7 July 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian Bedouins attacked by right-wing Israeli settlers near Nablus
IMEMC – An armed gang of around 50 Israeli settlers stormed a Palestinian Bedouin community of shepherds in Huwwara area, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank on Saturday. …
Israeli forces detain 31 in West Bank raids
7/7/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained 31 Palestinians before dawn on Sunday in raids across the West Bank, the army said. Soldiers detained eight Palestinians in Nablus, a military spokesman said. Locals said Israeli military jeeps raided Nablus’ Old City at around 3 a. m as well as the al-Maajin neighborhood. Soldiers detained Musab al-Shami, Mahmud al-Shami, Mohammad al-Aboud, Khalid Abu Zarour, Karm….
Israeli forces deny Nablus farmers access to their fields
7/7/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Sunday morning prevented several Palestinian farmers from working on their fields south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, witnesses said. Israeli troops stopped farmers harvesting their crops in Huwwara Plains, and instructed them to obtain permits from the Israeli liaison department, said 30-year-old Jihad Dweikat, from Rujeib village,On Saturday, extremist settlers attacked farmers in the….
Hebron child critically injured after hit by Israeli car
7/7/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A Palestinian child was critically injured Sunday after he was hit by an Israeli settler car in Hebron, medics said. Mohamed Salayma was run over near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the center of the city. He was taken to hospital in Kiryat Arba settlement. Medics said his condition was critical. [END]
Egypt army ‘preparing for Sinai operation’
7/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egypt’s army is preparing for a large-scale military operation in Sinai, an army official said Sunday, as forces sealed more smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border. An Egyptian military official told Ma’an the army was preparing for a major operation in Sinai “to clean it up from terrorist and criminal cells.” The army official said “coordination…. Related: Saboteurs blow up gas pipeline in El-Arish and Police official: Gunmen kill soldier in Egypt’s Sinai
Abu Fanoun: Deportation better than jail
7/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian prisoner who was deported to Gaza for 10 years said Saturday that being deported was better than remaining in Israeli jail. Iyad Abu Fanoun, 30, from Battir village near Bethlehem, told Ma’an that he only had two options: “deportation is rejected in principal, but when it is compared to the other choices it is the safest….
Israeli forces ‘arrest 65-year-old man’ near Hebron
7/7/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Sunday detained a 65-year-old man near Yatta in the southern West Bank, a local committee said. Soldiers detained Eid al-Hathaleen and prevented farmers and shepherds from reaching their land in Umm al-Khair, near the illegal Karmel settlement, Yatta popular committee spokesman Ratib Jabour said. Soldiers threatened to arrest and fine the farmers if they entered the 12….
Israel to re-open northern West Bank road
7/7/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel has agreed to reopen a road in the northern West Bank that was closed since 2003, the Palestinian Authority said Sunday. Israel’s military had blocked the Ein Siniya junction with cement blocks, closing off the road connecting Ramallah to the northern West Bank. Its reopening will ease travel for Palestinians, the PA civil affairs authority said. [END]
Army: Israeli F16 crashes into sea, crew unharmed
7/7/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — An Israeli warplane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday following a malfunction although both crew members were rescued unharmed, a military spokesman told AFP.”An F16 combat aircraft crashed earlier today into the sea after its engine malfunctioned,” he said. Israeli media reports said the crash took place off the coast of the Gaza Strip. According to the military, the two spent….
Gaza pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia due to Egypt unrest
7/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hundreds of Palestinian pilgrims are stranded in Saudi Arabia due to unrest in Egypt, a transport company official said Sunday. Some 900 pilgrims from the Gaza Strip were due to return home on Wednesday, but could not travel due to turmoil in Egypt. The Egyptian army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday after millions of protesters rallied to demand the….
Reports: Kerry to return to Mideast this week
7/7/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry is to return to the Middle East later this week to resume efforts to draw Israel and the PLO back into direct negotiations, reports said on Sunday. According to the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily and the left-leaning Haaretz, Kerry was to arrive in Israel towards the end of the week on what would be his sixth visit….
Official: Smugglers resume fuel supplies to Gaza
7/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Smugglers resumed pumping fuel to the Gaza Strip through tunnels under the Egyptian border on Sunday, easing a fuel crisis in the enclave, an official said. Muhammad al-Abadlah, a spokesman for the federation of fuel companies, told Ma’an that enough fuel was being smuggled in to partially meet needs in Gaza. Meanwhile government official Abdul-Nasser Muhanna said the….
Spokesman: Haniyeh has no social media accounts
7/7/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has no social media accounts, the Gaza government said Sunday. Government spokesman Eyhab al-Ghussein said Haniyeh did not have any profiles on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media site.”Any tweets or news attributed to the Gaza premier on such accounts are fake,” al-Ghussein said in a statement. [END]
Saboteurs blow up gas pipeline in El-Arish
7/7/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Militants blew up a gas pipeline in Egypt’s North Sinai on Sunday, witnesses and security sources said. Saboteurs blew up the pipeline, which supplied natural gas to Jordan, in two places. One explosion shook the city of El-Arish, causing flames which could be seen from the distance, witnesses and security officials said. A Jordanian government official confirmed that…. Related: Egypt army ‘preparing for Sinai operation’
Police official: Gunmen kill soldier in Egypt’s Sinai
7/7/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Gunmen shot dead an Egyptian soldier on Sunday during an attack on a checkpoint in the restive north of Sinai, a police official said.
The attack took place near the town of El-Arish, where Islamists this week stormed the provincial headquarters and raised the banner of Islamist militants. [END]
Ramallah court extends remand of 7 gang rape suspects
7/7/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A magistrates’ court near Ramallah on Sunday extended the remand of four men accused of raping a teenage girl, days after extending the remand of three men suspected of participating in the same crime. Seven men were detained in June and accused of gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in an apartment in Birzeit, judicial sources told Ma’an. At….
Israeli police arrest man suspected of killing daughters
7/7/2013 – BEERSHEBA, Israel (Ma’an) — Israeli police have arrested a man suspected of murdering his two young Bedouin daughters in a Negev village, Israeli media reported Sunday. The man was arrested Tuesday after hiding in caves near the Dead Sea for 40 days, the Israeli news site Haaretz reported. He is suspected of killing his daughters Asinad, 2, and Ramais, 3, in May. Southern Region….
Opposition to ElBaradei choice as Egypt interim PM
7/7/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — The choice of Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei as Egypt’s interim premier ran into opposition within the coalition that backed Mohamed Mursi’s overthrow, as supporters and opponents of the ousted Islamist president planned rival rallies Sunday. The official MENA news agency had reported on Saturday that caretaker President Adly Mansour had appointed the outspoken liberal opponent of Mursi, only….
Economic disaster adds to Syrians’ woes
7/7/2013 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Damascus taxi driver Abu Ali works practically non-stop but barely makes ends meet, like many Syrians who are struggling to weather the economic effects of the bloody conflict raging in their country.”Prices are exorbitant, my earnings are barely enough to feed my family,” the father of five says, adding that he has limited his spending to key necessities.”I don’t….
Abu Qatada pleads not guilty to Jordan terror charges
7/7/2013 – AMMAN (AFP) — Islamist cleric Abu Qutada pleaded not guilty on Sunday to terror charges pressed by Jordanian military prosecutors just hours after his deportation from Britain, his lawyer said. Reporters were not allowed into the courtroom to hear the charges being read out despite a pledge by Information Minister Mohammad Momani of “transparency” in Jordan’s handling of Abu Qatada’s retrial on….
Two thirds of Syria’s Homs rebel area ‘destroyed’
7/7/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Intense fighting in the central Syrian city of Homs has left 60 to 70 percent of a besieged rebel-held district damaged, destroyed or uninhabitable, a monitoring group said on Sunday. The estimate from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights came nine days into an all-out army assault on the rebel-held Khaldiyeh and Old City neighborhoods, which have been under siege for more than….
Opponents of deposed Egypt leader flood Tahrir
7/7/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Opponents of Mohamed Mursi flocked to Tahrir Square on Sunday as the ousted Egyptian president’s supporters massed for rival demonstrations to keep up the pressure on the army for toppling him. The rallies raised the stakes as a coalition that backed Mursi’s ouster wavered over the choice of Nobel Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei as interim prime minister to lead….
Egypt acquits anti-Mursi bloggers of inciting violence
7/7/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — An Egyptian court on Sunday acquitted 12 activists opposed to ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi of charges they incited violence against members of his Muslim Brotherhood, a judicial source said. Among those cleared of the allegations were prominent bloggers Ahmed Douma, who had been released on Saturday ahead the verdict, and Alaa Abdelfattah and Nawara Nagm, the source told AFP. They had been….
Egyptians throng Tahrir in support of army-backed revolt
7/7/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Opponents of Egypt’s deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi packed Tahrir Square in their tens of thousands on Sunday to show the world his ouster was not a military coup but the reflection of the people’s will. Staged as a counter-demonstration two days after Islamist rallies exploded into deadly violence, the protest raised the stakes as the country’s….
Egyptian soldier killed by gunmen in Sinai
AlJazeera 7 Jul 2013 – A series of attacks near the Egyptian border with Israel comes after several days of violence in Sinai.
International Solidarity Movement
Prominent activist Nariman Tamimi under partial house arrest during weekly Nabi Saleh’s protest
7/7/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 7th July 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team, Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine – The weekly protest in the village of Nabi Saleh was, as usual, met with extreme violence by Israeli forces. Tear gas canisters, rubbers coated steel bullets and skunk water were shot at unarmed protesters. After midday prayers, over fifty Palestinians together with international and Israeli activists met in the centre of the village….
Qusra demolition orders: ‘If they destroy this house, where will we go?’
7/7/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 7th July 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team, Qusra, Occupied Palestine – On Wednesday July 3rd the Israeli army entered the village of Qusra, south east of Nablus, issuing eleven demolition orders on houses and buildings. At 9am two army jeeps arrived at the home of Seqer Musbah and presented him with demolition orders for the house he had built for his brother and family five….
Video – Anata Bedouin communities caught in crossfire
7/7/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 7th July 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team, Anata, Occupied Palestine – On Friday the 5th of July on the outskirts of Anata, Jerusalem, there were violent clashes between Palestinian shebab (youth) and the Israeli army. At around 3pm Israeli army jeeps drove up towards the town of Anata and began taking photos of homes. Thirty minutes later local shebab arrived and began to throw stones….
Sheikh Hamdan performs Maghreb prayer at new mosque
The National 7 Jul 2013 – The Crown Prince of Dubai marked the opening of a local mosque yesterday by performing the Maghreb prayer.
Revised working hours for Emirates Identity Authority during Ramadan
The National 7 Jul 2013 – The Emirates Identity Authority has announced revised working hours, at its registration centres, during Ramadan.
Rival protests amid political deadlock in Egypt
The National 7 Jul 2013 – Egypt remains politically deadlocked after the appointment of Mohamed ElBaradei as prime minister is put on hold. Bradley Hope reports from Cairo
Residents of Dubai in line for rent rate shocks
The National 7 Jul 2013 – Demand driven by the economic recovery, employment growth, lack of high-quality supply and Arab Spring expatriate buyers.
Iraqi Kurdistan leader out to build bridges with rare visit to Baghdad
The National 7 Jul 2013 – Kurdish leaders want to incorporate a swathe of land stretching from Iraq’s eastern border with Iran to its western frontier with Syria into their autonomous region over the objections of Mr Al Maliki’s government.
Law on ultra-Orthodox conscription approved in Israel
The National 7 Jul 2013 – Israel’s cabinet has approved a draft law to abolish wholesale exemptions from military duty granted to Jewish seminary students.
Drive to teach Emiratis to ‘spend wisely’
The National 7 Jul 2013 – The programme was created by the Emirates Foundation in cooperation with Operation Hope, an economic empowerment charity from the US that describes its mission as “creating financial dignity”.
Egypt’s state media bows to army’s will
The National 7 Jul 2013 – Within hours of General Abdel Fattah El Sisi broadcasting the announcement that Mr Morsi had been removed and the constitution suspended, authorities shut down four private television stations controlled by Islamists.
One-fifth of new Jerusalem park to be built on Palestinian land
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Women of the Wall, Haredim expected to face off at Western Wall
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
How Israel is preparing to face the ‘new’ Syrian threat
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Feeling her strength in Labor, Yacimovich works to move up party elections
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Gloom of the patriarchs: In Hebron the settlers are at war – over rent
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Cabinet votes yea to create 911-style emergency hotline
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Ultra-Orthodox rabbis renew call to protest against Women of the Wall
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Israel Air Force jet crashes off Gaza coast, crew safe
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Non-Jewish soldiers will be buried in same section as Jews, but in different rows
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Israel Police pin down and arrest Bedouin father over killing of his two daughters
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Israeli cabinet approves reforms to IDF conscription law
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Israeli prisons significantly more crowded than in the West, official report says
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Israel Police losing public trust and support, U.S. study shows
Ha’aretz – 7 Jul 2013
Egyptian coup raises Israeli concerns over terror attacks, rockets in south
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2013
TAU: Students filed 17 sexual harassment complaints last year
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2013
Israeli cabinet expected to approve Haredi IDF draft reforms
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2013
Kerry returning to Middle East, hoping to narrow gaps between Israel and Palestinians
Ha’aretz – 6 Jul 2013
Egyptian PM deadlock drags on as hundreds of thousands protest
Jerusalem Post 8 Jul 2013 – Islamist Nour Party rejects El-Din for interim prime minister.
Syrian opposition offers Assad truce in Homs for duration of Ramadan
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – New Syrian National Coalition president Ahmad Jarba tells Reuters he expects advanced arms to reach rebels soon, adds opposition won’t go to US-Russian sponsored peace conference unless its military position improves.
Analysis: For the Egyptian army, there’s no turning back
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – The army knows that it must crack down hard on the Muslim Brotherhood in order to install a government more in line with its interests and those of the opposition protesters.
Hamas calls on Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Fatah officials in West Bank call on Palestinians in Gaza to follow Egyptian example and remove Hamas from power.
‘Morsi tried to split military, dismiss defense minister’
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Egyptian paper El-Watan reports Morsi tried to undermine General Fattah al-Sisi, contacted ex-army commander Tantawi.
Israel to sign research accord with Canada
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Heads to facilitate, promote and support international research collaboration between Israeli and Canadian universities.
J’lem to host largest ever Maccabiah Games this year
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – 20,000 tourists expected for the sporting events this month, generating estimated NIS 200 million in two weeks.
Ziad Bahaa El-Din likely to be chosen as new Egyptian premier
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Liberal candidate ElBaradei to be appointed vice president.
Court rejects ‘early’ parole for 93 yr-old who burned daughter to death
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Lod District Court rejects parole for Havshi Hasan, who burned his daughter while she was pregnant to “preserve he family’s honor.”
PA negotiator: US mediation alone won’t bring peace
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Likud, Shas members meet Palestinian officials in Ramallah.
Interior Ministry to run biometric pilot in Rishon
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – After years of public controversy, citizens will have option to receive biometric identification card in Rishon Letzion.
Soldiers training for matriculation exam ‘highly motivated’
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Course prepares soldiers at the end of their service for matriculation exams in math, civics and English.
Morsi supporters return to protest in Cairo against army takeover
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Thousands rally outside Morsi’s believed place of detention.
J’lem to construct own ‘Speakers’ Corner’ in Sacher Park
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Mayor plans to build amphitheater to host public debate modeled after London’s famous Hyde Park.
Officials call to include Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt transition
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Egyptian ambassador to US, ElBaradei say Brotherhood must join democratic process; Tawfik denies military coup.
After a month on the run, Negev father suspected of murdering young daughters arrested
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Police arrest resident of Beduin village of al-Fura in a riverbed by the Dead Sea; suspected of strangling daughters.
Syrian Islamists express doubts over democracy
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Rebels say army’s overthrow of Morsi reinforces view that violent power grab is only resort; Brotherhood’s ouster could hurt weapons flow.
Blast hits gas pipeline between Egypt and Jordan
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Following spate of attacks against authorities in Sinai, pipeline targeted by hard-line Islamists multiple times hit once again.
‘Hezbollah supporters urge leadership: Stop sending our sons to die in Syria’
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – ‘Asharq Alawsat’ reports Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon ask Shi’ite group’s leadership to stop sending operatives to fight for Assad.
US urges Egypt army chief to ensure ‘peaceful civilian transition’
Jerusalem Post 7 Jul 2013 – Hagel speaks with General al-Sisi 3 times, stresses importance of security for Egyptian people, Egypt’s neighbors.
Katz: Gov’t will fight unions if Eini leads strike
Jerusalem Post 6 Jul 2013 – Transportation minister responds to talk about possible general strike if government moves ahead with plans to build private ports.
Obama’s message in South Africa
Uruknet
Why the Western Media Are Getting Egypt Wrong
Uruknet
Lynne Stewart: Disappointed but Not Devastated
Uruknet
My thoughts on what is happening in Egypt
Uruknet
Syria: A Revolution Denied
Uruknet
Mu’ataz Sharawneh
Uruknet
“My hope is that my children will one day be allowed to visit their father”
Uruknet
Action group: 1,389 Palestinian refugees have been killed in Syria so far
Uruknet
Palestinian photographer held incommunicado by Israelis
Uruknet
‘Libya militias out,’ demand Tripoli residents: AFP
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Libyan capital on Sunday to demand the departure of militias and “illegitimate brigades” and the creation of an army and police force, an AFP journalist said.
Britain deports Abu Qatada after legal marathon
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 A radical Muslim preacher once called Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe was deported from Britain to Jordan Sunday, ending years of British government efforts to send him back home to face terrorism charges.
Egypt presidency says social democrat likely to be premier
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 Social Democratic lawyer Ziaad Bahaa el-Din is likely to be appointed interim prime minister of Egypt under a deal emerging among the country’s new political forces, a presidential spokesman said on Sunday.
Huge crowds rally in Egypt, political process blocked
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 Hundreds of thousands of supporters and opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi gathered in Cairo and Alexandria on Sunday, two days after similar gatherings led to nationwide clashes that claimed more than 30 lives.
Bahrain violence kills one policeman, wounds five
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 Two attacks outside the Bahraini capital Manama killed one policeman and wounded five, the Interior Ministry and police said Sunday, in the latest unrest to rock the Sunni-ruled Shiite-majority Gulf state.
U.S. lawmakers urge calm, cautious approach to Egypt
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 The United States is unlikely to pull its $1.5 billion in mostly military aid to Egypt any time soon, U.S. lawmakers say, despite the Egyptian military takeover of the government in what the opposition has called…
Israel grounds warplanes after F16 crashes at sea
Daily Star 7 Jul 2013 An Israeli F16 warplane crashed at sea on Sunday due to an engine malfunction and Israel subsequently grounded all its F15 and F16 combat aircraft pending a review of the incident, a military spokesman said.
Syrian opposition offers Assad’s forces truce for duration of Ramadan
YNet News, 7 Jul 2013 – ….
Wanted militia leader hurt in clashes in Darfur’s biggest city
YNet News, 7 Jul 2013 – ….
Official: Asiana flight tried to abort landing
YNet News, 7 Jul 2013 – ….
Quebec police: 5 dead in oil train derailment
YNet News, 7 Jul 2013 – ….
Brazil expresses concern at report of NSA spying
YNet News, 7 Jul 2013 – ….
Clueless US mediator
YNet News, 7 Jul 2013 – Op-ed: Kerry pressuring Israel to make dangerous concessions for the sake of negotiations that will lead nowhere ….
Palestinian Information Center
Ghussain: Haneyya has no Facebook account
PIC – Spokesman for the Gaza government Ihab Al-Ghussain has said that premier Ismail Haneyya had no accounts on any of the social networking websites.
Hunger striker Barghouthi in critical condition
PIC – Detained hunger striker Abdullah Al-Barghouthi has entered a critical health condition, lawyer Fawaz Al-Shalloudi of the Palestinian prisoner’s society said on Sunday.
Two detainees on 45th day of hunger strike
PIC – Ayman Etbaish and Adel Hreibat, from Dura town in Al-Khalil, are on their 45th day of hunger strike Sunday demanding their release.
Warnings of Jewish calls to build the alleged Temple
PIC – Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage warned of the consequences of Jewish group’s intention to organize protests to call for the construction of the Alleged Temple.
IOF intercepts a tour of foreign delegation, arrests activist
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) intercepted on Sunday a foreign delegation that was on a tour inside the old city of al-Khalil, and arrested an anti-settlement activist who was accompanying them.
Rasheq: Resistance is the secret of Hamas’s strength
PIC – Ezzat Resheq, member of the political bureau of Hamas, condemned some journalists for writing analysis and news that claim that Hamas has lost its power sources.
Israeli police summons former MK Talab al-Sani for interrogation
PIC – Israeli police summoned former Arab MK and head of the Arab Democratic Party in the 1948-occupied territories, lawyer Talab al-Sani’, against the backdrop of a protest march against Praver law.
PPS warns of seriousness of the health status of hunger striking captives
PIC – The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) warned on Sunday of the seriousness of the health status of hunger striking prisoners, especially as the month of Ramadan approaches.
Jewish settlers desecrate Aqsa mosque
PIC – Jewish settlers stormed the holy Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem via the Maghareba gate on Sunday morning.
Kafir brigade kidnaps 25 Palestinians in W. Bank
PIC – The Kfir infantry brigade kidnapped at dawn Sunday 25 Palestinian citizens during a ferocious campaign in different West Bank cities, according to reporters for the Palestinian information center.
Settlers Drown Land with Wastewater in Bethlehem
WAFA – 7 Jul 2013
Israeli Soldiers Arrest 3 Palestinians, including an Injured
WAFA – 7 Jul 2013
Israel Arrests 25 Palestinians in West Bank and Jerusalem
WAFA – 7 Jul 2013
Egypt considering less divisive prime minister candidate
LA Times 7 Jul 2013 – Attention in Egypt turns to former parliament member Ziad Bahaa El-Din. Protests continue, but remain peaceful. CAIRO — As Egypt’s new interim leadership narrowed in on a compromise candidate to serve as the next prime minister, tens of thousands of demonstrators from rival camps hit…
Egypt teen’s grisly death in Alexandria stirs outcry
LA Times 7 Jul 2013 – In the political unrest after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood supporters throw three teenage boys off a roof, killing one. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — As Muslim Brotherhood supporters rained stones and birdshot on demonstrators huddled at the opposite end of a busy street,…
Egypt: Dueling Cairo demonstrations clamor to be heard
LA Times 7 Jul 2013 – CAIRO — More than two years after they overthrew the Mubarak regime through popular protests, many Egyptians think large, noisy demonstrations are as important as the ballot box in determining the democratic will of the people.
Iran’s president-elect signals he’s on young people’s side
LA Times 7 Jul 2013 – President-elect Hassan Rouhani says he wants less government control in Iran over women’s dress, the Internet and mixing of the sexes. TEHRAN — Saman, 26, is enjoying what he calls the “break,” the two-month transition before the president-elect assumes power, a period usually marked by…
In a divided Egypt, fights break out even in hospital hallways
LA Times 6 Jul 2013 – Since Mohamed Morsi was ousted, Egypt has become a land divided between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and opponents, and worries rise that violence will escalate. CAIRO — Each family had come to comfort its loved ones, bloodied in street fighting the night before, but the emotional…
Egypt wavers on appointing ElBaradei prime minister
LA Times 6 Jul 2013 – Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei was reported as interim leader, but within hours, the military-installed government backtracked, reflecting coalition tension. CAIRO — Reflecting tension on the streets and sharp differences among Egypt’s new authorities, the military-installed government wavered Saturday on appointing secular opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei…
Islamist Party a Surprise Force in a New Egypt
New York Times 7 Jul 2013 – Al Nour, previously written off as bumbling amateurs, was the only Islamist party to support President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster and now has leverage to shape the interim government.
Brotherhood Says U.S. Diplomats Urged It to Accept Ouster of Morsi
New York Times 7 Jul 2013 – American diplomats contacted Muslim Brotherhood leaders to try to persuade them to re-enter the political process, an Islamist briefed on one of the conversations said.
Doha Journal: Too Hot to Exercise (and Who Really Wants To?)
New York Times 7 Jul 2013 – Qataris, who have a high obesity rate, are being urged to try to keep fit by walking in malls, where they can escape temperatures that are often over 100 degrees.
Opposition in Syria Continues to Fracture
New York Times 7 Jul 2013 – Clashes between rival rebel factions have harmed the Syrian opposition’s ability to halt gains by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Egypt’s New Leaders Press Media to Muzzle Dissent
New York Times 6 Jul 2013 – The authorities shuttered some television stations, and the tone of some state news media also seemed to shift, to reflect the interests of those now in charge.
Cracks Emerge as Egyptians Seek Premier
New York Times 6 Jul 2013 – Within hours of reports that Mohamed ElBaradei had been chosen as prime minister, Egypt’s powerful ultraconservative Islamist party said it would refuse to work with him.
Woodside witholds $696m Leviathan payment – report
Globes Energy & Water – “The Australian”: Woodside was expecting at least half of the gas to be available for the more lucrative export market.
Netanyahu, Eini meet on ports reform
Globes Main News – Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet this evening to seek a compromise on the ports privatization.
Plus500 plans to begin AIM trading on July 24
Globes Main News – Alon Gonen who owns 39.7% of Plus500 through his company Wavesoft is worth almost $80 million on paper.
Dankner’s IDB partners to return NIS 74m in dividends
Globes Main News – The Livnat and Manor families settled a class-action law suit demanding the return of dividends received from IDB in 2008-10.
Sun: Israel Corp. lifts market
Globes Main News – Israel Corp. rose on reports of a London IPO following a company spinoff but its subsidiary Israel Chemicals fell on the day’s highest turnover.
Dankner proposes NIS 841m IDB capital injection
Globes Main News – IDB’s controlling shareholder declines to say where he will get the money.
Average wage rises
Globes Macro Economics – In real terms, the average wage rose by 1.5% in January-April.
Bank of Israel purchased $1.44b in June
Globes Macro Economics – The purchases helped boost Israel’s foreign currency reserves to $78.22 billion at the end of June.
Deficit narrowed in June
Globes Macro Economics – The budget deficit narrowed to 4% of GDP in the 12 months through June from 4.2% in May and 4.5% in April.
Omri Casspi agrees to $2m contract with Houston Rockets – report
Globes Macro Economics – Yahoo Sports reports that NBA sources are saying that Omri Casspi, the first Israeli player ever to play in the NBA, has agreed to a $2 million two-year deal with the Houston Rockets.
Israel Destroyed Syrian Weapons Depot Containing Advanced Russian Arms
Tikun Olam – Syria’s Latakia arms depot erupting in flames A massive explosion last Thursday at a major Syrian weapons depot in Latakia, not far from the main port of Tartous, completely destroyed the facility and munitions stored there. Tartous is Syria’s main port. It is largely controlled by…
A report on the 23 hunger strikers in Israeli prisons
Mondoweiss – 5 Jordanian Hunger Strikers in Israeli Jails “Hungry for Freedom” So Samer Issawi, a Palestinian prisoner, is to be free. He will return valiantly to the place he belongs after an extensive hunger strike that lasted 277 days. His house destroyed and neighborhood demolished, its roots…
Their water supply taken by Israeli settlers, Palestinian villagers depend on donkeys
Mondoweiss – Jerrycans of water in Madama The drive to Nablus is uneventful, unlike the experience of two of our delegates who got stuck in a massive four hour happening at a checkpoint that involved many IDF and tanks and lots of waiting and cigarette smoking and no…
‘We failed’ (In which a Palestinian activist abandons the peace process)
Mondoweiss – One of the advantages of return visits to Palestine over a period of years is to get a sense of the way the situation is developing over time. Unfortunately, in coming here many times over the past ten years, the impression I have is of a…
US had final say in Egyptian coup
Mondoweiss – Protest outside presidential palace July 1. AP photo by Hassan Ammar This post is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page . If there’s any doubt that we live in an Orwellian National…
Separation forever
Mondoweiss – “Non-Jewish soldiers will be buried in same section as Jews, but in different rows.” A small item in Haaretz that encapsulates the larger truth. Thanks to Ilene Cohen. Note: The segregation policy that Israel is effecting is one between Israelis who emigrated from the former Soviet…
Group Sues Chief Rabbinate Over Denying Kosher Supervisor Positions to Women
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jul 2013 – Emunah sued Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to compel the body to recognize the kosher supervision certificate offered for the first time by the women’s group. Click here for the rest of the article…
Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Renew Call for Protests Against Women of the Wall
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jul 2013 – Tensions are running high ahead of Monday morning’s Rosh Chodesh prayers at the Western Wall, as leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis have called on young seminary women to come out in large numbers to protest the monthly service held by Women of the Wall, a pluralistic prayer group….
Israel Grounds War Planes After F16 Crashes Into Sea
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jul 2013 – An Israeli F16 warlane crashed at sea on Sunday due to an engine malfunction and Israel subsequently grounded all its F15 and F16 combat aircraft pending a review of the incident, a military spokesman said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Gunmen Launch Attacks at Sinai Checkpoints Near Israel
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jul 2013 – Armed men attacked four security checkpoints on Sunday in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, close to Egypt’s border with Israel and the Gaza Strip, part of an upsurge of violence there since Wednesday’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Click here for the rest…
Egypt’s factions take to the streets
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi take to the streets in rival shows of force.
VIDEO: Why is Lebanese film banned at home?
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – A new Lebanese film which tells the story of the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv cannot be shown in Lebanon because some of a 58-year-old law which bans all contact with Israel.
Egypt court frees 12 anti-Mursi activists
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jul 2013 – An Egyptian court on Sunday acquitted 12 activists opposed to ousted Islamist president Mohammed Mursi of charges they incited violence against members of his Muslim Brotherhood, a judicial source said. Among those cleared of the allegations were prominent bloggers Ahmed Douma, who had been released on…
Israeli forces arrest 31 Palestinians in overnight raids
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jul 2013 – Israeli forces arrested 31 Palestinians before dawn on Sunday in violent raids across the West Bank, the army and witnesses said. Soldiers detained eight Palestinians in Nablus, a military spokesman said. Locals said Israeli military jeeps raided Nablus’ Old City at around 3:00 am as well…
Roadside bombs injure three in East Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jul 2013 – Members of the Lebanese armed forces stand guard as supporters of Lebanese radical Salafi cleric Ahmad al-Assir approach during a demonstration in support of him in the Abra district of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on 5 July 2013. (Photo: AFP – Joseph Eid) Two…
Egypt militants bomb gas pipeline to Jordan
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jul 2013 – A Hamas policeman (R) standing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, on 5 July 2013, talks to an Egyptian soldier standing in the Egyptian side of the border. (Photo: AFP – Said Khatib) Attackers in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula bombed a…
Yemen’s Brotherhood Swallows the Revolution
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Jul 2013 – Forensic officers inspect the scene following an explosion that targetted a police checkpoint in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, on 6 July 2013. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed Huwais) Forensic officers inspect the scene following an explosion that targetted a police checkpoint in the Yemeni capital of…
Egypt’s factions take to the streets
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi take to the streets in rival shows of force.
Abu Qatada deported from Britain
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – Radical cleric Abu Qatada is held in a high security jail near the Jordanian capital Amman, after being deported from the UK.
Bahrain policeman killed in attack
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – Two attacks in Shia-majority villages in the Gulf state of Bahrain have left one police officer dead and at least three others injured, officials say.
VIDEO: Why is Lebanese film banned at home?
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – A new Lebanese film which tells the story of the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv cannot be shown in Lebanon because some of a 58-year-old law which bans all contact with Israel.
VIDEO: Egypt rallies ‘defend revolution’
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – Supporters and opponents of deposed President Mohammed Morsi have been out on the streets again.
Tunisia and Libya divided over Morsi ousting
BBC 7 Jul 2013 – Egypt’s North African neighbours divided over army intervention
Articles
Israel and its demographic complex
Nabil Al Sahli, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 7/4/2013
In August the Zionist movement will celebrate its 116th anniversary. What are its achievements in the context of the demographic conflict between the Arabs and Jews in Palestine since the First Zionist Congress of 1897? What are the future prospects of this conflict?
Israeli research centres hold dozens of seminars on this subject producing recommendations for creating the right conditions for the demographic balance to tip in favour of Jewish settlers.
It is obvious that the Netanyahu government is racing against time to consolidate the idea of a “Jewish state” on the ground by Judaising time and place across historic Palestine. At the same time, the Israeli negotiators are trying to get the Palestinians to agree on the idea as part of a peace agreement.
The Zionist movement adopted two methods to achieve its goals in Palestine. The first was to attract the Jewish people worldwide to Palestine through various means; the second was to attack the owners of the land they coveted, committing numerous massacres against the indigenous Palestinians with the intention of driving them away from their homeland of Palestine. It was through these means that the Jewish people were the most important pillar for the establishment of a state at the expense of Palestinian land and its Arab population.
In 1948, Zionist militias and terrorist gangs created the conditions for the expulsion of around 750,000 Palestinians, or 53.6 per cent of the total Palestinian population. This is what Palestinians call the Nakba (Catastrophe). Most of the refugees, 80.5 per cent in fact, were driven to the areas which were saved from Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The remaining 19.5 per cent fled to neighbouring countries such as Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq. Many went eventually to other Arab countries, Europe and America in search of employment and education. more.. e-mail
Egypt regime change and the Israeli-Arab conflict
Nassar Ibrahim, Alternative Information Center 7/5/2013
The military intervention and regime change in Egypt Wednesday followed weeks of massive civil protests against the year-long rule of Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.Palestinian analyst and author Nassar Ibrahim reviews what impact this change may have on the Israeli-Arab conflict, Palestinian reconciliation and the possibilities for peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
What impact did Morsi’s short rule in Egypt have on the Israeli-Arab conflict and specifically on the Palestinians?
This question requires a deep analysis concerning how the Muslim Brotherhood reached power in Egypt. Established in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has long presented itself as an alternative to the existing political orders, which in Egypt meant amongst many things expressing opposition to the alliances with American policies.
When the Egyptian people began protesting against the Mubarak regime in January 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood waited on the sidelines to see how things would develop. When they understood the depth and seriousness of the protests they themselves took to the streets. The Brotherhood then utilised its excellent organisational and mobilisation capacities to become the leading force in the protests.
The United States intervened rapidly and strongly in Egypt at this time, working to keep any and all future changes under its control. The US made “agreements” with the Muslim Brotherhood before and during Egypt’s May 2012 presidential elections. These agreements were reflected in the Brotherhood’s statements about how it isn’t against the west and would maintain the peace agreement with Israel. This move, of course, was supported by previously existing American ties with the Egyptian army. The US also pushed the World Bank to further tie Egypt into its policies and conditionalities.
The United States was the primary external power supporting the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in Egypt.
Already in March 2011 I identified a number of challenges facing the Egyptian revolution, challenges which we now see Morsi’s government was unable to address…. more.. e-mail
Death by ’security’: Israel’s services in Latin America
Belen Fernandez, Al Jazeera.com 7/7/2013
The country has supported repressive governments in the region to suppress indigenous movements and uprisings.
According to a Mexican news article that surfaced in May, the Israeli military will begin training the police force in Mexico’s southeastern state of Chiapas, where the predominantly indigenous Zapatista National Liberation Army is based.
Yaron Yugman, Israel’s defence ministry representative in Mexico, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, is quo
ted as affirming that “a country’s security is fundamental to its growth” and that human rights would be one of the focuses of military instruction.
Of course, “security” and “growth” aren’t luxuries usually intended for domestic indigenous groups. A May article in The Electronic Intifada recalls the aftermath of the 1994 Zapatista uprising, which coincided with the inauguration of the North American Free Trade Agreement:
“The Mexican government found itself needing to respond to the dictates of foreign investors, as a famously leaked Chase-Manhattan Bank memo revealed: ‘While Chiapas, in our opinion, does not pose a fundamental threat to Mexican political stability, it is perceived to be so by many in the investment community. The government will need to eliminate the Zapatistas to demonstrate their effective control of the national territory and of security policy’.”
As for the alleged focus on human rights, Israel’s expertise in oppressing indigenous populations and squelching dignity happens to be more marketable.
The Israeli embassy in Mexico has reportedly denied military machinations in the southeast, but not even Fox News Latino is convinced:
“The Israeli Embassy’s denial of its government working in Chiapas is puzzling, given the long history that Israel’s government has of working with Mexico. Since the early 1970s, the Mexican government has purchased airplanes, helicopters, missile boats, small arms and other weapons from either the Israeli army or Israeli military contractors.” more.. e-mail
The Trials of Hannah Arendt
Thomas S. Harrington, CounterPunch 7/5/2013
Two nights ago, I went to Margarethe Von Trotta’s new film on the great German Jewish philosopher and intellectual Hannah Arendt. It was definitely worth the price of admission.
Von Trotta centers her narrative on Arendt’s coverage of the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, the source of her famous concept of the banality of evil.
The film addresses something very important that we should be talking about today, but are not. That is, how to think about, and react to, acts of cruelty and destruction that greatly disturb and frighten us.
Looking back, we can see that the Nuremberg Trials (1945-46) and the Trial of Eichmann (1961) represent two very distinct ways of wrestling with this question.
At Nuremberg, the victors of a terrible war decided that the best response to evil was to reinforce their belief in the rule of law, and in the broader sense, putatively universal principles of justice.
The Eichmann Trial, which was set in motion by an illegal kidnapping (or rendition, as we’d call it today), represents a very different impulse: the desire of the aggrieved to localize, personalize, and in the end, tribalize the problem of evil that in our midst.
Whereas the Nuremberg trials called on the world to remember and punish, but to also direct the gaze of the human beings–all human beings–toward what Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature”, the trial of Eichmann was about circumscribing the limits of suffering on one hand, and inhumanity on the other, making each, if not the exclusive property of a particular group, certainly the de facto possession or marker of one particular group above all others. more.. e-mail
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