28 April 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Army Kidnaps A Disabled Palestinian At The Al-Karama Crossing
IMEMC – Army also kidnapped a Palestinian in Jaba’ town, near Jenin Sunday evening April 28, 2013, Israeli Soldiers kidnapped a disabled Palestinian young man from Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, as he was crossing the Al-Karama terminal into the West Bank following pilgrimage in Mecca – Saudi Arabia. …
Israel Delays Eviction Of Illegal Outpost
IMEMC – Sunday April 28, 2013, the Israeli High Court accepted an appeal filed by the Israeli government regarding delaying the eviction of an illegal settlement outpost near the central West Bank city of Ramallah until July 2013. …
Settlers Burn Greek Orthodox Church Land In Jerusalem
IMEMC – Sunday evening April 28, 2013, a group of extremist Israeli settlers burnt a land that belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church in Wadi Hilweh, in Silwan town, in occupied East Jerusalem. …
Israel: “Escalation In Gaza Likely To Continue”
IMEMC – The Israeli TV reported that a number of senior Israeli military and security analysts believe that the escalation in the Gaza Strip will not stop and will likely lead to further Israeli military offensives “should armed groups continue to fire shells into southern Israel”. …
Army Bombards Southern Gaza
IMEMC – Sunday at dawn, April 28, 2013, the Israeli Air Force bombarded two areas west of Khan Younis, and west of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; damage was reported but no injuries. …
Settlers Burn Cars, Home, Trees In Jerusalem
IMEMC – A group of extremist settlers torched, late on Saturday at night April 27, nine cars that belong to the United Nations in its headquarters in Jabal Al-Mokabbir, south of occupied East Jerusalem. The settlers also burnt a Palestinian car, a home and trees in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in the city, several injuries have been reported. …
Israeli Committee Rejects Appeals Against Path of Wall in Beit Jala
IMEMC – WAFA – The Israeli Special Appeals Committee for land seizure under emergency law rejected last week after seven years of proceedings two appeals against the route of the Annexation Wall Israel is building in the Cremisan Valley in the Bethlehem area town of Beit Jala, a press release Friday by the Society of St. Yves stated. …
Israel fires on Gaza after rocket lands in Negev
4/28/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli warplanes bombed two sites early Sundayin the south of the Gaza Strip belonging to the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. No injuries were reported, but a training site was damaged, a statement from the National Resistance Brigades said. Israeli aircraft fired two missiles….
Palestinians ‘hurl firebombs at soldiers’; no injuries
4/28/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Young Palestinian men hurled 13 firebombs at Israeli soldiers in the southern West Bank towns of Surif and Beit Ummar, according to the website of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. According to the Hebrew report published Sunday, Palestinians hurled 10 Molotov Cocktails at Israeli troops during a field activity in Surif north….
Residents: Israel holding exercises in Jordan Valley
4/28/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — The Israeli army prepared to conduct military exercises in the northern Jordan Valley on Sunday, preventing school children from attending classes, residents said. Soldiers prevented students from going to their schools, and demanded that other Palestinians evacuate their houses. Local residents quoted soldiers as saying the maneuvers will take place until….
Israel reopens entrance to Jenin village, PA officials say
4/28/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Israel reopened the western entrance to a Jenin village on Sunday after closing it six months earlier, Palestinian Authority officials said. Liaison officials told Ma’an that the western entrance to Yabad village was closed last October after Israel accused Palestinians of throwing stones at settler cars. The closure made….
Israel PM tells ministers to stay silent on Syria
4/28/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his ministers to keep silent about Syria to avoid the impression Israel is pushing the international community into armed intervention, army radio said Sunday. Netanyahu gave the instructions after Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin suggested the international community might react militarily to “take control of the Syrian….
Vatican under scrutiny as nuns, landowners lose Israel wall challenge
4/28/2013 – BEIT JALA, West Bank (Ma’an) — After a seven-year legal battle, a group of Palestinian landowners and Catholic nuns this week lost an appeal against Israel building its separation barrier on their land. The ruling by an Israeli appeals committee places the lush Cremisan Valley, in a northern corner of Bethlehem, behind the Israeli….
UNRWA says no plans to close Gaza office
4/28/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has no plans to shut down its Gaza office, spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said Sunday. In early April, UNRWA closed its Gaza office after an escalation in protests against the reduction in financial assistance to vulnerable refugees. Speaking to Ma’an via telephone….
Israeli forces arrest 2 laborers in Jerusalem
4/28/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces arrested two workers from Beit Ummar in Jerusalem on Sunday, a local committee said. Committee spokesman Muhammad Ayad Awad told Ma’an that Israeli forces detained Muhammad Alkam, 22, and Muhammad Abdulrahman, 26, after raiding a Jerusalem construction site. Neither men had work permits, Awad said. Abdulrahman fell….
Beirut bans award-winning Lebanese film shot in Israel
4/28/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri said Saturday the Lebanese authorities have banned his award-winning film “The Attack” from cinemas in his home country because it was partly shot in Tel Aviv using Israeli actors.” I regret to inform you that the Interior Minister of Lebanon, Minister (Marwan) Charbel, has decided to punish us and….
Brazilian state donates rice to Palestinian refugees
4/28/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Brazil’s southernmost state Rio Grande Do Sul will donate 11,500 tons of rice to the Palestinian refugees through UNRWA, governor Tarso Genro said Sunday. Genro made the announcement in a news conference at an UNRWA school in Jerusalem’s Shufat refugee camp in the presence of the agency….
Gaza parliament to approve new penal code on drugs
4/28/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Gaza-based members of the Palestinian Legislative Council are to hold a series of sessions to ratify a new penal code on drugs, says lawmaker Faraj al-Ghoul.” It is a necessity to intervene legislatively in order to counter this dangerous plague, especially after the current anti-drug legislation has become inappropriate given….
Owners of shoe stores on strike in Nablus
4/28/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Shoe store owners in Nablus in the northern West Bank refused to open their stores Sunday protesting a decision by the Palestinian ministry of national economy to confiscate shoes imported from China. Jamal Hasiba, a member of the Forum of Nablus Businessmen, confirmed to Ma’an that more than 100….
Relatives of detained Salafists protest in Gaza City
4/28/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Relatives of Salafists arrested by Hamas protested in Gaza City on Sunday to demand their release. Families carried banners and shouted slogans to demand the release of their relatives, who they say have started hunger strike action to protest their detention without charge.” My son has been held by internal….
Medics: Woman killed, 15 hurt in Nablus collision
4/28/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A 60-year-old woman was killed and 15 other people were injured in a collision near Zatara checkpoint south of Nablus, medics said Sunday. Medics with the Palestinian Red Crescent identified the woman as Fatima Salih Ibrahim Hassasneh, 60. She died on the spot, and her husband Aref Hassasneh was wounded….
12-year-old killed in Bethlehem road accident
4/28/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A 12-year-old boy was killed in a road accident in Bethlehem on Sunday, medics said. Taqeuddin Jubran died after being hit by a car, a red crescent official told Ma’an. Medics tried to resuscitate him but he died before reaching a hospital. [END]
Missile fired on Syria town ‘kills 4 civilians’
4/28/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — A ground-to-ground missile was fired on a town in northern Syria at dawn on Sunday and killed at least four civilians, two of them children, a watchdog reported. Anti-regime activists of the Aleppo Media Centre said the missile, which slammed into a residential area of Tal Rifaat, was a Scud, although this could….
Egypt arrests 12 ‘Black Bloc’ members at presidency
4/28/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian police arrested 12 members of the “Black Bloc” — a violent group opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood — after clashes outside Cairo’s presidential palace, the official MENA news agency said on Saturday. Protesters hurled rocks and fire bombs at the walls of the presidential palace in Heliopolis, and torched a police vehicle….
Russia says Syria war only endable via Geneva plan
4/28/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — The Geneva plan to establish a transitional government in Syria is the only way to end the country’s conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said in Lebanon on Sunday. The Geneva communique agreed on in June 2012 is “the basis, without any alternative, for political regulation of the Syrian crisis….
Morsi steps back from confrontation with judges
4/28/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday stepped back from a confrontation with the Egyptian judiciary over a proposed new law that would see several thousand judges sacked, proposing a conference to ease disputes. During a meeting with judges, Morsi agreed to host a conference on Tuesday to resolve disagreements over the proposed new law….
Gunmen surround foreign ministry in Libya capital
4/28/2013 – TRIPOLI (AFP) — Gunmen on Sunday surrounded Libya’s foreign ministry demanding it be “cleansed of agents” and ambassadors of ousted dictator Moamer Gadhafi and warned they will spread their protest if their demands are not met. The group prevented staff from entering the building in Tripoli, AFP correspondents said. Around 30 vehicles, some mounted….
Israel air raids strike Gaza
AlJazeera 28 Apr 2013 – Two airstrikes hit the southern town of Khan Yunis, while a third strike near the southern town of Rafah.
International Solidarity Movement
17 year old from Gaza shot in the leg by the Israeli army
4/28/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – International Action for Palestine, 28th April 2013, Gaza, By Rosa Schiano – Jamil Wael Risha, 17 years old, Palestinian youth of Gaza City, was injured on the afternoon of the 26th April by the Israeli army at the Jabalia border, North Gaza Strip. International activists visited Kamal Odwan hospital to understand what happened to him and….
12- and 11-year old Palestinian children arrested after attack by settler children – Swedish activist also arrested
4/28/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 28th April 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine, By Team Khalil – UPDATE 28th April 19. 30The two Heikel brothers were released around 18. 30. Ahmed (aged 12) has had his fingerprints taken by the police and his younger brother Mouawieh (aged 11) was kicked in the stomach by an Israeli soldier. UPDATE 28th April….
Syrian Arab Republic: Syria crisis situation update (Issue 44), 27 April 2013
Relief Web 27 Apr 2013 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Damascus, Syria Regional Overview Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan face increasing humanitarian needs due to growing…
Armed Libyans surround ministry demanding purge of Qaddafi’s men
The National 28 Apr 2013 – Dozens of vehicles mounted with heavy weapons surround the ministry of foreign affairs in Tripoli, demanding the removal of officials who had worked under the late leader, Muammar Qaddafi. Alice Fordham reports
British schools favoured by UAE Royals
The National 28 Apr 2013 – Nothing emphasises the close ties between the Royal families of the UAE and United Kingdom better than the parade ground at the elite Sandhurst military academy.
‘The relationship is rare and precious’
The National 28 Apr 2013 – Sheikh Khalifa’s official translator speaks about on close friendship of Rulers
Emiratis living in the UK hope Sheikh Khalifa’s visit will boost close ties
The National 28 Apr 2013 – On the eve of President Sheikh Khalifa’s visit to Britain this week, Emiratis in London reflect on their time in a country increasingly aware of the UAE. Omar Karmi reports from London
US rights report ‘was unbalanced’, says UAE minister
The National 28 Apr 2013 – A US state department report issued last week that was critical of the UAE human rights record was unbalanced, the Assistant Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs said yesterday.
Founding father’s state visit united nations
The National 28 Apr 2013 – On the eve of Sheikh Khalifa’s visit to the UK this week, we reflect on Sheikh Zayed’s first state visit to Britain 24 years ago. The similarities are plentiful. Omar Karmi reports
Accolades for Zayed Book Award winners at Abu Dhabi ceremony
The National 28 Apr 2013 – The winners of the seventh annual Zayed Book Award received their accolades at a glittering ceremony in the capital last night.
Big plans for Abu Dhabi’s Corniche welcomed
The National 28 Apr 2013 – People who frequent the public beach have said they would like to have more to do there and experts in branding and urban planning have spoken of the importance of the Corniche as an asset to the city.
MK Stern defends drafting gunman who killed 4 Arabs in shooting spree
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Law blocking Israel’s enemies from suing the state gets government backing
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Watchdog thwarts PM’s move to reappoint top Lieberman aide to Foreign Ministry
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
In reversal of trend, fewer Haredi pupils in Jerusalem, more secular ones
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Former Mossad head Dagan: Israel should do whatever it can to bring down Syria’s Assad
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Israel’s new cabinet holds first meeting on Syria policy
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Olmert: Two-state solution is crucial to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
More detainees held longer without seeing judge in 2012
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Cars in Israel to get cheaper after gov’t smiles on reform
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
IDF first army to use powdered plasma in the field
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Scenes of chaos as crowds head to Mount Meron for Lag Ba’omer
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Eleven injured in central Israel prison fire
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Monastery to be severed from convent by West Bank barrier
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
French court: Jerusalem rail does not violate international law
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Sephardi chief rabbi blames ‘devil’ for plan to enlist ultra-Orthodox
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Israel strikes targets in Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire
Ha’aretz – 28 Apr 2013
Is eating crow kosher?
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Hagel’s tenure to this point has done more than enough to rebut these malicious and false charges leveled by his fellow Republicans.
MKs decry lack of racial diversity on new shekels
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Changes to currency include exclusively Ashkenazic Jewish poets; Bennett says he will insist Sephardic poet included.
Hezbollah and the Syrian Civil War
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – The international community can and must take responsibility for removing all WMD from Syria.
Diplomacy: Double negative is not always a positive
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Economic sanctions have a rather poor record of success, and in case of Iran no one is considering a trend of stronger sanctions.
NGO ranks Israel low on marriage freedom
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Survey released by Hiddush shows Israel ranks among the bottom 23% that includes: Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.
Turks think Israel must apologize, pay compensation
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Recent poll finds 64% support Erdogan’s conditions for reconciliation; 29% of them think Israel must lift Gaza siege.
Lights, camera, Kotel
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Thanks to the Jerusalem Film Fund, a magic capital lights up the silver screen.
US lawmakers press Obama to take action on Syria
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Republican senator calls on Obama to bomb Syrian air bases with cruise missiles in order to “turn the tide of battle.”
Amos Yadlin: The intelligence picture
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yadlin, former military intelligence chief speaks to the ‘Post’ about his career in the IDF.
Piron promises to tackle school vacation issue
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Education minister vows not to fire teachers, cut their pay; says he will fix holiday issue to match parents’ days off.
Livni objects to referendum on peace treaty
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Bennett working on basic law requiring referendum on any peace treaty; Yesh Atid undecided, but Lapid open to the idea.
High Court delays Amona evacuation until July 15
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Court grants final extension to outpost; Yesh Din says decision proves outpost was illegally built on “stolen land.”
Russian deputy FM meets with Nasrallah
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Mikhail Bogdanov meets with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other Lebanese leaders to discuss unstable situation in Syria.
Wildfires break out across Israel for 2nd day
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – 11 lightly injured at Maasiyahu prison after fire at wood working factory spread out of control.
Spring cleaning
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – These healthy and light spring salads are easy to make and perfect for a sunny evening or long lunch outside.
Ashkenazi: Soldiers, not equipment, make the IDF
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Former IDF chief of staff tells the ‘Post’ the the security situation in Israel is “more positive today than it was in the past.”
Senior Egypt officials in Iran for Syria talks
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi makes rare visit to Tehran to discuss Islamic initiative to put an end to Syrian civil wear.
Palestinian prisoner escapes outside Ofer Prison
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Palestinian detainee on the run after escaping from Border Patrol officers; detainee is not a security prisoner.
Israel’s grade in freedom of marriage survey: Zero
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Survey released by civil rights group shows Israel ranks among the bottom 23% that includes: Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.
Syria’s neighbors wary about US-led intervention
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Many analysts believe pro-US monarchy in Jordan and Erdogan’s gov’t would toe the line should US seek their cooperation.
Spielberg gives Obama the ‘Lincoln’ treatment
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Famed director teams up with the president to make special video for the annual White House Corespondents dinner.
JPost conference / Oren: Obama visit sent powerful message
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Olmert accuses PM of exaggerating on Iran nukes, but Steinitz says Tehran could produce 20-30 nukes a year; the two join Gabi Ashkenazi, Meir Dagan, Michael Oren and Alan Dershowitz at annual conference in New York.
Defecting Syrian officer ‘told to use WMD’
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Officer who now fights with the Free Syrian Army tells Saudi based TV station he was told to use chemical weapons against rebels.
Good life goes on as Damascus elite sit out war
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Syria is entangled in a bitter civil war that claims new victims everyday, but for the wealthy, it’s business as usual.
Heatstroke and brush fires as temps soar in Israel
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Temperatures hit the mid-30s, affecting thousands of visitors to Shimon Bar Yohai’s grave site for Lag Ba’omer.
Syria hangs over ‘Jerusalem Post’ conference
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – New York conference to feature panel talks on 2-state solution, security threats facing Israel, energy.
IAF strikes Gaza targets in response to rocket
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – Air strike successfully hits Gaza terror, weapons units according to IDF; operation comes in response to overnight rocket fire.
Analysis: No good military options for US in Syria
Jerusalem Post 28 Apr 2013 – “Obama has so far opposed limited steps, like arming anti-government rebels; pressure to deepen US involvement in Syria has grown”.
Record attendance at J’lem ANZAC Day ceremony
Jerusalem Post 27 Apr 2013 – Aussie ambassador at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery: Peace and goodwill can flow from even the fiercest of conflicts.
Leg infection stalls Aussie’s Israel Trail run
Jerusalem Post 27 Apr 2013 – Ultra-marathoner suspends completion of 1,009 km. run due to hospitalization, foot infection.
Gaza schoolboys training to fire Kalashnikovs – video
The Guardian 28 Apr 2013 – Schoolchildren in Gaza take part in a training activity which aims to familiarise them with Kalashnikovs
Gaza schoolboys being trained to use Kalashnikovs
The Guardian 28 Apr 2013 – Weekly military training classes for some 37,000 teenagers aged 15-17 sparks fears over new generation of militants Schools in Gaza are providing military training to teenage boys in a programme that a human rights organisation says…
Israel Uproots Trees To Prepare For New Settlement In Bethlehem
Uruknet
West Bank convent loses appeal over Israeli separation barrier route
Uruknet
Empty Stomachs From Guantanamo to Palestine
Uruknet
Torture Remains Official US Policy
Uruknet
Assessing the Rise in ‘Suspicious Package’ Reports Since the Boston Bombing
Uruknet
Palestinian villages protest together against illegal settlement outpost
Uruknet
Palestinian Children Denied Education in Israeli Prisons
Uruknet
Drone Fallout in Pakistan Decoding the Arrest of Musharraf
Uruknet
Fighting reported near suspected chemical arms site in Syria
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Fighting erupted in Damascus on Sunday near a complex linked to Syria’s chemical weapons programme, on the third day of an offensive by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces aimed at driving rebels from main sectors of the…
Jobless man sets self ablaze in Tunisia revolt town
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 A young jobless man set himself ablaze and was seriously wounded on Sunday in front of the town hall of Sidi Bouzid, birthplace of Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, witnesses said.
Pattern seen in alleged chemical arms use in Syria
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 The instances in which chemical weapons are alleged to have been used in Syria were purportedly small in scale: nothing along the lines of Saddam Hussein’s 1988 attack in Kurdish Iraq that killed thousands.
Obama congratulates Italy’s new prime minister
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 President Barack Obama “warmly” congratulated Italy’s Prime Minister Enrico Letta, the White House said Sunday, with the United States looking forward to working with his new government.
Gunmen surround Libyan foreign, interior ministries to push demands
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Gunmen surrounded Libya’s foreign ministry on Sunday, calling for a law banning officials who worked for deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi from senior positions in the new administration.
Morocco premier warns Prophet attacks unacceptable
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Morocco’s Islamist prime minister says it’s unacceptable to criticize the Prophet Muhammad, entering a war of words between a secular activist and hardline Salafists that has strained the balance between freedom of expression and religious sensitivities.
Lawmakers: Syria chemical weapons could menace US
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons could be a greater threat after that nation’s president leaves power and could end up targeting Americans at home, lawmakers warned Sunday as they considered a U.S. response that stops short…
Kadhafi family in Oman to stay out of politics: Libya
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Oman has reassured Libya that members of killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi’s family who are staying in the sultanate will not interfere in Libyan politics, Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdelaziz told AFP on Sunday.
Syria rebel victory would threaten region: Iran
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday reiterated Iran’s staunch support for Damascus, insisting that a rebel victory in Syria would threaten the entire region, his office’s website said.
Egypt court turns down Mubarak’s release request
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Egypt’s state news agency says a court has turned down deposed president Hosni Mubarak’s request to be released from prison pending an investigation into corruption charges.
Egypt delegation talks Syria with Iranian leaders
Daily Star 28 Apr 2013 Iran’s state TV is reporting an Egyptian presidential delegation has discussed the Syrian crisis with the leaders of Iran, the key regional ally of Syria’s President Bashar Assad.
Key Egyptian negotiator with IMF quits
YNet News, 28 Apr 2013 – ….
Greek bill opens way for civil service layoffs
YNet News, 28 Apr 2013 – ….
Ashkelon area: Girl fatally struck by car at junction
YNet News, 28 Apr 2013 – ….
Libya: Gadhafi family in Oman to stay out of politics
YNet News, 28 Apr 2013 – ….
Libyan PM: Armed groups also targeted Libya’s Interior Ministry
YNet News, 28 Apr 2013 – ….
Not from our pockets
YNet News, 28 Apr 2013 – Op-ed: State cannot encourage high birth rate while financing it at the expense of Israel’s working population ….
IOF prevents children from going to school
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) prevented schoolchildren in Wadi Bazik, Tobas province in the Jordan Valley, from heading to classes on Sunday.
Jordanian captives ask for legal backing to their issue
PIC – The Palestine prisoners’ center for studies said that the Jordanian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails would start hunger strike on 2nd May and have asked for support.
Detainee at PA security transferred to hospital
PIC – Mohammed Ghannam, a detainee at the PA preventive security apparatus, was transferred to hospital on Sunday after he was subjected to severe torture.
Festival in Germany in support of prisoners
PIC – Representatives of institutions and solidarity activists in Germany announced developing their movements to make a qualitative leap in support of the issue of prisoners in Israeli jails.
Rizqa: Fatah is not serious about the implementation of reconciliation
PIC – Youssef Rizqa, political adviser to Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, asserted that Fatah movement is not serious about the implementation of the reconciliation.
Occupation isolates Palestinian captive for the 66th day
PIC – Palestinian human rights sources reported that the Israeli occupation authorities have continued to isolate the Palestinian prisoner Ammar Abu Ghalion..
Settlers set fire to UN vehicles and gardens of Jerusalemite houses
PIC – Jewish settlers set fire to several vehicles belonging to the United Nations and gardens of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, while celebrating the Torch Festival.
PA security raid house of captive Abu Hija, arrest his two sons
PIC – Palestinian Authority security apparatuses arrested on Saturday two sons of the Hamas leader Sheikh Jamal Abu al-Hija, detained in Israeli jails, after storming his house in the Jenin refugee camp.
Khudari: IOA closure of crossing mass punishment
PIC – MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against siege, denounced the Israeli occupation authorities’ closure of the Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing with the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
UNRWA Denies Shutting Down Gaza Offices
WAFA – 28 Apr 2013
International Conference Adopts Campaign to Free Prisoners
WAFA – 28 Apr 2013
Brazil Donates 11.500 Tons of Rice Stocks to UNRWA
WAFA – 28 Apr 2013
Freedom of Palestinians is Urgent, says European Parliament
WAFA – 28 Apr 2013
Israeli Settlers Set Fire to 10 Vehicles in Jerusalem
WAFA – 28 Apr 2013
4 Iraqi soldiers killed at Sunni checkpoint
LA Times 27 Apr 2013 – Tribal leaders say the soldiers ran two Sunni checkpoints and were fired on at a third in Anbar province. BAGHDAD — Four Iraqi soldiers were shot dead Saturday, the day after Sunni Arab tribes in the restive western province of Anbar announced that they had…
Iraq Suspends Al Jazeera and Other TV Channels
New York Times 28 Apr 2013 – All but one of the channels are aligned with Sunni financial backers, and the Iraqi government said the channels were inciting sectarian conflict.
Critic’s Notebook: In Cairo, Rethinking the City From the Bottom Up
New York Times 27 Apr 2013 – In the wake of their revolution, Egyptians must determine for themselves what their capital should look like: not just politically and socially, but also architecturally.
Fuel price to fall again
Globes Energy & Water – The price of 95 octane benzene will fall overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday by NIS 0.31 per liter.
China’s Fosun buys Alma Lasers for $240m
Globes Main News – Alma Lasers develops light-based, radiofrequency and ultrasound products for aesthetic and medical applications.
IAI leases Better Place electric car fleet
Globes Main News – Israel Aerospace Industries: This move will reduce air pollution and result in financial savings for the company.
Rami Levy’s cheap smartphones anger rivals
Globes Main News – Levy: My motto is to sell a lot and make a little. Reports that Apple asked the Tax Authority to investigate have proved untrue.
Sun: Mellanox, Israel Chemicals again drag down market
Globes Main News – Mellanox again fell sharply after its disappointing second quarter guidance and Israel Chemicals continued to fall after Potash withdrew its takeover bid.
Potash: We’ll sell ICL stake if no chance of takeover
Globes Main News – The Canadian company said it still believed a merger with Israel Chemicals would create significant value.
Finance Minister nixes raising women’s retirement age
Globes Macro Economics – The Finance Ministry has favored the move for years, but Yair Lapid, like his predecessor, is opposed.
Private sector job openings up slightly
Globes Macro Economics – The daily average number of jobs available rose 1.6% between the fourth quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013.
Exile and the prophetic: Phantom pain and the cycle of atrocity
Mondoweiss – “Phantom pain” is a phenomenon that some amputee victims of the Boston Marathon bombing are experiencing. Medically – psychologically – phantom-pain feels as if it is coming from a body part that is no longer there. Is such pain real? The patients feel it. Doctors can’t…
Andrea Mitchell asks Michael Oren 7 questions. How many mention Palestinians?
Mondoweiss – Zero. Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC hosted Israeli ambassador Michael Oren, who grew up in New Jersey, for over five-and-a-half minutes on Friday, and couldn’t ask one question about Palestinians, the occupation, the settlements, the alleged peace process. OK, the interview was all about Syria. But this…
Our deadly democracy: 225,000 killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Mondoweiss – Brown University has released a new study : The cost of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan are estimated at 225,000 lives and up to $4 trillion in U.S. spending, in a new report by scholars with the Eisenhower Research Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for…
‘No. 1 issue’ in Maryland is prison scandal, but governor, mulling presidential run, is in– Israel
Mondoweiss – There is a prison scandal unfolding in Maryland : 13 correctional officials were indicted on Thursday. But the governor is out of town. [Senate president Thomas] Miller said he would like to see Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) make the issue a priority following his return from an…
‘FT’ runs valentine to religious people dancing to techno on a tank during a war (you know where)
Mondoweiss – Financial Times piece about Simcha Hochman — a dancing Hasid who “believes that music and dance can help people to connect with God”– speaking to David Vajda. Why do editors run this sort of material without any intervention? Imagine if religious Christians were dancing on tanks…
Lag B’Omer Bonfires Burn Out of Control Across Israel
The Foward Breaking News 28 Apr 2013 – Bonfires lit throughout Israel in honor of Lag b’Omer burned out of control, as thousands remained stranded in Meron after celebrating at the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Banknotes All Feature Ashkenazi Jews
The Foward Breaking News 28 Apr 2013 – Israel’s Cabinet authorized newly designed bank notes to be issued at the end of this year, despite concerns that all of the bills will feature Ashkenazi Jews. Click here for the rest of the article…
Women Plan To Read From Torah Scrolls in Western Wall Push
The Foward Breaking News 28 Apr 2013 – Women seeking equal prayer rights at the Western Wall are planning a further challenge to Jewish Orthodox tradition at the site after a court ruling bolstered their cause, an activist said on Sunday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Tamerlan Tsarnaev Caught on Wiretap Discussing Jihad Against Israel
The Foward Breaking News 28 Apr 2013 – The older suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings spoke to his mother about “jihad” and discussed going to the Palestinian territories in a 2011 phone call secretly recorded by Russian officials, CBS News reported on Saturday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israelis Chafe Under Orthodox Grip on Marriage, Divorce and Conversion
The Forward New 28 Apr 2013 – To get married in Israel, Dima Motel had to bring his family photo album and two of his ancestors’ birth certificates to a rabbinical court. Click here for the rest of the article…
Morsi hints at deal on Egypt judges
BBC 28 Apr 2013 – The office of Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi suggests a compromise may have been reached to end a crisis over the judiciary.
Gunmen surround Libyan ministry
BBC 28 Apr 2013 – Men in pick-up trucks bristling with anti-aircraft guns block off Libya’s foreign ministry, demanding a jobs ban on Gaddafi-era officials.
Femen: You’re Doing it Wrong
Al-Akhbar Opinion 28 Apr 2013 – A lady tries to stop a Femen militant as she runs to interrupt a press conference by Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki in Paris on 12 April 2013. (Photo: AFP / Eric Feferberg) A lady tries to stop a Femen militant as she runs to interrupt a press…
Egypt court rejects Mubarak parole request
Al-Akhbar News 28 Apr 2013 – Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak listens to his son Alaa, left, as his other son Gamal, back left, looks on during his retrial at the Police Academy in Cairo on 15 April 2013. A(Photo: AFP – Maher Iskander) Egypt’s state news agency says a court has…
Bahrain arrests 22 demonstrators for “terrorist attacks”
Al-Akhbar News 28 Apr 2013 – A Bahraini girl stands in front of women taking part in an anti-government demonstration in the village of Diraz, west of Manama, late on 27 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed al-Shaikh) Bahrain has rounded up 22 people suspected of attacking security forces and blocking roads…
Lebanese movie banned by authorities for Tel Aviv scenes
Al-Akhbar News 28 Apr 2013 – Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri said Saturday the Lebanese authorities have banned his award-winning film “The Attack” from cinemas in his home country because it was partly shot in Tel Aviv using Israeli actors. “I regret to inform you that the Interior Minister of Lebanon, Minister (Marwan)…
Iraq suspends 10 TV channels for “encouraging sectarianism”
Al-Akhbar News 28 Apr 2013 – Iraqi anti-government gunmen march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, on 26 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – Azhar Shallal) Iraq has suspended the licenses of 10 satellite TV channels for promoting “sectarianism,” the country’s media regulator said on Sunday, after five days of violence…
Gunmen surround Libya’s foreign ministry
Al-Akhbar News 28 Apr 2013 – Updated at 2:30pm: A Libyan military official says about 200 armed men are surrounding the Foreign Ministry building in Tripoli, demanding the ministry to reform and hire former fighters who helped overthrow former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Esam al-Naas said 38 trucks, some mounted with machine guns,…
Israel launches air strikes on Gaza after rocket lands in Negev
Al-Akhbar News 28 Apr 2013 – A Palestinian drives his bicycle past arches at sunset on 25 April 2013 on Beit Lahia beach, northern of Gaza Strip. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Abed) Israel’s military carried out three air strikes early on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, targeting sites used by Palestinian resistance…
Lebanese Expats Prepare for a Post-Chavez Venezuela
Al-Akhbar Politics 27 Apr 2013 – Handout picture released by Venezuela’s presidency office showing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro (C) speaking after inaugurating windmills in the border state of Zulia, Venezuela on 26 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – HO) Handout picture released by Venezuela’s presidency office showing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro (C) speaking…
Sheikh Assir Declares Arrival of His Mujahideen in Syria
Al-Akhbar Politics 27 Apr 2013 – Lebanese Sunni Muslims register their names to join Syrian rebels fighting against the regime, at the headquarters of controversial Lebanese Salafist leader in the southern city of Sidon on 25 April 2013. (Photo: AFP – STR) Lebanese Sunni Muslims register their names to join Syrian rebels…
Morsi hints at deal on Egypt judges
BBC 28 Apr 2013 – The office of Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi suggests a compromise may have been reached to end a crisis over the judiciary.
Gunmen surround Libyan ministry
BBC 28 Apr 2013 – Men in pick-up trucks bristling with anti-aircraft guns block off Libya’s foreign ministry, demanding a jobs ban on Gaddafi-era officials.
Iraq unrest prompts TV channel ban
BBC 28 Apr 2013 – Iraq suspends the licences of 10 satellite channels including al-Jazeera and imposes a ban on their operations for “promoting violence”.
Articles
Creeping dispossession destroys Palestinian agrarian communities
Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz, +972 Magazine 4/28/2013
The existence of the illegal Adei Ad settlement outpost harms Palestinians not just physically but also financially, and leads to the abandonment of Palestinian villages.
The Israeli media stopped, in recent years, paying attention to assaults of Palestinians by settlers, unless it is a particularly severe case, such as an assault on an 80-year old farmer. One of the issues which isn’t even touched upon as far as the media is concerned – and hence, the majority of Israelis – is the fact that the outposts’ very existence often constitutes theft, quite literally.
The outpost Adei Ad, which is the case study of our new report, “The Road to Dispossession,” sits on the lands of four Palestinian villages: Al Mughayer, Qaryut, Jaloud and Turmusaya. The clearest case is that of Al Mughayer.
As we’ve seen, the creation of an outpost creates several rings of damage around it. The first ring is the territory of the outpost itself, which often grows quickly. The second ring is the outpost’s perimeter, and the third is the land which Palestinian farmers may enter just twice a year, subject to military approval and coordination. The farmers of Al Mughayer are not allowed access to their own lands, and someone found a way to take advantage of that fact: on several occasions, Israelis made their way to Al Mughayer’s olive groves and pillaged them just days before the owners received permission to work the lands. The founder of Adei Ad, Boaz Melet, was convicted of trespassing in such a case, and two other settlers are still on trial for such charges.
Enraging as these thefts may be, the major financial damage is not caused by theft but by the destruction of property and preventing access to it. The residents of the four villages complain time and again about their trees being cut down, burned, and in a few rare cases poisoned…. more.. e-mail
Hunger strike marks ‘turning point’ in fight against Israel’s deportations, says rights group
Jillian Kestler-D’Amours, Abeyat, Electronic Intifada 4/25/2013
ABEYAT (IPS) – Hind Ibrahim Abeyat has spent most of her life separated from her father. “Every house in Palestine has someone in prison, a martyr,” the 19-year-old said from her family home in Abeyat village, near Bethlehem.
“For us, our father isn’t here. My friends ask me, ‘How can you live without your father?’”
Israel exiled Hind’s father, Ibrahim Abeyat, from the West Bank at the height of the second intifada, after the Israeli army’s infamous siege of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem in 2002.
At the time, Israel was carrying out a large-scale military operation in Palestinian cities across the West Bank. In the midst of the Israeli assault on Bethlehem in April 2002, a group of Palestinian fighters and civilians took refuge in the Nativity Church, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the city center.
Some 200 Palestinians were trapped inside as Israel lay siege on the church for 39 days and fired live ammunition and other weapons at the building. After a US-brokered deal was reached to end the attack, Israel exiled 26 Palestinians hiding inside the church to the Gaza Strip, and another 13 to various European countries.
“It was forbidden to look out the window, forbidden to go outside. We didn’t know what was happening,” said Doha, Hind’s 22-year-old older sister, explaining that the Israeli army surrounded the family home while her father, who is affiliated with Hamas, was in the church. After being flown to Cyprus, Ibrahim Abeyat was eventually deported to Italy, where he remains today. His wife spends six months of the year with him there, and the other six months with her children in the West Bank. more.. e-mail
The Russians Came
Uri Avnery, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 4/26/2013
WHEN THE huge immigration wave from the Soviet Union arrived in 1990, we were glad.
First of all, because we believe that all immigration is a good thing for the country. This, I believe, is generally the case.
Second, because we were convinced that this specific group of immigrants would push our country in the right direction.
These people, we told ourselves, have been educated for 70 years in an internationalist spirit. They have just overthrown a cruel dictatorial system, so they must be avid democrats. Many of them are not Jews, but only relatives (sometimes remote) of Jews. So here we have hundreds of thousands of secular, internationalist and non-nationalist new citizens, just what we need. They would add a positive element to the demographic cocktail that is Israel.
Moreover, since the pre-state Jewish community in the country (the so-called “yishuv”) was largely shaped by immigrants from Czarist and early revolutionary Russia, the new immigrants would surely mingle easily with the general population.
Or so we thought.
THE PRESENT situation is the very opposite.
The immigrants from the former Soviet Union – all bundled together as “the Russians” in common parlance – have not mingled at all. They are a separate community, living in a self-made ghetto.
They continue to speak Russian. They read their own Russian newspapers, all of them rabidly nationalist and racist. They vote for their own party, led by the Moldavian-born Evet (now Avigdor) Lieberman. They have practically no contact with other Israelis. more..e-mail
Vatican under scrutiny as nuns, landowners lose Israel wall challenge
Charlotte Alfred, Ma’an News Agency 4/28/2013
BEIT JALA, West Bank (Ma’an) — After a seven-year legal battle, a group of Palestinian landowners and Catholic nuns this week lost an appeal against Israel building its separation barrier on their land.
The ruling by an Israeli appeals committee places the lush Cremisan Valley, in a northern corner of Bethlehem, behind the Israeli wall.
Running straight through Vatican-owned land, the route of this section of the wall also places the position of the Catholic hierarchy under uncomfortable scrutiny.
The proposed construction will also cut off 58 Palestinians in Beit Jala, a predominantly Christian suburb of Bethlehem, from their fields. They launched a legal challenge in 2006.
Throughout the case, both sides tried to demonstrate that the church was behind them, aided by the fact that the church’s position was far from coherent. The Catholic Church in the West Bank lent support to the appeal, the local monastery equivocated, while the Vatican kept quiet.
But as the landowner, the Vatican is still the key player. Israeli officials insist the Vatican agreed to their initial route for the wall, which put both the monastery and convent of the Salesian order on the Israel-controlled side. The Vatican denies the church ever made a deal.
After the nuns belatedly joined the case saying Israel had misrepresented their position, the committee adopted a compromise position. more.. e-mail
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