13 April 2013 — VTJP
News
Israeli forces prevent visit to Samer Issawi
4/13/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Israeli forces on Saturday refused to let 12 Israeli leftist visit hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi at Israel’s Kaplan Medical Center. Israeli media said two female activists were briefly detained after they tried to break into Issawi’s room. Earlier Israel rejected appeals to release the Palestinian prisoner….
3 teens injured in Beit Ummar clashes
4/13/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Three teenagers were injured during clashes in Beit Ummar on Saturday, a local official said. Committee spokesman Muhammad Ayad Awad told Ma’an that Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes with locals, injuring three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17. One teenager was hit….
PA prime minister Salam Fayyad resigns
4/13/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Abbas accepted the resignation of Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday, despite US efforts for him to stay on, official news agency Wafa reported.” Fayyad met Abbas for half an hour in the president’s headquarters in Ramallah in the West Bank and officially handed him his…. Related: Bardawil: Fayyad resignation not linked to reconciliation and Abbas-Fayyad crisis meeting postponed
Christian school gates torched in Gaza City
4/13/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Arsonists set fire to the main gates of a Christian school in Gaza City on Saturday, witnesses said. Unidentified assailants set fire to the entrance of the Holy Family School in the early hours of Saturday, with no injuries reported. The school was closed Saturday and parents were told to….
Gaza woman dies after self immolation
4/13/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 22-year-old woman died on Saturday after setting herself on fire last week, a medical official said. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma’an that the woman, whose identity remained hidden, suffered burns to 80 percent of her body after pouring gasoline over herself and setting….
Hebron man attacked in ongoing family feud
4/13/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A 24-year-old man was attacked by a group of four people in Hebron on Saturday as part of a blood feud between two families, police said. Four men armed with knives attacked the unidentified man with the intent to kill him, police told Ma’an. Officers intervened in the….
Kerry phones Abbas for further talks
4/13/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – President Mahmoud Abbas received Friday a phone call from the US Secretary of State John Kerry, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. The two continued talks they started on April 7 and 21 in Ramallah, the Wafa report added. For his part, senior Hamas leader in exile Mousa Abu…. Related:US hopes of Mideast progress scaled back
Report: Qatar, Palestine sign security pact in Doha
4/13/2013 – DOHA (Ma’an) — Qatar and Palestine signed a memorandum of understanding for co-operation in the security field on Monday in Doha, local news reports said. The Gulf Times said the agreement was signed by Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and Palestinian Interior Minister Said Abu Ali….
PA minister: Israel to allow foreign press to visit Ofer prison
4/13/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israel will allow foreign journalists to visit Ofer detention center near Ramallah on Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Issa Qaraqe, PA minister of detainee affairs, said during a press conference Saturday that the unprecedented visit is an attempt to alter the truth about conditions for Palestinian prisoners. Israel will try….
US hopes of Mideast progress scaled back
4/13/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Hopes of a US-sponsored push to resume stalled Middle East peace talks have been scaled back following US Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest visit, to securing economic goals for the West Bank. Internal Palestinian disputes including the rumored resignation of PA prime minister Salam Fayyad have also dimmed the prospects…. Related: Kerry phones Abbas for further talks
Abbas-Fayyad crisis meeting postponed
4/13/2013 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — A planned meeting Saturday between President Mahmoud Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad to try to resolve a damaging dispute has been postponed until at least next week, Palestinian officials said. It has been put back until after a visit by Abbas to Kuwait on Monday, an official told AFP on condition of…. Related: PA prime minister Salam Fayyad resigns and Bardawil: Fayyad resignation not linked to reconciliation
Bardawil: Fayyad resignation not linked to reconciliation
4/13/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The resignation of PA prime minister Salam Fayyad is not connected to the reconciliation process with Hamas, an official from the group said Saturday. Senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil told Ma’an that “we should not link Fayyad’s resignation with reconciliation, because he resigned for internal reasons…. Related: PA prime minister Salam Fayyad resigns and Abbas-Fayyad crisis meeting postponed
7 hurt in car crash in Hebron
4/13/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Seven members of the same family were injured in a car clash on Friday at the Wadi al-Jouz junction east of Hebron. Two of them were critically wounded while the others were lightly to moderately injured, medics said. Four Red Crescent ambulances transferred the wounded to al-Ahli hospital in Hebron. Palestinian….
Mother, kids hurt as car overturns in Hebron
4/13/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A mother and her two kids were moderately wounded on Saturday when her car overturned in Halhul north of Hebron, a Ma’an reporter said. The woman was heading to al-Thirweh area in Halhul when she lost control of the car. The two kids and the mother were transferred to….
M
ursi, Egypt army close ranks against abuse charges
4/13/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi and the military have closed ranks to deny charges that soldiers had killed and tortured protesters, following leaks of an inquiry report implicating officers. Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who is also army chief, denied in a televised statement aired Friday that the military had committed abuses….
Mubarak retrial collapses in chaos
4/13/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — The retrial of Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak after he appealed against a life sentence began on Saturday in Cairo and was immediately adjourned as the judge recused himself amid chaotic scenes. Mostafa Hassan Abdallah recused himself after a hearing that lasted just seconds, sending the case back to the Court….
Syria air raid ‘kills 18’
4/13/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — At least 18 civilians were killed, including two children and two women, in a Syrian air raid on a rebel-held town in the northwestern province of Idlib on Saturday, a monitoring group reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, updating an earlier toll, said 50 others were wounded in the raid on an….
Italian journalists freed in Syria
4/13/2013 – ROME (AFP) — Four Italian journalists who had been held hostage in Syria for more than a week have been freed, Prime Minister Mario Monti said in a statement on Saturday. The four — three freelancers and a reporter working for the Italian public broadcaster RAI — had been abducted early this month while out filming in northern….
Palestinian prime minister resigns
AlJazeera 13 Apr 2013 – President Abbas accepts Fayyad’s resignation and asks him to head caretaker government, officials say.
International Solidarity Movement
Army invasion of Burin
4/13/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 12th April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Burin, Occupied Palestine – At 2am on Thursday 11 April Burin village near Nablus was invaded by over ten army jeeps, 100 soldiers and border police. The Army raided houses arresting 3 young men from the village and destroying the cultural centre used by the community. Solidarity activists entered the….
Israeli military invades houses during settler tour of Hebron
4/13/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 13th April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – Israeli soldiers invaded at least four Palestinian houses in the city of Hebron on Saturday 13th April, prior to and during the settler tour, intimidating children and families. During the tour, around fifty settlers and Jewish tourists occupied the Palestinian souq (market), surrounded….
Lebanon: RCA provides medical supplies to Al Aqsa Hospital in Ain Al Hilwa Refugee Camp
Relief Web 13 Apr 2013 – Source: Emirates News Agency Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory WAM ABU DHABI: Medical equipment and supplies worth AED5.5 million for Al Aqsa Hospital in the Ain al-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, were supplied by the UAE’s Red…
occupied Palestinian territory: Tents Take on Settlements
Relief Web 13 Apr 2013 – Source: Inter Press Service Country: occupied Palestinian territory JERUSALEM, Apr 13 2013 (IPS) – Tent cities are being set up by Palestinians all over the West Bank to protest against Israeli settlements, building on a protest during the visit of…
Syrian Arab Republic: Syria – Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #13, Fiscal Year (FY) 2013
Relief Web 13 Apr 2013 – Source: US Agency for International Development Country: Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey HIGHLIGHTS Approximately 1.2 million houses have been damaged or destroyed in Syria Relief organizations prepare for disease outbreaks in Syria…
Poor diet and obesity reduce UAE life expectancy
The National 13 Apr 2013 – Too often adults neglect their health and that of their children, contributing to the disease burden of the UAE.
UAE’s gift of bridge helps Pakistan beat the floods
The National 13 Apr 2013 – The U$10m project was commissioned by the President, Sheikh Khalifa to assist people in the Swat Valley.
Plans to build first-of-its-kind robotic surgery centre in UAE
The National 13 Apr 2013 – The centre would be the first in the world that would have the technology to be able to perform every kind of robotic surgery under one roof, said Italian professor and surgeon Adolfo Panfili.
Are biodegradable bags in the UAE doing more harm than good?
The National 13 Apr 2013 – Degradable bags seen as a solution to the UAE’s litter problem may not be as environmentally friendly as first thought.
Road death toll cuts average life expectancy in UAE
The National 13 Apr 2013 – UAE has been pushed to the bottom of the league table as death tolls on the roads bring down life-expectancy.
Palestinian Authority PM Fayyad quits after months of rancour
The National 13 Apr 2013 – Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad were locked in an increasingly bitter dispute over the extent of the prime minister’s authority.
Mubarak smiles through his 20-minute retrial over protester deaths
The National 13 Apr 2013 – The former president’s new attitude suggests he may be expecting to be released from prison. Bradley Hope reports from Cairo
Emaar temporarily halts Dubai townhouse sales as crowds get unruly
The National 13 Apr 2013 – Police were called for a second day to control a crush of hundreds of people eager to buy townhouses in the Mira development.
Amid dearth of hospital staff, Israel’s medical students to assist doctors
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
PA blasts Canada over FM’s East Jerusalem meet with Livni
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
Top Israeli authors plead with Palestinian security prisoner: End hunger strike
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
6,000-year-old monument still swims in mystery at bottom of Lake Kinneret
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
IDF won’t open criminal probe into deaths of Palestinian family during Gaza war
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
Israelis attempting to visit hospitalized Palestinian hunger-striker detained
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
Gaza farmers burn 3 tons of herbs as export blocked by border crossing closure
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
Report: British scientists find evidence chemical weapons were used in Syria
Ha’aretz – 13 Apr 2013
U.S. visa waiver bill stymied over Arab Americans entering Israel
Ha’aretz – 12 Apr 2013
Revealed: Unflattering personal portrait of Ben-Yehuda
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – ‘My great-grandfather was an unbearable man, but he was a true Zionist 20 years before Herzl,’ says Gil Hovav.
Renewing their pact to bring the worst delivery
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Two brothers, whose father died in service, inform families of soldiers’ deaths.
Israel prepares to mourn its fallen soldiers
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Sunday evening will mark the beginning of Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars.
Knesset to honor US-born fallen soldier Michael Levin
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Levin, a Philadelphia native, fell while fighting bravely during the Second Lebanon War.
Love is a many splendored-thing
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – 65 short stories from English-speaking writers in Israel present diverse and talented voices on the theme of love.
Health Scan: Salt and autoimmune disease?
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – The incidences of multiple sclerosis and type-1 diabetes, has spiked in developed countries in recent decades.
News Worlds: Designing ‘intelligent agents’
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – A member of the department of information systems engineering argues that agents will not replace human professionals.
Secular know-how helps determine Jewish law
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – At the 20th annual conference on Torah U’mada, experts delve into halachic issues made clearer by secular know-how.
On anthems and allegiance
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Why this ultra-Orthodox Democrat will observe Yom Hazikaron.
Pollard’s 10,000 days
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – The spy who helped Israel has been imprisoned for 28 years – much longer than spies who were convicted for far greater offenses
Seeds of violence
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Little has changed in the hostile atmosphere in the Gaza or the West Bank since the days of the second intifada.
Reallocating Canadian aid to the Palestinians
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – The Canadian government began reevaluating its financial support for the Palestinians after the PA’s successful bid in November.
Lapid: Changes in the economy will take time
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Finance minister to meet with PM over budget cuts; Yacimovich: Lapid will make life harder for middle class.
Lincoln’s assassination and the Russian Hebrew press
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Vidaver’s eulogy for Lincoln can still be found in many libraries in Israel and throughout the world.
Aliya and activism
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Jeremy Dery is involved in a number of projects designed to either help Israel’s image in some way or to assist new immigrants.
13-year-old brutally attacked by dog in Beersheba
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Girl hospitalized after being bitten across face and upper body by Amstaff near a public park; police suspect dog was not tied properly.
Abbas accepts Palestinian PM Fayyad’s resignation
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian Authority president agrees to accept resignation despite pressure from US, EU to keep Fayyad in office.
Police: American raped after hitching ride in Eilat
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Police arrest 15-year-old supermarket delivery boy suspected of raping tourist, who volunteers at a kibbutz in the South.
President of Egyptian Jewish Community dies at 82
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Weinstein dies after suffering from numerous health troubles; participated in synagogue renovation day before death.
Turkey opts out of NATO talks with Israel
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Tunisia, Egypt also reportedly dismissed potential meeting; group intended to discuss security in region has not met since 2008.
Jordan’s Syrian refugee crisis
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Senior Jordanian official says international community is showing little support; flood of refugees could force border closure.
‘Gas attack by Syrian army kills three in Aleppo’
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Syrian Observatory says Assad forces dropped the 2 gas bombs from army helicopter; woman, 2 children killed, 16 injured.
‘US weighs in to keep Fayyad in office’
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian sources say Kerry phoned Abbas Friday to discuss Fayyad crisis; EU and US urge Fayyad to stay in office.
US takes Iran sanctions violators off blacklist
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Three companies who provided a tanker to Iran Shipping Lines in 2010 ensure US they are in compliance with the law.
Report: Iran successfully tests three new missiles
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Fars reports testing of missiles at army’s ground dr
ills; army reveals no details about the weapons.
Gaza farmers burn tons of herbs after border shut
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Israel shut crossing into Gaza Monday after fire from Gaza; farmers say crop past prime for European market.
Anger as retrial of Egypt’s Mubarak aborted
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Retrial is for complicity in murder of protesters; judge passes case to appeal court saying he felt “unease.”
Report: Soil sample confirms WMD use in Syria
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – ‘Times of London’ reports soil samples Britain smuggled out of Syria establish use of chemical weapons, unclear by whom.
‘Bank Leumi, Mizrahi aid US client in tax crime’
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Businesswoman reportedly held undeclared offshore accounts at Israeli banks to hide assets from US tax authority.
‘Egypt denies charges of military abuse’
Jerusalem Post 13 Apr 2013 – Report claims Morsi, Egyptian army deny allegations of misconduct committed by soldiers, doctors since revolution.
US-backed Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad resigns
The Guardian 13 Apr 2013 – Decision to quit comes after weeks of tension within leadership The Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad has resigned after weeks of tension within the leadership, in a move likely to dismay the United States which has…
Film-maker captures Israeli spy chiefs’ doubts over covert killing operations
The Guardian 13 Apr 2013 – Director rejects charge that Oscar-nominated secret services documentary is one-sided By the time Dror Moreh had finished filming more than 70 hours of interviews with six former chiefs of Israel’s shadowy Shin Bet secret service agency,…
Barbara Boxer, AIPAC seek to codify Israel’s right to discriminate against Americans | Glenn Greenwald
The Guardian 13 Apr 2013 – A bill introduced by the California Democrat would uniquely exempt Israel from long-standing requirements imposed on all other nations (updated below – Update II) In order for the US to permit citizens of a foreign country…
Tents Take on Settlements
IPS Tent cities are being set up by Palestinians all over the West Bank to protest against Israeli settlements, building on a protest during the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama last month. Holding signs reading ‘Obama: you are on the wrong side of history’ and ‘Obama: you promised hope and…
High Stakes for Engaging Morsi’s Egypt
IPS Women and minorities should be a top priority in U.S. policy toward Egypt and its Muslim Brotherhood government leaders, experts here said on Friday, despite increasingly unfavourable public views towards Egypt. While Egypt is a critical and longtime U.S. ally, the June 2012 election that resulted in the Muslim Brotherhood’s…
Syria News – April 11 , 2013 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet
The Muslim Brotherhood and Strife
Uruknet
Israeli occupation shoots paralysed Palestinian during detention raid
Uruknet
Syria Special: The Media Creates the “Al Qa’eda Myth”
Uruknet
Egyptian doctors ‘ordered to operate on protesters without anaesthetic’
Uruknet
In the Army Now: Gangs, Nazis & the Mentally Ill
Uruknet
Gaza’s Siege Intensifies: The Plan to ‘Moderate’ Hamas, Control Gaza
Uruknet
UPDATED : Ground-breaking Israeli journalist Amira Hass accused of incitement
Uruknet
Austrian official in Beirut discusses refugee crisis
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger holds talks with Lebanese officials on the situation of Syrian refugees in the country as well as bilateral ties.
East Lebanon abduction saga comes to an end
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Arsal residents release Hussein Kamal Jaafar, ending weeks of tit-for-tat abductions between the Bekaa Valley town and the powerful Jaafar clan.
Four Italian journalists kidnapped in Syria freed: Italy
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Four Italian journalists kidnapped and held in Syria since April 4 have been freed, Italy’s interim Foreign Minister Mario Monti says.
Shells from Syria land on Lebanon border villages: residents
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Five shells from Syria land on border villages in east Lebanon, residents tell The Daily Star.
Sacrifices needed to protect Lebanon: Sleiman
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Sacrifices are needed to distance Lebanon from regional and neighboring crises, President Michel Sleiman says on the 38th anniversary of the country’s 1975-90 Civil War.
Syria blasts international envoy ahead of briefing
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Syrian state media are accusing the U.N.’s envoy of being a “false witness” as he prepares to brief the international body on the country’s two-year old conflict.
Abbas-Palestinian PM crisis meeting postponed
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 A planned meeting Saturday between Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to try to resolve a damaging dispute has been postponed until at least next week, Palestinian officials say.
Gaza farmers burn tons of basil, mint after Israel border shut
Daily Star 13 Apr 2013 Palestinian farmers in Gaza begin destroying 3 tons of herbs, saying a prolonged closure of the crossing into Israel means the plants are no longer fit for export to Europe.
PM Porush slams education minister over school funding
YNet News, 13 Apr 2013 – ….
Libya arrests 20 after attack on southern police compound
YNet News, 13 Apr 2013 – ….
Political source: Verify Turkey maintains understandings
YNet News, 13 Apr 2013 – ….
Social Workers Association head against budget cut
YNet News, 13 Apr 2013 – ….
Libya coastguard rescues 89 migrants from drifting boat
YNet News, 13 Apr 2013 – ….
Shabbat curfew at the hospital
YNet News, 13 Apr 2013 – Op-ed: State of Israel’s Jewish character will be preserved even if it allows public transportation on Shabbat ….
Ahrar: Israel uses cancerous cellphone jammers in its jails
PIC – Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies and human rights said the Israeli jailers use cellphone jamming gadgets sending frequencies and waves that cause cancer and severe pains in the head.
Abu Marzouk: Hamas did not ask for postponing government consultations
PIC – Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, member of Hamas’s political bureau, said that his movement did not ask for postponement of consultation on the national unity government formation.
Leena Jerboni enters her 12th year in Israeli jail
PIC – Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies reported that captive Leena Jerboni from the village of Arraba, in the 1948-occupied territories, will enter in few days her twelfth year in
the Israeli jails.
Prisoner Samer Barq’s family denounces media blackout on his case
PIC – The father of captive Samer Barq, who has been on hunger strike for over a month and a half for the fourth time, denounced the media blackout on his son’s case.
Activities in Jenin in solidarity with prisoner Issawi
PIC – The traffic was stopped for few minutes in Jenin on Saturday in solidarity with the hunger striking prisoners, especially the captive Samer al-Issawi, who entered the stage of extreme danger.
PHR warns of disaster in Israeli jails due to medical neglect
PIC – Physicians for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories accused the Israeli medical system inside the prisons of abusing the Palestinian hunger striking prisoners.
Prisoner Abu Daoud to go on hunger strike in protest at his re-arrest
PIC – Palestinian liberated prisoner Ayman Abu Daoud, from the city of al-Khalil southern the West Bank, decided to launch an open hunger strike to protest his re-arrest by the Israeli occupation.
Rafati: Israel’s closure of Karam Abu Salem crossing causes huge losses
PIC – Palestinian minister of economy in Gaza Ala Al-Rafati said that Israel’s closure of Karam Abu Salem crossing in southern Gaza causes direct losses amounting to half a million dollars every day.
Israel’s spies fleeing Gaza as repentance campaign ends
PIC – Informed sources revealed that a number of spies working for the Israeli occupation regime fled or tried to flee along with their families from the Gaza Strip during the last two days.
IOF soldiers arrest two young men in Bethlehem village
PIC – Two young men in Husan village, west of Bethlehem, were arrested at the hands of Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Saturday.
Palestinians Urge Foreign Press to Seek Truth on Prisoners
WAFA – 13 Apr 2013
Israeli Center Threatens Suit to Stop Divestment Resolution at US Pension Fund
WAFA – 13 Apr 2013
PLO Complaints of Official Canadian-Israeli Meeting in East Jerusalem
WAFA – 13 Apr 2013
Israeli Soldiers Arrest Two, Summon Another near Bethlehem
WAFA – 13 Apr 2013
Newspapers Review: Weekly Protests Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 13 Apr 2013
Weather Forecast: Relatively Warm Conditions
WAFA – 13 Apr 2013
Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister, Resigns
New York Times 13 Apr 2013 – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad had clashed politically with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.
Hackers Reveal Witness Names in Hariri Murder Trial
New York Times 13 Apr 2013 – Hackers plastered the names of the so-called secret witnesses in the murder trial in the death of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on a major Lebanese news Web site.
Syrian Forces Kill 12 Rebels in an Ambush
New York Times 13 Apr 2013 – The government troops were trying to relieve a besieged military base in the country’s northwest.
Mubarak, More Confident, Appears in Court in Cairo
New York Times 13 Apr 2013 – Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s former president, appeared to display new confidence in court, or perhaps a certain schadenfreude, as he appeared at a hearing to open his retrial.
Syrian Rebels Break With Group Over Qaeda Wing Alliance
New York Times 12 Apr 2013 – A coalition of insurgents criticized a more radical group’s decision to team up with Al Qaeda’s Iraq branch as a mistake that would benefit only their enemy, President Bashar al-Assad.
Aipac Asks Congress to Approve Israel Visa Waiver Program
Tikun Olam – Nour Joudeh, ‘dangerous’ Palestinian-American denied entry to Israel for espousing ideas posing existential threat to Israe. Aipac, with its hand deeply in the pocket of the U.S. taxpayer on Israel’s behalf, and with Congress in its own pocket, has devised proposed legisltation that would even further…
Targeting talent
Mondoweiss – “Everyday Nakba” is an award winning documentary about water, filmed and directed by Mohammad al-Azza, a cameraman an Israeli soldier deliberately targeted and shot in the face 4 days ago during a raid in the West Bank, fracturing al-Azza’s skull. Cameraman Mohammad al-Azza ( photo: PNN ) Set…
Exile and the prophetic: Women of the Wall-washing
Mondoweiss – This post is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page . Yesterday I read of the Israeli court ruling regarding five women from Women of the Wall detained by the police for wearing…
In bill discriminating against Arab- and Muslim-Americans, Boxer and 17 other senators serve Israeli gov’t over their own — Greenwald
Mondoweiss – Israel wants its citizens to be able to enter the U.S. without getting visas. This is a major legislative ask from the Israel lobby. The problem is that the U.S. wants reciprocity for its citizens entering Israel: they can go in without a hurdle. But Israel…
The Israeli army tried to bring this Palestinian artist to his knees, and failed
Mondoweiss – Last night in Putnam County, NY, I met the two actors from the Jenin Freedom Theatre who are touring our country . Above is an interview with one of them, Faisal Abu Alheja. Abu Alheja is only 23. But this actor who grew up in Jenin refugee…
Illegal settler gets more than 4 times as much water as Palestinian neighbor — and US signed off
Mondoweiss – Lauren Gelfond Feldinger in Haaretz reports on water distribution in the West Bank and says that the Palestinian Authority has gone along with the apartheid system of inequitable division because of the Oslo Accords. The figures: On average, West Bank Palestinians have access to about 70…
Salam Fayyad’s Resignation Accepted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
The Foward Breaking News 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Saturday, the official Palestinian news agency said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Angry Gaza Farmers Burn Tons of Basil and Mint in Dispute With Israel
The Foward Breaking News 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian farmers in Gaza began destroying three tonnes of herbs on Saturday, saying a prolonged closure of the crossing into Israel meant the plants were no longer fit for export to Europe. Click here for the rest of the article…
Non-violent Activists Attacked by Soldiers Shooting Tear Gas
Palestine Solidarity Project 13 Apr 2013 – Today PSP, the Popular Committee of Beit Ommar and Youth Power of Palestine organised an action in the village of Beit Ommar. PSP and the Popular Committee have been organising weekly demonstrations for years. The Palestinian, Israeli and International activists gathered outside of Karme Tzure settlement,…
Settlers Cutting Olive Trees and Beating Up a Palestinian Farmer
Palestine Solidarity Project 13 Apr 2013 – On the morning 10th of April Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian land in Saffa, a part of Beit Ommar village. Saffa often experience attacks like this. The settlers in question lives in the close by settlement called Bayt Ayin which is a part of the bigger Gush…
Youths from Beit Ommar Mown Down by Settler’s Car
Palestine Solidarity Project 13 Apr 2013 – On the 9th of April 2013 a settler from the colony of Kiryat Arba in Hebron ran down Ala’ Alami, a 23 years old university student from Beit Ommar, and two young boys with his car. The settler ran over them just outside the entrance to…
Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad resigns
BBC 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad has resigned, the official Wafa news agency reports, after a long-running dispute with President Mahmoud Abbas.
Italian journalists freed in Syria
BBC 13 Apr 2013 – Four Italian journalists who were held hostage in Syria for nearly two weeks have been released, say officials in Italy.
Hamas to Gaza Schools: Boys and Girls Don’t Mix
Al-Akhbar News 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian men dressed in prisoners clothes stand inside a building which used to be an Israeli prison to keep Palestinians during Israel’s occupation of Gaza, on 11 April 2013, (Photo: Mohammed Abed) Palestinian men dressed in prisoners clothes stand inside a building which used to be…
Kidnappers release Lebanese man held in Syria
Al-Akhbar News 13 Apr 2013 – A Lebanese man kidnapped in the border area with Syria was freed on Saturday, prompting the release of 11 other people who had been held in a string of retaliatory kidnaps. Hussein Kamel Jaafar, a Shia resident of an area near the northern Lebanese town of…
Gaza blockade forces farmers to burn export crops
Al-Akhbar News 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian farmers in Gaza began destroying three tons of herbs on Saturday, saying a prolonged closure of the crossing into Israel meant the plants were no longer fit for export to Europe. Last October, Israel lifted a five-year ban on the lucrative export of Gazan herbs…
Israel rejects appeal to release hunger-striker Issawi: minister
Al-Akhbar News 13 Apr 2013 – Israeli soldiers and border police harass protesters calling for the release of Palesintian prisoner Samer Issawi on 8 April 2013 near the West Bank city of Hebron. (Photo: AFP – Hazem Bader) Israel has rejected appeals to release long-term hunger striker Samer Issawi to the West…
Egypt court suspends Mubarak re-trial
Al-Akhbar News 13 Apr 2013 – An image grab taken from Egyptian state TV shows ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak being wheeled out of the Police Academy following a hearing in Cairo on 13 April 2013. (Photo: AFP / Egyptian TV) The retrial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak collapsed on Saturday when…
Muslim Brotherhood Paves Way for Qatar’s Ascent
Al-Akhbar Politics 12 Apr 2013 – Equipment and heavy machinery arrive t
o Gaza for the first time through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt dedicated to the Qatari project for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, on 21 March 2013. (Photo: AFP – Said Khatib) Equipment and heavy machinery arrive to Gaza…
Increased Restrictions on Fundamental Liberties in Gaza Strip
Al-Haq 12 Apr 2013 – Ad: Engineering Vehicles E-book | Military-today.com – Great E-book For Military Enthusiasts. It Has 57 Pages And Contains Rare Information On Combat Engineering Vehicles, Recovery Vehicles, Bridgelayers, Ferrying Systems, Mine Clearing Vehicles And Other Specialized Equipment.
Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad resigns
BBC 13 Apr 2013 – Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad has resigned, the official Wafa news agency reports, after a long-running dispute with President Mahmoud Abbas.
Mubarak judge withdraws from trial
BBC 13 Apr 2013 – The judge presiding over the retrial of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak withdraws as the trial opens, sparking chaotic scenes in court.
Italian journalists freed in Syria
BBC 13 Apr 2013 – Four Italian journalists who were held hostage in Syria for nearly two weeks have been released, say officials in Italy.
VIDEO: Iranians face up to quake aftermath
BBC 12 Apr 2013 – With the Iranian government having declared the rescue operation following Tuesday’s earthquake complete, the focus has now turned to humanitarian work.
Articles
VIDEO – Israeli journalist discusses her article defending Palestinian stone-throwing
Mairav Zonszein, +972 Magazine 4/12/2013
Amira Hass, who drew heavy criticism from Israeli media about her op-ed in Haaretz last week defending the right of Palestinians to throw stones, and was accused of incitement to violence by the Yesha Council (of West Bank settlements), appeared on Democracy Now this week to discuss her article. I have embedded the interview below, which is in two parts, and highly recommend watching it.
Hass speaks so directly and cooly about the situation as she sees it – saying plainly that Israel has become a foreign ruler in this place and cannot expect to survive this way. You can understand from her answers that she is portraying what she has been witness to as a reporter in the occupied Palestinian territories for 20 years.
Here are some choice quotes from her interview I want to highlight:
“Any hegemonic group, sees its hegemony, and the violence it uses, as self-evident, as a natural thing. And we do everything possible to protect this hegemony.”
“I don’t like the term non-violent because it puts the onus on the occupied rather than on the occupier.”
Answering the question about the significance of Kerry’s visit to the region, she said
“negotiation becomes an end to itself, and not a means to reach independence…U.S. policy is to keep the status quo going.
“We maintain our hegemony with the use of almost unlimited institutional power against the Palestinians…Palestinians have tried many ways, diplomatic ways and others to resist Israeli domination and it has not suceeded. Stone throwing is a message, and the Israelis don’t listen to it. Twenty-five years ago in the first Intifada, Israelis did listen – they did understand it’s a message – not in order to kill or hit somebody but to tell, you are unweclome visitors in our midst.” more.. e-mail
In Palestine, ’death’ by a thousand micro jobs
Mark LeVine, Al Jazeera.com 4/12/2013
Microwork centred on the internet can allow Palestinians to work from their jail cells, offering them subsistence wages.
“I just punched the data into my phone and I’m earning good cash,” the comic depicts one African woman saying to another, speaking American-style English that’s about as realistic as Iraqi Marsh Arabs speaking Moroccan Darija. In the next frame, an Asian-looking man declares: “In just a few months we already have 250 global clients using our data from Africa.”
Welcome to “m2Work”, the latest bright idea pyramid scheme to help Palestinians build a viable economy to ensure Palestinians remain safely in their cages while the occupation continues unabated and the space of Israel/Palestine continues its march towards a neoliberal dystopia.
The idea of “microwork” has recently been adopted by the World Bank through a new project in cooperation with mobile phone maker Nokia called infoDev. It consists of a series of small business tasks that have been broken out of a larger project, including activities such as market research, data input, data verification, translation, graphic design, and even software development. The m2Work project is the latest attempt to help fulfill the Bank’s long-stated goal of eradicating extreme poverty in the developing world.
Specifically, the Bank believes the practice, which “follows a simple concept: numerous people around the world are earning money by completing small digital tasks”, has “vast potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in developing countries, where the key is mobile technology”. more.. e-mail
The Only Real Danger to Israel Comes From Within
Uri Avnery, CounterPunch 4/12/2013
“Around Us the Storm is Raging…”
“Around us the storm is raging / But our head will not be bowed…” we sang when we were young, before the State of Israel was born.
On the eve of Israel’s 65th birthday, this coming Monday, we could sing this rousing song again. And not just out of nostalgia.
Aro
und us, many storms are raging. In Syria, a terrible civil wear is tearing the country apart. In Egypt, after the victory of the Arab spring, the country is still in turmoil. The Lebanese state is still unable to impose its authority on the various armed sects, and the same is true for Iraq. Iran is busy advancing its nuclear program, all the while muttering dark threats.
Israel sees itself as an island in the stormy sea, threatened on all sides, ready for the tsunami to hit any minute.
There is something ironic about all this.
The Zionist adventure started with the promise to create a safe haven for the Jews, after centuries of helplessness.
Indeed, stripped of all ideological decorations, that was the central theme of the endeavor. Everywhere, Jews were defenseless, dependent on the mercies of others. Here, in a state of our own, we would be able to defend ourselves, head unbowed.
In other words, for ages we were the object of history, now we were taking our destiny in our own hands, an actor on the stage of history, a nation among the nations. more.. e-mail
Development with Sovereignty
Rami G. Khouri, Agence Global 4/13/2013
BEIRUT — I join with many others who applaud and are surprised by the speed and persistence of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s engagement in diplomatic efforts to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. I applaud his initiative because it can only result in something positive, whether it succeeds or fails.
If it achieves its goals, it could result in a resumed formal peace negotiation that presumably would have a better chance of success than previous talks over the past 20 years, because new talks would only take place if both sides felt there were a mutual and serious will to succeed. The chances of this are slim, but we should never give up trying to resolve this conflict peacefully, on the basis of the international rule of law.
If Kerry’s mission fails, on the other hand, all sides will have to adjust to the continued stalemate and the stultifying consequences of the long-term Israeli occupation, colonization, annexation and siege of Palestinian lands. Such a failure to re-start negotiations would also be a kind of success, as it would finally lay to rest the notion that there is any credible chance of diplomatic breakthroughs in the current circumstances. This would force all concerned to explore other options. The current situation is not sustainable and in due course will certainly lead to a new explosion of some sort — as has happened with predictable regularity since 1947-48 when this conflict began in its current form.
An intriguing third option that is particularly prevalent in Israel is the idea that in the absence of a comprehensive peace agreement we should focus on improving the socio-economic conditions of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. This complex and slippery idea comprises three elements that are, in fact, totally opposed to each other, making it hard to oppose or support it with any clarity. more.. e-mail
G8 and Abbas Still Block Road to Middle East Peace
Palestine Chronicle: 12 Apr 2013 – By Stuart Littlewood Yesterday the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting in London issued the following statement on the British government’s website: Middle East Peace Process “G8 Foreign Ministers confirmed their commitment to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. They agreed on the urgent need to make progress on the Middle East Peace Process towards this goal and underscored the need for a major international effort, involving all relevant parties, including the Quartet, to drive the peace process forward. “The Ministers welcomed President Obama’s visit to the region and his statement that peace between Israelis and Palestinians is necessary, just and possible. They urged both sides to show the bold political leadership needed to achieve peace, to take the necessary steps to build trust and to work towards the resumption of negotiations without preconditions. “The Ministers stressed that a long term solution to this conflict can be achieved…more
Controlled Opposition: From Goldstein to Soros and Beyond
Dissident Voice: 13 Apr 2013 – Jewish power is the unique capacity to stop us from discussing or even contemplating Jewish power. It is the capacity to determine the boundaries of the political discourse and criticism in particular. In his new book, The Invention Of The Land of Israel , Israeli academic Shlomo Sand, manages to present conclusive evidence of the far fetched nature of the Zionist historical narrative — that the Jewish Exile is a myth as is the Jewish people and even the Land of Israel. Yet, Sand and many others fail to address the most important question: If Zionism is based on myth, how do the Zionists manage to get a way with their lies, and for so long? If the Jewish ‘homecoming’ and the demand for a Jewish national homeland cannot be historically substantiated, why has it been supported by both Jews and the West for so long? How does the Jewish state…more
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The New Dark Age 