013, above a…
UN observers seized in Syria ‘safe’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – UN observers taken hostage by Syrian rebels appear in videos saying they are safe and being well treated, amid reports of their expected release.
US arrests Bin Laden ‘spokesman’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – A man described as a spokesman for Osama Bin Laden has been arrested in Jordan and will be tried in New York City, the US confirms.
Egypt election dates ‘scrapped’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – Egypt‘s electoral commission cancels dates for polls which were scheduled to begin next month, state TV reports.
Shot Palestinian dies in hospital
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – A Palestinian shot in the head by Israeli soldiers during a confrontation with stone-throwers has died of his wounds, hospital officials say.
Syria unrest ‘wrecks health system’
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – Syria‘s health system has collapsed after two years of conflict, the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres says.
Britons seized in Egypt are freed
BBC 7 Mar 2013 – Two British tourists who were kidnapped in Egypt on their way to a beach resort have been freed, a security chief tells the BBC.
Articles
UNICEF report reveals Israel’s ‘institutionalised’ ill-treatment of Palestinian children
Samira Shackle, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 3/7/2013
UNICEF report this week found evidence of “widespread, systematic and institutionalised” ill-treatment of Palestinian minors by Israeli officials. Israel imposes two parallel legal systems across the occupied West Bank. Illegal Jewish settlers who commit a crime face the mainstream Israeli courts, with in-built legal rights and safeguards. Palestinians, on the other hand, are channelled through a military court system, with none of the legal protections enjoyed by Jews. This is true for adults and children alike.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) sets out a range of rules to safeguard the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. Although Israel has ratified the convention, a UNICEF report this week found evidence of “widespread, systematic and institutionalised” ill-treatment of Palestinian minors by Israeli officials.
According to the report, Israeli forces have arrested, interrogated and prosecuted around 7,000 Palestinian children aged 12 to 17 over the past decade; that’s an average of 700 a year, or around two every day. Most of them are boys, and the vast majority of arrests are for throwing stones, which is classed as an offence under Section 212 of Military Order 1651. The maximum sentence for children of 12 and 13 is six months behind bars, but from the age of 14 the penalty rises dramatically to between 10 and 20 years. The disproportionate nature of a 10-year prison term for a 14 year old who has thrown stones needs little elaboration.
The report tracks the whole process from arrest, through a trial, to imprisonment, and identifies practices that “amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture”. more.. e-mail
EU-funded Israeli theft
Jamal Kanj, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 3/7/2013
A LEAKED report commissioned by the European Union (EU) has concluded that Israeli settlement construction “remains the single biggest threat” to peace in the Middle East.
The confidential, 15-page report outlines 10 recommendations for the 27 EU states to consider regarding Israel’s wanton activities in occupied Palestine.
It describes proposals by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – to build more “Jewish-only” colonies – as “systematic, deliberate and provocative”.
The document raises alarm about current construction efforts around East Jerusalem, new plans effectively bisecting the West Bank into two separate geographical entities and isolating the future capital of Palestine from the rest of the Palestinian population – “making it impossible” to achieve peace.
In addition to settlements, the report warns of systemic institutional racism “undermining the Palestinian presence” in East Jerusalem. It highlights two unequal systems of government: one for native Palestinians and another for Jews.
For example, city zoning changes and construction permits are issued frequently to accommodate structures dedicated for new Jews in the eastern part of the city.
Another system is imposed on taxpaying native Jerusalemites in “zoning and planning, demolitions and evacuations”.
The report highlights “discriminatory access to religious sites”, as well as an “inequitable education policy” and denial of the same “access to health care”. more.. e-mail
Dennis Ross: Netanyahu’s attorney in Washington
Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine 3/4/2013
Dennis Ross presents a framework for renewing the peace process, which he apparently lifted directly from the Israeli PM’s hard disk – including de facto recognition of permanent Israeli control over eight percent of the West Bank.
Veteran U.S. diplomat Dennis Ross had a full page op-ed in The New York Times this weekend, in which he presents a 14-step program that is supposed to establish a framework for renewing the diplomatic process. The piece includes a lot of talk about peace, but the action items are lifted from Netanyahu’s policy book, demonstrating again why the Palestinians were right when they refused to meet Ross – the man is the informal Israeli ambassador to Washington. Only that in the past, his positions were closer to those of the Israeli center (Kadima/Labor); today he is teaming up with the Right.
Ross juxtaposes a list of “demands” from each side – which are in fact directed only at the Palestinians. They are to publicly recognize Israel’s connection to Jerusalem – despite the fact that it is the Israeli government which refuses to acknowledge Palestinians claims to the city, not vice versa. They need to include Israel in their maps – Ross knows all too well that since 2009 it has been the Israeli side that refused to open maps in the talks. And so on.
From Israel, Ross demands it stop construction of settlements beyond the separation barrier, but he accepts and even explicitly supports building projects west of it, in an area consisting of 8 percent of the West Bank. This is perhaps the most astonishing point in the article, because it: (a) encourages Israeli construction in the occupied West Bank – something the entire international community, including all American administrations, refused to do so far; (b) it accepts Israel’s interpretation of the notion of “settlement blocs,” including the Ariel and Kadumim “fingers,” which cut through the northern West Bank, and; (c) it sees the security barrier Israel unilaterally constructed on Palestinian land (and not on the internationally recognized 1949 armistice lines) as the future borders of the Palestinian State. more.. e-mail
Canadian students challenge Harper’s support for Israeli apartheid
Electronic Intifada: 7 Mar 2013 – Charlotte Kates Vancouver 7 March 2013 New alliance expresses solidarity with Idle No More movement of indigenous people.more
EU-funded Israeli Theft
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Mar 2013 – By Jamal Kanj A leaked report commissioned by the European Union (EU) has concluded that Israeli settlement construction “remains the single biggest threat” to peace in the Middle East. The confidential, 15-page report outlines 10 recommendations for the 27 EU states to consider regarding Israel’s wanton activities in occupied Palestine. It describes proposals by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – to build more “Jewish-only” colonies – as “systematic, deliberate and provocative”. The document raises alarm about current construction efforts around East Jerusalem, new plans effectively bisecting the West Bank into two separate geographical entities and isolating the future capital of Palestine from the rest of the Palestinian population – “making it impossible” to achieve peace. In addition to settlements, the report warns of systemic institutional racism “undermining the Palestinian presence” in East Jerusalem. It highlights two unequal systems of government: one for native Palestinians and another for…more
John Baird, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Speaks at AIPAC
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Mar 2013 – By Jim Miles Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, was in comfortable territory at the current AIPAC policy conference meeting in Washington,
D.C. I have deconstructed his arguments before, as he reiterates the current Harper government of Canada position in its unqualified support for Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and all that goes along with that. I will not repeat those arguments here as they are the same old-same old regurgitations of support for the militaristic Israeli state from a Canadian government that does not truly represent the majority of the people of Canada. Baird presents the same arguments about Palestine living up to all previous agreements without recognizing that Israel has a lot to live up to as well; in particular that the UN Security Council has previously recognized withdrawal from occupied territories and the right of return of refugees. And as usual, the fault of the violence is…more
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