22 June 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Four Injured, Palestine TV Reporters Kidnapped In Kufur Qaddoum
IMEMC – The Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Kufur Qaddoum village, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, reported Frida [June 21, 2013] that dozens of Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest, wounding four residents, and kidnapped reporters of the official Palestine TV. …
PA: Israel to let Assaf enter West Bank
6/22/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities have agreed to allow Arab Idol finalist Muhammad Assaf to enter the occupied West Bank, after two years of delays, officials said Friday. The officials, from the Palestinian Authority’s civil affairs ministry, told Ma’an that Assaf will be able to enter the West Bank despite being a resident of the Gaza Strip. The coordination was…. Related: Hundreds of thousands watch Assaf perform and Arab Idol winner Assaf named 1st Palestinian UN ambassador
Israeli forces disperse Nabi Saleh protest
6/22/2013 – NABI SALEH, West Bank (Ma’an) — Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets during weekly protests in the Ramallah village of Nabi Saleh on Friday. Israeli soldiers surrounded protesters at the top of a mount where demonstrators gather weekly against the appropriation of village land for nearby Israeli settlements. A student from Birzeit University was injured after being shot in the arm….
Man injured in shootout with Gaza police
6/22/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A man was injured on Saturday during a shootout with police in the Gaza Strip. Gaza police spokesman Ayoub Abu Shaar told Ma’an that officers went to an address in the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City to deliver a summons order to a member of the Jundeyeih family. Members of the family opened fire at the police officers….
Arab Idol winner Assaf named 1st Palestinian UN ambassador
6/23/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Mohammad Assaf, the first Palestinian to win the popular Arab Idol TV singing contest, will also become the UN’s first Palestinian ambassador. A diplomatic source in Beirut, where MBC’s Arab Idol is filmed, told Ma’an the agreement was signed days ago to make Assaf the first-ever Palestinian refugee to become a UN ambassador. He will…. Related: PA: Israel to let Assaf enter West Bank and Hundreds of thousands watch Assaf perform
Prosecutor: Palestine could join ICC
6/22/2013 – TUNIS (Ma’an) — The International Criminal Court head prosecutor believes Palestine qualifies to join the ICC after the UN General Assembly voted to admit the country as a non-member state in November. Fatou Bensouda made the remarks Thursday at the Transitional Justice and International Justice in the Arab World conference in Tunisia, Palestinian officials who attended it said. Palestinian justice minister Ali Muhanna attended….
Source: Hamas officials leave Cairo for Beirut
6/22/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – A Hamas delegation headed by Mousa Abu Marzouk left Cairo on Friday evening for Beirut, according to reliable source at Cairo International Airport. The source confirmed that the delegation arrived secretly at Cairo airport escorted by Egyptian intelligence officers. Senior Hamas officials Mousa Abu Marzouk, Nahidh Fayyad and other officials were seen boarding a flight to Beirut, the source asserted. Separately….
Anglican leader visiting the Holy Land
6/22/2013 – LONDON (AFP) — The leader of the world’s Anglicans is to make a five-day visit to Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories from Sunday, his office said. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church of England, was to meet with religious leaders, visit holy sites and see community projects, said Lambeth Palace. It will be his first visit to….
Hamas govt ‘executes 2 collaborators’
6/22/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Gaza interior ministry implemented on Saturday death sentences against two convicted collaborators, the ministry announced. In a statement, the ministry identified the convicts only by their initials and ages — A. G. , 49, and H. K. , 43. It insisted the process took place in the presence of authorized parties and according to the legal procedures stipulated in the Palestinian law….
PA police detain 2 over hacked Facebook account
6/22/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian police on Saturday detained two suspected hackers of a Facebook account in Ramallah, authorities said. Police said the owner of the hacked account filed a complaint at the electronic crimes department in the public prosecution. Prosecutors in cooperation with detectives in Ramallah followed up and detained two suspects. The suspects were not identified and it was not clear if they….
Hundreds of thousands watch Assaf perform
6/22/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across the West Bank and blockaded Gaza Strip on Friday crowded in cafes and open-air venues to watch the final episode of the popular Arab Idol reality show. Palestinians are hoping their 23-year-old contender from the Gaza Strip Muhammad Assaf will be declared the winner of this year’s series, which would be the…. Related: PA: Israel to let Assaf enter West Bank and Arab Idol winner Assaf named 1st Palestinian UN ambassador
Tulkarem worker dies after falling from building
6/22/2013 – TULKAREM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian Authority municipality worker died on Saturday after falling from a building in Tulkarem, medics said. Faisal Mahfouz suffered a brain hemorrhage and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he passed away. [END]
Fire kills hundreds of chickens in Hebron
6/22/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A fire at a poultry farm in Hebron killed over 4,300 chickens on Saturday and wounded two people, civil defense crews said. The fire broke out in al-Dhahiriya, southwest of Hebron, and civil defense crews managed to control the blaze and rushed two people to hospital with moderate wounds. The fire was caused by an electrical fault, civil defense crews said. [END]
Multilingual Israeli 24-hour news TV to launch July 1
6/22/2013 – TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — A new Israel-based 24-hour TV news channel broadcasting in English, French and Arabic is to go on air on July 1, its CEO says. The new station, based in Tel Aviv’s seafront Jaffa district, is named i24 news.”The channel will be launched on July 1, in three languages , including the website,” Frank Melloul said. Melloul said the….
Syria rebels say now have ‘game-changing’ weapons
6/22/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Syrian rebels have recently received new weapons that could “change the course of the battle” against the Syrian regime, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army told AFP on Friday. The “Friends of Syria” group of countries that support the rebels is expected to announce in Doha on Saturday that it will arm the opposition, FSA media and political coordinator spokesman Louay Muqdad….
Report: CIA secretly providing training for Syrian rebels
6/22/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The CIA and US special operations forces have been training Syrian rebels for months, since long before President Barack Obama announced plans to arm the opposition, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. Training for rebel forces covers the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and has been carried out at bases in Jordan and Turkey since late last year, the newspaper reported, citing…. Related: US military presence in Jordan expands to 1,000 troops
US military presence in Jordan expands to 1,000 troops
6/22/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US military has expanded its presence in Jordan to 1,000 troops, officials said Friday, in a show of force amid the raging civil war in neighboring Syria.”The total comes to about 1,000″ troops, up from about 250 personnel that have been in place for months, a US defense official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. Roughly 700 troops that had deployed…. Related: Report: CIA secretly providing training for Syrian rebels
British FM says ‘no decision’ on arming Syria rebels
6/22/2013 – DOHA (AFP) — British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Saturday that his government had taken “no decision” to provide arms to Syrian rebels, ahead of a “Friends of Syria” meeting expected to discuss military aid.”On the much debated question of whether we should give lethal aid of any kind to the Syrian opposition, the position remains the same — we have taken no decision to….
‘Friends of Syria’ in Doha talks on arming rebels
6/22/2013 – DOHA (AFP) — Foreign ministers of governments that support the Syrian opposition gathered in Qatar on Saturday after rebels welcomed recent arms deliveries they said could turn the tables on the Damascus regime. US Secretary of State John Kerry, whose government announced earlier this month that it was ready to start arming the mainstream rebel Free Syrian Army, was among the top diplomats attending the “Friends….
US envoy for Taliban talks lands in Qatar
6/22/2013 – DOHA (AFP) — The US envoy in charge of nascent dialogue with the Taliban has arrived in Qatar days after the Afghan insurgents opened a controversial mission in the Gulf Arab monarchy, a US official said. James Dobbins, the US special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, was to take part in meetings later on Saturday between Secretary of State John Kerry and Qatari leaders, the official….
French FM slams Iran, Hezbollah ‘meddling’ in Syria
6/22/2013 – DOHA (AFP) — Countries supporting Syria’s rebels demanded on Saturday that Iran and Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah stop meddling in the country’s civil war, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.”In the text that we have just released, we have demanded that Iran and Hezbollah end their intervention in the conflict,” said Fabius, referring to their support for the regime….
Palestinian wins Arab Idol for first time
AlJazeera 22 Jun 2013 – Competition electrified thousands of fans including President Mahmoud Abbas and stoked feelings of national pride.
International Solidarity Movement
‘Next time we will pray in Jerusalem’ – activists demonstrate at apartheid checkpoint blocking access to occupied Jerusalem
6/22/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 22nd June 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team, Bethlehem, Occupied Palestine – In the morning of June 22nd, Palestinian, international and Israeli activists marched to the Israeli occupation military checkpoint blocking the West Bank from Jerusalem. Upon reaching the Israeli occupation roadblock, they were stopped by soldiers who violently prevented them from passing through the checkpoint. In reaction, the Palestinian activists prayed at the checkpoint, demonstrating….
Arm Syria’s rebels to achieve peace, says Qatari PM
The National 22 Jun 2013 – Friends of Syria group agrees to ‘provide urgently all necessary material and equipment to the opposition on the ground’.
UAE-funded Sheikh Khalifa road opens possibilities for Pakistan
The National 22 Jun 2013 – US$38 million road opened by officials from UAE and Pakistan.
UAE retail franchise rises to challenge
The National 22 Jun 2013 – The Aswaaq grocery store concept is already winning high praise after only five years in operation.
Syrians given haven from war by RAK firm
The National 22 Jun 2013 – Prefabricated buildings, including schools, mosques and rehab clinics, are designed to be easily dismantled and used elsewhere.
Dubai pair’s goal is an orphanage in Ethiopia
The National 22 Jun 2013 – Karen Kendall and Leeanne Reeves, originally from Australia, are doing their best to provide for as many orphans as possible.
RIP India’s telegram service: 1851-2013
The National 22 Jun 2013 – After 162 years of operation and having made losses since 1991, the telegraph services will be shut on July 14, the government announced.
Egyptians in UAE ‘shocked’ by El Erian
The National 22 Jun 2013 – He does ‘not speak for us’ say UAE-based businesswomen
Doctors in Dubai urge screening to curb cervical cancer
The National 22 Jun 2013 – Doctors in Dubai would like an organised campaign to ensure women are prompted to book cervical screening appointments.
Plan to offer gender segregated studies at Hebrew U sparks outcry among faculty
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
Danny Dayan boldly goes where no settler leader has gone before: Washington
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
Mother of murdered girls from Bedouin town sues police
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
New details emerge on organ trafficking ring between Israel and Costa Rica
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
State witness in Barnoar shooting caught in Tel Aviv
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
Uzi Meshulam, who campaigned to probe disappearance of Yemenite children, dies at 60
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
Bennett: I won’t veto Netanyahu’s efforts to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
Ha’aretz – 22 Jun 2013
Minister: Latest ‘price tag’ attack ‘despicable.’
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – In Abu Ghosh, Aharonovitch vows police will fight ‘price tag terrorism’; Jerusalem police make investigation a priority.
Clashes in Istanbul after Erdogan says protests serve Turkey’s enemies
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Riot police, protesters clash for first time in nearly a week.
‘Israel has every right to defend itself against Iran’
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz echoes Netanyahu’s warning against trusting Iran’s moderate Rohani.
Police nab run-away, key witness in Bar Noar murder
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Manhunt over after police find, arrest Bar Noar witness.
Friends of Syria states agree to give rebels urgent aid
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Military aid to be funneled through Western-backed rebel command.
Drunk, reckless drivers endanger weekend roads
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Traffic Police suspend more than 130 licenses; man struck by car while going to help victims of previous collision.
Western, Arab countries come together to help Syrian rebels
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – The West want all aid to go through rebel commander Idriss.
Public Security Minister: Latest ‘price tag’ attack ‘despicable.’
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Aharonovitch promises continued Jewish-Arab coexistence in Abu Ghosh during a visit to the village.
Kerry meets with Arab allies in effort to funnel aid away from jihadists
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Sources: Saudis accelerate delivery of advanced arms to rebels.
Hamas hangs 2 Gazans convicted as Israeli spies
Jerusalem Post 22 Jun 2013 – Men allegedly passed intel that led to deaths of Palestinians; Hamas says executions are “in accordance with our religion.”
‘PA Premier Hamdallah retracts resignation’
Jerusalem Post 21 Jun 2013 – PA official says newly-appointed PM reportedly withdraws resignation after meeting Abbas; no official announcement made.
Relative of Bar Noar suspect allegedly rapes lawyer
Jerusalem Post 21 Jun 2013 – Police arrest 25-year-old man who has had previous run-ins with law after he allegedly rapes woman in Petah Tikva apartment.
US Military Admits Only 2.5 Percent of All Prisoners Ever Held at Guantánamo Will Be Tried
Uruknet
Fact checking racist incitement against African refugees in Israel
Uruknet
The crocodile tears of Samantha Power
Uruknet
The Truth: The NSA Has Been Working on Domestic Spying for Ten-Plus Years
Uruknet
The Hamas – Hezbollah conflict worsens
Uruknet
U.S. commander in Afghanistan skeptical Haqqanis will reconcile
Uruknet
No remorse for destruction of Palestinian villages
Uruknet
The Terror Diaspora The U.S. Military and the Unraveling of Africa
Uruknet
Taliban statement Statement regarding inauguration of political office of Islamic Emirate in Qatar
Uruknet
Friends of Syria agree to supply urgent rebel aid
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 Western and Arab opponents of Assad agree to give urgent military support to Western-backed rebels, aiming to stem a counter-offensive by Assad’s forces and offset the growing power of jihadist fighters.
Amman denies CIA training Syria rebels in Jordan
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 Jordan denies an American newspaper report saying that the CIA and U.S. special operations forces are training rebels from neighboring Syria on its territory.
Iran, Hezbollah should ‘stop meddling’ in Syria
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 Countries supporting Syria’s rebels demand that Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah stop meddling in the country’s civil war, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says.
Hardliners call on Luxor governor to quit after Mursi defence
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 A hardline Islamist group calls on one of its members to resign as governor of Luxor “for the sake of Egypt” despite President Mohammad Mursi defending the appointment.
Egypt commission to look into election complaints
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 Egypt’s official news agency says an election commission will look into complaints by presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq alleging irregularities and forgery in last year’s vote, which he narrowly lost.
Spain: Arrests disbanded terror recruitment gang
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 Spain’s interior minister says eight suspected jihadist militants arrested this week formed part of a terrorist recruitment network that had sent 50 militants to carry out attacks for Al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria.
Mansour denies Gulf states expelling Lebanese expats
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 Gulf Cooperation Council states have not expelled Lebanese expatriates, Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Masnour says, after a recent GCC decision targeting Hezbollah loyalists over the Lebanese group’s growing involvement in Syria.
Over 1.5 million foreign workers change status before Saudi crackdown
Daily Star 22 Jun 2013 More than 1.5 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia have changed their residence status since April ahead of a planned crackdown on illegally registered expatriates in the world’s leading oil exporter, the labour ministry says.
Ramla shooting: 3 injured, 1 in critical condition
YNet News, 22 Jun 2013 – ….
Shooting in Ramla venue, 1 critically injured
YNet News, 22 Jun 2013 – ….
Brazil: Thousands protest anew, but crowds smaller
YNet News, 22 Jun 2013 – ….
Palestinian singer wins ‘Arab Idol’
YNet News, 22 Jun 2013 – ….
Obama to unveil climate plan in Tuesday speech
YNet News, 22 Jun 2013 – ….
Condemnation Ltd.
YNet News, 22 Jun 2013 – Op-ed: PM would have been quick to denounce verbal attack on Rabbi Stav had Barbra Streisand been the target ….
Palestinian Information Center
Israeli plan to build tunnels between Jews’ zone and Buraq plaza
PIC – A Palestinian informed source revealed a new Israeli plan to connect the Jewish neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem with Al-Buraq plaza, west of the Aqsa Mosque.
Prisoner Khaled Haroub on open-ended hunger strike
PIC – The PPS reported that prisoner Khaled Haroub has launched an open-ended hunger strike since the fifteenth of this month, demanding his incarceration along with his detained brother in one room.
IOF soldiers quell march to Jerusalem
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) quelled a group of Palestinian activists while trying to march to occupied Jerusalem on Saturday through the tunnel roadblock in Beit Jala town near Bethlehem.
MK Baraka: The killing of a settler doubted as an Arab reflected Israel’s racism
PIC – Mohamed Baraka said that the killing of a Jewish settler suspected as an Arab man by an Israeli policeman on Friday reflected that there are racist orders to kill Arabs easily and arbitrarily.
Israeli excavations and Judaization in the Ibrahimi mosque
PIC – Jewish settlers carried out excavations at the entrance of the Ibrahimi mosque to bring in electricity as part of the Israeli Judaization policy in the Ibrahimi mosque in al-Khalil.
Ashkelon prisoners appeal for help, threaten to boycott prison infirmary
PIC – The Palestinian prisoners in Ashkelon jail appealed to human rights groups to intervene to save the lives of patients in their jail and put an end to their exposure to maltreatment and humiliation.
USAID stops funding Palestinian NGOs
PIC – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has recently stopped funding projects of a number of Palestinian civil institutions that support the boycott of Israel.
Ahrar Center calls on PA to join ICC
PIC – Ahrar Center for Prisoners’ Studies has called on the PA to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) according to the recommendations of ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
Hamas welcomes UN report condemning Israeli crimes against children
PIC – Hamas has welcomed the UN report issued by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which has accused the Israeli occupation of committing systematic crimes against Palestinian children.
Israel Forces Jerusalem Resident to Demolish His Home
WAFA – 22 Jun 2013
Weather Forecast: Additional Rise in Temperature through Monday
WAFA – 22 Jun 2013
Following a Star, Kerry Applies Personal Touch
New York Times 22 Jun 2013 – While his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was a global celebrity, Secretary of State John Kerry is striving to carve out a legacy by taking on some of the world’s intractable problems.
2 Executed by Hamas as Informers
New York Times 22 Jun 2013 – The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza said that the two informants had been sentenced to death on charges of “spying for a hostile foreign party and attempted murder.”
Kerry, in Qatar, Warns Taliban While Also Building Support on Syria
New York Times 22 Jun 2013 – Secretary of State John Kerry warned that the newly opened Taliban office “has to be closed” if the insurgents do not respond to demands that they negotiate in good faith.
As Hezbollah Fights in Syria, Life Changes in a Lebanese Border Town
New York Times 21 Jun 2013 – Followers face new uncertainties and anxieties as Hezbollah fights a different kind of war, more intimate and ambiguous than the group’s founding conflict with Israel.
Guard Kills Jewish Man in Jerusalem
New York Times 21 Jun 2013 – An Israeli security guard apparently thought the victim was a Palestinian preparing to carry out an attack, the police said.
State Witness in Bar Noar Gay Murders Identified
Tikun Olam – Zohar Khankisheyev, state witness in the Bar Noar gay massacre A key figure in the Bar Noar gay murders was an individual who provided the killer, Hagai Felician, with a detailed plan of the youth center and mapped his entrance and exit. This person himself is…
UPDATE: Mohammed Assaf IS Arab Idol!!!
Mondoweiss – Palestinian Mohammed Assaf is Arab Idol Palestinian Mohammed Assaf, a strikingly talented, charismatic, handsome, Gazan with a ” golden ” voice has just been chosen Arab Idol by millions of fans and viewers all over the world. Mohammed Assaf’s talents were recognized immediately by the judges as he…
‘Peace Now’ characterizes Israeli non-Jews as outside of ‘mainstream’ public opinion
Mondoweiss – The other day I received a note from Yariv Oppenheimer, director of Peace Now, the liberal Zionist group in Israel, aimed at American Jews and trumpeting a new survey saying that Israelis are turning against the settlers, and the two-state solution is alive and kicking. For…
The hum of the bulldozer (demolishing houses) is the background noise of Zionism
Mondoweiss – Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid / Restriction of movement House demolitions: Zionism’s constant background noise 972blog 17 June by Idan Landau, translated from Hebrew by Ofer Neiman — Hardly a day goes by without the State of Israel demolishing an Arab home between the…
In the Queen of Hearts’ East Jerusalem, Palestinians ‘self-demolish’
Mondoweiss – As we noted yesterday, Alice Rothchild has been filing from Palestine. This post first appeared on Pluto Press’s blog . After weeks of anxiety and worrisome emails about security at Ben Gurion Airport, possible demands for passwords, email addresses, and various troublesome questions, the 18 year old…
‘Start-Up Nation’ Dumps Israel for Big Apple
The Foward Breaking News 22 Jun 2013 – So far, Low has invested in 15 Israeli startups since last month − some $200,000 in each − and he’s on the lookout for additional prospects. Click here for the rest of the article…
Netanyahu Won’t Fight Sequester Cut in U.S. Aid
The Foward Breaking News 22 Jun 2013 – Israel will not object to a planned five-percent cut in the annual military aid package from the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said. Click here for the rest of the article…
‘Egypt’s Jon Stewart’ Hosts the Real Thing
The Foward Breaking News 22 Jun 2013 – Jon Stewart took his politically engaged American satire to Cairo on Friday, appearing on a show hosted by the man known as “Egypt’s Jon Stewart”, who has faced investigation for insulting the president and Islam. Click here for the rest of the article…
Tunisia: Tunisia-Lebanon – Bilateral Co-Operation Reviewed
allAfrica.com 22 Jun 2013 – [Tunis Afrique Presse]Tunis -Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi, who is on a working visit to Lebanon met, on Friday, with Lebanese opposite number Tamman Salam.
Syria rebels to get ‘urgent support’
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – Ministers from the Friends of Syria group of nations meeting in Qatar agree to provide “urgent” support to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
Gaza singer wins Arab Idol contest
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – Celebrations erupt across the Palestinian territories at news that a wedding singer from the Gaza Strip has won the Arab Idol talent show.
Politics of Saudi Street Art
Al-Akhbar Blogs 22 Jun 2013 – Prior to the Arab uprisings, street art in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait was seen as a funky, yet westernized, form of expression. Over the past two years, street art has become the new wave of expression, after photography and graphic design became too popular. There is…
Lebanon: Phalangist Office Turned Into Nightclub
Al-Akhbar News 22 Jun 2013 – The party members are concerned this may happen again to various offices throughout Lebanon. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The party members are concerned this may happen again to various offices throughout Lebanon. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The Lebanese Phalangists, or Kataeb Party, boast more than 300 offices in…
Saudi police shoot teenager dead in Qatif
Al-Akhbar News 22 Jun 2013 – Saudi police shot a teenager dead in the eastern Qatif district late friday, bringing to 19 the number of people killed in the area since anti-government protests erupted over two years ago. Activists said the 19-year-old man was shot in his car by a stray bullet…
Qatar: Arming Syrian rebels to bring peace, justice
Al-Akhbar News 22 Jun 2013 – A water tower reading “Welcome to Doha” appears in the background as greeters wait for US Secretary of State John Kerry to disembark from his plane upon arrival in Doha on 22 June 2013. (Photo: AFP – Jacquelyn Martin) Qatar’s prime minister said on Saturday the…
Turkey arrests 23 more “terrorist” protesters
Al-Akhbar News 22 Jun 2013 – Turkish authorities arrested 23 more people on Saturday over their alleged role in this month’s anti-government protests, accusing them of acting on behalf of a far-left “terrorist” group, a news report said. A court in the capital accused them of helping to organize the protests and…
Clandestine workers panic ahead of Saudi crackdown
Al-Akhbar News 22 Jun 2013 – More than 1.5 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia have changed their residence status since April ahead of a planned crackdown on illegally registered expatriates, the labor ministry said on Saturday. Saudi Arabia is trying to reduce a black market in labor among the estimated nine…
Nine killed in Iraq attacks on police, day laborers
Al-Akhbar News 22 Jun 2013 – Attacks north of Baghdad, including a suicide car bombing, killed nine people on Saturday. The deadliest violence struck in the main northern city of Mosul, where a suicide attacker set off a vehicle rigged with explosives near a police patrol on the city’s southern outskirts. The…
Gaza Rises: Palestinians “Rebel” Against Occupation
Al-Akhbar Politics 21 Jun 2013 – Jordanians take part in a rally to mark the the Naksa, in the Jordan Valley, on June 7, 2013. (Photo: AFP – Khalil Mazraawi) Jordanians take part in a rally to mark the the Naksa, in the Jordan Valley, on June 7, 2013. (Photo: AFP -…
The Hamas-Hezbollah Split on the Syrian War
Al-Akhbar Politics 21 Jun 2013 – A Young Palestinian crawls under barbed-wire during a summer physical training camp run by Hamas in Gaza City on 17 June 2013. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Abed) A Young Palestinian crawls under barbed-wire during a summer physical training camp run by Hamas in Gaza City on…
Syria rebels to get ‘urgent support’
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – Ministers from the Friends of Syria group of nations meeting in Qatar agree to provide “urgent” support to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
Deadly attack on Iraq Shia mosque
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – A suicide bomber kills at least 14 people at a Shia mosque north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, after three other attacks leave nine dead.
Gaza singer wins Arab Idol contest
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – Celebrations erupt across the Palestinian territories at news that a wedding singer from the Gaza Strip has won the Arab Idol talent show.
Couple die of thirst in Saudi desert
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – A husband and wife die of thirst after losing their way in Saudi Arabia’s vast southern desert, known as the Empty Quarter.
Archbishop on visit to Middle East
BBC 22 Jun 2013 – The Archbishop of Canterbury is leaving for the Middle East on a five-day tour to meet Christian minority groups.
Articles
Military police must decide: Is the IDF a gang or an army?
Yesh Din, Written By Yossi Gurvitz, +972 Magazine 6/21/2013
Youth from the village of Qaddum were shocked to find themselves featured on a threatening IDF poster. Will the army severely punish those responsible?
About two weeks ago, several youth from the village of Qaddum were shocked to discover their photos and names appear on a placard posted near the mosque, which presented the following threat: “We are the army, dir balaq, we’ll catch you should we see you, or we’ll come to your house.” The affair was exposed in the +972. The placard was written in bad Arabic. “Dir Balaq” is roughly translated as “be careful.”
According to the testimonies of Qaddum’s residents, three IDF jeeps stopped next to the mosque in the late morning of Friday, May 31. Ten soldiers or more disembarked, and began posting the placards. A, a 16-year-old high school student, told a Yesh Din investigator that “I was shocked by seeing my picture and the threat against me. I panicked and now I am always afraid the army will capture me. My brothers are also scared and my mom cries. I can’t sleep. I haven’t returned to school since it happened and I’ve missed a final exam.”
A’s father, M., told Yesh Din, “I was shocked and stressed… I was fearful for the child and was afraid of his reactions. This is a worrying story. I saw my child shivering in fear. He entered a hard and restless state, and finds it hard to fall asleep. He also hasn’t gone to school since.” M. angrily added that “this is an act of terrorism, not the act of an organized army. This is the work of gangs, not of a democratic country. What do you mean, you turn a 15-and-a-half-year-old child into a wanted man?”
D., another of the minors mentioned in our brave lads’ placard, told Yesh Din, “I began shivering in fear and feared they would come right away to take me. The next day, I didn’t return to school even though there was a final exam. I hope the school will show consideration. I live in fear they will come and take me.” more.. e-mail
Waiting for Obama’s next move on Israel
George S. Hishmeh, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 6/20/2013
As my wife and I were just served with two cups of espresso at a busy sidewalk cafe in downtown Paris last week, a young Hasidic Jew stepped up to me and addressed me in French. I quickly interrupted him saying “I do not speak French”.
He then looked at me and said, “You are a Jew?” — an observation that was bewildering. I quickly responded, “No I am a Palestinian,” aware that he would be confused had I said I am an American of Palestinian origin. He appeared dumbfounded and as he turned quickly away from me I added: “I am a Semite, like you” in the hope that we can begin a conversation.
That remark did not impress him and he stepped away instantly.
I was actually disappointed because I had hoped to explain to him some of the intricacies of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stressing the point that we needed to talk together before we can resolve the decades-long conflict that has troubled the Middle East or, as I prefer to say, the Arab world.
Interestingly, the next day, that point was a theme stressed by Thomas L. Friedman, the New York Times columnist, who had served as his paper’s foreign correspondent in the 1960s when I was the editor of the Daily Star of Beirut, Lebanon, where we had met. (In fact, much later, and in response to my appeal from Washington where I had moved to in 1969, Friedman had graciously helped my mother leave Beirut aboard a US naval ship when the US government had advised Americans to leave Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war).
In his June 4 column, which I read in the Paris-based International Herald Tribune, he noted that Israel, as a result of increased international social networking, has become “a pariah state because of its West Bank occupation”. He continued, “It is not a good trend for Israel. It makes it much more dependent on America alone for support.” more.. e-mail
Israel’s control over movement, reflected by a local artist
Yuval Ben-Ami, +972 Magazine 6/22/2013
May Castelnuovo presents a visual representation of 101 things, at which we would rather not look.
As the crow flies, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is situated less than one kilometer from the separation wall. Indeed, the crow need not even fly from Israel’s most prestigious art school to the questionable concrete barrier; it can mosey there at ease.
Within Bezalel, one finds the typical Israeli mix of art that concerns itself with local realities and that which stubbornly ignores them. This post is dedicated to one work of the first category, presented only last week by a student at Bezalel’s photography department. I am sharing it for two reasons. First, it is the work of a dear friend, who is also a recent creative partner and +972 contributor. May Castelnuovo is responsible for the photography and film footage of “Last Metro to Taksim,” a five part exploration of protest-Istanbul.
Second, while professedly a rudimentary experiment, it is an enormously educational piece of art. It is made up of permits – permits necessary for movement, permits for crossing the wall. The crow may fly right over it, but it traps men and women. Many Palestinians never get a permit to cross the separation barrier and go into Israel. For those who do, Israel issues 101 kinds of permits: only for Jerusalem, only for a specific hospital in Jerusalem, only for daylight hours, for all hours, for a few hours, etc., etc.
The permit policy can be described as a form of bureaucratic violence, or at least a tool of intimidation. Palestinians receive no information about how to qualify for a permit. One permit expires, and the next offers entirely different liberties, for no apparent reason. The printers at Kafka’s castle work overtime. more.. e-mail
Troubling Implications of Susan Rice’s Appointment as National Security Adviser
Stephen Zunes, Truthout 6/17/2013
Her openness to another US war in the Middle East became apparent when she announced in September that “there is no daylight” between the United States and the right-wing Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu…regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
The selection of Susan Rice as President Obama’s new national security adviser is highly problematic for those of us who believe that United States foreign policy should be more attuned to international law and human rights and that alleged threats to US national security should be based on empirical evidence rather than unsubstantiated allegations by warmongers.
Rice’s willingness to state demonstrable falsehoods to defend actions by the United States and its allies that violate international norms is very troubling. It is all too telling that the mainstream media was so willing to focus on spurious criticisms from the right regarding her initial responses to the killings in Benghazi while ignoring legitimate criticisms from the left.
One example of Rice’s disconnect from reality came up in the lead-up to the war in Iraq ten years ago, as independent arms control analysts, scholars, investigative journalists and antiwar activists were challenging the Bush administration’s lies about the supposed “Iraqi threat.” In an apparent effort to discredit these efforts by those who opposed the rush to war, Rice rushed to the administration’s defense by insisting that, “It’s clear that Iraq poses a major threat.” This claim came despite the fact that Iraq had disarmed itself of its chemical and biological weapons and eliminated its nuclear program at least eight years earlier. Moreover, despite the success of the UN’s disarmament program, Rice asserted that Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction need to be dealt with forcefully, and that’s the path we’re on.”
In February 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell testified before the United Nations that Iraq had reconstituted its biological and chemical weapons arsenal, as well as its nuclear weapons program….None of this was true….Rice, however, was adamant that Powell had “proved that Iraq has these weapons and is hiding them….” more.. e-mail
Big Racists vs. Little Racists: How Israeli Apartheid is Coming Unstuck
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jun 2013 – By Jonathan Cook – Nazareth One incident of racism, though small in relation to the decades of massive, institutionalized discrimination exercised by Israel against its Palestinian Arab citizens, has triggered an uncharacteristic bout of Israeli soul-searching. Superland, a large amusement park near Tel Aviv, refused to accept a booking from an Arab school on its preferred date in late May. When a staff member called back impersonating a Jew, Superland approved the booking immediately. As the story went viral on social media, the park’s managers hurriedly offered an excuse: they provided separate days for Jewish and Arab children to keep them apart and prevent friction. Government ministers led an outpouring of revulsion. Tzipi Livni, the justice minister, called the incident a “symptom of a sick democracy”. Defence minister Moshe Yaalon was “ashamed”. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that the “racist” policy be halted immediately. Such sensitivity appears to be a…more
Corporatizing National Security: What It Means
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jun 2013 – By Ralph Nader Privacy is a sacred word to many Americans, as demonstrated by the recent uproar over the brazen invasion of it by the Patriot Act-enabled National Security Agency (NSA). The information about dragnet data-collecting of telephone and internet records leaked by Edward Snowden has opened the door to another pressing conversation—one about privatization, or corporatization of this governmental function. In addition to potentially having access to the private electronic correspondence of American citizens, what does it mean that Mr. Snowden—a low-level contractor—had access to critical national security information not available to the general public? Author James Bamford, an expert on intelligence agencies, recently wrote: “The Snowden case demonstrates the potential risks involved when the nation turns its spying and eavesdropping over to companies with lax security and inadequate personnel policies. The risks increase exponentially when those same people must make critical decisions involving choices that may lead to…more
Gaza and the Zapatistas – Imagine!
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jun 2013 – By Julie Webb-Pullman – Gaza Autonomy. Justice. Land. Liberty. Imagine if Gaza said Ya! Basta! And declared itself the first autonomous Palestinian community! Imagine if the Gaza authorities reviewed and transformed their relationship with members of global civil society, as the Zapatistas did in 2003. Imagine the impact of this on the terms and organization of international assistance! Imagine the Zapatista’s 2003 guidelines for outside support applied in Gaza, which demanded all prospective partners to ‘disencumber’ their generosity, and donate in accordance with Zapatista priorities, and to give up control and mesh with the Zapatistas’ own coordinated planning. (1) Subcommandante Marcos advised in a 2003 communiqué: (2) Among the Good Government Juntas’ first regulations are the following: One. – Donations and help from national and international civil society will no longer be allowed to be earmarked to anyone in particular or to a specific community or Autonomous Municipality. The Good…more
Iraq’s Long War Refusing To End
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Jun 2013 – By James Gundun – Washington In the tragic moments after the bombing of Boston’s marathon, few hours elapsed before thoughtlessness infiltrated a global media reaction. Among the unreasonable claims made online: something to the effect that Boston, for a day, felt like Baghdad. Except Boston is no Baghdad. This hyperbole was lobbed into America’s media precisely because Baghdad had just experienced a string of devastating explosions, to be followed by eight more on the day of Boston’s bombing. The following weeks witnessed hundreds of casualties as April recorded the highest monthly total in 5 years, according to the United Nations, and Iraq Body Count estimated over 850 fatalities in a horrific May. As George Bush’s “WMD’s” and “Mission Accomplished” banner mark the war’s first and second great lies, President Barack Obama’s claim that “Iraq’s war is over” completes the trifecta. Although US combat missions have reached a formal end under…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
To subscribe, please write to OccupationNews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visithttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/OccupationNews/join
The New Dark Age 