19 June 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
The Closure Continues
IMEMC – A Report on the Impact of the Israeli Closure on the Gaza Strip (01 January – 31 December 2012) This report is issued in the context of the closure policy imposed by the Israeli authorities on the Gaza Strip, which has been implemented for six consecutive years, which has affected Palestinians’ lives in a brutal way. …
18 Palestinians Kidnapped In West Bank
IMEMC – {Wednesday, June 19] Palestinian sources have reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped a total of 18 Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank. …
Soldiers Invade Teqoua’ Near Bethlehem
IMEMC – Local sources have reported that several Israeli soldiers invaded, late on Tuesday at night [June 15 2013], the village of Teqoua’, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, and clashed with local youths. …
Settlers Attack Village Near Nablus
IMEMC – A number of extremist Israeli settlers attacked on Tuesday evening (June 18 2013] the village of Aseera Al-Qibliyya, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and burnt the room of the guard of the local water storage facility. …
Israel denies Arab artists entry to West Bank
6/19/2013 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — Three Arab singers were denied entry into the occupied West Bank on Tuesday by Israeli authorities, the PA governor of Jericho said. Egyptian singer and actor Midhat Salih, Jordanian singer Zein Awad and Qatari singer Ali Abd al-Sattar were scheduled to perform in Ramallah as part of a campaign to support Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, but were denied entry at….
Settler dogs attack Palestinian villagers near Hebron
6/19/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A settler released his dogs on Palestinian villagers south of Hebron on Wednesday, a local committee said. Coordinator of the popular committee against settlements in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, told Ma’an that a settler from Susiya unleashed his dogs near al-Sumu and Haribat al-Nabi to scare villagers. Settlers in the area often release their sheep onto Palestinian land to damage….
Israel informing Palestinians of land confiscation by mail
6/19/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities have started using registered mail to inform Palestinians of land confiscations, a Palestinian Authority official said Wednesday. Israel’s Civil Administration has sent letters to a number of Nablus residents informing them of decisions to confiscate their land, said Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activity. Daghlas said the unprecedented move was “dangerous.”[END]
Israeli assaults Al-Aqsa Mosque guard
6/19/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli extremist on Wednesday assaulted a guard at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after dozens of Jewish worshipers entered the Islamic holy site. Muwafaq Hamami was trying to stop an Israeli extremist taking photos of women at the compound when the Israeli hit him and knocked him unconscious, witnesses told Ma’an. Hamami was taken to Hadassah Medical Center for….
Abdallah Barghouthi on hunger strike until transfer to Jordan
6/19/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A Jordanian citizen imprisoned in Israel will not end his hunger strike until he transferred to a Jordanian prison, a lawyer said Thursday. Abdallah Barghouthi, who was transferred to the Haemek Medical Center in Afula in northern Israel, has been on hunger strike since May 2. Hanan al-Khatib, a lawyer for the PA Detainee Affairs Ministry, visited Barghouthi and said he….
Philippines Golan peacekeepers to stay for now
6/19/2013 – MANILA (AFP) — The Philippines Wednesday said it would keep its peacekeepers in the Golan Heights until at least August, and may stay longer if the United Nations increased security there. The announcement by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario followed repeated government warnings in recent weeks that it was considering swiftly pulling out its 341 soldiers from the volatile area between Syria and Israel.”We’….
Blair says time running out for Mideast peace
6/19/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Time is running out for the Middle East peace process, which must move forward or face total failure, former British prime minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday.”The window of opportunity will be open for only a short space of time,” he said, speaking in Jerusalem at the 2013 Presidential Conference, hosted by Israel’s President Shimon Peres.”Let’s hope….
India to fund construction of West Bank schools
6/19/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – The head of India’s mission to Palestine on Wednesday handed a $180,000 check to the Palestinian minister of education, Ali Abu Zuhri, in the latter’s office in Ramallah. The money is the first installment of a $1. 8 million dollar project funded by the Indian government to construct two schools in Abu Dis and Asira al-Shamaliya villages….
Experts: Limited US arms to Syria unlikely to harm Israel
6/19/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — US plans to arm Syrian rebels have raised fears in Israel that the weapons could fall into the wrong hands, but analysts played down the threat — provided no big guns are involved. Washington said last week that it would provide Syria’s rebels with military support in the form of small arms after it determined that the Syrian regime had used chemical….
Erekat: World should sever ties with Israel
6/19/2013 – JERICHO (Ma’an) — PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat called on the international community to stop dealing with the Israeli government while it acts as a country above the law. His statements were made after meeting with Murray McCully, in which he presented the New Zealand minister of foreign affairs with documents and maps detailing the Israeli settlement activity, the siege on Gaza, and the displacement….
Hamas: Erdogan still planning Gaza visit
6/19/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Turkish Prime Minister Reccep Tayyip Erdogan will follow through on promises to visit Gaza despite having to deal with mass protests in Turkey, the Hamas government said Wednesday. A spokesman for the Gaza government quoted Erdogan as making the remarks in a news conference Tuesday in Ankara after meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister.”Haniyeh discussed with Erdogan….
Kerry off on mega Mideast, Asia tour
6/19/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Friday on a 12-day trip during which he will return to the Middle East, hold high-level talks in Southeast Asia and make his first visit to India. At the start of his seven-nation tour, Kerry will head first for Doha to meet with top Qatari leaders and take part in a meeting of the core….
PA to increase prisoner allowances during Ramadan
6/19/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority said Wednesday that it will increase allowances for prisoners jailed in Israel during the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Issa Qaraqe, the PA minister for prisoner affairs, told Ma’an that the PA will provide an extra 100 shekels ($27) to prisoners in Israeli jails. The PA provides around 400 shekels ($111) each month to prisoners….
Obama to propose nuclear weapons cuts
6/19/2013 – BERLIN (AFP) — President Barack Obama will Wednesday propose the United States and Russia cut strategic nuclear warheads by a third and will call for cuts in tactical nuclear arsenals in Europe, a US official said. Obama, who will make the proposals in a major speech in Berlin, will also commit to attending a nuclear security summit in the Hague next year, and to holding a….
Shooting spree in Lebanon town ‘leaves one dead’
6/19/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — A shooting spree by gunmen loyal to a controversial Salafist sheikh in the southern Lebanese town of Sidon left one man dead and several wounded, the army and a security source said. Tuesday’s shooting by armed men loyal to Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir, who is fiercely opposed to the Shiite Hezbollah movement, took place in Abra, a suburb of Sidon, the security….
Hezbollah fighters ‘battle Syria rebels near capital’
6/19/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah joined Syrian troops battling rebels near Damascus on Wednesday, monitors said, as President Bashar Assad’s regime kept up a push to cut off the insurgents’ supply lines. Meanwhile, the main opposition National Coalition said it feared a “massacre” was imminent in southern Damascus, as Assad loyalists amassed around rebel areas there.”Army troops and….
Egypt tourism minister resigns over Luxor appointment
6/19/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s tourism minister resigned in protest on Wednesday after President Mohamed Mursi appointed a new governor for Luxor from an Islamist party linked to a massacre of holidaymakers in the temple city. Hesham Zazou said he “cannot continue in the role of tourism minister” a day after the appointment of Adel al-Khayat, a member of the political arm of ex-Islamic militant….
State Dept: No US-Taliban talks scheduled
6/19/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States has not scheduled talks with the Taliban, the State Department said Wednesday, after reports that discussions with the Afghan insurgent group could begin this week in Doha.”Reports of a meeting scheduled are inaccurate,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, saying that Washington had “never confirmed” any specific meeting.”We are now in consultations with the Afghan leadership and the High….
Report on the Impact of Israeli Closure on the Gaza Strip
Palestine News Network
Kerry to Visit Region for More Efforts to Revive Peace Talks
Palestine News Network
Clinton: There is No Perfect Solution to Israel-Palestine Conflict
Palestine News Network
“It’s As If We Are Living on Another Planet”
Palestine News Network
ADWAR Initiates Implementation of Project ‘Pioneers Societal”
Palestine News Network
Nine Female Prisoners in Israeli Jails Without Trials, says Ahrar Center
Palestine News Network
EU’s High Representative Ashton To Visit Middle East
Palestine News Network
‘The Israeli Government’s Unbreakable Commitment to the Israeli Settlement Enterprise’
Palestine News Network
New Book About Palestine Membership in the United Nations
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
“It’s as if we are living on another planet”
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Settlers building illegal road on Palestinian land in Hebron
6/19/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 19th June 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Hebron, Occupied Palestine – Israeli settlers in the Wadi al-Hussein valley neighborhood of occupied Khalil (Hebron) have begun building a new road on land owned by a Palestinian family. The road will be around four meters wide and lead to the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba which is above the valley. When completed it will split two olive groves. The….
Six homes in Sarra threatened with demolition orders
6/19/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 19th June 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Sarra, Occupied Palestine – On Monday 10th June Israeli occupation forces in jeeps visited six homes in Sarra and left demolition orders that affect the lives of around fifty people all with young children. The homes have been declared ‘illegal’ under Israeli planning law, claiming that they are within Area C which is under full Israeli….
UPDATED: Illegal settler colonisers attack workers in Asira
6/19/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 17th June 2013, International Women’s Peace Service, Asira al Qibliya , Occupied Palestine – Update 19th June 2013: Settlers from the illegal settlement of Yizhar again attacked the water reservoir project in Asira. At 4pm on the 19th of June fifty settlers, accompanied by over thirty Israeli soldiers trespassed onto village land and attacked locals working on the site. The workers left the project immediately….
occupied Palestinian territory: Secretary-General Appoints Major General Michael Finn of Ireland To Head United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
Relief Web 19 Jun 2013 – Source: UN Secretary-General Country: occupied Palestinian territory SG/A/1417 BIO/4482 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Major General Michael Finn of Ireland as the Head of Mission and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision…
World: Yearbook on Peace Processes 2013
Relief Web 19 Jun 2013 – Source: School for a Culture of Peace Country: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Moldova, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, Serbia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Western Sahara, World, South Sudan (Republic of) This eighth…
World: Rapport statistique sur les tendances mondiales
Relief Web 19 Jun 2013 – Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Country: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mali, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, World, South Sudan (Republic of) Selon le nouveau rapport statistique du HCR sur les tendances…
occupied Palestinian territory: The Closure Continues: A Report on the Impact of the Israeli Closure on the Gaza Strip
Relief Web 19 Jun 2013 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory Introduction This report is issued in the context of the closure policy imposed by the Israeli authorities on the Gaza Strip, which has been implemented for six consecutive years, which…
Syrian Arab Republic: In Syria, Palestine refugees create hope in the midst of tragedy
Relief Web 19 Jun 2013 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic 19 June 2013, Syria UNRWA marks this year’s World Refugee Day by bringing attention to the stories of refugees in…
We know nothing about missing sailor probe in Dubai, says UK ministry
The National 20 Jun 2013 – Official says even if there were information it would not be disclosed under Freedom of Information Act because of exemption covering the detection of crime and arrest of offenders.
UAE jobs initiative spreads message
The National 19 Jun 2013 – A pledge to provide 20,000 jobs in the next five years a major push towards the goal of having more Emiratis in the private sector.
Blue Flags awarded to two Dubai beaches
The National 19 Jun 2013 – Mamzar Beach Park and Jumeirah Open Beach will both soon be flying blue flags as a symbol of their excellence.
Hundreds of Emirati Adveti graduates ready for their vocations
The National 19 Jun 2013 – On Tuesday, the 632 were celebrated for their achievements at a ceremony in Mohammed bin Zayed City, attended by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister.
Dh120m projects for the disabled given go-ahead
The National 19 Jun 2013 – Initiatives that will aid people with disabilities have been given the green light by the President’s Initiatives Follow-up Committee.
Programme has UAE Filipinos managing their money
The National 19 Jun 2013 – A campaign in the Philippines to teach migrants how to better manage their money has reached more than 1,000 Filipinos and their families in the UAE since 2011.
Two budding UAE filmmakers in final of Arab Film Studio contest
The National 19 Jun 2013 – The search for the next big film making star is almost over, as the finalists have been announced for this year¿s Arab Film Studio competition.
Violent African piracy on increase but UAE routes not directly impacted
The National 19 Jun 2013 – Initiatives to counter armed maritime robbery are being discussed by the International Maritime Organisation’s Maritime Safety Committee during a 10-day session in London that ends tomorrow.
For sale on eBay: Decade-old stolen Mikveh Yisrael archive items
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Education Ministry funds fewer school hours for Arabs than Jews
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Israeli diplomat in open letter to Alice Walker: Don’t boycott my home
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Dagan: Israel has a unique opportunity to seek different alliances in the Mideast
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Google goes all the way to Jerusalem to discuss its ‘Palestine’ policy
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Pet Shop Boys singer defends Tel Aviv concert amid calls to boycott Israel
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
IDF arrests three Palestinian suspects over 2011 Joseph’s Tomb attack
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Israel Police officer tells Haaretz: War on ‘price tag’ attacks far from over
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
JNF votes down fracking plan near Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 19 Jun 2013
Health minister proposes allowing surrogacy for gay couples and singles
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
Livni, Supreme Court President believed to be backing judge accused of child abuse
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
In light of recent declarations, mystery surrounds who is speaking in Iran’s name
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
Ministry to combat Israeli polio scare with vaccination campaign
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
Israeli Arabs face extensive barriers to getting college education, report says
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
The Hermon is alive with the sound of chiffchaffs – for the first time
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
MKs launch new caucus to educate Knesset about U.S. Jews
Ha’aretz – 18 Jun 2013
US arming of Assad’s foes forces Iran to bleed resources in Syria
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – The fact that Iran, Hezbollah are sending militias, arms and money into Syria is a sign they are worried the regime might fall. Keeping them engaged and pouring resources into Syria weakens them substantially.
National service in Arab sector up 76% over past year
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Many face attacks and intimidation against participating.
IDF major gets 13-year sentence for selling drugs
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Former head of operations for the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade gets 13-year sentence for sales of heroin, hashish seized from Sinai border.
Dagan: Arab peace proposal a starting point
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Ex-Mossad chief: Sunni-Shi’ite rift in Arab world “creating unique opportunities for Israel to seek different alliances.”
Peres confers Medal of Distinction on Clinton
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Shimon Peres hails the former US president as “a servant of humanity” at Facing Tomorrow conference in Jerusalem.
Chinese Fund to offer scholarships to Chinese students at Technion
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Fund will first support five students each year, a number which is expected to gradually expand to reach 25 students within 5 years.
Entrepreneurs launch initiative for Palestinian future
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Ramallah entrepreneurs initiate NEWpal to give young people a voice in determining the Palestinian future.
Hamas: Syria conflict impacting Iranian financial aid
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Gaza’s support of rebels hurting relations with Tehran, resulting in loss of financial aid from both Iran and Syria, Hamas official says.
Arab lynch mob attacks two Jews in e. J’lem
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Victims in their 20s escape without serious injury after Arab-Israeli assailants attack vehicle; police investigating the incident.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood braces for future trouble
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Fortification of Brotherhood headquarters after Morsi’s first year in office suggests looming war.
Fatah warns US not to pressure PA to resume talks
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – PA calls for pressure on Israel to accept Palestinian preconditions as Kerry set to return to the region next week.
Danon condemns haredi campaign against soldiers
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Deputy Defense Minster calls on action against attacks waged to “delegitimize” IDF enlistment of ultra-Orthodox soldiers.
Hamas: Iran relations suffering from Syria conflict
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Islamist group’s support of rebels eroding ties with Tehran.
Clinton: No perfect solution to the conflict
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Peres honors former US president with highest civilian honor as Clinton talks peace at the Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.
Afghanistan suspends talks on US security pact
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Afghan President Hamid Karzai accuses Washington of mixed messages regarding peace talks with the Taliban.
Dagan: Arab peace proposal is not all great, but a starting point
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Ex-Mossad chief: Sunni-Shi’ite rift may enable new alliances.
Saudi’s Syria role driven by fear of Shi’ite ‘full moon’
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Kingdom’s Sunni princes fear Iranian influence in Syria, have doubts about opposition’s chances following fall of Qusair.
Presidential Conference 2013 ready to kick off Day Two
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – Fifth in conference series, “Facing Tomorrow” sees Clinton, Streisand celebrate President Shimon Peres’s 90th birthday in Jerusalem; festivities to continue with participation of Tony Blair, Rahm Emanuel, Shimon Peres.
Turkey’s Erdogan welcomes Hamas leaders
Jerusalem Post 19 Jun 2013 – As European Union cancels a parliamentary visit to Ankara, Erdogan hosts Hamas heads Mashaal, Haniyeh.
Deputy minister Ben-Dahan to stay in IDF corps
Jerusalem Post 18 Jun 2013 – Bayit Yehudi’s deputy minister for religious services fights to stay on in roll as reserve duty operations officer for the Artillery Corps.
MK Cohen: State failed to absorb Ethiopian olim
Jerusalem Post 18 Jun 2013 – The Knesset State Control Committee chairman says “we could have integrated them better and faster.”
Abu Ghosh focuses on coexistence, despite attack
Jerusalem Post 18 Jun 2013 – ‘We’ll never be weak because of slashed tires’; residents of Abu Ghosh come together to show unified front.
Police probe Facebook picture portraying Lapid as Hitler
Jerusalem Post 18 Jun 2013 – Picture posted on social network shows finance minister with a toothbrush mustache, in an apparent reference to Hitler.
Abbas: Palestinians want Kerry to succeed
Jerusalem Post 18 Jun 2013 – US secretary of state may return to push for resumption of peace talks; PA continues to demand that Israel halt settlement construction.
Shimon Peres feted by celebrities and leaders on 90th birthday – video
The Guardian 19 Jun 2013 – Barbra Streisand, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton are among the guests at the 90th birthday of Israel’s president, Shimon Peres
Barbra Streisand echoes Monroe’s birthday tribute for Shimon Peres
The Guardian 19 Jun 2013 – Singer courts controversy by criticising ultra-Orthodox attitudes to women before Israeli president’s 90th birthday gala Perhaps it lacked the raw sexuality of Marilyn Monroe’s breathless birthday ode to JFK more than 50 years ago, but Barbra…
Shubbak festival: a refuge for Arab culture at a troubled time
The Guardian 19 Jun 2013 – How can a festival celebrate a region gripped with conflict? Omar al-Qattan explains Shubbak, London’s Middle Eastern extravaganza These are troubled times to be putting on a festival celebrating a culture that is, on several levels…
The Dangerous Illusion of an Alawite Regime
Uruknet
NSA Chief Lies to Congress
Uruknet
UN: drones have caused “permanent fear” & affected wellbeing of children
Uruknet
‘Keeping the Population in a State of Constant Uncertainty’
Uruknet
PA official: Settlers burn 300 olive trees near Nablus
Uruknet
Zahalka: “Government, Police, Responsible For Escalating Settler Violence”
Uruknet
Data Hungry: Surveillance Is Never Enough
Uruknet
Gaza under Siege
Uruknet
Israeli firm helps NSA spy on Americans and Mexicans
Uruknet
Col. Asaad: Many of FSA Officers were marginalized by Military Council, including me
Uruknet
Egypt top cleric: Protests against Morsi permitted
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 Egypt’s top Muslim cleric declared Wednesday that peaceful protests against the president are permitted, in a snub to hard-line Islamist backers of Mohammed Morsi who declared that those behind opposition protests planned for June 30 are…
U.K. again fails to convince EU on blacklisting Hezbollah
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 A British drive to put Hezbollah’s armed wing on the EU’s terror list again ran into resistance Wednesday from governments concerned it would fuel instability in the Middle East, diplomats said.
Syria troops fight rebels near major Shiite shrine
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 Hezbollah fighters joined Syrian forces in battling rebels in a Damascus suburb that is home to a revered Shiite Muslim shrine, in a push to secure the area around the ornate, golden domed mosque.
Militants kill 6 soldiers in northwest Pakistan
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 A senior police official says militants attacked a military convoy with rocket-propelled grenades and other heavy weapons in northwest Pakistan, killing six soldiers.
Egypt tourism minister resigns over Luxor governor
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 Egypt’s tourism minister resigned in protest Wednesday after President Mohammad Mursi appointed a new governor for Luxor from an Islamist party linked to a massacre of holidaymakers in the temple city.
Suicide bomber kills Sunni politician in Iraq
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 A suicide bomber blew himself up as he embraced a Sunni Muslim political leader in northern Iraq Wednesday, killing the man and four of his family a day before elections in the area.
US, Jordan troops hold desert war games
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 US and Jordanian F-16 fighter jets attacked dummy targets in the kingdom’s southern desert on Wednesday, while Navy SEALs and other special forces rescued “hostages” and nabbed “terrorists” in mock exercises under major multinational manoeuvrers.
New MERS virus spreads easily, deadlier than SARS
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 A mysterious new respiratory virus that originated in the Middle East spreads easily between people and appears more deadly than SARS, doctors reported Wednesday after investigating the biggest outbreak in Saudi Arabia.
Tales of triumph over terror win top children’s UK book awards
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 The stories of a dyslexic hero and a little girl who overcomes her family’s fear of a stray dog won two of Britain’s most coveted children’s literature prizes Wednesday.
Palestinians toughen line on Israel talks
Daily Star 19 Jun 2013 The Palestinian president and his Fatah movement on Wednesday signaled a tough line on talks with Israel, casting new doubt on U.S. efforts to revive long-stalled negotiations.
Bus falls into river in Peru, killing at least 30
YNet News, 19 Jun 2013 – ….
Syria troops fight rebels near major Shiite shrine
YNet News, 19 Jun 2013 – ….
US: Talks with Taliban likely to take place within ‘next few days’
YNet News, 19 Jun 2013 – ….
US report: Israel leading fight against human trafficking
YNet News, 19 Jun 2013 – ….
Iran says appeals for ‘jihad’ in Syria fuel radicalism
YNet News, 19 Jun 2013 – ….
What Obama can (and should) do about Iran
YNet News, 19 Jun 2013 – Op-ed: US president’s ‘open hand’ policy merely giving Tehran more time to pursue a nuclear bomb without repercussions ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas is right: Hezbullah must withdraw from Syria
PIC – This week, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic liberation movement, called on the Lebanese Shiite militia, Hezbollah, to pull its fighters out of Syria.
Trial of two hunger strikers adjourned
PIC – The Israeli Ofer court adjourned the trial hearing into the case of two Palestinian hunger strikers from Al-Khalil.
IOF summons prisoners’ rights activist
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) served a summons to Yehya Saleh, an activist in prisoners’ rights, after intercepting a car passing a roadblock in Al-Khalil city.
Health condition of captive Barghouti deteriorates
PIC – Human rights sources reported that the health condition of hunger striking prisoner Abdullah Barghouti, sentenced to 67 life terms, has deteriorated despite his presence in the Hospital.
Leader Ja’afra announces hunger strike in the Preventive’s jail in al-Khalil
PIC – Palestinian Authority’s security court in the city of al-Khalil extended the detention of the Hamas leader and liberated prisoner Abdel Karim al-Ja’afra for 24 hours pending interrogation.
Israel considers using dogs to attack Palestinian workers legitimate
PIC – Israeli B’Tselem organization reiterated its demand that the occupation authorities cease to use dogs against unarmed Palestinian civilians.
10,300 new settlement units in the West Bank within three months
PIC – A Palestinian research center says that construction of settlement units in the West Bank has increased by 176% during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same quarter last year.
Ashkelon detention center witnesses tension
PIC – Palestinian human rights sources reported that a state of extreme tension is prevailing among the prisoners in the Israeli detention center of Ashkelon, due to the continued abuses against them.
IOA prevents tractors entering to lands behind the Apartheid Wall
PIC – Palestinian farmers called for pressuring the Israeli authorities to cancel its decision to prevent tractors entering to agricultural lands behind the Apartheid Wall.
Settler Assaults al- Aqsa Guard
WAFA – 19 Jun 2013
On World Refugee Day, PLO Wants Israel Held Accountable
WAFA – 19 Jun 2013
Quartet Representative says Plan for Progress Underway
WAFA – 19 Jun 2013
Statistics: Gas Emissions Up Significantly in Last 10 Years
WAFA – 19 Jun 2013
Obama seeks further cuts to U.S., Russia nuclear arsenals
LA Times 19 Jun 2013 – The president wants to move beyond the reductions set forth in the New START pact. Congressional Republicans and Putin voice their opposition. BERLIN — Despite an uphill battle both in Moscow and in Congress, President Obama vowed Wednesday to try to shrink the number of…
G-8 leaders support political solution to Syria
LA Times 18 Jun 2013 – Although the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad split the Group of 8 summit, leaders manage to come up with a statement of common goals. BEIRUT — Global economic leaders, including the United States and Russia, reiterated support Tuesday for a political solution to the…
Obama welcomes Taliban assent to Afghanistan talks
LA Times 18 Jun 2013 – ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland — Calling for an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process,” President Obama expressed cautious optimism about the Taliban’s surprise agreement to negotiate directly with U.S. officials toward ending America’s longest war and decades of bloodshed in Afghanistan.
G-8 leaders vow to crack down on tax evasion
LA Times 18 Jun 2013 – The Group of 8 nations agree on a 10-point plan to swap financial information and expose companies that use elaborate schemes to hide profits. LONDON — With many of their governments strapped for cash, leaders at a summit of rich nations vowed Tuesday to crack…
‘Letters to a Refusing Pilot’ by Akram Zaatari
New York Times 19 Jun 2013 – Akram Zaatari, who was selected to represent Lebanon at the 55th Venice Biennale, focused on an Israeli Air Force pilot’s act of conscientious objection with a quiet, evocative film.
U.N. Reports Increased Number of Displaced People
New York Times 19 Jun 2013 – The agency’s Global Trends report indicated that about 7.6 million people around the world were displaced last year because of conflict or persecution.
Jerusalem Journal: A-List Celebration Traces Leader’s Trajectory, and Israel’s
New York Times 19 Jun 2013 – Dignitaries and celebrities gathered on Tuesday to fete President Shimon Peres of Israel, already the world’s oldest leader, who turns 90 in August.
The Price of Loyalty in Syria
New York Times 19 Jun 2013 – The Alawites are caught between support for their own increasingly brutal leaders and a rebellion that may want to wipe them off the map.
Islamists Press Blasphemy Cases in a New Egypt
New York Times 18 Jun 2013 – The number of blasphemy cases, once rare in Egypt, has increased sharply as Islamists assert their new power in public life.
Syrian Tensions Spill Into a City in Southern Lebanon
New York Times 18 Jun 2013 – At least two people were reported killed in sectarian clashes in the Mediterranean port of Sidon, underscoring the Syrian conflict’s effects in Lebanon.
Vandals Hit Mixed Suburb of Jerusalem
New York Times 18 Jun 2013 – Slashed tires and anti-Arab graffiti were found in Abu Ghosh, a village of 6,000 that many see as a symbol of coexistence.
Pipeline to Turkey or LNG to China?
Globes Energy & Water – The question is not whether Israel will export gas, but how.
Israel to permit 40% gas exports
Globes Main News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ask the cabinet on Sunday to approve retaining 540 BCM of Israel’s gas reserves for domestic use.
Teva exec: Israel’s IP tax regime is costing it billions
Globes Main News – “We have not asked for any tax benefit from anyone in the government in relation to registration of intellectual property for Teva.”
Netanyahu wants Helpman as next BoI Governor
Globes Main News – Harvard Professor Elhanan Helpman is reluctant to take the post.
Stocks weaker
Globes Main News – The main stock indices fell today, with Israel Chemicals leading the way down.
Protalix signs $280m Brazilian Gaucher deal
Globes Main News – Pfizer will waive its commercialization rights on the seven year deal for Gaucher treatment Uplyso for $12.5 million annually.
Meir Dagan: Israel Can Defend 1967 Borders
Tikun Olam – One of the most prevalent memes among those who defend the Occupation, settlements and oppose a Palestinian state (that is, the entirely Israeli cabinet and much of the Knesset) is that Israel can’t possibly return to 1967 borders because the past perfidy of the Arab states…
Daily News and Foxman smear Alice Walker: ‘infected by anti-Semitism,’ all but ‘a lunatic shouting anti-Semitic canards’
Mondoweiss – We are seeing more smashmouth politics in several attacks on Alice Walker as an anti-Semite for daring to criticize Israel– in Walker’s new book and in her appeal to Alica Keys to boycott Israel rather than play Tel Aviv on July 4. First, here’s an editorial…
Slam poet Tahani Salah rips into ADC 2013 audience performing “Thunder”
Mondoweiss – Raw power, talent and beauty streaming from Tahani Salah at the 2013 ADC National Convention in Washington DC last weekend. I’m goose-pimpled blown away listening to her spoken word performance of “Thunder”. Salah is a Brooklyn-born Palestinian, an activist and an educator . She was also featured…
Samantha Power’s character reference likens Palestinians to Nazis, deserving defeat
Mondoweiss – Shmuley Boteach is Samantha Power’s advocate on Israel. The religious fundamentalist Republican rabbi from New Jersey who regards the West Bank as the Jewish nation’s gift from God is vouching for Power to be ambassador to the U.N. , even in the pages of the liberal Forward….
‘Your cause is our cause,’ Mohammed Assaf tells Palestinian prisoners
Mondoweiss – There is an earthquake occurring across the Arab world, and his name is Mohammed Assaf. “Your voice is measured by a golden balance,” Arab Idol judge Ragheb Alameh declared last weekend, while Nancy Ajram praised his “high artisanship” after Mohammed sings the song “Why all this?”…
New commuter station ad seeks to immunize Israel from racism charge
Mondoweiss – Obama at 125th Street The ad wars on Metro North, the commuter line that pumps the elite into and out of Manhattan, continue. StandWithUs is an Israel lobby group. This ad was up at Harlem-125th Street station this morning. It features Yityish Aynaw, an Ethiopian-born Israeli…
American Jewish Leaders Call Remarks Opposing Two States ‘Irresponsible’
The Foward Breaking News 19 Jun 2013 – American Jewish leaders Abraham Foxman, Rabbi Rick Jacobs and David Harris condemned recent statements by senior Israeli officials about the impossibility of a two-state solution, calling them irresponsible and saying they undermine the credibility of the government. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Diplomat Strikes Back at Alice Walker’s Over Boycott Plea
The Foward Breaking News 19 Jun 2013 – Israel’s consular general in New York accused novelist Alice Walker of urging artists to scapegoat Israel, following the publication of an open letter by Walker imploring singer Alicia Keys to boycott Israel and cancel her concert there. Click here for the rest of the article…
Sharon Stone Says ‘I Love Israel’
The Foward Breaking News 19 Jun 2013 – Sharon Stone says ‘I love Israel.’ The sexy actress gushed over the Jewish state during a visit to sick children at Hadassah Hospital. SEE slideshow. Click here for the rest of the article…
British Effort To Add Hezbollah To Europe Terror List Stalls
The Foward Breaking News 19 Jun 2013 – A British drive to put Hezbollah’s armed wing on the EU’s terror list again ran into resistance on Wednesday from governments concerned it would fuel instability in the Middle East, diplomats said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Are Jewish Non-Profits Targeted by IRS Over Ties to Israel?
The Forward New 19 Jun 2013 – The IRS is reeling from allegations it improperly scrutinized Tea Party groups. Jewish not-for-profits also say they’ve encountered strongarm tactics over their with ties to Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Rwanda: Rwanda and Israel to Forge Closer Ties
allAfrica.com 19 Jun 2013 – [ERTA]Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame arrived in Jerusalem, Israel, on Monday to strengthen ties between the Middle East nation and his country at the fifth Israel Presidential Conference.
Egypt: Nation’s Decision to Cut Diplomatic Ties With Syria Discussed As Marzouki Meets With Ambassador
allAfrica.com 19 Jun 2013 – [Tunis Afrique Presse]Tunis -Egypt’s decision to severe its diplomatic ties with Syria was discussed as Caretaker President Moncef Marzouki received, on Tuesday at the Palace of Carthage, Egypt’s ambassador in Tunis Aymen Jameleddine Abdelfettah Machrafa.
Protests flare over Egypt governor
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – Egypt’s tourism minister quits and protests erupt as a man with links to Islamists behind the deadly 1997 attack in Luxor is named as city governor.
Israel starts celebrating Peres 90th
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – Celebrations begin for the 90th birthday of Israel’s President Shimon Peres, in the presence of celebrities and world leaders.
Refugee numbers ‘highest since 1994’
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – The UN says 7.6 million people became refugees in 2012, the highest number since 1994, with the conflict in Syria a major new factor.
It’s Foreign Policy, Stupid: Judging Politics in the Arab World
Al-Akhbar Blogs 19 Jun 2013 – Zionists are furious that Arabs focus on foreign policy and evaluate politicians in their countries through the prism of foreign policy. They want the Arab people to be as ill-informed and as ignorant of world affairs as the American public. That, of course, suits Zionism. The…
150 doctors demand independent care for Guantanamo hunger strikers
Al-Akhbar News 19 Jun 2013 – Activists from Amnesty International human rights association wear orange uniforms like Guantanamo detainees and hold a banner reading “Investigate and prosecute US Torture” during a protest action on the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, on 19 June 2013 where US President has his hotel during his official…
Syrian National Currency Takes a Plunge
Al-Akhbar News 19 Jun 2013 – A bundle of Syrian pounds and U.S. dollars is seen in Amman in this 6 December 2011 file photo. (Photo: Reuters – Ali Jarekji) A bundle of Syrian pounds and U.S. dollars is seen in Amman in this 6 December 2011 file photo. (Photo: Reuters -…
Lebanon: The University as Exporter of Graduates
Al-Akhbar News 19 Jun 2013 – there are no factories and no work opportunities, and if they want to open a factory, they have to pay bribes. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) There are no factories and no work opportunities, and if they want to open a factory, they have to pay bribes. (Photo:…
Interview: UN Envoy in Syria Warns of “Major Disaster”
Al-Akhbar News 19 Jun 2013 – A Syrian young boy runs holding an old rifle as he helps fighters belonging to the “Martyrs of Maaret al-Numan” battalion on 13 June 2013 in the southern Syrian town of Maaret al-Numan in the Idlib province. (Photo: AFP – Niel Leal-Olivas) A Syrian young boy…
Qusayr’s Wounded Convalesce in the Lebanese Bekaa
Al-Akhbar News 19 Jun 2013 – A Syrian injured young man, who fled with his family the recent violence in Qusayr, lays down in the backyard of Arsal municipality where refugees wait before registering and finding a shelter on 14 June 2013 in the Lebanese Bekaa valley. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid)…
Obama keeps mum on US military aid to Syrian rebels
Al-Akhbar News 19 Jun 2013 – US President Barack Obama listens during a bilateral meeting with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the G8 summit in the Lough Erne resort near Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on 18 June 2013. (Photo: AFP – Jewel Samad) US President Barack Obama on Wednesday refused…
Erdogan at Home: Yes to Oppression, No to Rights
Al-Akhbar Politics 18 Jun 2013 – A Turkish girl poses with a Turkish flag depicting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, on Taksim square in Istanbul on 5 June 2013. (Photo: AFP – Ozan Kose) A Turkish girl poses with a Turkish flag depicting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey,…
Egypt: President Mursi in Search of a Hideout
Al-Akhbar Politics 18 Jun 2013 – Mohammed Morsi gives his speech to thousands of islamists and Syrian opposition supporters during the “support for Syria” rally at Cairo stadium on 15 June 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo: AFP – HO / EGYPTIAN PRESIDENCY) Mohammed Morsi gives his speech to thousands of islamists and Syrian…
Qatar Red Crescent Funds Syrian Rebel Arms
Al-Akhbar Politics 18 Jun 2013 – A picture taken on 7 June 2013, shows boxes of weapons at the military airport in Dabaa, north of Qusayr, in Syria’s central Homs province as regime forces sought to mop up the final pockets of rebel resistance north of Qusayr (Photo: AFP – STR) A…
Protests flare over Egypt governor
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – Egypt’s tourism minister quits and protests erupt as a man with links to Islamists behind the deadly 1997 attack in Luxor is named as city governor.
Suicide bomber strikes Yemeni market
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – A suicide bomber on a motorbike kills two people in Yemen’s northern town of Saada, which is under the control of Houthi Shia rebels.
Israel starts celebrating Peres 90th
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – Celebrations begin for the 90th birthday of Israel’s President Shimon Peres, in the presence of celebrities and world leaders.
Refugee numbers ‘highest since 1994’
BBC 19 Jun 2013 – The UN says 7.6 million people became refugees in 2012, the highest number since 1994, with the conflict in Syria a major new factor.
Articles
The Israel Lobby and Traumatic Memory
Lawrence Swaim, CounterPunch 6/19/2013
The New Thought Police
Edward Snowden speaks of an electronic “architecture of oppression,” based on the mania of our national security state to control the communications of humankind at large. But there are other systems of control—emotional and cultural rather than digital—whose mechanisms of control are no less capable of being abused. The most effective of these are the overlapping systems of influence and control set up by the Israel Lobby. This is a generic term referring to disparate people and institutions that believe that Americans should not be allowed to publicly criticize the government of Israel, even when it does bad things; and it is with that intent in mind that they conduct extensive policing of public discussion of anything having to do with Israel.
The Lobby consists mainly of the leadership of three important organizations—the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; the Lobby’s most well-known public figures are Abraham Foxman, Director of the ADL, and Alan Dershowitz, an American attorney, professor lawyer and political commentator. They are backed up by an even larger contingent of rightwing Christian evangelicals, the largest and most active constituency in the Republican Party, many of whom believe that a religious war would bring about the Second Coming of Christ. All of the above-mentioned people have one thing in common: they attack American critics of the Israeli state, usually by calling them anti-Semites or self-hating Jews, often trying to ruin their reputations or drive them from their jobs.
In Congress the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) does pretty much the same thing, with one major difference: they have at their disposal immense amounts of money. Currently an actual majority of elected officials receive money from AIPAC to vote as the current government of Israel wants them to, at least on issues having to do with the Middle East. There’s nothing illegal about it—it’s called ‘bundling,’ and is basically a form of legal bribery. But one must say that it’s rather odd, not to mention unprecedented, that the Prime Minister of a foreign country would participate in the distribution of money through his proxies to the US Congress, so that its members vote as he wants them to. From the point of view of American sovereignty, not to mention political morality, it’s an astonishing situation. more.. e-mail
Teen novel depicts Israeli settlements as unnatural
Sarah Irving, Electronic Intifada 6/14/2013
William Sutcliffe’s The Wall is a young adult novel that follows Joshua, who discovers a secret tunnel leading from his fictional Israeli settlement of Amarias to the adjacent Palestinian town, where he meets Leila. In a tautly-written, thoughtful book, Joshua encounters reality on the other side of “the wall” and discovers the damage which his own actions can inflict on others.
The Wall joins Naomi Shihab Nye’s Habibi, Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Where the Streets had a Name and Elizabeth Laird’s A Little Piece of Ground on the list of young adult fiction tackling the subject of Palestine. The differences of authorship are interesting; Shihab Nye and Abdel-Fattah are women of Palestinian origin, and Laird worked in association with Palestinian writer Sonia Nimr, and they write about Palestinian protagonists.
Sutcliffe describes himself as “atheist Jewish” and has said that “there is a large amount of pressure on British Jews like myself to keep quiet about negative opinions towards Israel. But I feel the most important lesson the history of the Jewish people has to teach is it is immoral to ignore injustice, oppression and racism. Blind, uncritical loyalty to any nation state, including Israel, is dangerous” (“William Sutcliffe: It is immoral to ignore injustice, oppression and racism,” Metro, 16 April 2013).
And he has written about an Israeli settler boy.
“Storm of hairy spiders”
All three books use the characters of children not only to appeal to their core readerships, but also to explore the potential of young people…. more.. e-mail
One by one, Israel’s coalition members abandon two-state rhetoric
Mairav Zonszein, +972 Magazine 6/17/2013
More and more, members of Israel’s ruling parties are matching their public statements to the reality they are implementing every minute on the ground: Israel’s opposition to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.
Economy Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett is the latest MK to join a robust list of Israeli government coalition members who have publicly stated that the two-state solution is dead and that the notion of a Palestinian state is a thing of the past. Although it’s no new position for him, Bennett is making it clear that no matter what Prime Minister Netanyahu says or what polls show, the Israel of 2013 is squarely against a two-state solution.
Bennett stated that ”the idea of forming a Palestinian state in Israel has reached a dead end,” speaking at a settler council meeting Monday morning, comparing the “Palestinian problem” to a “piece of shrapnel” lodged in someone’s rear end; that one needs to learn to live with a pain in the ass rather than surgically remove it and risk becoming disabled.
Bennett also asserted there is no occupation, since Israeli Jews cannot be occupiers in their own home (echoing the Netanyahu-commissioned Levy Report from nearly a year ago that concluded there is no occupation) and called on Israel to annex Area C of the West Bank. This is similar to what Likud MK and former Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin said last year: “Today, almost 20 years since Oslo, one could clearly argue that the idea of separating between the nations has failed … Between the Jordan River and the sea, there can only be one state, Jewish and democratic, with a solid Jewish majority.”
There are plenty of other coalition members who have publicly come out against the two-state solution and the possibility of a viable Palestinian state, as a Knesset committee meeting on the subject exposed last month…. more.. e-mail
We must defend the global commons against commercialization, environmental catastrophe, and autocratic rule
Noam Chomsky, Israeli Occupation Archive 6/18/2013
Noam Chomsky was in Beirut to give a commencement speech and accept an honorary degree at the American University of Beirut.
I’ve visited Lebanon several times, moments of great hope, and also of despair, tinged with remarkable determination to overcome and to move forward. The first time I visited – if that’s the right word – was exactly 60 years ago, almost to the day. My wife and I were hiking in Israel’s northern Galilee one evening, when a jeep drove by on a road near us and someone called out that we should turn back: we’re in the wrong country. We had, inadvertently, crossed the border, then unmarked, now I suppose bristling with lethal armaments.
A minor event, but it brought home forcefully a lesson that I knew, but perhaps not clearly enough. The legitimacy of borders – for that matter of states – is at best conditional and temporary. Neither have inherent legitimacy. Almost all borders have been imposed and maintained by violence, and are quite arbitrary. The Lebanon-Israel border was established in the interests of British and French imperial power, with no concern for the humans who happened to live there, or even the terrain. It makes no sense, which is why it was so easy to cross unwittingly.
Surveying the terrible conflicts in the world, almost all are the residue of imperial crimes and the borders they drew in their own interests. To take just one of many, Pashtuns have never accepted the legitimacy of the Durand line, drawn by Britain to separate Pakistan from Afghanistan; nor has any Afghan government ever accepted it. It is in the interests of today’s imperial powers that Pashtuns crossing it are labeled “terrorists” so that their homes are subjected to murderous attack by drones and special forces under President Obama’s global terrorist campaign. Much the same is true worldwide.
There are few borders in the world so heavily guarded by sophisticated technology, and so subject to impassioned domestic rhetoric, as the border separating Mexico from the United States…. more.. e-mail
Why PA’s new prime minister heads a papier-mâché government
Electronic Intifada: 19 Jun 2013 – The Palestinian Authority will never achieve liberation so long as it remains subservient to Israel.more
Palestine portrayed as plastic state in new art show
Electronic Intifada: 19 Jun 2013 – Visitors to Larissa Sansour’s imagined nation have to navigate a bureaucratic maze.more
Maids for Sale: Child Exploitation Bonanza
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jun 2013 – By Ramzy Baroud Last night at the hotel lobby of an Arab Gulf country, a family walked in aiming for the westernized café that sells everything but Arabic coffee. The mother seemed distant as she pressed buttons on her smart phone. The father looked tired as he buffed away on his cigarette, and a whole band of children ran around in refreshing chaos that broke the monotony of the fancy but impersonal hotel setting. Chasing behind the children for no other reason but to be constantly vigilant to any unexpected harm was a very skinny Indonesian teenager wearing a tightly wrapped headscarf, worn out blue jeans and a long shirt. She was the maid, or khadama as maids are called here, meaning a servant. The girl was but a child, of the same build and overall demeanor of my 14-year-old daughter who is busy with her studies anticipating a very…more
In Palestine, Peace is Not Just Absence of Violence, But Presence of Justice
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jun 2013 – By Hasan Afif El-Hasan Members of the messianic Jewish settler groups Gush Emunim explain the 1967 Israeli victory as the work of ‘God’. They insist that they were rectifying a world-historical wrong by uniting the two halves of the ‘land of Israel’ which represents the necessary first stage for the redemption of the Jewish people and ultimately, for universal redemption. To give up the ‘land of Israel’, they argue, would be to reject the mandate of ‘God’. They seem to mistake unrestrained Israeli planning to expand, corruption of Arab regimes and inter-Arab quarrels for ‘God’s will’. To support their plans to expand and annex Arab lands, Israel’s policy has been to maintain a qualitative military edge over all potential adversaries and guaranteed access to US technology. It is highly unlikely that Israel’s influence in Washington will diminish or that the US military and political support would not be provided when…more
Walker Tells the Truth, the ADL Avoids It
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jun 2013 – By William A. Cook “… the ADL blasted Walker for describing Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians as ‘genocide,’ ‘ethnic cleansing,’ ‘crimes against humanity,’ and “cruelty and diabolical torture.” (Haaretz June 18, 2013). Alice Walker’s new book, The Cushion in the Road, spends over eighty pages on the Israeli state and its treatment of Palestinians. Apparently the ADL took umbrage to her free expression of ideas about the Zionist ideology that has managed to imprison the Palestinians in their own land while stealing most of it. This they call Anti-Semitism. Freedom of speech is only for those who do not criticize Israel or for Zionists and their supporters who criticize anyone that criticizes Israel. What they do not tolerate is the possibility that Israel may be brought to court to determine if it does commit crimes against humanity and for that it pays enormous amounts of money to our Congress to…more
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The New Dark Age 
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