8 April 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian Cameraman Shot In The Face In Bethlehem
IMEMC – Bethlehem, Monday April 8, 2013, Palestinian medical sources reported that a Palestinian cameraman was shot in the face, on Monday evening, by a rubber-coated metal bullet, in the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. …
Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike facing heart slowdown; possible brain damage
IMEMC – Samer al-Essawy, who has been on hunger strike over 250 days, may die at any moment, according to his doctors. After examining Essawy on Sunday, the doctors reported that his heart rate has slowed to 30 beats per minute, much lower than average, and he faces the distinct possibility of suffering permanent brain damage. …
PLO Calls For Prosecuting Settlers In International Courts
IMEMC – Monday April 8, 2013, the Media and Education Department at the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) called for conducting all needed arrangements to file lawsuits against Israeli settlers, and Israeli political leaders, at international courts “in order to prosecute them for violations of International Law”, and to ensure protecting to the Palestinian People. …
Israel Claims Arresting A “Hamas Cell” In Jerusalem
IMEMC – The Israeli “Internal Security Services” revealed Monday that the army arrested, last month, several Palestinians who allegedly “formed a cell for the Hamas movement in the Shu’fat refugee camp, in occupied East Jerusalem.” …
Palestinian village succeeds in campaign to stop Israeli sewage dumping on their land
IMEMC – Residents of the village Sabastiya near Nablus have confirmed that the pipe which pumps raw sewage onto their land from nearby illegal settlement Shave Shomron has been shut off. The raw sewage poisoned both olive and apricot trees belonging to the village. …
Israeli forces raid villages in northern West Bank
4/8/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided three villages in the northern West Bank on Monday, locals said. Three Israeli patrols raided Jalbun village, east of Jenin. Soldiers photographed Roman-era archeological sites in the village, locals told Ma’an. Soldiers also took photographs in Raba village, south-east of Jenin. Meanwhile troops set up a….
Israeli court sentences Palestinian cartoonist
4/8/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — An Israeli court on Monday sentenced a Palestinian cartoonist to five months in jail and ordered him to pay a 10,000 shekel fine, his lawyer said. Muhammad Sabanah, from Qabatia near Jenin, was detained on Feb. 16 at the Allenby Bridge as he returned to the West Bank from Jordan. He….
UNRWA to resume food aid in Gaza
4/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — UNRWA will resume distributing food aid to refugees in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said. The UN agency stopped food deliveries after dozens of protesters forced their way into its Gaza field office last Thursday, demanding reinstatement of a monthly cash allowance to poor…. Related: Hundreds protest at UNRWA office in Gaza City
Issawi family delivers letter to EU demanding his release
4/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The family of hunger striker Samer Issawi handed a letter to EU officials on Monday demanding his release from Israeli prison custody, a Palestinian official said. Issawi’s family handed the letter to the Office of the European Union Representative in East Jerusalem, former minister of Jerusalem affairs Hatim Abdul-Qadir….
Official: Israeli forces shoot, injure worker in Nablus
4/8/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli soldiers shot and injured a construction worker south of Nablus on Monday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that Israeli forces opened fire at two construction workers near Madama village south of Nablus. One worker was….
Israel closes Gaza border after rocket fire
4/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel sealed its border with the Gaza Strip on Monday after militants fired a rocket into the Negev desert on Sunday evening. Israel closed the Kerem Shalom goods crossing because of rocket fire, Palestinian border official Raed Fattouh told Ma’an. A Ma’an reporter said the Erez….
Moroccan MPs ‘barred from entering West Bank’
4/8/2013 – AMMAN (AFP) — Israeli authorities on Monday barred two Moroccan MPs accompanying EU parliamentarians from crossing into the West Bank to meet Palestinian officials, one of the lawmakers said.” The Israel authorities prevented me and my colleague Ali Salem Chekkaf from crossing into the West Bank without giving us any reason,” Mehdi Bensaid told AFP.” I….
Israel releases Gaza prisoner after 27 years
4/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel on Monday released a prisoner from the Gaza Strip after detaining him for 27 years. Ibrahim Baroud returned to Gaza early Monday morning, before Israel closed the Erez crossing in response to rocket fire. Baroud was freed after completing his sentence. He was detained in 1986 for affiliation to….
2 Palestinians enter 11th year in Israeli jail
4/8/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Two Palestinians from Nablus have entered their 11th year in Israeli detention, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said Monday. Wael Tablat was detained on March 30, 2003, and sentenced to life for affiliation to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Orabi Dogan was detained on April 1, 2003, and sentenced to 18 years for….
Hundreds protest at UNRWA office in Gaza City
4/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hundreds of demonstrators on Monday gathered outside the UNRWA office in Gaza City to protest the suspension of aid by the agency for Palestinian refugees. The UN agency stopped food deliveries after dozens of protesters forced their way into its Gaza field office last Thursday, demanding reinstatement of a monthly…. Related: UNRWA to resume food aid in Gaza
Flotilla raid victims to keep pursuing Israel in court
4/8/2013 – ISTANBUL (AFP) — Pro-Palestinian activists said on Monday they would not withdraw a lawsuit against Israeli commanders for a fatal 2010 raid on their Gaza-bound flotilla, ahead of official compensation talks between Turkey and Israel this week.” We will not discuss compensation or give up on the trials until the blockade over Gaza is removed,” said….
Students celebrate reading week at Solomon’s Pools
4/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — School children in Bethlehem concluded national reading week on Sunday with a ceremony at Solomon’s Pools. The event, organized by the Tamer Organization for Community Education and the education ministry, included traditional activities and performances denouncing Israeli settlement activities and land confiscation. Sami Imruwwa, director of the ministry’….
Youths try to attack Hebron schoolteacher following assault claims
4/8/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A group of youths tried to attack a schoolteacher in Hebron on Sunday after claiming that a relative of theirs had been assaulted in class, the school’s headmaster told Ma’an. Rawhi al-Zarou said that the assailants attempted to assault the teacher with iron bars and rocks but….
Egyptian forces seize underground weapons store in Sinai
4/8/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian authorities on Monday uncovered an underground weapons store in Sinai near the Israeli border, an Egyptian security official said. A large Egyptian force raided al-Jora in Sheikh Zuweid and found an underground warehouse containing 15 anti-tank landmines, grenades and the same type of projectiles that have been used in…. Related: Egypt seizes Sinai explosives in second raid within 24 hours
PA plans conference on medical neglect in Israeli jails
4/8/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority is planning an international conference to address Israel’s medical negligence of Palestinian prisoners, the minister of detainee affairs said Monday. Issa Qaraqe said the conference woul
d be organized in cooperation with local and international human rights organizations. The recent death in custody of a Palestinian with….
Israel falls silent to recall Holocaust victims
4/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Sirens wailed across Israel on Monday, bringing millions of people to a halt for two minutes as they remembered the six million Jews who were killed during the Nazi Holocaust. The annual ritual, which takes place at 10 a. m. , is a central part of Holocaust Memorial Day which began at sundown on….
Kerry meets Fayyad, Peres in Jerusalem
4/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) – Top US diplomat John Kerry was in Jerusalem on Monday for talks with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and then Israeli President Shimon Peres on his second trip to the region in two weeks. Kerry, who is US President Barack Obama’s new pointman on the Middle East, is back on….
Israel says mass cyber attack ongoing, damage negligible
4/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) – A mass cyber attack by hacker groups targeting Israel which began Saturday continued on Monday, but the damage was negligible, the Shin Bet domestic security agency said.” As of noon on Monday, the state of alert continues and the efforts and activity to prevent the cyber attacks that began on Saturday night are….
Egypt seizes Sinai explosives in second raid within 24 hours
4/8/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian security forces found a stash of explosives in the Sinai peninsula on Monday, the second seizure of its kind in 24 hours. Security forces received a tip-off that gunmen were storing explosives in the Ad-Daqqaq neighborhood in central Sinai, security sources told Ma’an. Thirty-seven anti-aircraft shells were…. Related: Egyptian forces seize underground weapons store in Sinai
Beit Ummar municipality cuts power in 11 factories
4/8/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — The municipality of Beit Ummar on Sunday cut the electricity to 11 stone factories over unpaid bills. Local mayor Habes al-Alami said factories owed 2 million shekels ($552,000) in electricity bills.”We already sent (factory owners) many warnings but they never listened,” al-Alami told Ma’an. Factory owner Naeem Thawabteh….
Hamas: PA forces arrest 3 members in Hebron
4/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority security forces arrested three Hamas members in the West Bank, the Islamist movement said Monday. Forces from the Fatah-led PA detained the Hamas affiliates in Hebron, Hamas said in a statement. [END]
Hamas cracks down on ‘inappropriate’ hairstyles
4/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (AFP) – Hamas security forces in Gaza have been rounding up young men and forcing them to get haircuts on grounds of inappropriate hairstyles, a rights group has charged. Some of the youths have even been beaten for styling their hair in a way deemed unacceptable to Gaza’s ruling Islamist movement, or….
Customs officers seize meat smuggled from Israel
4/8/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Customs officials on Monday seized meat smuggled from Israel in the northern West Bank, customs police said. Officers confiscated 585 kg of turkey and 6,100 kg of chicken in an Israeli refrigerator truck in Tulkarem, customs police said in a statement. The Palestinian Authority bans the import of meat from Israel. [END]
Tourism board encourages Palestinians to holiday in Jordan
4/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) –The Jordanian Tourism Boardconducted two courses in Bethlehem and Nazareth in March to encourage Palestinians to holiday in Jordan. In Nazareth, travel agents were informed about Jordan’s hotels, history and religious sites to encourage Palestinians in Israel to visit the country. In Bethlehem, Khaled al-Kilani, head of the JTB….
Arab press group laments persecution of journalists
4/8/2013 – NOUAKCHOTT (AFP) — The Arab Journalists Union on Monday lamented legal threats and restrictions affecting reporters working in the region, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia. The AJU “denounces legal proceedings targeting journalists in all Arab countries and expresses solidarity with colleagues in Egypt and Tunisia,” it said in a final declaration following a meeting in the….
Hebron man stabbed in brawl
4/8/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A young man was stabbed on Monday in a fight with another man in Halhul north of Hebron, police said. The victim was hospitalized with several stab wounds to the chest, police said in a statement. Police have detained a suspect. [END]
Child dies in Rafah road accident
4/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 5-year-old boy died Sunday after he was run over by a truck in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Firas Ahmad al-Satri died instantly. His body was taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najar Hospital. [END]
Boy, 7, crushed to death by steel door
4/8/2013 – RAHAT, Israel (Ma’an) — A 7-year-old boy was crushed to death by a steel door on Sunday in Rafat in southern Israel. Adam Yasser al-Abreh was playing outside a shop for construction materials near his home late Sunday evening when the steel door fell on him, a Ma’an reporter said. He….
Medics: 2 children injured by fireworks in Hebron
4/8/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Two children were injured while playing with fireworks in the Hebron area on Monday, medics said. Nabil Ahmad Bheis and Hatim Khalil Bheis, both 12, were taken to hospital in Yatta with serious burns to the chest and face, Red Crescent official Nasser Qabaja told Ma’an. Nabil is in….
Construction worker dies in fall from 11th floor
4/8/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an)– A 21-year-old construction worker was killed on Monday when he fell from the 11th floor of a building in Ramallah. Muhammad Shreiteh died instantly and his body was taken to hospital, a Ma’an reporter said. After the incident, the Minister of Labor Ahmad Majdalani ordered work to stop….
Egypt on edge after deadly sectarian clashes
4/8/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt was on edge Monday after a night of violence outside Cairo’s Coptic cathedral following the death of seven people in clashes between Christians and Muslims, with President Mohamed Mursi promising an immediate investigation. Calm was restored to the central neighborhood of Abbassiya where police deployed in force outside St Mark….
At least 15 dead in huge Damascus suicide bomb
4/8/2013 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — A massive suicide car bomb ripped through a central Damascus street on Monday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 53 others, Syrian state media reported.” Terrorists detonate car bomb between Sabaa Bahrat square and Shahbander Street,” the television reported, adding that initial information suggested that the explosion was a suicide attack.” The….
Egypt suspends tourism from Iran
4/8/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt has decided to suspend all tourist visits from Iran following objections by ultra-conservative Islamists to any rapprochement with the Shiite Islamic republic, the tourism ministry said.” We are going to suspend the incoming groups of Iranian tourists until mid-June,” ministry spokeswoman Rasha Azaizi told AFP.” The minister would like to start a….
Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s ‘Iron Lady’, dies at 87
4/8/2013 – LONDON (AFP) — Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the controversial “Iron Lady” who dominated a generation of British politics and won international acclaim for helping to end the Cold War, died following a stroke on Monday. She was 87. World leaders paid tribute to Britain’s only woman premier, whose years in office from 1979….
2 members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah killed in Syria
4/8/2013 – BAALBECK, Lebanon (AFP) — Two Hezbollah members fighting alongside Syrian government forces in the Qusayr area near the border with Lebanon were killed on Monday, a source close to the Lebanese Shiite militant group said.” Two members of Hezbollah who went to Syria to fight against armed groups in the Qusayr sector have been killed,” the….
Afghan children killed in ‘NATO airstrike’
AlJazeera 8 Apr 2013 – President Hamid Karzai denounces reported death of 11 children by NATO forces in Kunar province and orders inquiry.
Abu Hamdiyeh: A Victim of Israel’s Criminal Callousness
Palestine News Network
Maariv: Livni Undermining Netanyahu on Recognition of Jewish State
Palestine News Network
Monetary Authority Discusses Cooperation with Bolivia Central Bank
Palestine News Network
Israel to Arrest Palestinian Activists as Response to Cyber Attacks
Palestine News Network
PCHR Condemns Arbitrary Detention of Young Men, Cutting of their Hair by the Palestinian Police in Gaza
Palestine News Network
Issawi May Suffer Possible Brain Damage, says Prisoner Society
Palestine News Network
Abbas Discusses Bilateral Relations with US Secretary of State
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
Call to Action: Join Addameer’s Global End Administrative Detention Campaign!
4/8/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 8th April 2013,Addameer, Occupied Palestine – Addameer calls on activists and people of conscience to stand in solidarity with all political prisoners and join Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Organization’s upcoming global campaign against administrative detention. Over 4,743 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel; 10 of them women, 193 of them…. Related: Adameer on Administrative Detention
International arrested at non-violent demonstration in support of Samer Issawi
4/8/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 8th April 2012, International Solidarity Movement,Beit Omar, Occupied Palestine, by Team Khalil – A Swedish activist was arrested by Israeli border police this afternoon at a non- violent demonstration in Beit Omar. He was taken to the police station at Gush Etzion settlement and detained for two hours before being released. The demonstration was held….
Israeli military invade South Hebron Hills with tanks for military training
4/8/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 8th April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine – On 7th April around three kilometres from the Palestinian village of Al Majaz, the Israeli army conducted major training exercise with tanks and automatic weapons, using live ammunition. Al Majaz in the South Hebron Hills is in what the Israeli authorities refer to as….
Olive tree planting in the village of Aruf, Jordan Valley
4/8/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 8th April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Aruf, Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine, By Team Nablus – On Monday 8 April the village of Aruf in the Jordan Valley, planted olive trees on their land accompanied by solidarity activists. The group planted twenty-five trees, dedicating them to prisoners and international activists killed by the Israeli authorities. Just prior….
UPDATE: Man shot in the face with teargas canister at Hagai roadblock demonstration
4/8/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 8th of April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – UPDATE 8th April 2013: ISM activists visited Ameen today at his home in Al Fawwar. He still suffers from intense migraines, struggles to speak, regularly experiences dizziness and a has bloodshot eye. His X-ray shows considerable damage to his jaw, cheekbones, chin….
occupied Palestinian territory: No solution in sight for Gaza’s severe water crisis
Relief Web 8 Apr 2013 – Source: Xinhua, EWASH Country: occupied Palestinian territory GAZA, March 29 — The Gaza Strip’s ongoing water crisis looks unlikely to be solved any time soon with pollution affecting 95 percent of the aquifer in the Palestinian coastal enclave, Palestinian and…
World: Global emergency overview snapshot 2 April – 08 April 2013
Relief Web 8 Apr 2013 – Source: Assessment Capacities Project Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Niger,…
occupied Palestinian territory: Women’s Voices: Itaf M. – Child arrest
Relief Web 8 Apr 2013 – Source: Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling Country: occupied Palestinian territory Name: Itaf M. Age: 53 Location: Haris, West Bank Date: 15 March 2013 Subject: Child arrest A mother describes the day her 15-year-old son is arrested at 5:00…
occupied Palestinian territory: Israel closes Gaza border crossing after rocket fire: army
Relief Web 8 Apr 2013 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 04/08/2013 07:28 GMT JERUSALEM, April 8, 2013 (AFP) – Israel’s army closed a goods crossing into the Gaza Strip on Monday a day after a rocket was fired from the besieged enclave, a…
occupied Palestinian territory: Speech by UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General Margot Ellis
to mark the launch of UNRWA’s diabetes awareness campaign on World Health Day
Relief Web 8 Apr 2013 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory King Hussein Cultural Center, Amman Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: Thank you all for joining us this evening to commemorate World Health Day,…
UN food aid starts again in Gaza
The National 8 Apr 2013 – The United Nations will resume food distribution in the Gaza Strip today after suspending operations last week when its offices were invaded by protesters.
Abbas joins Arab forum on reviving Israeli talks
The National 8 Apr 2013 – US secretary of state, who met the PA leader ahead of talks today with Netanyahu, wants to alter parts of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Hugh Naylor reports from Ramallah
Tributes and brickbats for the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher
The National 8 Apr 2013 – The Queen and Tony Blair lead praise while critics slam her opposition to sanctions on apartheid South Africa and support of Chile’s Pinochet and Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge. Omar Karmi reports from London
Gandhi family asked to come clean over lucrative arms deal
The National 8 Apr 2013 – Kickback allegations over late Indian prime minister’s alleged involvement in arms deal resurface after publication of US state department cables. Samanth Subramanian and Suryatapa Bhattacharya report
Margaret Thatcher: ‘The lady’s not for turning’
The National 8 Apr 2013 – Britain’s first female prime minister, who died yesterday, polarised not just her own country but much of the world. Colin Randall reports
Iraq executes seven convicted of terror offences
The National 8 Apr 2013 – Iraq has executed seven people convicted of terror-related offences, despite widespread calls for the country to declare a moratorium on its use of the death penalty.
Central Damascus bombed amid new reports of chemical weapons attacks in Syria
The National 8 Apr 2013 – Suicide car bomber targets the main business district of Damascus in ‘unprecedented’ attack which each side blames the other for.
Saddam Hussein’s archives ‘spirited away’ by the US military and never returned
The National 8 Apr 2013 – After the fall of Baghdad, occupying US troops seized thousands of records from Hussein’s palaces, Iraq’s ministries and Baath party institutions. Iraqi scholars want them returned. Omar Karmi reports from London
U.S. intelligence: Syria’s Assad used chemical weapons
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
AG set to lift ban on deporting North Sudanese nationals from Israeli jails
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Ex-judge extradited from Peru seeks release from custody
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Health Ministry to mull rules for forcing patient to be taken to hospital
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Ex-IDF official in West Bank cuts plea deal over bribery
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Medical staff that treated Palestinian who later died ‘didn’t know he had been shot’
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Hearing the birds singing in Jerusalem, Kerry croons a promise of peace
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Open letter calls for female Israelis to join committee for drafting Haredim to IDF
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
John Kerry to Shimon Peres: Israeli-Palestinian peace ‘can be done’
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Margaret Thatcher, the British PM who praised Israel’s ‘pioneer spirit’
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
IDF chief in Poland: We will never again stand unready to defend ourselves
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
More than one in 10 Israeli doctors working abroad, study shows
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Ousted Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin to join Finance Committee
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Turkish Gaza flotilla victims to go to court despite Israeli apology
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Hackers target Haaretz’s Hebrew website in cyber attack
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Pet peeve: Price of antidote to snake venom in Israel soars
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Report: Syria redeploys ‘very significant’ number of Golan troops
Ha’aretz – 8 Apr 2013
Hackers briefly take down some 100 Israeli websites
Ha’aretz – 7 Apr 2013
Aid group pleads with UN to help Syria’s children
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Save the Children raises issue of “forgotten victims” in report to UN Security Council, says children used as human shields.
Analysis: Sustaining the status quo
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Media and politicians label next Lebanese prime minister a “moderate,” say Tammam Salam may be spared wrath of Hezbollah.
Some 300 Pollard activists keen to impress Kerry
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Imprisoned spy’s wife asks US secretary of state to honor request for release as activists hold vigil outside his hotel.
Aussie sprinter seeks record with 1009-km Israel run
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Country “might give me something I never experienced before,” Melbourne-based Richard Bowles tells ‘Post.’
Borderline Views: The Obama and Kerry map
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – What is required is an innovative way of thinking about borders and their relationship to independence and citizenship.
Fundamentally Freund: Hands off the Holocaust
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – The Holocaust is unique in the annals of history, and has no place being used by politicians or interest groups as a comparative tool or analogy.
Bigotry, ‘The New York Times’ and Israel
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Newspaper coverage displays uneven reporting on Israelis and Palestinians that “deceives” readers.
Candidly Speaking: Sanctimonious Jewish bleeding hearts
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – We are entitled to expect Zionists not to behave like the naïve “fellow travelers” who during the Cold War blindly endorsed communist peace petitions which ultimately only promoted the interests of the Evil Empire.
Persistent anti-Judaism
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Ever since Caligula was emperor of Rome, and perhaps even before, anti-Semitism has been the most persistent hatred known to Western society.
The sexualization of our teens is becoming endemic
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Cultural norms are pushing girls to be viewed, to evade overly sexual manner; dangerous to health, society.
Outsourcing remembrance
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – The differences between the acts of remembering and not forgetting call for “actively participating in various venues”.
PA official: US softening opposition to Fatah-Hamas unity
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – US has strongly opposed Abbas’s attempts to join forces with Hamas, but senior adviser to PA president says resistance has faded; Abbas set to meet with Mashaal amid reports that Fayyad planning to resign.
More trouble in South Africa
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – BDS pushes agenda at summit of “world’s leading emerging economies” in Durban, threatens to disrupt conference.
Israel’s outrageous customs and tax authority
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Legal import of simple goods to Israel sees arbitrary policy; Israeli membership to OECD should prompt change.
Kerry pledges support for Israel against Iran threat
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – US secretary of state meets Peres in J’lem, says talks with Tehran won’t prevent necessary steps to prevent Iranian nuclear weapon.
Palestinian women face growing cyber-crime threat
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Experts say Palestinian society’s “patriarchal nature” leads to vulnerability of women using the Internet.
NGO: Closing Gaza crossings strengthens Hamas
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Gisha, the Legal Center for the Freedom of Movement questions effectiveness, legality of border closing policy in response to rocket fire.
Obama stresses responsibility of remembrance
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – US President calls on nation to face anti-Semitism in light of Holocaust Remembrance Day, recent visit to Israel.
US, allies plan large-scale Gulf naval exercise
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – 30 nations to gather for mine-sweeping, ship escorting drill; previous exercises held amid volley of Israeli-Iranian war threats.
Gantz: No weapon can defeat the army of the Jews
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – IDF Chief leads march at Auschwitz to mark Holocaust, says “enemies who attempt to harm us asking for own demise.”
Haredi barbecue on Holocaust day sparks uproar
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Rabbis, leaders condemn barbecue party held by haredi youths on night of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
UN agency reopens Gaza food distribution centers
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Humanitarian centers resume operations that aid 800,000 Palestinians after closure due to violent response to cutbacks.
‘Flotilla lawsuits to persist despite J’lem apology’
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Turks wounded in IDF raid of ‘Mavi Marmara’ say Israel’s apology not enough and they will continue legal action against soldiers.
PM: Thatcher a true friend of Jewish People, Israel
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Netanyahu, Peres mourn the death of former British Prime Minister who died of a stroke Monday at age 87.
Egypt suspends commercial flights from Iran
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – The first flight from Cairo to Tehran took off last month; pressure of Sunni protesters led to cancellation of flights.
UN: Chemical weapons team ready to deploy in Syria
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Ban Ki-moon says team to investigate claims of chemical weapons use is ready; UN urges cooperation from government.
NGO helps Holocaust survivors maximize benefits
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – AVIV organization aims to ensure Shoah victims in Israel “live in the dignity and comfort they deserve.”
Greek Jews commemorate deportations to Auschwitz
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Members of the Jewish world converged upon Thessaloniki to remember the community’s 50,000 Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
‘Huge shift in Syrian troops from Golan’
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – ‘The Guardian’ reports that Syria has carried out its largest troop redeployment from area in 40 years.
Chance encounter reunites Moldovans
Jerusalem Post 8 Apr 2013 – Elderly patient and volunteer at Kaplan Medical Center realize on Remembrance Day they grew up in the same part of Moldova.
Letters: European positions on Israel and Palestine
The Guardian 8 Apr 2013 – Iain Banks’ comparison of Israel to the “racist apartheid regime” in South Africa ( A boycott of Israel is all we have left , 6 April) would be laughable were it not so defective both morally and intellectually….
Anonymous hacker attack on Israeli websites ’causes little real damage’
The Guardian 8 Apr 2013 – Government says sites are operating as usual despite onslaught in ‘solidarity’ with Palestinians A cyber attack by the activist group Anonymous targeting Israeli government websites failed to cause serious disruption, officials have said. The attacks followed…
Sam Harris, the New Atheists, and anti-Muslim animus
Uruknet
Enemies of the Warfare State: Government Spying on Peaceful Political Dissidents
Uruknet
Syria News – April 6 , 2013 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
New Israeli Military Order Ineffectual in Safeguarding Child Detainees
Uruknet
Violating orders: Israeli police pepper-spray non-violent civilians (Video )
Uruknet
A Secret Deal on Drones, Sealed in Blood
Uruknet
Plight of Palestinian female prisoners goes unnoticed
Uruknet
Thousands of Libyan families displaced in the Nafusa Mountains
Uruknet
US lawmakers in new push for sanctions on Iran
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 The failure of negotiations between six world powers and Iran over its disputed nuclear program has jumpstarted the congressional push for even tougher sanctions aimed at crippling the economy in Tehran.
Egypt suspends tourist flights with Iran
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Egypt has suspended tourist flights from Iran following an outcry from hard-line Sunni Muslims angered about visitors from the mostly Shiite country.
Egypt’s ElBaradei cites terms for dialogue with government
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Senior opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei set three conditions on Monday for ending a boycott of Egypt’s elected Islamist president and working for a national consensus.
Al-Qaida denies its No. 2 in Yemen was killed
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Al-Qaida in Yemen has posted a statement on militant websites saying that its second-most senior commander has not been killed.
Iran bans Saudi diplomat from leaving after crash
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Iranian state TV reports that a Saudi diplomat has been banned from leaving Iran after he was involved in a fatal car crash.
UN’s Ban: all Syria chemical arms claims need examining
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 An advance team of U.N.-mandated experts has gone to Cyprus and is awaiting permission from the Syrian government to investigate allegations of chemical weapons attacks, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.
UN to restart Gaza aid distribution
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 The United Nations said it will reopen aid distribution centres in Gaza on Tuesday, after a four-day closure in response to the storming of its offices by protesters.
Obama looks to pressure congress over gun control
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Obama heads Monday to the state where a deadly school shooting in December shocked the nation, looking for a breakthrough in his efforts to curb gun violence as the U.S. Congress returns from a two-week recess…
Iraq says Syria-bound Iranian plane searched
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Iraq grounded and searched an Iranian plane bound for Syria through its airspace on Monday, with inspectors finding only first aid and medical equipment, a top official said.
Tribesmen, army deserters clash in south Yemen, seven killed
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Seven people were killed in clashes between army deserters and tribesmen in south Yemen on Monday, officials and residents said, in another sign of disorder in a country of multiple conflicts next to oil export giant…
Syria accuses UN chief of expanding weapons probe
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Syria has rejected what it says is an attempt by the U.N. secretary-general to broaden the scope of a government request for an international investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the country’s north.
Two more dead after sectarian clashes in Egypt
Daily Star 8 Apr 2013 Two more deaths were reported on Monday after sectarian violence at Cairo’s Coptic cathedral that the Egyptian government and Muslim and Christian leaders scrambled to calm.
French forces step up efforts in Mali’s Gao region
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – ….
Israel-Turkey meeting postponed to April 22
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – ….
IDF deploys Iron Dome battery in Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – ….
Jonathan Pollard’s wife pleads Kerry to ‘end tragedy’
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – ….
Syria: 2 Hezbollah mem
bers killed near Lebanon
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – ….
New intifada on campuses abroad
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Op-ed: Anti-Israel activists on US campuses found that attacking Zionism more effective than burning flags ….
Wikileaks reveals 1973 war files: ‘Changes in attitude toward Arabs’
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Website’s library of US diplomacy features records of 1973 US ambassador to Israel, shedding light on Yom Kippur War, developments in region ….
Man spills coffee, sugar on wife, demands she clean it
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Court indicts man for abusing his wife whom he attacked in the past; suspect denies allegations ….
Elderly Arab shepherd attacked; settlers offer help
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Hassan Barhoush, 80, severely beaten while tending his sheep; shocked Avnei Hefetz residents visit him in hospital ….
UN agency reopens Gaza food distribution centers
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – UNRWA reopens centers after closing them in response to violent protests; agency supplies food to 800,000 Palestinians, says received assurances staff would be safe ….
Gantz at March of the Living: ‘Every survivor, soldier part of victory’
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Some 11,000 people take part in annual march from Auschwitz to Birkenau. IDF chief says, ‘No weapon or evil intention can stand against our army.’ Rabbi Lau: Today we have a home, we have hope, we have independence ….
Former British PM Margaret Thatcher dies
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Britain’s only female Prime Minister, 87, died peacefully following a stroke. Netanyahu: True friend of Israel ….
Turks hurt in flotilla raid to go to court despite Israeli apology
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – ‘Unless these soldiers are punished and Gaza blockade is lifted, we won’t accept compensation,’ says Turk who was injured in 2010 IDF raid on Gaza-bound flotilla ….
Iraq says inspects Syria-bound Iranian jet, finds no arms
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Inspection comes after Kerry urged PM Maliki to do more to prevent Iran arms planes from flying over Iraq. Civilian aviation authority: Only medical equipment found ….
Don’t let racism win
YNet News, 8 Apr 2013 – Op-ed: Memory of Holocaust failed to protect us from becoming a society intolerant towards others ….
Italy: Teacher’s anti-Semitic remark to Jewish student
YNet News, 7 Apr 2013 – Italy’s Jewish community shaken by high-school teacher’s anti-Semitic remark to student: ‘Had you been in Auschwitz, you would have been more careful’ ….
Kerry seeks speedy fix for Turkish-Israeli ties
YNet News, 7 Apr 2013 – In Istanbul, top US diplomat urges Israel and Turkey to ‘get back on track relationship critical to peace process; says ‘door is still open’ for negotiated agreement with Iran ….
Sharp rise in global anti-Semitism, France leads
YNet News, 7 Apr 2013 – Anti-Semitic incidents rise by 30% in 2012, says new report; 200 incidents in France alone; report blames Operation Pillar of Defense for increase ….
Hamas will not commit suicide by recognizing Israel
PIC – The reelection of Khalid Mashaal as the chief of the movement’s politburo may have created a certain impression that Hamas is opting for more pragmatism.
IOA blocks travel of MP Hassan Khreisha
PIC – The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) blocked the travel of independent MP Dr. Hassan Khreisha to Jordan en route to attend a meeting for the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.
Israeli police arrest 19 workers after almost deadly chase
PIC – Israeli police patrols chased a bus carrying Palestinian workers from the West Bank and arrested 19 of them after the bus crashed into a shop on Monday morning.
Clashes in Aroub refugee camp
PIC – Inhabitants of Aroub refugee camp engaged in violent clashes with an invading force of the Israeli occupation army on Monday morning.
Three Palestinians including child killed in Syria
PIC – Three Palestinian refugees in Syria were killed during the past twenty-four hours after their refugee camps came under Syrian regular army shelling.
Specialist: Israel will suffer from yesterday’s cyberattacks
PIC – Information security specialist Bader Bader said that the cyberattacks that hit yesterday important Israeli websites would significantly affect the occupation at the security and social levels.
Delegation of 30 children from Gaza to visit US soon
PIC – 30 Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip were chosen to visit the US soon to explain the justice of the Palestinian cause, especially the issue of the prisoners.
Deterioration of prisoner Sorour’s health condition
PIC – The family of the administrative detainee Abdulqaher Sorour appealed to all humanitarian and human rights organizations to work for the release of their ailing son.
Lafi: Cellphones and facebook are fertile soil for Israeli spy activities
PIC – Senior Palestinian internal security official Mohamed Lafi warned that the cellular phones and the facebook social networking site are fertile and active ground for Israeli intelligence activities.
Groups Discuss Israeli Violation with Europeans
WAFA – 8 Apr 2013
Abbas Arrives in Doha for Follow Up Committee Meeting
WAFA – 8 Apr 2013
Group Removes Landmines in Husan Village
WAFA – 8 Apr 2013
Israel Closes Karam Abu Salem Crossing in Gaza
WAFA – 8 Apr 2013
Syria car bombing kills at least 15 in Damascus
LA Times 8 Apr 2013 – The bomb explodes outside Syria’s Central Bank and tax commission. More than 50 are wounded. DAMASCUS, Syria — A suicide car bombing in central Damascus killed at least 15 people and wounded 53 on Monday, Syrian state television reported, highlighting the degree to which Syria’s…
Eric Harroun, Who Fought With Syrian Rebels, Loses a Court Fight
New York Times 8 Apr 2013 – During an appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Va., Eric G. Harroun was denied release to home detention in Arizona.
The Lede: Attack at Coptic Funeral Increases Interfaith Tension in Egypt
New York Times 8 Apr 2013 – Some members of the Muslim Brotherhood have demonstrated a willingness to engage in sectarian rhetoric, especially when video cameras are rolling.
The Lede: Footage of Bomb Blast in Damascus
New York Times 8 Apr 2013 – Videos and Twitter messages from people who were in central Damascus when the bomb exploded.
Kerry to Focus on Palestinian Economy as Part of Peace Process
New York Times 8 Apr 2013 – As he continued his trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Palestinian prime minister and Israeli president and prime minister.
Wider Use of Car Bombs Angers Both Sides in Syria
New York Times 8 Apr 2013 – The latest such attack, on Monday, struck the Syrian Central Bank, killing at least 15 people and wounding at least 53.
After the Fact: When Weather Changes, Grasshopper Turns Locust
New York Times 8 Apr 2013 – In times of scarcity the insects crowd together, with the interaction setting off a hormonal change and the resulting swarm behavior.
Almaty Journal: Negotiators Find in Kazakhstan the Perfect Place to Disagree
New York Times 7 Apr 2013 – Talks over Iran’s nuclear program ended with no deal, but negotiators did agree on one point: Kazakhstan’s “flawless performance” as host.
Rise of the Predators: Targeted Killing Comes to Define War on Terror
New York Times 7 Apr 2013 – Despite administration officials’ statements that their strong preference is for capturing terrorists, a reliance on killing terrorism suspects has defined the Obama years.
Noble Energy CEO to visit Israel this week
Globes Energy & Water – Charles Davidson reportedly wants to persuade the Israeli government to allow gas exports.
53 cos bid for Lebanese offshore exploration tenders
Globes Energy & Water – All the companies in the tenders boycott Israel.
Bank of Israel begins buying dollars
Globes Main News – The Bank of Israel intervened for the first time since July 2011 when the shekel-dollar exchange rate fell below NIS 3.6/$.
Gov’t deficit triples in first quarter
Globes Main News – The deficit rose to NIS 4.6 billion in the first quarter of 2013 from NIS 1.6 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2012.
Israeli hacker crashes Anonymous website
Globes Main News – Israeli hackers have hit back hard in response to the cyber attack against Israel.
Mon: Telcos lift market
Globes Main News – Cellcom and Partner rose strongly today, while Bezeq also gained ground.
Ceragon cuts Q1 guidance
Globes Main News – Ceragon’s revenue and profit warning follows Friday’s warning by Radware, another company controlled by the Zisapel brothers’s
Public workers and poor will pay for deficit
Globes Macro Economics – The media will talk about austerity, the ministers will mention the fictitious Riki Cohen of Hadera, and we will be left with no real public debate about priorities.
Export Institute welcomes BoI intervention
Globes Macro Economics – Export Institute chairman Ramzi Gabay: I call on the governor to stay on guard to prevent a further appreciation of the shekel.
Idan Ofer set to move to London
Globes Macro Economics – Business world sources believe that Ofer, ranked by “Forbes” as the wealthiest Israeli, is moving to the UK for tax reasons.
BoI: Gov’t should raise real estate taxes
Globes Macro Economics – For the first time, the Bank of Israel recommends that the government consider new taxes to cool the housing market.
Average salary down 0.9%
Globes Macro Economics – The average gross national salary fell by an annualized 0.9% in November 2012-January 2013 to NIS 9,159 (in constant prices).
80 Year-Old Palestinian Shepherd Assaulted, Both Arms Broken by Settlers
Tikun Olam – Hassan Barhosh, Palestinian shepherd attacked by settlers (Yaron Brenner) Ynet reports that two masked settler assailants attacked (Hebrew and English ) an elderly Palestinian shepherd, Hassan Barhoush, with metal bars and and broke both his arms and hands, saying they intended to kill him. He was from…
Israeli Judge: Defense Ministry Owes $200,000 to Bedouin Severely Injured by Cluster Bomb
Tikun Olam – The Israeli defense ministry was dealt a sharp blow by an Israeli judge who found against the State’s lawyers (Hebrew and English ) who argued that a Bedouin, whose hand was severed by an unexploded IDF cluster bomb, was at fault because he did not use a…
Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)
Jewish Voice for Peace – Today Jewish Voice for Peace honors Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) On this day, we reflect on the horrors of World War II and the Nazi genocidal policies that led to the killing of some 11 million including Jews, Gypsies, Socialists, Poles, Soviets, gays, people with…
AIPAC president (tries to) defend Israel’s rejection of WMD-free zone
Mondoweiss – Out of curiosity, I stopped by an AIPAC lecture last week in Westport, Connecticut. To my surprise, AIPAC national president Michael Kassen was in attendance and took questions at the end of the event. “Why,” I asked, “do you think that Israel boycotted last year’s planned…
In ‘Haaretz,’ Hass says Palestinians have a ‘duty’ to throw stones, Levy cites Passover story in support
Mondoweiss – The courageous journalist Amira Hass has set off an important dialogue in the Israeli press by stating that Palestinians have a duty to resist occupation by throwing stones. The defense of a form of violent resistance, published in Haaretz, has caused a furor– and prompted the…
Kerry suggests that Palestinians change Arab Peace Initiative to suit Israelis
Mondoweiss – Kerry and Abbas meeting in Ramallah, April 7, 2013 (Mohamed Torkoman. Associated Press) Various news sources report that the Obama administration has notified the Palestinian Authority that the new U.S. approach to peace negotiations will be based on the Arab Peace Initiative (API) of 2002….
Obama White House blew off idea of celebrating Emancipation Proclamation anniversary, says leading Lincoln scholar
Mondoweiss – David Bromwich gave me the news item below, and supplied commentary. “We made an overture to the White House, trying to solicit their interest for something on January 1,[2013] the 150th anniversary [of the Emancipation Proclamation]. They blew us off. They just weren’t interested. They were…
Jimmy Carter to receive award from law school with Jewish affiliation; and opposition arises
Mondoweiss – Jimmy Carter is due to be honored on Wednesday in New York by a student publication at Cardozo Law School , part of Yeshiva University, which has institutional Jewish ties. Opposition has now arisen to his appearance, with one fervent site calling itself ” Shame on Cardozo ” and…
United Nations Relief and Works Agency Reopens Gaza Food Distribution Centers
The Foward Breaking News 8 Apr 2013 – The main U.N. humanitarian agency for Palestinians said on Monday it was reopening its Gaza food distribution centers after suspending operations last week in response to violent protests over aid cutbacks. Click here for the rest of the article…
Families of Mavi Marmara Victims Go To Trial Despite Israeli Apology
The Foward Breaking News 8 Apr 2013 – Israel’s apology to Turkey over the 2010 killing of nine Turks aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship did not go far enough and Israeli soldiers will be pursued in court, survivors of the incident said on Monday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Closes Gaza Crossing for Goods After Rockets Fired Into Negev
The Foward Breaking News 8 Apr 2013 – Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza to the passage of goods after three rockets were fired at southern Israel from the coastal strip. Click here for the rest of the article…
John Kerry and Mahmoud Abbas Meet To Discuss Reviving Peace Talks
The Foward Breaking News 7 Apr 2013 – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday discussed reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks but neither side offered details on how, when and whether that might happen. Click here for the rest of the article…
Keynote Address- Rachel Corrie & Freedom for Palestine: 10 Years—Looking back, Moving Forward
Rachel Corrie Foundation 8 Apr 2013 – We would like to thank everyone who joined us in Olympia on March 16, 2013 to remember and celebrate Rachel Corrie. The day was filled with moving speeches and personal accounts, music, dance and remembrances. We want to share with you the incredible keynote addresses provided…
Syria opposes arms probe ‘change’
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – Syria rejects what it calls an attempt by the UN to broade
n a probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons in the country’s conflict.
Hamas ‘force men to cut long hair’
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – A human rights group in Gaza has accused Hamas police of forcing men to shave their heads after saying their hairstyles were indecent.
Iran travel ban on Saudi diplomat
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – A Saudi diplomat allegedly involved in a deadly drink-driving car accident is banned from leaving Iran, says a senior Iranian MP.
Lebanon has a New Prime Minister: Tammam Salam
Al-Akhbar Blogs 8 Apr 2013 – read more
Lebanon: New Prime Minister Breaks the Mold
Al-Akhbar Opinion 8 Apr 2013 – In the end, however, the task of forming a new government will largely depend on how quickly the contending sides can agree on a new electoral law. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) In the end, however, the task of forming a new government will largely depend on how…
Revisiting US-Arab Diplomacy: Operation Boulder and the Oil Embargo
Al-Akhbar News 8 Apr 2013 – LNG and CNG fuel pumps are seen at a Blu LNG filling station in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 13, 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Jim Urquhart) LNG and CNG fuel pumps are seen at a Blu LNG filling station in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 13,…
Turkish survivors of flotilla massacre reject Israel’s apology
Al-Akhbar News 8 Apr 2013 – Picture shows an undated handout image taken from the Free Gaza Movement website on 28 May 2010 of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara taking part in the “Freedom Flotilla” heading towards the Gaza Strip. (Photo: AFP / Free Gaza Movement) Turkish survivors of the 2010 Israeli raid…
Lebanon: Hezbollah and Aoun Give New PM a Chance
Al-Akhbar News 8 Apr 2013 – Aside from its keenness on internal stability, the resistance party has endorsed Salam because it understands that withdrawing from the government may alleviate some of the Arab and international pressure on Hezbollah. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Aside from its keenness on internal stability, the resistance party has…
New Christian-Muslim clashes kill two in Egypt
Al-Akhbar News 8 Apr 2013 – An Egyptian helps an injured man during sectarian clashes outside the Egyptian Coptic cathedral in Cairo’s Abbassiya neighborhood on 7 April 2013. (Photo: AFP) A second Egyptian died on Monday of wounds sustained in clashes at Cairo’s Coptic cathedral the previous day in an outbreak of…
Damascus: The Walls Are Rising
Al-Akhbar News 8 Apr 2013 – Syrian fire fighters douse burning cars with water at the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion which rocked central Damascus on 8 April 2013. (Photo: Louai Beshara) Syrian fire fighters douse burning cars with water at the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion which…
Damascus suicide blast kills 15: state TV
Al-Akhbar News 8 Apr 2013 – A blaze rages at the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion which rocked central Damascus on 8 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – Louai Beshara) A suicide car bomb exploded in the main business district of Damascus on Monday, killing at least 15 people, setting cars…
Syria opposes arms probe ‘change’
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – Syria rejects what it calls an attempt by the UN to broaden a probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons in the country’s conflict.
Toll rises in Cairo cathedral clash
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – Two people were killed in clashes outside Cairo’s main cathedral on Sunday, Egyptian officials now say, after funerals of Coptic Christians killed in earlier religious violence.
Hamas ‘force men to cut long hair’
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – A human rights group in Gaza has accused Hamas police of forcing men to shave their heads after saying their hairstyles were indecent.
Iran travel ban on Saudi diplomat
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – A Saudi diplomat allegedly involved in a deadly drink-driving car accident is banned from leaving Iran, says a senior Iranian MP.
US ‘Syrian rebel’ could be executed
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – An American accused of fighting alongside hardline Islamists against Syrian government forces could be executed, US prosecutors say.
UAE activist jailed for court tweet
BBC 8 Apr 2013 – An activist in United Arab Emirates is jailed for 10 months for tweeting from a courtroom.
Articles
US aid: an opium for Palestinians
Jamal Kanj, Redress 4/5/2013
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a 3.9-billion-US-dollar national budget for the 2013 fiscal year just one day before the 31 March deadline.
The budget was approved without the required constitutional review and endorsement of the Palestine National Council.
The state’s projected revenue for this year is 2.6bn dollars, leaving a deficit of 1.3bn dollars to be bridged by international benefactors.
Budget approval came on the heels of US President Barack Obama’s visit, during which he revealed a decision to release approximately 500 million dollars in US aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). This includes 295.7m dollars withheld by Congress last year to punish the PA for upgrading its status at the United Nations. The remaining 200m dollars was for budgetary assistance in 2013. By releasing the aid to the PA, Obama bypassed the US Congress’s objections by declaring that it was in “the security interests of the US”.
The freezing of US funding and a dearth of European Union assistance resulted in the PA facing a deficit of approximately 1.2bn dollars last year. Although Arab states pledged a safety net to supplant withheld US aid just as Israel seized tax money, in reality the PA was left with a “loose net” but for limited emergency backing from individual states, following a direct appeal from the Palestinian president.
Late last year and in January, the Palestinian government was forced to delay salary disbursements or pay partial salaries for the large number of state bureaucrats. more.. e-mail
Prosecute groups that support Israeli crimes
Nureddin Sabir, Redress 4/8/2013
Jewish hasbara bodies aiding and abetting Israeli crimes must face the full force of the law
The world of Jewish politics is so back to front and upside down that, when it comes to Israel, bad is good and wrong is right.
That is the sad fact of which we need to remind Israel flag wavers, such as failed US politician Katrina Lantos Swett, who from time to time rear their heads to bleat “anti-Semitism” and decry the “deligitimization of Israel”, which they blame for allegedly rising anti-Jewish sentiment.
On 5 April the Times of Israel reported that a Jewish organization in Melbourne, Australia, could face expulsion from the country’s Jewish umbrella body for launching a campaign that calls for the boycott of products from West Bank settlements.
These settlements – colonies and squatter camps, in fact – are illegal under international law and, with their rapid expansion under successive Israeli governments, both of the left and the right, are terminally undermining any prospect of a two-state solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Boycott settlements call
The Australian campaign “Don’t Buy from the Settlements” was launched on 26 March by the Melbourne-based Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS) with the aim of encouraging Australian Jews to avoid buying products made in Jewish colonies and squatter camps located in the Palestinian territories occupied after the 1967 war. more.. e-mail
Palestine and the ICC
John V. Whitbeck, CounterPunch 4/8/2013
Deterring War Crimes
An article published on April 4 by the leading Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz has reported that “President Mahmoud Abbas is to suspend all unilateral measures vis-à-vis the United Nations agencies to give U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry time to jump-start a new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks” and that “the Palestinians have also decided to put off applying to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to sign the Rome Statute and thus obtain standing in the court as a state.”
Particularly after last month’s stunning public demonstration of President Barack Obama’s lack of respect for Palestine and the Palestinian people – characterized by Uri Avnery, Israel’s most venerable and distinguished peace activist, as “spitting in the face of the entire Palestinian people” – this report, if accurate, is profoundly disheartening.
During a public discussion held at the Académie Diplomatique Internationale in Paris on March 20, Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, addressed the potential membership of Palestine in the ICC.
During t
he question time, she was asked the following question: “If and when the State of Palestine, whose state status has now been overwhelmingly confirmed by the UN General Assembly, revives its application for ICC membership, what will be the procedure for considering its application and, if it is approved, would the court’s jurisdiction be retroactive to 2002, permitting prosecutions for crimes already committed in Palestine or by Palestinians?”
She started her reply by recalling why Palestine’s initial application was not approved – essentially, as was clear from the ICC’s response, the court’s view that it was not the role of the court…. more.. e-mail
PHOTOS: Palestinians return to village destroyed in Nakba
Photos by Ryan Rodrick Beiler, Alternative Information Center 4/8/2013
On Land Day 2013, Palestinian citizens of Israel returned to the village of Al-Ruways from which they were displaced 65 years ago by Zionist forces in the Nakba of 1948. They were joined by their families, local neighbors, and a busload of Palestinian and Jewish Israelis from Tel Aviv who journeyed north to learn about their shared history.
Umar al-Ghubari of the Israeli activist group Zochrot organized the tour, similar to many tours he has facilitated of Palestinian villages depopulated in the Nakba. One factor that made this Land Day tour of Al-Ruways particularly remarkable was the large number of displaced Palestinians and their descendants, who made the event more of a return than a simple tour. Zochrot, whose name means “remembering” in Hebrew, aims to educate Israelis about the history of the Nakba and the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees. Typically, they will arrange for one or two refugees to help guide a tour of their home village, telling those who attend about life in their village before the Nakba, and the events leading to their displacement in 1948.
For the tour in Al-Ruways, dozens of local Palestinians were on hand for the return to Al-Ruways. Led by village elders who lived through the Nakba and experienced the displacement firsthand, the large group walked through the land of the village, marking various sites with signs to remind future visitors of the town’s existence. Such a large turnout of Palestinians was possible because when this village was forcibly evacuated, the Zionist militias only pushed them to the nearest town, Tamra, which remains until today. The residents of Al-Ruways were told by militia leaders that after two weeks, that they would be able to return to their homes. Of course, as in many similar cases throughout what became the State of Israel, the displaced Palestinians were never allowed to return to their homes, even though they continued to live just a few kilometers away. The village itself was completely destroyed, with few visible traces remaining other than the cemetery, several water wells, and occasional pieces of rubble. more.. e-mail
Youth move back to Palestinian village stolen from their families
Electronic Intifada: 8 Apr 2013 – About two dozen young people have moved into Iqrit, a village ethnically cleansed by Zionist forces in the 1940s.more
We must never forget the massacre in Deir Yassin
Electronic Intifada: 8 Apr 2013 – Thirty-seven members of my grandmother’s family were killed by Zionist forces on 9 April 1948.more
Kerry Suggests Palestinians Change Arab Peace Initiative to Suit Israelis
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Apr 2013 – By Ira Glunts Various news sources report that the Obama administration has notified the Palestinian Authority that the new U.S. approach to peace negotiations will be based on the Arab Peace Initiative (API) of 2002. The plan, which was unanimously adopted by the Arab League, is sometimes referred to as the Saudi Peace Initiative since it was presented at the Beirut Arab summit by then Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Sheera Frenkel, at McClatchy Newspapers, quotes an unnamed source who stated, ‘It [the Arab Peace Initiative] was raised directly by Obama during his visit and during his closed-door discussion with the Palestinian leadership,’ said a senior Palestinian official directly involved in the talks. ‘It was made clear to the Palestinian leadership that this would be the new direction of U.S. diplomacy in the region.’ The Arab Peace Initiative offers Israel a comprehensive peace and normal relations from all nations…more
Why I’m Supporting a Cultural Boycott of Israel
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Apr 2013 – (This week writer Iain Banks announced he has cancer and may have just mo
nths to live. Here he explains why, in 2010, he decided his novels would no longer be published in Israel.) By Iain M Banks I support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign because, especially in our instantly connected world, an injustice committed against one, or against one group of people, is an injustice against all, against every one of us; a collective injury. My particular reason for participating in the cultural boycott of Israel is that, first of all, I can; I’m a writer, a novelist, and I produce works that are, as a rule, presented to the international market. This gives me a small extra degree of power over that which I possess as a (UK) citizen and a consumer. Secondly, where possible when trying to make a point, one ought to be precise, and…more
Palestinian Academics, Teachers and Writers Welcome TUI Boycott Israel Call
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Apr 2013 – Palestinian unions representing lecturers, university employees, teachers and writers have praised the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) for its endorsement of an academic boycott of Israel. In a letter saluting the TUI, the Palestinians said the clarity of the union’s statement was “unprecedented”. They also highlighted the importance of such solidarity actions, invoking Irish support for those struggling against South African apartheid many years ago. (The full text of the letter is below.) At its annual conference last Thursday, the TUI voted unanimously to support the request for an academic boycott that has been made by a broad coalition of Palestinian civil society. The union calls on its members to “cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes”. The motion refers to Israel as an “apartheid state”. It calls on the Irish Congress…more
Generation Palestine – Highly Recommended
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Apr 2013 – By June Rugh I highly recommend the new collection of essays, Generation Palestine: Voices from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, ed. Rich Wiles, Pluto Press, London, 2013. With an impressive range of contributors–Palestinian author and journalist Ramzy Baroud, Israeli economist Shir Hever, UN Special Rapporteur Professor Richard Falk, Irish journalist/activist Eamonn McCann, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Israeli author/activist Ilan Pappe, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among others–these richly varied voices make a powerful collective argument for the efficacy of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) as the most powerful nonviolent action for mobilizing civil society (in Palestine, and around the world) against the occupation and other injustices by Israel, and for the liberation of the Palestinian people. The book includes helpful historical perspectives, including Ramzy Baroud’s point that while BDS is often said to be modeled on Anti-Apartheid Movement boycott campaigns (for example, in South Africa), “the use of the…more
Is the Custodian of Absentee Property Awaiting the Absentees?
Dissident Voice: 8 Apr 2013 – cus·to·di·an (kəs-ˈtō-dē-ən) n. 1. One who has charge of something: caretaker – The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition , 1973 The apparent location of the Office of the Custodian of Absentee Property The office of Ronen Baruch, the current Custodian of Absentee Property for Israel, is in an ancient Arab home at 8 Yoel Salomon Street in Jerusalem. A house of this type is not unusual in this part of Jerusalem, and this one has few markings to indicate its function. Even its mail is delivered to the main building of the Ministry of Finance in another part of the city. Searching the Internet will not yield this information unless you read Hebrew, and even then not much else. Much more is available about the Mossad, but perhaps only because it is bigger and more interesting. Information about the Custodian is not necessarily secret, just possibly of…more
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The New Dark Age 