1 July 2013 — VTJP
News
Official: Israeli settlers torch Palestinian fields in Burin
7/1/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers started several fires in Burin village south of Nablus on Sunday evening, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlements in the northern West Bank, said residents of Bracha and Yitzhar settlements torched Palestinian fields, leading to clashes with locals. He said Israeli soldiers intervened and fired tear gas and plastic-coated bullets at Palestinian residents and their….
Fatah: Israel detains Huwwara mayor
7/1/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained the mayor of Huwwara early Monday morning, a local Fatah spokesman said. Awwad Nigim told Ma’an that Israeli soldiers raided the Nablus village and detained Mayor Nasser Jihad Mufdi, 45, after searching his home. Nigim said the forces ransacked several homes in the village. He said forces detained 15 Palestinians in other raids across the West….
Gaza fishermen protest Israel blockade
7/1/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hundreds of fishermen gathered in Gaza City on Monday to protest Israel’s blockade on the coastal territory. Abu Zakariya Baker, an official in the Agricultural Work Committee, told Ma’an that Israel has tortured, shot and killed Palestinian fishermen since the blockade was tightened seven years ago.”Israel is practicing all kinds of psychological humiliation against fishermen….
58 Jenin sewing shops close over minimum wage dispute
7/1/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — The owners of 58 sewing factories in Jenin on Monday announced that they are closing their doors until further notice, citing difficulties in being able to afford the PA minimum wage announced last year. Factory owners warned last month that if they were not exempted from the minimum wage law they would close their businesses as they could not afford to….
Israeli held after 2012 monastery ‘price tag’ attack
7/1/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — A court on Monday extended the remand of an Israeli man arrested on suspicion of vandalizing a Catholic monastery in a 2012 attack that shocked the Holy Land’s religious and political establishment. Moshe Orbach, 22, is a resident of Bnei Brak, a city near Tel Aviv with a predominantly ultra-Orthodox population, according to a protocol distributed by the Rishon LeTzion Magistrates….
Unknown gunmen shoot at Fatah leader’s car
7/1/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Unknown assailants opened fire at the car of Fatah leader Hussam Khader outside his home in Nablus’ Balata refugee camp early Monday. Khader told Ma’an that three or four gunmen fired around 20 bullets at his car at around 2. 30 a. m. before fleeing. Khader urged President Mahmoud Abbas to investigate the attack. [END]
Police investigate death of Hebron man
7/1/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Police are investigating the death of a 34-year-old man who was found dead at his home on Monday in Taffuh village in the southern West Bank. The public prosecution said Zeidan Khamaysa’s body was found tied with ropes. His body was taken to the Abu Dis Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy. [END]
US: Alternatives to Iran sanctions ‘are worse’
7/1/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew expressed hope the economic sanctions aimed at stopping Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program will work, because “the alternatives are worse.” Lew — whose Treasury Department is tasked with enforcing the sanctions — was speaking Sunday at a conference in Aspen, Colorado.”It would be the best thing for Iran and the best thing for the world if economic….
Hamdallah urges US to increase pressure on Israel
7/1/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Caretaker Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday met with a US delegation in Ramallah, and urged the officials to pressure the US administration to put more pressure on Israel to uphold its obligations. Hamdallah met with a US delegation headed by Democratic Party member and Senator Chris Coons in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments in the peace process….
Hardliners gain power in Netanyahu’s Likud party
7/1/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Hardliners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud were elected into key positions in the party’s governing institutions early Monday, in a move that could create difficulties on making concessions to the Palestinians. Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, an outspoken opponent of the two-state solution, won the vote for the position of chairman of the party’s Central….
Abbas offers condolences to Hamas PM over nephew’s death
7/1/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday telephoned Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to offer condolences for the death of his nephew, official Palestinian Authority media reported. Haniyeh’s 19-year-old nephew Anas died on Saturday of a heart attack. [END]
Official: Body of missing Gaza man found off coast
7/1/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The body of a man reported missing was found off Gaza’s coast on Monday, a medical official said. Relatives of Abdul-Rahman Abu Nada, 19, from Beit Lahiya, filed a missing persons report earlier on Monday, telling police he most likely went swimming in the sea late Sunday. His body was found by naval police and taken to al-Shifa….
PA anti-drug police seize marijuana in Jenin
7/1/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — A Palestinian Authority anti-drug unit seized large quantities of marijuana in a Jenin village on Monday. Chief of the anti-drug police Lutfi Ishtayya told Ma’an that his team seized over 7,000 marijuana seeds, half a kilo of marijuana, and 250 plant saplings. [END]
Woman drowns off Gaza coast
7/1/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A 20-year-old woman drowned off the coast of the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, the Health Ministry said. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said Lubna Irbe’s body was found near the coast of Khan Younis. Her body was taken to the Nasser Medical Complex. [END]
5 dead in Egypt as protests call for Mursi to go
7/1/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Five people died as protesters flooded Egypt’s streets calling for Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to step down, in massive demonstrations reminiscent of the 2011 revolt which ultimately paved the way to his leadership.”It is the biggest protest in Egypt’s history,” a military source told AFP on
condition of anonymity, adding that “millions” of people were on the streets….
Egypt protesters storm Muslim Brotherhood HQ in Cairo
7/1/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian protesters on Monday stormed the headquarters of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood after deadly clashes there between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Mursi who hails from the group, an AFP correspondent said. The building in Cairo’s Moqattam district was set ablaze before people stormed inside and began throwing things out of the windows, as others were seen leaving with items….
NGO: Homs rebels resist Syria army onslaught
7/1/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad’s troops pressed a fierce three-day assault against rebels in the central city of Homs on Monday but failed to make any new advances, a watchdog and activists said. Fighting between rebels and regime loyalists raged on the edges of insurgent-held districts, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The group also said that members of Lebanon’….
Egypt opposition gives Mursi a day to quit
7/1/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s opposition Monday gave Islamist Mohamed Mursi a day to quit or face civil disobedience after deadly protests demanded the country’s first democratically elected president step down after just a year in office.”We give Mohamed Mursi until 5 p. m. on Tuesday July 2 to leave power, allowing state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections,” the Tamarod….
Egypt army issues Morsi 48-hour ultimatum
7/1/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s armed forces gave President Mohamed Morsi 48 hours to meet the demands of the people or it would intervene with a roadmap, after millions took to the streets to demand the Islamist leader step down. In a statement read out on state television, the armed forces reiterated its “call that the demands of the people be met and gives (all….
Obama says to provide all information to EU over spy claims
7/1/2013 – DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) — US President Barack Obama on Monday said he would fully inform European allies angry over allegations Washington had bugged their offices, once he had all the facts.”When we have an answer, we will make sure to provide all the information that our allies want,” Obama said at a press conference in Tanzania. [END]
Putin on Snowden: Russia ‘never hands over anybody anywhere’
7/1/2013 – MOSCOW (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that his country had never extradited anyone before and added that US leaker Edward Snowden could remain in Moscow if he stopped issuing his leaks.”Russia never hands over anybody anywhere and has no intention to do so,” Putin told a news conference in Moscow.”If he (Snowden) wants to remain here there is one condition….
Study: Israel Collects $11 Million a Year from Palestinians in Identity Card Fees
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Cartoonist Mohammed Saba’neh to Be Released
Palestine News Network
Erekat Denies News Regarding New Proposal Kerry Presented to Palestinian President Abbas
Palestine News Network
Egypt’s Protesters Issue Ultimatum to Morsi
Palestine News Network
Israeli Forces Brutally Assault, Arrest Palestinian Photographer Mohammed Al-Azzeh
Palestine News Network
Drop in PMBACI during June in Both West Bank and Gaza, says Palestine Monetary Authority
Palestine News Network
Palestine Welcomes her Sons and Daughters in Know Thy Heritage Delegation of Diaspora Youth
Palestine News Network
EU Missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah Condemn Executions in Gaza
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
98 year old woman teargassed during military invasion of residential neighborhood in Khalil
7/1/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 1st July 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team, Hebron, Occupied Palestine – On Sunday, 30th June, the Israeli forces in Khalil fired tear gas canisters in a residential area near the Ibrahimi Mosque. The soldiers claimed that this followed an incident of young Palestinian boys throwing rocks towards the checkpoint. The teargas canisters landed amidst houses, causing problems to the residents. A 98 year old woman….
Video – Bedouins outside Jerusalem face violence and threats of expulsion
7/1/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 1st July 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team, ‘Anata, Jerusalem – The Bedouin community of ‘Anata suffers daily from the consequences of living just underneath the Apartheid Wall of East Jerusalem; the community is considered unwanted by the Israelis, and is therefore a victim of attacks and harassment. In addition, their unique location between two major settlements, Almon and Ma’ale Adumim and….
occupied Palestinian territory: Travel delays at Rafah Crossing and tunnel activity nearly halted
Relief Web 1 Jul 2013 – Source: Gisha Country: occupied Palestinian territory June 27, 2013. Over the last week, passengers traveling through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt have experienced significant delays. A number of passenger buses have been returned to Gaza and the…
World: Strengthening the Rule of Law in Crisis-Affected and Fragile Situations: Global Programme Annual Report 2012
Relief Web 1 Jul 2013 – Source: UN Development Programme Country: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, occupied Palestinian territory,…
Lebanon: Life for Palestinian refugees in Bourj el-Barajneh
Relief Web 1 Jul 2013 – Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic In the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut lies Bourj el-Barajneh, a cramped refugee camp which is home to an estimated 28,000 Palestinian…
Jordan: Inter-Agency Regional Response for Syrian refugees – Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey 20 – 26 June 2013
Relief Web 1 Jul 2013 – Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Country: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Response partners are prioritizing interventions to provide safe water and sanitation to combat the risk of disease as temperatures continue…
World: Global Emergency Overview Snapshot 24 June – 1 July 2013
Relief Web 1 Jul 2013 – Source: Assessment Capacities Project Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Mali, Marshall…
occupied Palestinian territory: European Union provides new €13 million to East Jerusalem Hospitals to sustain top patient service for all Palestinians
Relief Web 1 Jul 2013 – Source: European Union Country: occupied Palestinian territory European Union Press release PR/15/2013 Monday 1st July 2013 European Union provides new €13 million to East Jerusalem Hospitals to sustain top patient service for all Palestinians Today the European Union (EU) and…
Egyptian army gives 48-hour ultimatum to Morsi
The National 1 Jul 2013 – Cheers in Tahrir Square as Egypt’s powerful military promises its own road map for future if president fails to reach a deal with protesters. Bradley Hope reports from Cairo
‘The army, people and police are one hand,’ Egyptian protesters say
The National 1 Jul 2013 – Conspicuous amid the mostly festive scenes in Egypt’s massive demonstrations in past days is a re-emergence of support from protesters for the military and the police. Jahd Khalil reports from Cairo
GCC urges UN Security Council to hold crisis meeting to prevent Homs ‘massacre’
The National 1 Jul 2013 – Rebel-held districts of Homs have been the target of a fierce Syrian army offensive since Saturday.
The thinking man’s way of life
The National 1 Jul 2013 – A new meditation centre in Abu Dhabi is attracting people of all religions, including Muslims – even a Cabinet minister. Proponents say meditating enhances their everyday lives and makes them better able to live up to the ideals of their faith, as Mitya Underwood reports
An Algerian reunion 50 years in the making
The National 1 Jul 2013 – The Algerian war caused a huge diaspora of artists and intellectuals from the country, including the students at a conservatory. Some have reunited almost five decades later and now tour the world playing the songs of their homeland.
Emiratis raise green credentials
The National 1 Jul 2013 – Masdar graduates present research papers at forum in Morocco.
Criminal case brought against Egyptian politician over anti-UAE comments
The National 1 Jul 2013 – The Emirates Association for Lawyers announced yesterday it would be filing a case with the UAE public prosecutor in Abu Dhabi against Essam El Erian.
Saudi prince sued over commission for Qaddafi jet deal
The National 1 Jul 2013 – London court grills billionaire over a Dh36.7m commission.
Tel Aviv mayor: Changing bylaws to let businesses open on Shabbat will take months
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Supreme Court to hear state’s appeal of Olmert’s acquittal
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Knesset to mull marking ingredients on front of food packages
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Like U.S., Israel has problem with security leaks – but not as serious
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Israeli researchers treat genes that cause Alzheimer’s in mice
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Defense Minister approves move that allows harsher police action against ‘price tag’ attacks
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Israel planning long-awaited evacuation of West Bank outpost by mid-July, but challenges remain
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Israel Air Force holds drills in Bulgaria against advanced air defense systems
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Israeli military panel rules in favor of settlers in case of contested Hebron house
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Livni warns of EU boycott if peace with Palestinians isn’t reached
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
John McCain: U.S. must arm Syria rebels to deter Iran from nuclear ambitions
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Google removes ‘Kahane app’ from play store
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Major security flaws found in integral part of Israel’s biometric ID system
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Kosher 2.0: IDF poster compares information-security violations to eating meat and dairy
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Right-wing activist arrested in connection to ‘price tag’ attack on monastery
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
In wake of controversial birth control claims, study finds lower birthrates among Ethiopian immigrants
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Daniel Maoz, Israeli man convicted of murdering parents, gets two life sentences
Ha’aretz – 1 Jul 2013
Morsi not consulted by army before ultimatum made
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Egyptian president says army deadline to forge consensus risks causing confusion, will stick to own plan for national reconciliation plan; chief of staff gives politicians 48 hours to solve crisis before army interferes.
Army reprises hero role in new Egyptian drama
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Masses rejoice at army ultimatum to Morsi, but many analysts doubt the army wants to move back into an executive role.
Mercury poisoning or rabbinical potion?
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Mif’al Hapayis senior official arrested for trying to poison co-worker with mercury says liquid was magic potion from a rabbi.
Kuwaiti lawmakers justify trade ties with Israel
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – MP cites security reasons, saying Israel provided country with equipment to help protect it from Iraqi invasion in 1990.
Analysis: Army coup in Egypt would be a case of history repeating itself
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Like a sporting match where one team takes last second lead and holds the ball, wasting the remaining time so they will win, now that army has set a deadline for intervention, it is likely they will take power.
Housing cabinet shrinks haredi benefits
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Lapid says “distortions” created advantages for those who did not serve in the army and those who don’t work.
Egypt forces arrest Brotherhood leader’s guards
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Muslim Brotherhood denies report of sources in Egyptian security forces who claim they were taking arms away from
‘Muslim Brotherhood’s reign in Egypt will end within a week’
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Former Egyptian PM Shafik who narrowly lost to Morsi in last year’s election does not rule out running for post again.
Road authority to issue 100 new patrol cars to reduce traffic fatalities
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – “Urban Safety Patrol” pilot program launched in 25 local authorities, with goal of halving fatalities in urban areas by 2018.
Rights activists: More must be done to prevent hatchery chick suffering
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Agriculture Ministry says it has zero tolerance for animal welfare offenses; new regulations to come into force soon.
Police: 9 teenage boys sexually abused girl they met on Facebook
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Police said the girl felt compelled to give in to the young men, because they threatened to destroy her reputation otherwise.
Egyptian army to Morsi: You have 48 hours to compromise
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Chief of staff in ultimatum to Egyptian president and politicians, says if demands of people are not realized within two days, army will announce a road map for the future; Morsi says met with army chief after statement.
Iran media: US Treasury counter-terror office run by ‘Ashkenazi Jew’
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Iranian TV says US blocked station from network over Jew.
Grrreat! Israeli innovation heals Sumatran tiger
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Experimental foam called FoamOtic was developed in Rehovot for humans and animals and expands evenly, covering the whole ear canal.
Israeli Ultra-Orthodox women join workforce, men stay home and study
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – In much of the ultra-Orthodox community, husbands don’t work and women are the breadwinners for their large families.
Funds award prize for innovative teaching initiatives
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Ten Israeli teachers to be awarded prize aimed at “encouraging and highlighting entrepreneurial working patterns in the education system.”
WATCH: Stewart Skypes into ‘Daily Show’ from Mideast
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Jon Oliver has been temporarily replacing everyone’s favorite Jewish fake news show host, Jon Stewart, on the “Daily Show.”
Neighboring countries close doors to Syria war refugees
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Move leaves tens of thousands of people stranded within Syria’s dangerous frontier regions according to NGO.
Saudi Arabia to EU: Arm Syrian rebels
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal allegedly slams Assad’s “illegitimate regime.”
Turmoil grips Egypt as four ministers quit Morsi government
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Youths hurl firebombs and rocks while storming building; 16 dead, nearly 800 hurt since anti-Morsi protests began; president refuses to bow to pressure for his resignation.
Ultra-Orthodox man arrested in connection to Latrun Monastery vandalism
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – 22-year-old suspected in last year’s ‘price tag’ attack; PM condemns attack, says perpetrator threatens religious freedom.
Court convicts Daniel Maoz of brutal double murder of parents
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Maoz maintains his innocence, blames twin brother for murders; DNA evidence leads to conviction; sentence is 2 life terms.
Chinese media blames Syrian rebels for Xinjiang violence
Jerusalem Post 1 Jul 2013 – Report: Members of “East Turkestan” are participating with rebel forces in the Syrian Civil War, spelling trouble for China.
Israel Democracy Institute discusses Jewish, Arab relations
Jerusalem Post 30 Jun 2013 – Prof. Smooha: Deterioration in Arab citizens’ view of the state since Rabin assassination, Jews have not become more extreme.
Jerusalem court extends detention of ‘Kotel gunman’
Jerusalem Post 30 Jun 2013 – Suspect may be charged with murder when an indictment is filed after security guard shoots man to death at Western Wall.
Tunisia Tiring of Transition
IPS Ennahda supporters with their party flag. Credit: Louise Sherwood/IPS. In the third year after the revolution that toppled former dictator Ben Ali, true democracy is still work in progress in Tunisia. “Freedom is a decision but democracy is a transformational process,” Amine Ghali, programme director of the Kawakibi Democracy Transition…
Spring Brings Differing Fruits for Tunisian Women
IPS Women demonstrating for unity in Tunis. Credit: Louise Sherwood/IPS. The revolution that ousted dictator Ben Ali in January 2011 brought new, hard-won freedom to the Tunisian people. However as the country discovers whether secularism and growing political Islam can co-exist, some women are enjoying greater liberty to practise their religion…
A President Fights His People
IPS Islamists backing Morsi blockading the Supreme Court. Credit: Hisham Allam/IPS. Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi faces massive demonstrations, but he faces also his own government on many fronts. Morsi seems to have run into one confrontation after another with the judiciary. This has emerged as one of the most prominent public…
Tunisia Now Searches an Economic Spring
IPS An olives farm in Kelaa Kebira in Tunisia. Credit: Monika Prokopczuk/IPS. Nearly two-and-a-half years since the toppling of the autocratic regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in the first regime change of the now famous Arab Spring, the high expectations of change to come with the revolution have hardly been…
Abandoned Egypt Suffers
IPS As supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi prepare for a face-off on Sunday, a mushrooming problem for Egypt arises from the people not there – the tourists. “The situation of tourism has become disastrous,” Moataz al-Sayed, head of the tour guides syndicate told IPS. A large number of…
Grapes of Wrath Sour Wine Market
IPS A Palestinian worker at a winery owned by a settler in the West Bank. Credit: Pierre Klochendler/IPS. So much about wine is a boast over its land of origin. The label reads, ‘Product of Israel’, but don’t let that deceive you. This particular Cabernet Sauvignon is produced in Israeli-occupied territory….
To Find Peace, And Then Sell It
IPS The heritage of old Sanaa is under threat. Credit: Rebecca Murray/IPS. As the month of Ramadan nears, shop owners in Sanaa’s old city souk stock up on goods. For men like Ali Al-Fakri, who sells jambiyahs , Yemen’s traditional daggers held in place with richly embroidered belts, the gift-giving holiday marking…
Iraq: Iran’s Economic Gateway To the World
Uruknet
Obama’s NUMEC Nuclear Diversion Cover-Up
Uruknet
Harsh Reality of Israeli Occupation Persists in Spite of Kerry’s Efforts
Uruknet
Radio: Andy Worthington Discusses the Guantánamo Hunger Strike with Scott Horton
Uruknet
Hasbara-Lite Films Israeli Propaganda, With Warts
Uruknet
Torture in Iraq: ‘I did not recognize him because of the torture’
Uruknet
One million Palestinians are “living on aid” as calls to end the siege increase
Uruknet
Superiority Complex: The Reach and Roots of America’s Stasi Regime
Uruknet
Arab Idol will not liberate Palestine
Uruknet
Egypt Split ‘Between Egyptians and Islamists’
Uruknet
Saudi prince grilled in U.K. court over Gadhafi jet
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 A billionaire Saudi prince told a London court Monday that each dollar counts as he was cross-examined over his sale of an opulent private jet to Libya’s former leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Egypt army ups pressure on Morsi but analysts warn of risks
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 The Egyptian armed forces have piled pressure on Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, to applause from the opposition who want his resignation, but analysts say their intervention may be fraught with difficulties.
Saudi court jails 18 ‘extremists’ for fighting abroad
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 A Saudi court sentenced 18 men, some of them foreigners, to jail terms of between seven months and 15 years on Monday after convicting them of fighting in foreign conflicts on behalf of Sunni Muslim extremist…
Senegal prosecutor cites ‘strong evidence’ in Habre case
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 There is “strong evidence” of human rights abuses committed by former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, the prosecutor of the special court set up to try him in Senegal said on Monday.
Obama seeks to build Africa business ties on Tanzania stop
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 President Barack Obama is seeking to build an economic partnership with Africa as he visits Tanzania Monday at the end of a tour of the fast-growing continent where Washington faces competition from China.
Mursi meets Egypt army chief after ultimatum
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 Islamist President Mohamed Mursi met the head of Egypt’s armed forces along with the prime minister on Monday, according to a statement on the president’s official Facebook page.
Egypt’s Nour Party fears army return to politics
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 Egypt’s second biggest Islamist party said on Monday it feared the army’s return to public life “in a big way” after the military gave politicians 48 hours to resolve the country’s political crisis.
Pentagon says it won’t speculate on Egypt’s next 48 hours
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 The U.S. Defense Department on Monday declined to speculate on what might happen in Egypt during the next 48 hours.
Muslim Brotherhood’s reign in Egypt will end within a week-ex-PM
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 The reign of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, political home of struggling President Mohamed Mursi, will end within a week, former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafik said on Monday.
Tunisia’s new constitution could be regional model
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 Tunisia’s slow transition from dictatorship to democracy reaches an end with a final debate on the new constitution, the first in the Arab world to avoid mentioning Islamic law and written by elected representatives.
Egypt forces arrest Brotherhood leader’s guards-sources
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 Egyptian security forces arrested 15 armed bodyguards of the number two in the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat El-Shater, on Monday after an exchange of fire in which no one was injured, security sources said.
Gemayel urges Hezbollah to quit Syria, return to Lebanese fold
Daily Star 1 Jul 2013 The deteriorating security situation and political crisis in Lebanon stem directly from Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria, says Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel , urging the resistance group to spare Lebanese society from further divisions.
US: General Dempsey calls Egypt’s army chief
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – ….
Egyptian opposition says it will not hold talks with Morsi
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – ….
UN chief urges democratic solution in Egypt
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – ….
Snowden breaks silence to threaten new disclosures
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – ….
Iraq: 3 attacks kill 25, some anti-al Qaeda forces
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – ….
Fighting for peace
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – Op-ed: Israel should see release of Palestinian prisoners as initial contribution to spirit of reconciliation ….
Precedent for Palestinians only
YNet News, 1 Jul 2013 – Op-ed: Harsh sentence handed to Gan Ha’ir rapist would not have been given to affluent Israeli Jew ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas condemns reported UNRWA stoppage of aid to refugees
PIC – The refugees’ affairs office in Hamas disclosed on Monday that it received “reliable information†that UNRWA was planning to stop its assistance to refugees of Nahr El-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon.
Rezqa: Kerry’s ideas to revive settlement process not working
PIC – The Gaza government charged that the USA had no vision for a Middle East settlement and was sending its secretary of state John Kerry just to procrastinate the crisis.
Israel admits to kidnapping Palestinian from Egypt
PIC – An Israeli court issued a ruling forbidding any publication of news concerning the kidnap of Palestinian citizen Wael Abu Reida from Egypt last month.
Three Palestinians injured, one kidnapped in Israeli campaign in Bethlehem
PIC – Three Palestinian citizens were wounded and another was taken prisoner during Israeli military raids at dawn Monday on homes in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem city.
Israeli plan to expand Mevo Huron settlement
PIC – The District Committee for Planning and Building revealed its intention to expand Mevo Huron settlement built on Palestinian lands in Latrun area.
Israeli court approves the confiscation of Palestinian house
PIC – The Israeli Military Appeal Committee ruled on Monday that a Palestinian house was lawfully purchased in al-Khalil by Israeli settlers, although the family denies selling them the house.
Jerusalem Endowment warns of a new Judaization project in the Old City
PIC – The Director of Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments (Waqf) Foundation, Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, confirmed the Foundation’s refusal to deal with the Israeli Tourism General Company’s project..
PSF reinforces its presence on Palestinian-Egyptian border
PIC – The Palestinian Security Forces (PSF) reinforced its presence along the Palestinian-Egyptian border to maintain security and safety in the region.
IOF delivers demolition notices in Jordan Valley
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) delivered four demolition notifications in Bardala village in the northern Jordan Valley on Monday.
Israeli female soldiers defile Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Dozens of Israeli female soldiers under police protection desecrated on Monday morning the courtyard of the Aqsa Mosque.
Activists Protest Security Company’s Cooperation with Israel
WAFA – 1 Jul 2013
Hamdallah Calls on US to End Israeli Obstruction of Peace
WAFA – 1 Jul 2013
Israel Arrests 9 Palestinians in West Bank
WAFA – 1 Jul 2013
July 1, Anniversary of Arafat’s Homecoming
WAFA – 1 Jul 2013
Newspapers Review: Crisis in Egypt Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 1 Jul 2013
Rise in Number of Jews in Al-Aqsa Mosque, says Group
WAFA – 1 Jul 2013
U.S. calls for restraint, compromise in Egypt
LA Times 1 Jul 2013 – U.S. officials reach out to Egyptian counterparts but are wary of taking sides in the Arab nation’s latest civil upheaval. WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials reached out to Egyptian counterparts Monday, seeking to preserve a careful neutrality in Egypt’s civil upheaval even as the unrest…
Egypt’s military gives Morsi 2 days to calm nation
LA Times 1 Jul 2013 – General says the military is not seeking to return to political life in Egypt but to form a more inclusive civilian government. CAIRO — In a step that could lead to the removal of Egypt’s first freely elected president, the military announced Monday that it…
John Kerry’s Middle East peace effort tests his optimism
LA Times 1 Jul 2013 – The U.S. secretary of State is trying to convince Israeli and Palestinian leaders that a positive attitude and persistence can lead to a breakthrough. WASHINGTON — In December 2003, badly trailing Howard Dean in polls of the Democratic presidential field, Sen. John F. Kerry mortgaged…
In Egypt, hundreds of thousands protest against President Morsi
LA Times 30 Jun 2013 – The protests’ size is a stunning rejection and raises questions about Morsi’s survival and whether the military might take control if violence spreads. CAIRO — Hundreds of thousands of protesters swelled through villages and cities Sunday, denouncing Egypt’s Islamist president and raising fears of a…
Two Syria shrine towns: Worlds apart yet united in battle
LA Times 30 Jun 2013 – Sednaya is Christian and Sayyida Zainab is Shiite Muslim, both famous for their shrines. And both say they face constant threat from Sunni rebels hoping to evict or kill them. SEDNAYA, Syria — This prosperous hillside town north of Damascus appears a universe away from…
Egypt’s Young Activists Rouse Protests, but Leave Next Steps in Hands of Public
New York Times 1 Jul 2013 – A movement in Egypt illustrates the greatest strengths and the most glaring weaknesses of the youth groups that have driven many of Egypt’s most fundamental political transformations.
Egypt’s Army Issues Ultimatum to Morsi
New York Times 1 Jul 2013 – The warning followed an outpouring of rage against Egypt’s president as protesters stormed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
New Sanctions Imposed on Iran to Halt Gold Trading
New York Times 1 Jul 2013 – The United States bans on currency and gold trade were the first to go into effect since the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani was elected president last month.
The Lede: Egyptians React to Army’s Ultimatum
New York Times 1 Jul 2013 – Reaction on Monday to an ultimatum from Egypt’s army, giving President Mohamed Morsi 48 hours to resolve a political crisis, was swift, both online and on the streets.
By the Millions, Egyptians Seek Morsi’s Ouster
New York Times 30 Jun 2013 – In an outpouring of rage against President Mohamed Morsi, a core of protesters set fire to the headquarters of Mr. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement in Cairo.
The Lede: Video and Images of Anti-Morsi Protests
New York Times 30 Jun 2013 – Participants in Sunday’s rallies in Egypt, as well as Egyptian journalists and foreign correspondents who witnessed the protests, uploaded images, video and text accounts of the massive crowds jamming the streets.
The Lede: Video of Deadly Clashes in Alexandria, Egypt
New York Times 30 Jun 2013 – Three people, including an American citizen, were killed in the clashes on Friday, and the local headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which President Mohamed Morsi is a leader, was set ablaze.
Modiin Energy receives $7m in settlement with Gabriella partners
Globes Energy & Water – Adira and Brownstone will pay Modiin Energy $7 million in installments for its extra expenses in the license.
Shemen Oil receives $4.5m insurance payout for drilling suspension
Globes Energy & Water – High pressure in the Yam 3 borehole forced a new drilling plan, reinforce the borehole sealant, delaying work, and increasing the budget by $22 million.
US customers withdraw $4b from Israeli banks
Globes Main News – The banks estimate that tighter US tax laws have caused US citizens to withdraw $4-5 billion from Israeli banks in less than two years.
Online trading platform Plus500 to hold AIM IPO
Globes Main News – The company is seeking to raise $50 million at a company value of $225 million on London’s Alternative Investment Market.
Siemens wins Beer Tuvia power plant tender
Globes Main News – Siemens beat Alstom and Hyundai with an aggressively low bid, believed to be about $400 million, to build and operate the plant.
Mon: Bezeq boosts market
Globes Main News – Bezeq continued to rise after Teddy Sagi invested in the telco’s parent, but Israel Chemicals fell on the day’s biggest turnover.
Teva cleared in French package switching affair
Globes Main News – The French prosecutor found no connection between the alleged switching and Teva’s plant in Sens.
“US housing market recovery still in early stages”
Globes Macro Economics – Prof. Stephen Oliner, a former senior official at the US Federal Reserve, tells “Globes” about the latest trends in US real estate.
Kerry’s 3 a..m. diplomacy is greeted with skepticism, scorn, ridicule
Mondoweiss – Reviews are in on John Kerry’s latest round of shuttle diplomacy in Israel and Palestine, and they range from skepticism to downright ridicule. Even the New York Times and Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations doubt that the activity is productive, and the mood…
Why so shy Lieutenant T?
Mondoweiss – Lieutenant T Lieutenant R In the last couple of days, the Israeli army p.r. office published two stirring posters suitable to taped to your child’s wall– that is, if your child speaks English– of Israeli Air Force pilots. But neither ace has a name. Just Lieutenant…
‘The Almond Tree,’ a gateway book for westerners learning the Palestinian story
Mondoweiss – The Almond tree, cover image A review of The Almond Tree , by Michelle Cohen Corasanti. I’ll admit, I started reading this novel with a bit of trepidation. A Jewish-American woman writing a historical novel from the perspective of a young Palestinian man requires serious chutzpah, and…
Egyptian protesters’ axis of interference
Mondoweiss – Anti-Morsi Egyptian protesters marching yesterday with Qatar-Israel-US flag stitched together (photo: @SultanAlQassemi ) The U.S. image isn’t doing too well in Egypt. This picture of a Qatar-Israel-US flag was posted by Sultan AlQassemi from yesterday’s protests. Qatar has been accused by protesters of meddling in support of…
A visit to Al-Araqib, the desert village that refuses to be erased
Mondoweiss – The unrecognized village of Al-Araqib Today we take the long drive south to the Naqab (Negev) to tour with Thabet Abu Ras of Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, www.adalah.org , to meet with Arab Bedouin communities facing displacement. I am always learning…
Israeli Point Guard Gal Mekel Signs With the Dallas Mavericks
The Foward Breaking News 1 Jul 2013 – Israeli point guard Gal Mekel is poised to become the second Israeli to play in the NBA after giving a verbal commitment to the Dallas Mavericks. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Launches Crackdown on ‘Price Tag’ Extremists
The Foward Breaking News 1 Jul 2013 – Israel announced a crackdown on Monday against Jewish ultranationalists who vandalise Palestinian property, saying they were tantamount to terrorists and their attacks could fan sectarian violence. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Who Killed Parents Searched Online for ‘Getting Away With’ Murder
The Foward Breaking News 1 Jul 2013 – An Israeli who stabbed his mother and father to death was convicted of murder on Monday partly because he searched online for tips including “how to kill your parents and get away with it”. Click here for the rest of the article…
Ethiopian Birth Rate Plunged Amid Israel’s Secret Contraception Program
The Foward Breaking News 1 Jul 2013 – A Knesset study prompted by news reports about the administration of contraceptive injections to Ethiopian immigrant women before and after their arrival in Israel shows that these women gave birth to significantly fewer children in Israel than their peers who came to Israel in the 1990’s,…
Egyptian army ultimatum ‘not a coup’
BBC 1 Jul 2013 – Egypt’s army denies its ultimatum to feuding politicians to resolve the country’s crisis within 48 hours amounts to a coup.
Catholic priest executed in Syria
BBC 1 Jul 2013 – The Vatican says a Syrian Catholic priest has been publicly executed by rebels at a monastery in the northern Syria.
About Saida and its People, Before and After Assir
Al-Akhbar Opinion 1 Jul 2013 – Over a decade he managed to build up a popular base of loyal followers, before the mosque started to close in on him and his operators, who wanted him to strike out further afield. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Over a decade he managed to build up a…
Lebanese protest Gemayel’s attack on Nasawiya activists
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2013 – Lebanese demonstrators outside the Palace of Justice on 1 July 2013 protest the attack on activists last week by gunmen belonging to MP Nadim Gemayel. (Photo: Marwan Bu Haidar) Over 100 people took to the streets on Monday to demand the prosecution of a Lebanese MP’s…
Lebanon Defense Minister: The Army Fought Alone Against Assir
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2013 – The Future Party campaign against the Lebanese army after its costly battle with Salafi cleric Ahmad al-Assir worries Minister of Defense Fayez Ghosn. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) The Future Party campaign against the Lebanese army after its costly battle with Salafi cleric Ahmad al-Assir worries Minister of…
Lebanon: Future’s Raucous Friday at Saida’s Mosques
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2013 – Supporters of radical Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir carry a poster bearing his portrait next to members of the Lebanese Army at the entrance of the Bilal bin Rabah mosque in the Abra district of the southern city of Sidon on 29 June 2013. (Photo: AFP…
Millions Take to the Streets: Leave, Mursi
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2013 – Egyptians hold a plaque of the Muslim Brotherhood emblem which was removed from the party’s burnt headquarters in the Moqattam district of Cairo on 1 July 2013 after it was set ablaze by opposition demonstrators overnight. (Photo: AFP – Khaled Desouki) Egyptians hold a plaque of…
Bahrain acquits police who tortured medics
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2013 – Bahraini women take part in an anti-government rall
y in solidarity with jailed political activists in the village of A’ali, south of Manama, on 27 June 2013. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed al-Shaikh) A Bahraini court acquitted on Monday two police officers on trial for torturing six doctors…
Jordanian air force pilot defects to Syria’s al-Nusra Front
Al-Akhbar News 1 Jul 2013 – A Jordanian air force captain has allegedly deserted and joined Syria’s jihadist al-Nusra Front to fight against the Syrian government forces, a member of his family and a Salafi leader said on Monday. “Ahmad Atallah Shbeib al-Majali, born in 1984, took a leave from his job…
Egyptian army ultimatum ‘not a coup’
BBC 1 Jul 2013 – Egypt’s army denies its ultimatum to feuding politicians to resolve the country’s crisis within 48 hours amounts to a coup.
Deadly attack strikes Iraq mosque
BBC 1 Jul 2013 – A suicide bomb attack targeting a Shia mosque kills at least 22 people in a town north-east of Iraq’s capital on Monday, police say.
Catholic priest executed in Syria
BBC 1 Jul 2013 – The Vatican says a Syrian Catholic priest has been publicly executed by rebels at a monastery in the northern Syria.
VIDEO: Suicide bomb attempt thwarted
BBC 1 Jul 2013 – Afghan security forces have defused an alleged would-be suicide bomber’s explosive vest while he was still wearing it, preventing an attack in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan.
Articles
Whitewashing apartheid with Israel’s dirty water
Belen Fernandez, Al Jazeera.com 7/1/2013
The glaring discrepancy in water allocation from West Bank supplies forces Palestinians to rely on water from tankers.
Last week, on June 23, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel attended a ceremony in Jerusalem in honour of a new joint initiative between Israel’s Ben-Gurion University and the University of Chicago.
Hailing the Peres-Emanuel presence as an instance of “rare political star power”, the Chicago Tribune explains:
“The two schools soon will begin funding a series of research projects aimed at creating nanotechnologies that address water shortages in arid climates. The project’s goal is to find new materials and processes for making clean, fresh drinking water more plentiful and less expensive by 2020.”
Among Israel’s qualifications in the business of dealing with water shortages is, of course, its legendary success in “making the desert bloom” via the removal of Palestinians that began in the 1940s.
Indeed, Peres himself wrote in his 1970 book David’s Sling: The Arming of Israel:
“The country was mostly an empty desert, with only a few islands of Arab settlement, and Israel’s cultivable land today was indeed redeemed from swamp and wilderness.”
The expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians during the creation of the state of Israel no doubt assisted somewhat with the cultivation of the “empty desert” myth. Blooming projects have presumably also benefited from Israel’s diversion of various regional bodies of water.
Water apartheid
A 1993 article in The New York Times outlines two competing visions of Israeli water policy…. more.. e-mail
Israel and the peace delusion
Nureddin Sabir, Redress 7/1/2013
In just over two two months’ time, on 13 September, it will be 20 years since the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, shook hands with the Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, sealing the Oslo Accords and kicking off the so-called Middle East “peace process”.
Two decades on, what has been achieved?
Certainly not statehood – the Palestinians are farther now from having a state of their own than they have ever been.
But there have been lots of talks and additional, interim agreements, including Oslo II 1995, Wye Plantation Memorandum 1998, Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum 1999 and the Annapolis Conference declaration 2007. None of these has achieved an iota of progress for the Palestinians, nor were they meant to, at least as far as Israel is concerned.
For Israel, the purpose is twofold: to outsource the occupation to the Palestinian Authority (PA) – in effect, a quisling administration – and thereby make it economically bearable, and to buy time until all the West Bank is absorbed into Jewish colonies.Creating facts on the ground
Thus, while the world’s attention and efforts have been focused on starting, restarting and prolonging endless, futile talks between the PA and Israel, Israel has been busy creating facts on the ground: East Jerusalem has been disconnected from its natural hinterland by Jewish settlements and the Apartheid Wall, and the number of Jewish colonizers in the West Bank has grown from 222,000 on the eve of the Oslo Agreements to 550,000 in 2010, and doubtless lots more in the past three years.more.. e-mail
El-Hakawati Theater – the complementary nature of stones and puppets
Amitai Ben-abba, +972 Magazine 7/1/2013
Israel shut down a Palestinian puppet theater festival last month, but ‘cultural and artistic organizations are those parts of the iceberg of Palestinian resistance that remain underwater. If discovered by the State, they vanish and appear elsewhere, in different form, like a phoenix, striving for a freedom that is prefiguratively victorious by its nature.’
Puppets, clowns, and general carnivalesque frivolity pose a threat to state authority. Writing on the frivolous mass mobilizations of the “globalization movement,” the anarchist anthropologist David Graeber states in his article On the Pnomenology of Giant Puppets, “Often police strategies aim to destroy or capture [puppets] before they can even appear on the streets.” It is this general aversion to lively art, as well as the usual mechanisms of apartheid and racism, that brought about the closure of the el-Hakawati children festival.
El-Hakawati means “the storyteller” in Arabic. The word inspires an image of a wandering sage that captivates children an
d adults alike in smoky coffee places of the Levant. Igniting the imagination, the storyteller creates insurgent moments that last in people’s minds. Intifada means “uprising” or “insurrection.” If you ask a random Israeli about it, you will probably hear about suicide bombers, Molotov cocktails, and stone-throwing. But that is only the visible bit of the iceberg of Palestinian insurrection.
In an essay from Eyeless in Gaza, published in a major Israeli newspaper at 1988, the author Shulamith Hareven wrote about the decentralized nature of the First Intifada. She witnessed secret, forbidden geography classes in private houses held in defiance of Israel’s order to close Palestinian schools. She wrote about a women’s collective that stopped listening to the mukhtar (the head of the village, often in compliance with past and future state authorities) and formed a popular committee. The popular committees that started appearing spontaneously went into houses, supplied food and care work and participated in forming the backbone of Palestinian civil society (which later brought about the BDS call of 2005). “The violent part, the one directed visibly against the occupation, with bottle and stone, is a very small part of the happenings,” she wrote. “But this deep change is possibly the most important occurrence of the Arabs of the Occupied Territories.” (Hareven, Yediot Aharonot, October 14, 1988, my translation)…. more.. e-mail
Dershowitz and Finkelstein: comrades at heart?
Steven Salaita, Electronic Intifada 6/28/2013
Over the last decade, one of the more amusing (though least productive) facets of the culture wars around the Israel-Palestine conflict has been the feud between Alan Dershowitz and Norman Finkelstein.
Dershowitz, a tireless advocate for Israel, has incurred Finkelstein’s contempt, which includes claims of misrepresentation, pandering and plagiarism. Finkelstein, a longtime critic of Israel, failed to achieve tenure at DePaul University in part because of a campaign spearheaded by Dershowitz, who wrote damning letters to various university officials (including its president). The two have argued voraciously in print and in person, occasionally directing insults at one another.
It seems intuitive, then, that the mortal enemies have little in common. In reality, though, the substance of their feud doesn’t broach the fundamental issues of Israel and Palestine, about which Dershowitz and Finkelstein have articulated similar, sometimes identical, positions — often enough, anyway — so much so that we can rightly claim the two enemies in fact share profound political affinities. Let’s take a look at the evidence:Opposing one state
Both Dershowitz and Finkelstein are vigorously opposed to the so-called one-state solution, which assumes various incarnations but at base advances the belief that a binational state for Jews, Muslims and Christians is the most just and realistic outcome of the conflict. Both men have spoken in favor of a two-state solution.
Finkelstein has said, “the near-unanimous consensus for the past three decades has been that the Palestinian people do have a right of self-determination, to be exercised in the ‘occupied Palestinian territory,’ which consists of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. I see no cracks in this consensus” (“A debate about the two-state solution with Norman Finkelstein,” Mondoweiss, 6 June 2012. more.. e-mail
Israeli apartheid “more sophisticated” than South Africa’s, says new book
Electronic Intifada: 1 Jul 2013 – The argument that Israel can’t be an apartheid state when its Palestinian citizens have the right to vote is a red herring.more
White House Threatens To End Aid if Palestine Joins the ICC
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Jul 2013 – By Franklin Lamb – Beirut Fatou Bom Bensouda, the Gambian-born deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), was never Washington’s first choice to succeed the inveterately self-promoting elitist ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. And it is doubtful that key Obama administration officials have changed their minds this week given Ms. Bensouda’s impassioned invitation on June 27 to Palestine, urging its accession to the Rome Statute and the ICC, the former as of this month signed and ratified by 122 states, with 31 additional countries, including Russia, having signed with ratification pending in their legislatures. Visiting Al Jalil UNWRA high school across from Shatila camp here in Beirut recently, this observer was asked several questions by students and staff and the most frequent inquiry, which came as no surprise, concerned why the Lebanese government, even those who claim to support the Palestinian cause, still have not acted in Parliament to grant…more
Assaf and the Collective Pride for All Associated with Palestine
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Jul 2013 – By Susan Abulhawa For once, we won! Mohammad Assaf, that brilliant, joyful, beautiful young man w
ith a voice from heaven sang. And we all hung onto every note, every lyric, every smile and gesture he made on the stage of the Arab Idol contest over the past few months. Born in a refugee camp, to those sturdy and steadfast salt-of-the-earth Palestinians, Assaf’s life, like most Palestinians in Gaza, was pockmarked by craters of Israeli bombs and littered with the rubble and bodies that Israel’s barbarity leaves in its perpetual warring wake. His life was hemmed in by an awful siege blocking one from entering or leaving Gaza. Just reaching the Arab Idol auditions in Egypt was an ordeal. First the Egyptians wouldn’t let him out of Gaza. So he sang for the border officers, and his voice melted their resolve until they were men again, instead of soldiers, and let…more
Israel Wars with McDonald’s
Dissident Voice: 1 Jul 2013 – McDonald’s opened its first Israeli branch in October 1993. The location they chose seems trivial, but it was wise: the Ayalon Mall. Shopping malls made a late entrance in Israel. Only after the second one became a success, 1 they became the favored location for shops, mainly due to their air-conditioners. In 1993, the Ayalon Mall was still the most exclusive mall in the country, thus McDonald’s gained a top niche in the junk-food business. Americans entering McDonald’s Israel would experience three surprises. The first is trivial. Outside the USA McDonalds attempts to behave properly. The establishments are ultra-clean. While visiting the USA, I was curious to see a local branch; so shocked that I never entered again. The second is the super hamburgers served in Israeli branches; apparently the largest in the world. This is the result of the corporation’s need to compete against Burger Ranch, a local chain….more
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The New Dark Age 