10 April 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Soldiers Invade, Uproot, Farmlands in Khan Younis
IMEMC – Wednesday morning April 10, 2013, several armored Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers invaded Palestinian farmland east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. …
Israel demolishes shelters near Hebron
4/10/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli bulldozers on Tuesday demolished shelters and a water well in the al-Duryat area east of Yatta, saying the area was a closed military zone. A local committee called on international institutions to intervene and stop the Israeli assaults. Separately, in the Jericho area, Israeli forces told eight families in Ein….
Israel re-arrests hunger striker released last year
4/10/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces re-arrested former hunger striker Thaer Halahla in Ramallah early Wednesday, locals said. Israeli soldiers raided Halahla’s home and a neighboring residence in Ramallah, damaging the contents of his home and confiscating his mobile phone, witnesses told Ma’an. His wife Shirin Halahla passed out during the….
Israel detains 22 in West Bank arrest raids
4/10/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested 22 people in the West Bank overnight Tuesday, Israel’s army and locals said. In Nablus, Bahiq Darwaza, 20, and Hakam al-Risheh, 19, were arrested by Israeli troops, witnesses told Ma’an. Omar al-Dein al-Jabari, 24, was arrested in Hebron and Amjad al-Titi was detained in….
Minister: Prisoners set April 17 deadline to release Issawi
4/10/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Detainees have set a deadline of April 17, Palestinian Prisoners Day, for the release of long-term hunger striker Samer Issawi, the prisoners minister said Wednesday. Issa Qaraqe said prisoners sent a letter to the Ministry of Detainee Affairs demanding the release of Issawi, who has been on hunger strike since August….
3 injured in clashes with Israeli forces in Bethlehem
4/10/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Three people were injured Wednesday in clashes with Israeli forces in Bethlehem. A foreign activist was hit in the leg by a rubber-coated steel bullet near Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, a Ma’an reporter said. South of the city, in al-Khader, a Palestinian was shot by a rubber bullet….
Israel releases 10-year-old boy from prison custody
4/10/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A ten-year-old boy was released from Israeli prison custody on Tuesday after Palestinian liaison officials contacted their Israeli counterparts, a statement said. Yousef Abu Ramadan was arrested by Israeli soldiers north of Jerusalem for allegedly throwing stones. [END]
1,000 trucks waiting to enter Gaza as border remains closed
4/10/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel is holding up 1,000 truckloads of goods at the border of the Gaza Strip, the popular committee against the siege said Wednesday. Israel has closed the Kerem Shalom border, used to transport goods into Gaza, since Monday. It is the sole goods crossing into the enclave as the Rafah…. Related: UN ‘concerned’ over Gaza border closure
Israeli forces summon Yatta committee coordinator for questioning
4/10/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces summoned a popular committee official in Yatta for questioning on Wednesday, a Ma’an reporter said. Coordinator of the popular committee against settlements in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, was issued a summons order by Israeli forces in a dawn raid on his home. [END]
Group: Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinians in Jerusalem
4/10/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a local group said. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a statement that Thaer al-Abasi, 22, Muhammad Oweis, 23, and Majd Oweis, 29, were arrested in the neighborhoods of Silwan and Ras al-Amoud. Another unidentified man was arrested during a sit-in….
Detainee shot at Tulkarem checkpoint undergoes surgery
4/10/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an)– Israeli authorities on Wednesday hospitalized a detainee who was shot before his arrest in Tulkarem, the ministry for prisoners said. Fadi Abdul Qader, 20, was shot in the hand when Israeli forces opened fire at a group of Palestinians by a checkpoint in Tulkarem on April 3. Israeli forces fatally shot….
Witnesses: Israeli police detain woman, 57, in Jerusalem
4/10/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police on Wednesday arrested a 57-year-old woman trying to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, witnesses said. Aida Sidawi quarreled with police after they stopped her entering the compound and pushed her, witnesses told Ma’an. Sidawi, whose ban from the compound was recently lifted, was accused….
110 Palestinian families flee Syria to Gaza
4/10/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — At least 110 Palestinian families have fled Syria to the Gaza Strip, a refugee affairs official in Gaza said Wednesday. Issam al-Adwan, who heads the Hamas government’s refugee affairs department, said a growing number of Palestinian refugees were arriving in Gaza to escape the two-year conflict in Syria….
Israel police to block women activists from holy site
4/10/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli police said they will stop a group of Jewish women activists who plan on Thursday to defy a ban on women praying aloud at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that under a 2003 court order, the women would be restricted to praying a….
Visiting Qatar artist opens exhibition in Bethlehem
4/10/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Qatari plastics artist Fatima al-Shibani opened an artistic exhibition on Thursday at Dar Al-Nadwa School in Bethlehem, funded by the Palestinian-Qatari friendship organization. Palestinian culture minister Siham al-Barghouthi attended the exhibition, participating in the opening session with media and prominent community leaders from Bethlehem. In a statement, the minister welcomed the….
Israel: Morocco MPs refused entry as had no visas
4/10/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel on Wednesday defended a decision to turn away two Moroccan MPs trying to enter the West Bank from Jordan earlier this week saying they did not have entry visas.” Every Moroccan citizen, whether or not they are part of a delegation, needs a visa to enter the West Bank via Israel,” foreign….
Haniyeh confirms commitment to freeing prisoners
4/10/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday confirmed his government’s commitment to securing the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails. Haniyeh’s remarks were made during a visit to the home of Ibrahim Baroud, who was released to Gaza on Monday after spending 27 years in Israeli jails….
Survey: Palestinian support for Gaza rocket attacks falls
4/10/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Palestinian support for rocket fire by Gaza militants on southern Israel has fallen sharply over the past four months, according to a survey published on Wednesday.” Support for firing locally-made rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli regions has dropped,” a poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center said, indicating it had….
Palestinian citizen of Israel indicted for joining Syria rebels
4/10/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — A Palestinian citizen of Israel was indicted on Wednesday for contact with an enemy agent after he went to Syria and joined rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad, security officials said. Hikmat Massarwa, from Taibe village in Galilee, was also charged at Lod District Court with undergoing military training and for….
Report: Israeli intelligence recommends release of pre-Oslo prisoners
4/10/2013 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli intelligence services advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release dozens of Palestinians detained before the Oslo Accords, Israeli media reported Wednesday. The Hebrew-language daily Maariv reported that security services advised Netanyahu that the prisoners detained before 1993 did not pose a security risk to Israel. Some 123 Palestinians….
Egypt detains 4 ‘trying to smuggle maps, arms into Gaza’
4/10/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian border guards on Wednesday detained four people suspected of planning to smuggle weapons and blueprints of Egyptian security buildings into the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian security official said.” We have captured four people near Rafah crossing (on the Egypt-Gaza border). They were attempting to smuggle blueprints and designs for….
UN ‘concerned’ over Gaza border closure
4/10/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The UN humanitarian coordinator on Wednesday warned that Israel’s increased restrictions on the Gaza Strip will seriously effect the civilian population. Israel closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings on Monday after militants fired a rocket into southern Israel. After rocket fire in March, Israel reduced the fishing limit…. Related: 1,000 trucks waiting to enter Gaza as border remains closed
Bethlehem hairstylist wins West Bank competition
4/10/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A hairdresser from Bethlehem on Monday was named hair stylist of the year in a competition in Nablus. Nader Estiphan, 23, from Nader’s Saloon in Beit Jala, competed against 30 hairstylists from across the West Bank.” It was a free show for hairdressers to choose what they want to….
IPS: Palestinian detained for murdering wife dies in Israeli hospital
4/10/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian criminal prisoner died in an Israeli hospital on Wednesday after a long illness, the Israeli Prison Service said. Ali Qaadan was detained for murdering his wife and diedat the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prison Services spokeswoman Sivan Weizman told Ma’an, adding that he had….
Strong quake near Iran nuclear plant kills 30
4/10/2013 – TEHRAN (AFP) — A powerful earthquake struck near Iran’s Gulf port city of Bushehr, killing at least 30 people and injuring 800 but leaving Iran’s only nuclear power plant intact, officials said. Shocks from the quake were felt across the Gulf in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, provoking panic….
Jordan opens second camp for Syria refugees
4/10/2013 – AMMAN (AFP) — Jordan opened a second camp for Syrian refugees on Wednesday after the United Nations said the number seeking shelter in the kingdom is expected to triple by the end of the year. A first group of 106 refugees, who were among 1,306 who crossed the border during the night, were moved to the….
Syrian rebels appeal to Kerry for weapons
4/10/2013 – LONDON (AFP) — Syrian opposition leaders renewed their appeals for arms at a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday, but a top jihadist group’s pledge of loyalty to Al-Qaeda deepened Western concerns that weapons could fall into the wrong hands. Kerry and other G8 foreign ministers held talks with members….
Relatives of Lebanese hostages ‘hunt down’ Syrians
4/10/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — A big black X has been painted on the doors of dozens of Syrian-run shops in Beirut’s southern suburb, a bastion of Shiite Damascus regime ally Hezbollah. The marks have an ominous message: “Do not open for business.” They have been daubed on the doors by relatives of nine Lebanese Shiites….
Syria’s Al-Nusra pledges allegiance to Al-Qaeda
4/10/2013 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — The head of Syria’s jihadist Al-Nusra Front pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on Wednesday, but distanced his group from claims it has merged with Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Nusra’s announcement is likely to bolster assertions by President Bashar Assad’s regime that it is fighting “terrorists” who….
Kerry promises to help Palestinian economy
AlJazeera 9 Apr 2013 – US secretary of state expresses optimism after round of talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah, but offers few specifics.
Report: Kidney Patients Face Death in Gaza
Palestine News Network
The Massacre of Deir Yassin: Atrocity, Displacement and Impunity
Palestine News Network
Israeli Forces Arrest 19 Palestinians in West Bank, Jerusalem
Palestine News Network
Israel Prevents Entry of Products into Gaza
Palestine News Network
38 Children Died from Landmines Since 1967, said Ministry
Palestine News Network
WikiLeaks: US Blamed Israel for Holding Back Peace in 1975
Palestine News Network
Israel Re-arrests Former Hunger Striking Prisoner Halahleh
Palestine News Network
Urgent Call from Issawi’s Mother to John Kerry
Palestine News Network
Poll: Overwhelming Majority Calls for Reconciliation Even if Met with US-Israeli Sanctions
Palestine News Network
Weather Forecast: Partially Cloudy with Rise in Temperature
Palestine News Network
The CEC Completes the Final Voters’ Registry
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Academics, Teachers and Writers Welcome TUI Boycott Israel Call
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
“Everything we owned was destroyed in the attack.”
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR holds workshop: ‘The impact of the removal of dwellings from government-owned land on the right to adequate housing…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PNGO and Palestinian human rights organisations call for end to application of Education Law, halt to the enactment of u…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Youth Against Settlements Co-ordinator Issa Amro arrested
4/10/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 10th of April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – The co-ordinator of Youth Against Settlements Issa Amro was arrested yesterday at the Qiryat Araba settlement in Hebron. He was summoned to the police station at which point he was interrogated and arrested. He is being charged with “Incitement of terrorism” and…. Related: Israeli forces summon Yatta committee coordinator for questioning
occupied Palestinian territory: Israeli restrictions undermine livelihoods of vulnerable families in Gaza: UN official
Relief Web 10 Apr 2013 – Source: UN Radio Country: occupied Palestinian territory Listen Recent restrictions imposed by Israel on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza are undermining the livelihoods and rights of many vulnerable people in the territory. This warning has…
occupied Palestinian territory: UK aid to help Palestinian businesses break into new regional and international markets, in a drive to boost economic growth
Relief Web 10 Apr 2013 – Source: Department for International Development Country: occupied Palestinian territory, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The UK is to help Palestinian businesses break in to new regional and international markets in a drive to boost economic growth, International…
occupied Palestinian territory: Narratives: “Everything we owned was destroyed in the attack.”
Relief Web 10 Apr 2013 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory During the recent Israeli offensive, ‘Operation Pillar of Defence’ (14 – 21 November 2012), Israeli forces attacked streets, family homes, and civilian buildings in densely populated areas, causing injuries and…
occupied Palestinian territory: 40 years supporting Palestinian children
Relief Web 10 Apr 2013 – Source: Terre des hommes Country: occupied Palestinian territory Terre des hommes has been present in the Palestinian territories since 1973. This was the year of the Arab-Israeli Kippur war during which Syrian and Egyptian troops tried to reclaim the territory…
Syria rebel chief Al Khatib urges rejection of Al Qaeda
The National 10 Apr 2013 – As merger between Syrian rebel group and Iraq Al Qaeda affiliate are made public, opposition leaders are distancing themselves from radical Islamists. Phil Sands reports
Ousted Yemen president Saleh’s son named UAE envoy
The National 10 Apr 2013 – Yemeni president Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has named the eldest son of ousted dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh as the country’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Emirates flight makes emergency Saudi landing after passenger death
The National 10 Apr 2013 – The airline confirmed that the Dubai-Ghana flight had to land in Riyadh when one of its passengers died onboard.
Frog-phobic man awarded $1.6m over runoff flooding
The National 10 Apr 2013 – Paul Marinaccio traces his fear of frogs to a childhood incident in Italy when a man holding bullfrogs chased him away after he’d wandered from the vineyard where his parents worked.
Qatar helps Egypt stave off IMF loan
The National 10 Apr 2013 – The move reinforces Qatar’s standing as a supporter of Islamists in the Middle East. Elizabeth Dickinson reports
UAE-funded camp for Syrian refugees opens in Jordan
The National 10 Apr 2013 – UAE foots the bill for shelter that can house up to 25,000 people.
Sheikh Abdullah attends disarmament conference in The Hague
The National 10 Apr 2013 – The UAE has joined the seven other members of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative to call for the ban of the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
Iran to build more nuclear reactors in Bushehr quake zone
The National 10 Apr 2013 – Iran announces plans to build more nuclear reactors in quake-prone coastal area that is closer to its Arabian Gulf neighbours than Tehran, a day after a 6.3-magnitude tremor strikes near the area. Michael Theodoulou reports
Education Ministry looking to take the stress out of standardized tests
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Haredi draft could undermine opportunity for women, says Brig. Gen.
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Canadian FM breaks taboo against meeting Israelis in East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Israeli MK proposes: People leaving Haredi world should get same benefits as new immigrants
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
An Israeli winter: Early rains evaporate after two dry months
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Harassment, rigged tenders, and threesomes at Israel’s Transportation Ministry
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Netanyahu to attend funeral of ‘staunch friend’ Margaret Thatcher
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Six Israelis killed, 15 hurt in traffic accident near Haifa
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Tel Aviv court says social protester Daphni Leef’s indictment should be quashed
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Five Israeli youths arrested for beating men they assumed were African migrants
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Israel charges Arab citizen who confessed to training with Syrian rebels
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Women of the Wall urge Jerusalem police to refrain from arrests at upcoming service
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner calls on Israelis to push for his release
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Turkey PM delays Gaza trip after U.S. warns it may harm reconciliation with Israel
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Paper trail of Israel’s history goes online ahead of Independence Day
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
Israeli ministers take on challenge of devising historic ultra-Orthodox draft and integration plan
Ha’aretz – 10 Apr 2013
NGO report accuses Israel of ‘water apartheid’
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Israel Water Authority dismisses NGO’s claims as ‘political weapon,’; says Palestinians breaching water agreement.
Ashrawi linked NGO apologizes for blood libel claim
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – In response to affair, Abraham Foxman, national director of the ADL said, “Funders need to be vigilant about the groups they fund, and require accountability.”
Women of Wall react to Sharansky proposal
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Mughrabi Bridge to remain in place in Jewish Agency head’s plan; women’s group hopeful of “major advancement of pluralism.”
Community service for cop assault on boy
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Border policeman avoids jail for attack of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy in Hebron; cop attacks boy near Tomb of Patriarchs.
Bomb targeting Hezbollah found in Beirut
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Bomb was safely disposed of; had al-Qaida linked group al-Nusra’s signature with anti-Hezbollah, anti-Syria statements.
Shabbat closure of J’lem’s cinema sparks protest
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – ‘This is a fight for religious freedom, not a fight against the haredim,’ says Awakening in Jerusalem vice chairman.
Palestinian prisoner dies in Tel Aviv hospital
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – E. Jerusalem resident serving life sentence for murdering spouse dies in Ichilov after suffering from infectious disease, IPS says.
Clinton: J’lem can be most visited place on earth
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Clinton said that if peace can be achieved, J’lem could become the most visited destination on the globe.
NII head: Israel must lower high poverty rate
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Mor-Yosef highlighted the low employment rate among haredi men and Arab women.
Irish boycott
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Anti-Israel obsession inexplicably permeates very distant societies, divorced from our reality.
Netanyahu’s challenge
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – The leading party in the current coalition, Likud Beytenu, has a near monopoly on matters of high politics.
April 11: ‘St. Louis’ truth
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – The question as to who gave the order to turn the St. Louis back to Europe is answered in the Roosevelt Library Archive in Hyde Park, New York.
Kerry’s quest: Who really wants peace?
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – What was John Kerry thinking when he asked Turkey’s anti-Jewish prime minister to be “a partner”?
Our ‘peace letter’ and why we said it
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – PM should join forces with Kerry to devise ‘confidence building steps.’
Media Comment: Past and future in our media
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Our founding fathers arranged for the memorial days and Independence Day to be so close to each other.
PM to attend Margaret Thatcher’s funeral in London
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – The former British prime minister’s family invited Netanyahu to attend the funeral of Israel’s staunch ally.
Encountering Peace: We know how to make peace
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – The response in Israel and Palestine to Kerry’s words from politicians, pundits and journalists seems so cynical.
The trigger and the poison pill
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Is a bipartisan immigration deal at hand?
Margaret Thatcher’s achievements
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – She had core beliefs which she adhered to without compromise.
New Palestinian museum ‘safe place for unsafe ideas’
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Palestinians seek to preserve their history through West Bank museum that hat will use the tools of history to come out with a modern dialogue.
Hamas, Fatah renew efforts for Palestinian unity
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Despite tension, Hamas and Fatah officials meet in Cairo to discuss implementation of previous reconciliation agreements.
Poll: Hamas continues to lose popularity among Palestinians
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Support for firing rockets from Gaza into Israel has dropped sharply, from 74% in December 2012, to 38% now, survey conducted by Jerusalem Media and Communications Center shows; 80% back non-violent “resistance” against Israel.
Poll: Hamas loses popularity among Palestinians
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Support for firing rockets from Gaza into Israel has dropped sharply, from 74% in December 2012, to 38% now, survey conducted by Jerusalem Media and Communications Center shows; 80% back non-violent “resistance” against Israel.
Neo-Nazi network uncovered in German prisons
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Among names on network’s address list is woman who goes on trial next week accused of a series of racially motivated murders.
Meet the Shalva Superheroes!
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Shalva, the Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel, has teamed up with Jpost.com on its comic starring The Uniques – a very special group of superheroes.
It’s not about the peace process, but about peace
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – When peace is a value we neither fear trust-building measures nor preconditions, as long as they are in line with our principles.
Syrian Rebel group pledges loyalty to al-Qaida
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Nusra Front claims official connection with al-Qaida, distances itself from Iraqi group.
Truck strikes eight cars in Haifa, killing six
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Truck driving downhill strikes a number of cars and pedestrians before flipping over and catching fire.
‘S. Africa to tone down settlement product labels’
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Trade Ministry agrees to change legislation to label settlement goods with less “politically charged and biased language.”
Kotel rabbi ‘can live with’ egalitarian prayer site
Jerusalem Post 10 Apr 2013 – Rabbi Rabinowitz says plans for Kotel are not ideal, but a solution nonetheless; Women of the Wall: This change will make history.
Western Wall plan unveiled to resolve 24-year-old prayer rights dispute
The Guardian 10 Apr 2013 – Natan Sharansky calls for plaza to include area for mixed public, while retaining the segregated sections for orthodox worshippers The Western Wall, the most sacred site in the Jewish faith, could be split into three equal…
Top Secret Intelligence Reports Show Obama’s Drones Aren’t Only Deployed Against Al Qaeda Leaders
Uruknet
PHOTOS: Israeli troops shoot Palestinian photographer in the face
Uruknet
Why Would Anyone Celebrate the Death of Margaret Thatcher? Ask a Chilean
Uruknet
Samer Issawi’s ‘hunger speech’ to Israelis
Uruknet
Margaret Thatcher: A Tarnished Legacy We Should Not Forget
Uruknet
US Now Naming Force-Fed Guantanamo Prisoners
Uruknet
Blood Money, Kill Lists, Favors for Favors: Deep Inside the CIA’s Targeted Killings
Uruknet
Ten Years On…
Uruknet
Settlers set fire to olive trees near Hebron
Uruknet
Egypt : Presidency statement blames Copts for clashes
Uruknet
Obama’s budget avoids big cuts in US military spending
Daily Star 10 Apr 2013 The Pentagon laid out a budget plan Wednesday that holds military spending steady next year without taking into account the cost of the war in Afghanistan or looming automatic budget cuts.
Qatar throws Egypt $3 bln lifeline amid IMF talks
Daily Star 10 Apr 2013 Gas-rich Qatar threw Egypt another unconditional financial lifeline on Wednesday as the Arab world’s most populous nation struggles to secure an IMF loan to ease its deepening economic crisis.
Qatar, Libya give Egypt $5 bln boost amid IMF talks
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – ….
Iraq inspects 3rd Iranian plane to Syria this week
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – ….
Palestinian Poll: Major drop in support for rocket fire, Hamas
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Survey conducted by Palestinian think tank in West Bank, Gaza reveals drop in support for ‘violent resistance’, support for Hamas ….
UN: Israel’s Gaza restrictions hitting food stocks
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – ….
Israel: State archives show early years of Israel
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – In honor of 65th Independence Day, State archives digitized, go online with tales of Israel’s early years ….
US offers to help Iran after deadly quake
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – ….
Haifa collision truck driver: ‘My brakes were gone’
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – ….
Egypt’s Morsi withdraws complaints against media
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – President orders withdrawal of complaints against journalists ‘out of respect for freedom of expression, press’ ….
Excuse us for existing
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Op-ed: ‘Palestinian’ is always poor, accusing side; Israel’s job is to take it in stride, practice restraint ….
Report: ‘Egyptian army tortured, killed protesters during revolution’
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – The Guardian has reported committee formed by Morsi found army forces – including highest commanders – involved in serious human rights violations during uprising ….
Taibe resident indicted after he joins Syrian rebels
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Indictment against 29-year-old Hakmat Matzrawa from Taibe describes how he joined a group of rebels fighting Assad. Shin Bet claims rebels questioned him about IDF, Dimona reactor ….
Syrian rebels swear fealty to Qaeda’s Zawahri
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Syria’s rebel al-Nusra Front formally pledges allegiance to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri ….
Cabinet ready to do battle over budget cuts
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Finance Minister Lapid facing cabinet ire over plans to implement significant cuts in various ministry budgets ….
Haifa: Mass casualties in multiple vehicle collision
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – 6 dead, at least 18 wounded when truck crashes into several vehicles on major Haifa road ….
Neo-Nazis established network inside German jails
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Authorities tighten security after discovering neo-Nazi network that organized financial help for far-right convicts inside prisons ….
Future is in Jericho
YNet News, 10 Apr 2013 – Op-ed: UK envoy in Israel explains why his country invests so much in training Palestinian security forces ….
Bahrain 1st Arab country to blacklist Hezbollah as terror group
YNet News, 9 Apr 2013 – Sunni-ruled Gulf state says Lebanese Shiite movement ‘instigating violence against the government’ ….
Egypt’s Christian pope blasts Islamist president
YNet News, 9 Apr 2013 – Pope Tawadros II says recent attack on St. Mark Cathedral in central Cairo ‘breaching all the red lines’; claims Morsi promised to protect it ….
IOF kidnap Thaer Halahela once again
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Wednesday re-kidnapped ex-detainee Thaer Halahela from his home in Ramallah city after beating him severely.
PPS warns of seriousness of health status of prisoners Houchiya and Farroukh
PIC – PPS held the Israeli government full responsibility for the life of patient prisoner Mahmoud Houchiya, who suffers from difficult health conditions due to the prison administration’s medical neglect.
IOA re-opens interrogation center in 1948-occupied territories
PIC – Human rights organization concerned with the Palestinian prisoners’ affairs revealed that the IOA had re-opened the Petah Tikva interrogation center, which had been closed for maintenance.
Haneyya’s adviser criticizes excluding diaspora from updating electoral register
PIC – Issa Nashar, an adviser to Gaza Premier for the civil institutions’ affairs, criticized limiting work of Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) to the West Bank and Gaza.
IOF detains 20 Palestinians in West Bank raids
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested on Wednesday 20 Palestinians from different parts of the West Bank.
Israeli plan to expand the Buraq Wall plaza
PIC – Hebrew newspaper Yediot Ahronot revealed on Wednesday a new scheme that aims to expand the area of the Buraq Wall, adjacent to Al-Aqsa mosque.
IOF kidnap three citizens in Abu Dis
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday kidnapped three Palestinian citizens from the street near the entrance of Al-Quds university in Abu Dis town east of occupied Jerusalem.
Haneyya visits liberated prisoner Ibrahim Baroud
PIC – Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya visited on Wednesday the liberated prisoner Ibrahim Baroud to congratulate him on his release, saying that his determination had achieved victory over the occupation.
IOF soldiers arrest injured teen, assault ambulance crew in Bethlehem
PIC – Violent clashes broke out on Tuesday evening in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem between Palestinian youths and Israeli occupation forces, wounding two young men one of them was arrested by IOF.
IOA prevents the entry of 1000 trucks carrying goods into Gaza
PIC – The IOA continued to close Karm Abu Salem crossing for the third day in a row, preventing the entry of nearly one thousand trucks carrying goods into Gaza Strip, the Popular Committee said.
Confrontations Erupt near Bethlehem
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Abbas to Visit Kuwait on Monday
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Israel to Demolish House near Hebron
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Rights Group says Israeli Military Court Allows Torture
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Settlers Attack Palestinian Land in Hebron
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Deir Yassin Massacre 65 Years Later, Perpetrators Still Enjoy Impunity
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Poll: Majority for Reconciliation Even if Met with Sanctions
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Israeli Forces Arrest 19 Palestinians in West Bank, Jerusalem
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Israeli Authorities Prevent Entry of Products into Gaza
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Elections Commission Completes Voter Registry
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Israel Re-arrests Former Hunger Striking Prisoner
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Newspapers Review: Kerry’s Visit Continues to Dominate Headlines
WAFA – 10 Apr 2013
Intrigue swirls as Iran prepares to choose next president
LA Times 10 Apr 2013 – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been transformed into a kind of renegade, and his preferred successor, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, has been compared to Rasputin. TEHRAN — The reform movement that took to the streets to protest alleged vote-rigging in Iran’s last presidential election has been crushed….
IHT Special: Sisters in Arms Join the Fighting in Syria
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – Women are taking an increasingly active role in the conflict, on both sides.
IHT Special: Libya Looks to Spain as Model for State-Building
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – A dozen Libyans from grassroots, pro-democracy groups attended sessions in Madrid this month on Spain’s post-dictatorial transition to democracy.
IHT Special: Morocco Slow to Enforce Laws on Women’s Rights
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – Conservative judges in Morocco have been finding ways around Morocco’s liberalized code of family law, which gave women more rights regarding divorce, polygamy and the age of marriage.
The Lede: Leaked Report to Egypt’s President Implicates Army in Torture and Killing of Civilians
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – The document, which is in Arabic, cites specific cases of civilian disappearances, torture and death at the hands of Egypt’s military.
Genel Energy Makes Oil Find in Kurdistan
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – Genel said its first well at Chia Surkh was producing almost 12,000 barrels of oil per day.
Amar’e Stoudemire to Revisit Israel as a Maccabi Coach
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – Amar’e Stoudemire, who took a much-publicized trip to Israel in 2010, will return this summer as an assistant coach for Canada in the Maccabiah Games.
Arab Israeli Man Accused of Joining Syrian Rebels
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – Israel’s internal security agency charged Hikmat Massarwa with crimes including contact with a foreign agent after he traveled to Syria to fight alongside the rebels.
At War Blog: 10 Mistakes of the Iraq War
New York Times 10 Apr 2013 – An interview with Colonel Ted Spain, who was deployed to Iraq as the commander of the 18th Military Police Brigade.
Shaniv Paper signs $16m gas deal with Tamar
Globes Energy & Water – The Ofakim plant is the first mid-sized manufacturer to sign a gas deal, opening the way for more contracts.
Cyprus wants Tamar gas
Globes Energy & Water – Cypriot Industry Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis also said that linking the Tamar field to Cyprus was the best way to export Israeli gas.
Lapid opposes Israel Chemicals sale to Potash
Globes Main News – Minister of Finance Yair Lapid says he will conduct a militant policy to preserve the natural treasures of the State of Israel.
Leumi to set up NIS 1b small business fund
Globes Main News – Israel has 500,000 small businesses, accounting for 45% of the country’s private sector product.
Wed: Telcos continue to buoy market
Globes Main News – Cellcom, Partner and Bezeq again lifted the market while Israel Corp. and Israel Chemicals fell sharply over Zim and Potash merger uncertainties.
Mellanox CEO 2012 earnings set to reach $6m
Globes Main News – The Mellanox chairman and CEO received $4.9 million in restricted stock units, a salary of $450,000, and shareholders must approve a $470,000 bonus.
Dalia Itzik joins Rami Levy board
Globes Main News – Itzik will receive compensation of NIS 100,000 a year in her new job.
Lapid has to work with officialdom
Globes Macro Economics – The desire to change is admirable, but it won’t happen with insults and blame laying.
Kinneret rises despite February-March dry spell
Globes Macro Economics – The Kinneret water level rose by 23 centimeters during March to 209.95 meters below sea level.
IAI unveils tactical communications intelligence system
Globes Aerospace & Defense – The new High Accuracy Geo-Location system allows operational combat units to perform on-the-move real-time interception as well as geo-location of hostile force communications.
Combatants for Peace Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony
Tikun Olam – One of Israel’s leading peace activist NGO, Combatants for Peace, holds a joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony every year. This year’s event will happen on April 14th in Tel Aviv. Below is a flyer for the event. It is important because it presents an alternative to…
Rabbi Brant Rosen in Seattle
Tikun Olam – Related Posts Michael Oren to Rally Seattle Jews at “Private Event” Open to Local Jews Port of Seattle Brings Back Christmas Trees, Refuses Menorah Seattle Federation Attack: Pam Waechter Funeral Today Seattle I-97 Divestment Campaign Against Israeli Occupation Zemanta
Two Life Terms for American-Jewish Terrorist, Jack Teitel
Tikun Olam – Jack Teitel, Jewish terrorist, dons tallit, Jewish ritual prayer shawl (Emil Salman) Jack Teitel, the ‘flower’ of American Jewry, has received two life sentence from an Israeli court for his acts of terror against Palestinians, Christian missionaries, gays, Israeli leftists, and even the Israeli police. This…
Last of Warsaw Ghetto Survivors Calls for Rebellion Against Israeli Occupation
Tikun Olam – Chavka delivered her speech on Yom Ha’Shoah On Yom Ha-Shoah, one of the few remaining living survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto, Chavka Fulman-Raban, delivered a fierce denunciation of evil and injustice, including the Israeli Occupation. Her speech was offered to guests at the ceremony of Beit…
Forget SodaStream, help Palestinian workers by boycotting settlements and ending the occupation
Mondoweiss – I’ve heard this already a couple times on my book tour: “Hey, we shouldn’t boycott settlement goods. It’ll hurt job prospects for Palestinians!” To me this sounds exactly like a white Afrikaaner saying, “Hey, if you try to end Apartheid, it’ll hurt the black people we’re…
Fear of democracy in the Jewish community
Mondoweiss – Last week a number of Jewish groups staged a historic debate inside a New York synagogue of the question, Can a Jewish state be democratic? Alex Kane reported on the discussion last week , but I wanted to convey my impressions. The actual business of the debate…
Call to Action: Join Addameer’s global end administrative detention campaign
Mondoweiss – 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,…
What we talk about when we talk about violent resistance–a funeral in Hebron and the 21-gun salute
Mondoweiss – Masked gunmen with al-Aqsa Brigades prepare for a 21-gun salute at the funeral of Palestinian prisoner Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh in Hebron on Thursday, April 4, 2013. (Photo: Allison Deger/Mondoweiss) Without broadcasting defeat, Palestinian armed resistance in the West Bank ended as a tactic a decade ago,…
Former Palestinian hunger striker Thaer Halahleh re-arrested by Israeli military forces
Mondoweiss – Thaer Halahleh This morning, Israeli forces abducted 33 year old former Palestinian Hunger Striker Thaer Halahleh for the 8th time. He is being held without charge. Image by Arabs48 Thus far Halahleh has never been charged with a crime, he is being imprisoned by Israel under…
Yeshiva Demonstration Against Jimmy Carter Honor Fizzles at Cardozo
The Foward Breaking News 10 Apr 2013 – A planned protest of former President Jimmy Carter’s appearance at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law fizzled as he came to accept an award at the downtown Manhattan campus. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Arab Charged for Joining Syria Rebels
The Foward Breaking News 10 Apr 2013 – Israel charged a member of its Arab minority on Wednesday with security offences for joining the Syrian insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, saying he had associated with radical Islamist fighters. Click here for the rest of the article…
Benjamin Netanyahu Faces Political Risks With Plan for Western Wall
The Foward Breaking News 10 Apr 2013 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to consider liberalising access to Judaism’s Western Wall, officials said on Wednesday, citing concern that police-enforced Orthodox controls on women worshippers alienate Jews abroad. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: U.S.$3 Billion for Electricity Linkage Between Egypt, Saudi Arabia
allAfrica.com 10 Apr 2013 – [Egypt Online]Sources at the electricity sector said that agreements for electricity linkage between Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to be signed within a month after the Saudi Cabinet agreed on Tuesday 9/4/2013 on completing the project for its important for both countries.
Egypt: Egypt Asserts Full Support for Palestinian Rights
allAfrica.com 10 Apr 2013 – [Egypt Online]Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr on Tuesday 9/4/2013 asserted Egypt’s full support for the inalienable Palestinian rights.
Egypt: Brotherhood’s Erian Blames ElBaradei for Iraq War
allAfrica.com 10 Apr 2013 – [Aswat Masriya]Deputy of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Essam al-Erian, holds Nobel Laureate and opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei accountable for the 2003 U.S. war on Iraq.
Syria air strikes ‘target civilians’
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – Syrian government forces are targeting civilians in opposition strongholds with air strikes, warns Human Rights Watch in a new report.
Egypt army ‘linked to 2011 killings’
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – The Egyptian army participated in torture and killings during the 2011 revolution, a report leaked to a British newspaper appears to show.
Women seek more Western Wall rights
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – Access to Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, could be liberalised in a bid to placate women protesters.
Syrian rebels in al-Qaeda pledge
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – The leader of the al-Nusra Front, one of the main jihadist groups fighting in Syria, pledges allegiance to the chief of al-Qaeda.
Shipping Death and Destruction to Syria
Al-Akhbar Blogs 10 Apr 2013 – “The weapons of choice in (today’s) new conflicts are not big-ticket items like long-range missiles, tanks, and fighter planes, but small and frighteningly accessible weapons ranging from handguns, carbines, and assault rifles on up to machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and shoulder-fired missiles,” explained William Hartung more…
Anti-Syrian Racism in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs
Al-Akhbar News 10 Apr 2013 – A boy who works as a car mechanic poses for a picture in the northern Syrian city of Azaz on 10 April 2013. (AFP – Dimitar Dilkoff) A boy who works as a car mechanic poses for a picture in the northern Syrian city of Azaz…
Jordan opens up second Syrian refugee camp
Al-Akhbar News 10 Apr 2013 – Syrian refugees are seen as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres visits Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria on 13 March 2013. (Photo: Reuters – Muhammad Hamed) Struggling to cope with the influx of Syrian refugees,…
Lebanon: Syrian Refugees Living in Risky Conditions
Al-Akhbar News 10 Apr 2013 – A Syrian boy from the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo stands at a school being used as a refugee camp in the northern town of Afrin on 9 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – Dimitar Dilkoff) A Syrian boy from the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo stands…
Guatemala formally recognizes Palestinian state
Al-Akhbar News 10 Apr 2013 – Guatemala has recognized Palestine as a sovereign state in the belief that this will help foster peace in the Middle East, the president’s office announced Tuesday. Guatemala “has decided to join the vast majority of Latin American and Caribbean countries and recognize the State of Palestine,…
Bahrain arrests 20 activists ahead of Grand Prix race
Al-Akhbar News 10 Apr 2013 – Bahraini women hold placards in solidarity with jailed political activists and against the upcoming Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix which will take in Manama on April 21, during a protest in Sanabis, west of Manama, on 9 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed al-Shaikh) Human Rights…
Tammam Salam Interview: I Am Your Savior, Maybe
Al-Akhbar Politics 9 Apr 2013 – Lebanon’s newly named Prime Minister Tammam Salam is equiped before an interview following his official appointment, on 6 April 2013 at his home in the Lebanese capital Beirut. (Photo: AFP – Anwar Amro) Lebanon’s newly named Prime Minister Tammam Salam is equiped before an interview following…
Palestine: Inside Samer al-Issawi’s Home
Al-Akhbar Politics 9 Apr 2013 – Young Palestinian protesters hold portraits of Samer Issawi, a Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days, during a solidarity sit-in outside the Red Cross offices in Jerusalem on 14 March 2013. (Photo: AFP – Ahmad Ghatabli) Young Palestinian protesters…
Syria air strikes ‘target civilians’
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – Syrian government forces are targeting civilians in opposition strongholds with air strikes, warns Human Rights Watch in a new report.
Egypt army ‘linked to 2011 killings’
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – The Egyptian army participated in torture and killings during the 2011 revolution, a report leaked to a British newspaper appears to show.
Women seek more Western Wall rights
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – Access to Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, could be liberalised in a bid to placate women protesters.
Elite Yemen unit commander ‘removed’
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi removes an elite army commander, state TV says, in a move seen as extending his control over the army.
Syrian rebels in al-Qaeda pledge
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – The leader of the al-Nusra Front, one of the main jihadist groups fighting in Syria, pledges allegiance to the chief of al-Qaeda.
Iran rocked by quake aftershocks
BBC 10 Apr 2013 – More than 80 aftershocks hit south-west Iran following Tuesday’s earthquake, which killed at least 37 people and injured 850.
Articles
The system in place
Sandy Tolan, Al Jazeera.com 4/8/2013
The arrest of acclaimed musician, Oday Khatib, sheds light on Israel’s draconian system of arrest and detention.
Imagine being confined to a small sliver of land, in plain view of a wider homeland that you cannot touch. Your house is in a refugee camp, surrounded by fine red-roofed homes built by and for strangers who seized your territory without warning or permission.
The strangers, perched on hills that make it possible for them to spy into your home, are protected by one of the world’s most powerful armies, with its tanks, rockets and helicopter gunships supplied by the top military power on earth. The soldiers tightly restrict your movements through your own territory.
They subject your family to random searches at military posts along the road, where you are forced to submit your documents and sometimes to strip down to your underwear. At night, without warning, the army may enter your home and take your teen-aged children. In fact, they often do.
Once you finally find out where they are, they may or may not face any charges. If they are not charged, the military courts can hold them there indefinitely. If they are, the chances they will be found innocent are 1 in 400.
Imagine that you lived in such place, in a land you had long dreamt would be your own sovereign country, but which is now cut up into tiny enclaves that keep you thus confined. What would you do?
If you chose to resist, how would you do so? more.. e-mail
Inverse hasbara: How ’5 Broken Cameras’ changed Palestinians’ attitude toward nonviolence
Amira Hass, Haaretz, MIFTAH 4/9/2013
The Palestinian security prisoners incarcerated in Hadarim Prison in Even Yehuda recently had the opportunity to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary “5 Broken Cameras,” about the protests against the separation fence in the West Bank town of Bil’in, not once but twice: on Israel’s Channel 2 as well as on the Palestinian television station.
One of those prisoners did in fact watch the movie on both channels. Walid Daqa a 52-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel from Baaqa al-Gharbiyeh, followed, somewhat amused, the discussion over whether the documentary – which was co-directed by an Israeli and a Palestinian and criticized by Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat as slandering Israel – qualified as an Israeli or Palestinian. But most of all, he was interested in the reactions of his fellow prisoners, as he wrote in a letter to his friend Anat Matar, a philosophy lecturer at Tel Aviv University and his pen pal of several years.
At a time when Palestinian prisoners are in the headlines for their deaths, whether during interrogation or due to cancer, hunger strikes, protests or stone throwing, Daqa’s letter to Matar (written in Hebrew) offers a glimpse of the world of Palestinian prisoners from a different angle.
“The prisoners are a masculine society or subculture that praises and glorifies the values of aggressiveness and sees nonviolence as feminine,” wrote Daqa. “If a man espouses nonviolence, he is thought of almost as gay, as someone whose place is not among the freedom fighters. And of course, they don’t see any contradiction between being freedom fighters and [supporting] the repression of a man’s right to live how he wants, whether it’s a gay man or anyone else.”
He continued, “The film has exposed the prisoners to something new. They suddenly discovered that the struggle of these ‘yuppies,’ these ‘spineless’ people from Bil’in and Na’alin, isn’t simple at all, but demands faith and sacrifice, and bears with it not a little risk…. — See also: Source: Haaretz (by subscription) more.. e-mail
Deir Yassin remembered
Samira Shackle, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 4/9/2013
Today is the 65th anniversary of the massacre at Deir Yassin, a village near West Jerusalem. Early in the morning of 9 April 1948, around 120 members of the underground Jewish militia groups, the Irgun (also known as the IZL), and the Stern Gang, entered the Palestinian Arab village of Deir Yassin and killed somewhere between 100 and 250 people, including men, women, children, and the elderly. Some died from gunshots, others from hand grenades being thrown into their homes. Other villagers were killed after being taken on a victory parade through West Jerusalem. (This was later disputed). There were reports of rapes and mutilations.
The massacre took place against the backdrop of the bitter civil war that preceded the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. Just months before, in November 1947, the United Nations had proposed that Palestine be divided into an Arab state and a Jewish one, with Jerusalem administrated independently of either side. The Arabs rejected the UN’s proposal, and civil war ensued.
Deir Yassin was a peaceful village that had signed a non-aggression pact, but fell into the UN’s plans for the independent Jerusalem area. What happened there was not unique: there were other massacres. But it marked the first time that Jewish forces really went on the offensive, and had far-reaching consequences that explain the fact that it retains such symbolic value.
News of the killings at Deir Yassin and other villages sparked terror within the Palestinian community, causing hundreds of thousands of them to flee from their towns and villages as Jewish troops advanced. It also strengthened the resolve of neighbouring Arab nations to intervene. On 15 May 1948, one day after the British Mandate ended and Israel declared its independence, several Arab armies invaded and the 1948 Arab-Israeli war began. more.. e-mail
Obama Talks Peace to Iran, But Dishes Out Violence
Jamasb Madani, Antiwar.com 4/9/2013
Four years ago, President Barack Obama quoted the beloved 13th century Persian poet Sa’di in his first Nowruz message to the Iranian people. The address, with its veneer of peace and diplomacy, was a well-received gesture to both civil society and the leadership in Tehran, recognizing the Islamic Republic and celebrating the country’s ancient culture and history.
In this year’s Nowruz message, on March 18, 2013, President Obama recited more medieval Persian poetry, this time a famous 14th century poem from Hafez about friendship.
An informal and casual survey of public opinion on the heels of this address suggest that Obama’s renewed efforts to tap the well of goodwill failed to resonate with many Iranians. This time around, Obama’s speech has been received a somewhat negative response.
Over the past few years, U.S. hostility and pressure toward Iran has reached a critical level. As a result of draconian sanctions and a resulting drastic drop in oil revenues, Iran’s economy, currency, and people are hurting.
Many essential and non-essential goods have been subject to sanctions, both old and new. Measures preventing the sale of spare airplane parts to Iran have long made air travel unsafe, threatening the well-being of civilian passengers. More recently, unilateral sanctions imposed by certain Western countries have cut Iran off from the international banking industry, resulting in severe shortages in medicines and rising food prices that place the lives of millions of Iranians at risk.
While Obama’s Nowruz messages represent an attempt to achieve a sort of ‘cultural connectedness’ between Americans and Iranians, the U.S. government seems unaware of how its policies and actions toward Iran cut against these efforts. more.. e-mail
Cairo remains dependent on US aid, says scholar of Egyptian foreign policy
Electronic Intifada: 10 Apr 2013 – Making Egypt more critical towards Israel requires a “structural change” within Egypt itself.more
Witness accounts of two Tulkarem teens’ killings contradict Israel’s version
Electronic Intifada: 10 Apr 2013 – Two Palestinian teenagers were killed while protesting at the death of Maysara Abuhamdia in Israeli custody.more
UNRWA Ropens Food Distribution Centers in Gaza
Palestine Chronicle: 10 Apr 2013 – By IRIN – GAZA UN-run relief and distribution centres in Gaza, which provide food to around 25,000 people a day, reopened today after guarantees were given about the security of staff. “UNRWA was forced to close its distribution and relief offices last week due to ongoing demonstrations that affected its operations, a regrettable decision that hindered the Agency’s ability to provide much-needed services and relief supplies to Palestine refugees in Gaza,” read a statement sent to IRIN from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, which runs the centres. Several hundred Palestinian refugees have been protesting outside the UNRWA office in Gaza since early last week, following cuts to a cash assistance programme. Protests against the cuts turned violent on 4 April, when demonstrators stormed the office, leading to the closure of all relief and distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, which together provide assistance to more than…more
Gaza’s Siege Intensifies: The Plan to ‘Moderate’ Hamas, Control Gaza
Palestine Chronicle: 10 Apr 2013 – By Ramzy Baroud On September 17, 2012, Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, made another appeal to his Egyptian counterpart Hisham Kandil to consider setting up a free trade area between Gaza and Egypt. The reasonable idea would allow Egypt to support Gaza’s ragged economy while sparing Cairo the political fallout from destroying hundreds of tunnels that provide 1.6 million Palestinians a lifeline under a continued Israeli siege. Palestinians in Gaza rely on goods smuggled through tunnels and to a lesser extent United Nations handouts to survive. “We explained the concept in detail (..) the idea is to alleviate the economic hardship in Gaza,” Hamas official, Taher al-Nono was then quoted in Reuters. Kandil promised to look into the matter, indicating that it was too early for a response. However this proposal was introduced before and repeatedly after the September meeting. It should have at least served…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visithttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 