21 August 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Soldiers Invade Village Near Nablus, Kidnap Five Palestinians
IMEMC – Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Friday evening, the village of Beita south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and kidnapped five Palestinians; clashes and injuries have been reported. …
Israel bans ex-prisoner from entering West Bank
8/17/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces have banned a recently freed Palestinian prisoner from entering the West Bank, citing security concerns. Alaa al-Ali said he received a warrant this week from Israeli forces prohibiting him from entering the West Bank, reportedly to protect the “security of the state.”Al-Ali, from Jerusalem, was released three months ago after spending 12 years in an Israeli prison. [END]
Red Cross concerned over hunger-striking Palestinians
8/17/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Saturday it is “extremely concerned” over the health of seven hunger-striking Palestinians held by Israel.”The ICRC is particularly worried about Imad Abdelaziz Abdallah Al Batran, who has been on hunger strike for several weeks,” the ICRC said in a statement. Juan Pedro Schaerer, the head of the ICRC delegation in Israel and the….
Egyptian troops ‘fired at’ from Gaza Strip
8/17/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian troops stationed along the border with the Gaza Strip came under heavy fire from the Palestinian enclave early Saturday, an Egyptian military intelligence official said. The official, who spoke to Ma’an on condition of anonymity, said no injuries were reported. Palestinian sources in Rafah, a town straddling the Gaza-Egypt border, said smugglers had opened fire at the Egyptian forces. [END]
3 PFLP affiliates ‘detained in Israel’
8/17/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities detained three women affiliated to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a senior party official said Saturday. Israeli forces detained Muyassar Atiyani, Lenan Abu Ghalama and Lina Jawabra while they were visiting Palestinian friends in Israel, said Zahir Shashtiri. The women are all from Nablus in the northern West Bank. [END]
Dozens protest outside Ma’an Gaza office
8/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Dozens of people demonstrated outside Ma’an News Agency’s Gaza bureau on Saturday to protest the agency’s coverage of events in Egypt and Gaza. Over 20 people chanted slogans denouncing the news agency and its editor-in-chief, Nasser Laham. The Hamas-run ministry of interior in Gaza published a statement late Friday accusing Ma’an of….
Man found hanged in Hebron shop
8/17/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A 22-year-old man was found hanged on Saturday in a shop in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, police and locals said. Locals told Ma’an that police arrived to investigate the death of Hatim Jamil Sharabati after he was found hanged in a shop in the al-Hawooz neighborhood. District Attorney Ashraf Mashaal ordered the transfer of the….
Egypt allows Gaza bus through closed Rafah crossing
8/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Egypt briefly reopened the Rafah crossing on Saturday for humanitarian reasons to allow in some 50 people who were stranded in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas interior ministry said. Egypt had on Thursday announced it was closing “indefinitely” the only crossing — the only route into the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave that bypasses Israel — for security reasons a day after deadly violence nationwide. The….
Thousands rally for Morsi in Nazareth
8/17/2013 – NAZARETH, Israel (AFP) — Thousands of Palestinian supporters of the Islamic Movement in Israel demonstrated on Saturday in support of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an AFP correspondent said. Around 4,000 people led by firebrand preacher Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, took part in the protest in the northern city of Nazareth, the correspondent said. The….
Hamas security forces detain PA officers in Gaza
8/17/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Security forces of the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip on Friday detained two Palestinian Authority security officers. Hamas security forces ransacked several homes in the Fadil Rayhan neighborhood in northern Gaza, a Ma’an reporter said. They detained Zakariyya Shehada, an officer in the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority’s Preventive Security Services, and his son Jihad, and confiscated….
Woman killed in Nablus road accident
8/17/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A woman was killed and two others injured in a road accident west of Nablus on Saturday, medics said. Maraim Khaddour, 54, from Hebron was killed when two cars collided on the Azon road. Two other people were injured. [END]
Egypt soldiers enter mosque refuge of Islamist protesters
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian soldiers entered a Cairo mosque on Saturday where Islamist protesters had holed up overnight after a day of deadly clashes, live television pictures showed. The private Egyptian ONTV Live television channel showed the soldiers entering, while Al-Jazeera’s Egypt affiliate streamed footage on its website of the soldiers inside the mosque. They appeared to be negotiating with the protesters, attempting to….
Egypt’s Tamarod movement joins campaign to boycott US aid
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Egypt’s Tamorod movement said Saturday it had joined a grassroots movement urging Egyptian authorities to boycott US aid. The group announced that it had officially joined the “No to US aid” campaign in a statement on its website, noting that 300,000 Egyptians had already signed a petition supporting a boycott. The campaign is a response to unacceptable US intervention….
Tunisian actor physically attacks culture minister
8/17/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Tunisian actor and director on Friday physically attacked the country’s Minister of Culture Mahdi Mabrouk, local media reported. The minister was delivering a speech to commemorate another Tunisian actor at a cultural center in Tunis when Nasreddine Shili assaulted him, Shems FM radio reported. The minister was hospitalized after Shili punched him and threw an egg at him….
Egypt mosque besieged as Islamists prepare fresh demos
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian security forces surrounded a Cairo mosque full of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi on Saturday as protesters planned fresh marches after street battles left more than 80 dead. The tense stand-off at the Al-Fatah mosque came after bloody clashes killed 83 people nationwide and resulted in the arrest of more than 1,000 alleged supporters of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood. The….
G
ulf bloc condemns Lebanon’s Shiite suburb bombing
8/17/2013 – RIYADH (AFP) — The Gulf Cooperation Council has condemned the car bombing that ripped through a stronghold of Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah in Beirut, killing at least 22 people.”This criminal and disgraceful act is an attack on Lebanon’s security and stability,” GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani said in a statement late Friday. Thursday’s bombing at the heart of the….
Report: US, allies were near peace deal in Egypt
8/17/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States and its European and Gulf allies were close to a peace deal two weeks ago between Mohamed Morsi supporters and Egypt’s military, The Washington Post reported Saturday. The deal called for supporters of the ousted president to abandon their street camps in exchange for a promise of non-violence from the authorities, the Post said, citing Bernardino Leon, the….
Al-Jazeera set to tackle US market
8/17/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers. Al-Jazeera….
Watchdog: 17 dead as Qaeda attacks Syria Kurd town
8/17/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Al-Qaeda loyalists attacked a mainly Kurdish town in northeastern Syria sparking fighting in which 17 people were killed, two of them ambulance crew, a watchdog said on Saturday. The assault on the strategic border town of Ras al-Ain, from which the jihadists were expelled by Kurdish militia last month, sparked an exodus of civilians into neighboring Turkey, an activist said. The attack on….
Trial of Egypt ex-president Mubarak postponed
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — The trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on charges of complicity in the deaths of protesters was adjourned on Saturday until August 25, after a brief session. Mubarak, 85, and his former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, are on trial with six members of the regime overthrown in a 2011 uprising. Neither of the two men attended Saturday’s short hearing. Mubarak….
Party: Son of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chief killed
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — The son of Mohamed Badie, supreme guide of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, was killed in violence between protesters and security forces on Friday, the group’s political arm said on Saturday.”Ammar, son of Dr. Mohammed Badie, the Supreme Guide of (the) Muslim Brotherhood, (was) killed by live ammunition in yesterday’s massacre in Ramsis Square,” the Freedom and Justice Party said in a statement. [END]
Source: Egypt arrests Zawahiri brother for ‘backing Morsi’
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian authorities have arrested Mohamed al-Zawahiri, brother of Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri, for supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a security source told AFP on Saturday. The brother was arrested in his home district of Giza, adjacent to the capital, the source said. [END]
Government: 173 killed in Egypt in 24 hours
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — At least 173 people have been killed across Egypt in the last 24 hours, the government said on Saturday, after clashes between security forces and protesters. The deaths came after supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi took to the streets after Friday prayers for nationwide demonstrations that quickly triggered violence. [END]
Gunbattle at Cairo mosque as security surrounds Islamists
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian police exchanged gunfire Saturday with supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi holed up inside a Cairo mosque, an AFP correspondent reported. The clashes came on the fourth day of bloodshed between the two sides, with the government saying 173 had died in the past 24 hours alone. That brought the country’s toll to more than 750 people since Wednesday, when….
Egypt police end standoff with Islamists at mosque
8/17/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian police cleared Islamist protesters from a Cairo mosque on Saturday after a standoff that included exchanges of fire, as the death toll from four days of violence surpassed 750. Security forces dragged supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi from the Al-Fath mosque, passing through angry crowds who tried to beat the Islamists, calling them “terrorists”. The clashes came as the government said….
Turkey PM condemns inaction on Egypt crisis
8/17/2013 – ISTANBUL (AFP) — Turkey’s prime minister lashed out Saturday at the international response to the escalating crisis in Egypt, saying organizations including the UN and EU should be ashamed of their inaction.”Let me say very clearly, the United Nations Security Council no longer has the right to look at itself in the mirror, it’s so ashamed, because it couldn’t….
International Solidarity Movement
Israel starts illegal construction, destroying field of olive trees on private Palestinian land near village of Immatin
8/17/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 17th August 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team, Immatin, Occupied Palestine- Immatin is a village situated in close proximity to the annexation wall and flanked by the illegal settlements of Qedumim, Gilad and Immanu’el. Recently, three brothers from the village went to work on their land. However, when they arrived, they found that construction workers, under instruction from the Israeli authorities, were bulldozing….
Video: Soldiers violently attack and arrest peaceful protesters in Al-Masara
8/17/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 17th August 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team, Beit Ummar, Occupied Palestine – Yesterday, the 17th August, four people were violently arrested at a peaceful demonstration taking place near the village of Al-Masara, on the outskirts of Hebron (Al Khalil). Around sixty demonstrators calling for the dismantlement of illegal Israeli settlements upon Palestinian land were attacked immediately. Although the protesters had planned to go to the….
Indonesian expats mark Independence Day in Abu Dhabi
The National 17 Aug 2013 – The ambassador hosted a flag-raising ceremony at the embassy in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Workers are being ripped off by agents, claims UAE migrant group
The National 17 Aug 2013 – Rights-group Migrante say it has evidence staff from Philippine embassy are taking cash in return for blank affadavits for visits to the UAE.
Egypt’s army storms mosque as goverment prepares to ban Brotherhood
The National 17 Aug 2013 – The nationwide chaos shows no sign of abating as Al Fath mosque, the site of emotional prayers and furious demonstrations, becomes the site of an hours-long shoot-out. Alice Fordham reports from Cairo
Palenstinian child prodigy becomes doctor at age 20
The National 17 Aug 2013 – Iqbal Al Assaad is possibly the youngest Arab doctor ever, but a law in Lebanon prevents her from realising her dream of working in a refugee camp in the country of her birth. Elizabeth Dickinson reports
Weekend storms in Yemen kill 50 including 27 in wedding party
The National 17 Aug 2013 – The wedding convoy was travelling on Friday through Wadi Nakhla when it was swept away by a torrent.
Tunisians united in patriotism, divided over the country’s future
The National 17 Aug 2013 – The stand-off over the future of the government led by the moderate Islamists leaves public opinion more divided than at any time since the revolution. Eileen Bryne reports from Tunis
800 Emirati households get interest-free home loans
The National 17 Aug 2013 – The Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme approved 800 applications for aid last week.
‘I wanted a rapid result, and I got one’, says successful UAE dieter
The National 17 Aug 2013 – German expat Mark Newhouse lost 17 kilograms through two 10-day cycles of the Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition diet.
Thousands protest in Nazareth in solidarity with Morsi
Ha’aretz – 17 Aug 2013
Man indicted for hit-and-run that killed 85-year-old Be’er Sheva resident
Ha’aretz – 17 Aug 2013
Annual crime statistics smell of manipulation
Ha’aretz – 17 Aug 2013
Religious Zionist voters will decide Jerusalem’s mayoral race
Ha’aretz – 17 Aug 2013
For My Faith: A Difficult Ramadan at Qalandiya
Uruknet
Military Resistance 11H12 First They Tased Him
Uruknet
Israeli Army Seeks to Evict Villagers to Expand Firing Zone
Uruknet
Israeli Occupation Harshness Prevents Peace
Uruknet
Israeli Settlement Authorization Is Pre-Emptive Strike
Uruknet
The Toxicity of Everyday Survival in Iraq
Uruknet
The dungeons of California
Uruknet
First round of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel
Uruknet
Five Theses about Assange-Manning-Snowden
Uruknet
Ex-nuke chief says Iran has 18,000 centrifuges
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Iran’s outgoing nuclear chief says Tehran has a total of 18,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment – a process that can be a pathway to making nuclear weapons.
Lebanon seizes car rigged with 250 kg of explosives
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Lebanese authorities seize a car rigged with 250 kilograms of explosives south of Beirut, security sources say.
Thousands of pro-Morsi protesters take to Turkey streets
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Thousands of supporters of Egypt’s ousted leader Mohammad Morsi take to the streets in Turkey to denounce “massacres” against his loyalists.
Obama, family hit the beach on Martha’s Vineyard
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Winding down his vacation, President Barack Obama and his family hit the beach on the Massachusetts summer resort island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Germany, Qatar condemn escalation of violence in Egypt
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Germany’s foreign minister and his Qatari counterpart condemn the spiralling violence in Egypt, urging political dialogue to avoid further bloodshed.
Hariri: Hezbollah pushing Lebanon further into Syria ‘fire’
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Hariri reiterates his condemnation of a deadly bombing in Beirut but blasts Nasrallah saying the Hezbollah leader’s recent speech threatens to further involve Lebanon in the Syria war.
Blast damages Egypt’s mission in Benghazi, Libya
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 A small explosion rocks the Egyptian consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, blowing out its windows and those of adjacent buildings, witnesses say.
Egypt is waging “war” against extremism: presidency
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Egypt is facing “war by the forces of extremism” and will confront it with “security measures within the framework of law,” Mostafa Hegazy, adviser to Egypt’s interim president says.
18 dead as Al-Qaeda attacks Syrian Kurdish town
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Al-Qaeda loyalists attack a mainly Kurdish town in northeastern Syria sparking fighting in which 18 people are killed, two of them ambulance crew, activists say.
Iran president: nation wants foreign policy change
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Iran’s new president says his countrymen elected him to bring about a change in foreign policy and shift away from the bombastic style pursued under his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Friday violence in Egypt killed 173 people: Health Ministry
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Violent clashes across Egypt that pit supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood against security forces killed 173 people, including 95 in central Cairo, the health ministry says.
Egypt’s PM proposes dissolution of Muslim Brotherhood
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi has proposed the legal dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood and the idea is being studied by the government, a government spokesman says.
Egypt: Brother of Al-Qaeda chief arrested
Daily Star 17 Aug 2013 An Egyptian security official says the brother of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri has been arrested in Egypt.
Government: Bomb wounds 5 policemen in Bahrain
YNet News, 17 Aug 2013 – ….
Lapid: Cancellation of standardized exam first step in process
YNet News, 17 Aug 2013 – ….
Haifa mayoral candidate files complaint after Facebook threats
YNet News, 17 Aug 2013 – ….
Cuba condemns violence in Egypt
YNet News, 17 Aug 2013 – ….
Sunni leader says Hezbollah leading Lebanon into ‘Syrian fire’
YNet News, 17 Aug 2013 – ….
Endangered in their ancestral land
YNet News, 17 Aug 2013 – Op-ed: Arab Spring has only worsened conditions for indigenous Christians of the Middle East ….
Palestinian Information Center
Abu Zuhri: We refuse any interference in Egyptian affairs
PIC – Hamas movement stressed that it will not accept that any party in the Gaza Strip interferes in the Egyptian internal affairs.
IOF soldiers arrest five youths south of Nablus
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided the village of Beita, south of Nablus, on Friday evening and arrested a number of Palestinian young men.
Marches in Gaza in solidarity with Egyptian people
PIC – Scores of Palestinian citizens went on marches in the Gaza Strip in protest at the killing of pro-Morsi protestors in Cairo.
Administrative detainees launch protest steps against administrative detention
PIC – Administrative detainees in Israeli jails announced launching protest steps against policy of administrative detention in early September that will develop into open hunger strike in October.
Warnings of Israeli intents to build synagogue at Aqsa Mosque
PIC – The Palestinian ministry of culture in Gaza and the Beirut-based Al-Quds international institution warned of Israeli intentions to build a synagogue on parts of the Aqsa Mosque.
PA security services suppress march condemning massacres in Egypt
PIC – PA security apparatuses on Friday attacked a peaceful march in al-Khalil, south of the West Bank, condemning the massacres in Egypt. Some citizens were injured while others were arrested.
Haneyya: We only work against the occupation and have no role in Egypt
PIC – Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya reiterated on Friday that neither Hamas nor the Gaza Strip has any kind of a military or security role in Egypt, Rafah or Sinai.
Abu Marzouk: Hamas refuses to provide a cover for the PA’s talks with Israel
PIC – Mousa Abu Marzouk said that Hamas does not evade the reconciliation, but it refuses to provide a cover for negotiations rejected by all Palestinian political forces.
Israeli Forces Arrest Two Shepherds Near Hebron
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Business Cycle Indicator Decreases in August, says Monetary Authority
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Delayed West Asia Youth Tournament to Open on Sunday
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Three Deaths, including Two Children, Reported in Hebron
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Police says Four People Killed in Road Accidents Last Week
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Abbas: No State without the Jordan Valley
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Egyptian Ambassador Values Leadership’s Position
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Palestinian Leadership: Egyptian Security is an Arab National Security Matter
WAFA – 17 Aug 2013
Drone strike campaign in Yemen shows U.S. standards are elastic
LA Times 17 Aug 2013 – The wave of attacks highlights Obama’s willingness to accelerate airstrikes even if intelligence on a terrorist plot is imprecise, analysts and ex-officials say. WASHINGTON — A surge of U.S. drone missile strikes that has killed about 40 suspected militants in Yemen over the last three…
Hezbollah ambushed intruding Israeli soldiers, group’s chief says
LA Times 17 Aug 2013 – An incident Aug. 7 in which four Israeli soldiers were injured near the border with Lebanon was no accident, as some reports have said, according to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. BEIRUT— It was an incident shrouded in mystery that occurred in one of the Middle…
Vigilantes emerge as menacing force in Egypt as mosque siege ends
LA Times 17 Aug 2013 – Vigilante bands like those that helped surround protesters at Cairo’s Al Fatih mosque are a growing peril amid Egypt’s turmoil, in which more than 200 people have been killed since early Friday. CAIRO — The siege at a Cairo mosque Saturday highlighted the specter of…
U.S. has yet to deliver arms to Syria rebels
LA Times 17 Aug 2013 – The Obama administration remains conflicted about sending weapons that could fall into the wrong hands, as is evident by the slow pace of delivering on its promise of military aid. WASHINGTON — More than two months after they were promised, U.S. weapons and ammunition have…
Terrorist trial casts light on FBI lab that studies IEDs
LA Times 17 Aug 2013 – The terrorist trial of two men convicted in a plot to smuggle arms and money to Iraq was aided by a crime lab that looks for fingerprints and DNA on improvised explosive devices. WASHINGTON — Waad Ramadan Alwan was a talker. To an undercover FBI…
Egypt protesters express shock and anger at police
LA Times 16 Aug 2013 – Protesters in Ramses Square in Cairo, who came to protest Wednesday’s crackdown, say police fired on an unarmed crowd. CAIRO — When the bodies began arriving, doctors cordoned off a small corner for the dead.
Dozens more killed amid continued violence in Egypt
LA Times 16 Aug 2013 – As tens of thousands of Islamists march through Cairo, clashes between protesters and government forces leave dozens dead across Egypt. CAIRO — Clashes between security forces and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood killed dozens of protesters across Egypt, and vigilantes, some brandishing whips and pipes,…
Sectarian Attacks Return With a Roar to Iraq, Rattling a Capital Already on Edge
New York Times 17 Aug 2013 – The surge in violence and the security sweeps that follow have lent a new sense of Balkanization to Baghdad.
How American Hopes for a Deal in Egypt Were Undercut
New York Times 17 Aug 2013 – Egypt’s military crackdown has left President Obama in a no-win position: risk a partnership that has been the bedrock of Middle East peace, or stand by while allies try to hold on to power by mowing down opponents.
The Lede: Latest Updates on Crackdown in Egypt
New York Times 17 Aug 2013 – The Lede is following events in Egypt on Saturday, where Islamist protesters have taken to the streets again to demonstrate against the military-backed government that killed hundreds this week.
Standoff Erupts at a Mosque in Cairo as Egypt’s Leaders Struggle for Order
New York Times 17 Aug 2013 – Riot police stood guard outside a mosque where Islamist protesters were sheltering Saturday, deepening the sense that Egypt was descending into anarchy.
The Lede: Aug. 16 Updates on Protests in Egypt
New York Times 17 Aug 2013 – The Lede is following events in Egypt on Friday, where Islamist protesters have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the military-backed government.
Blood and Chaos Prevail in Egypt, Testing Control
New York Times 16 Aug 2013 – Egypt erupted into chaos on Friday, raising doubts about the authorities’ capacity to maintain order, as opponents of the military takeover fought security forces and civilians in the street.
Political Memo: Attacks on Protesters in Cairo Were Calculated to Provoke, Some Say
New York Times 16 Aug 2013 – The ferocity of the attacks appears to have been a deliberate calculation of the military-appointed government to provoke violence from the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies, historians said Friday.
Hezbollah Makes Vow to Step Up Sunni Fight
New York Times 16 Aug 2013 – Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, accused radical Sunnis of orchestrating a car bombing that killed 24 in Beirut.
Sari Husseini’s journey, and Darwish’s memory
Mondoweiss – Memory for Movement, a documentary presented as a powerful poetic memoir style reflection, written and produced by Mahdi Diab, takes the viewer into the mental and physical landscape of a native Jerusalem-Palestinian dancer, Sari Husseini. The documentary begins in a pitch of darkness, our focus solely…
Junot Diaz on borrowing identities
Mondoweiss – This was quite deft. Junot Diaz was on New York public radio ye
sterday (minute 22 or so). Novelist Diaz is Dominican-American; and his interviewer, Leonard Lopate, seemed a wee bit ethnocentric. Or old school. Diaz flicked the lure: Lopate: Last month… Ayad Akhtar… told me that…
‘The one and only Jewish state,’ Netanyahu says, pounding the rostrum
Mondoweiss – Netanyahu meeting with Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem yesterday reflected the widespread view among Israel supporters that the unrest in Arab countries means that resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict has no urgency. Note that the UN Secretary General doesn’t buy it. Netanyahu: I think it’s important to discuss…
Alice Walker reinvited to speak at U of Michigan, which regrets her dis-invitation
Mondoweiss – Yesterday we reported Alice Walker’s statement that the University of Michigan disinvited her from a speaking gig because of pressure from pro-Israel donors. This morning Gloria Thomas, director of the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan, thanked me and others who…
Illegal settlement count rose from 140 to 144 in 2012
Mondoweiss – Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Apartheid Israel built four new settlements in 2012 IMEMC 15 Aug — The Palestinian Census Bureau has reported that Israel built four new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank in 2012, raising the number of Jewish settlements to…
Nigeria: 20 Nigerians in Iran Prisons – Minister
allAfrica.com 15 Aug 2013 – [Daily Trust]Owerrri -Minister for State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Mrs. Viola Onwuliri, yesterday said in Owerri that 20 Nigerians are languishing in prisons in Iran for several crimes.
Egypt cabinet to hold crisis meeting
BBC 17 Aug 2013 – Egypt’s cabinet is set to discuss the political crisis, after the removal of Muslim Brotherhood camps and protests which left hundreds dead.
Iran’s Rouhani ‘will drop slogans’
BBC 17 Aug 2013 – Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani pledges to bring a change to the country’s foreign policy, without abandoning its principles.
Two Options for Lebanon: Deterrence or Collapse
Al-Akhbar Opinion 17 Aug 2013 – Following the Roueiss bombing, the army command found it necessary to take practical public measures, to push all parties concerned to assume their responsibilities. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Following the Roueiss bombing, the army command found it necessary to take practical public measures, to push all parties…
Death toll from Beirut bombing climbs to 27
Al-Akhbar News 17 Aug 2013 – People stand on a balcony near the site of the recent car bomb in the southern suburbs of Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) The death toll from a car bombing that ripped through a Beirut suburb has risen to at least 27, the health ministry said Saturday….
Lebanon arrests three over abduction of Turkish pilots
Al-Akhbar News 17 Aug 2013 – Lebanese authorities have arrested three suspects and charged them in connection with the abduction of two Turkish Airlines pilots, a judicial source told AFP on Saturday. The suspects, whose identities were not revealed, underwent an initial round of interrogation and their case has been referred to…
Police clear Egypt mosque after gun battle
Al-Akhbar News 17 Aug 2013 – Police storm al-Fath mosque in Cairo following a gun battle with supporters of ousted president Mohammed Mursi. (Photo: AFP – Mohammed el-Shahed) Security forces cleared a Cairo mosque after a gun battle with followers of the Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday, while Egypt’s army-backed government, facing deepening…
From Boston to Beirut: A Comparison of “Terror”
Al-Akhbar News 17 Aug 2013 – Lebanese people hand a poster of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, from their balcony next to a building that was damaged in a car bomb attack that killed dozens in Beirut, on 16 August 2013. (Photo: AFP – Anwar Amro) Lebanese people hand a poster…
Egypt: After the Slaughter
Al-Akhbar News 17 Aug 2013 – A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and of ousted president Mohamed Morsi runs past a burning vehicle during clashes with security officers close to Cairo’s Ramses Square, on 16 August 2013. (Photo: AFP – Virgnie Nguyen Hoang) A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and of ousted…
Flood kills 27 wedding goers in Yemen
Al-Akhbar News 17 Aug 2013 – At least 27 people died and more than 41 were missing after a wedding party was swept away while driving across a valley flooded by monsoon rains in southern Yemen, local officials said on Saturday. The victims, mostly women and children, were in three vehicles accompanying…
Tel Aviv: “Axis of Evil” Cannot Be Allowed to Win in Syria
Al-Akhbar Politics 16 Aug 2013 – Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade take part in a military training in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on 17 July 2013. (Photo: AFP – Jack Guez) Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade take part in a military training in the Israeli-annexed…
Egypt cabinet to hold crisis meeting
BBC 17 Aug 2013 – Egypt’s cabinet is set to discuss the political crisis, after the removal of Muslim Brotherhood camps and protests which left hundreds dead.
Iran’s Rouhani ‘will drop slogans’
BBC 17 Aug 2013 – Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani pledges to bring a change to the country’s foreign policy, without abandoning its principles.
Yemen wedding hit by deadly floods
BBC 17 Aug 2013 – Twenty-seven members of a Yemeni wedding party have died after their convoy was swept away by floods.
British embassy in Yemen to reopen
BBC 17 Aug 2013 – The British embassy in Yemeni capital Sanaa will open “as normal” on Sunday after staff were withdrawn earlier this month due to “increased security concerns”.
Articles
Boycotts that aid the Palestinians
Ben White, Al Jazeera.com 8/16/2013
Four main reasons why a boycott on Israeli goods will benefit the Palestinian people.
As governments and civil society groups around the world increase their efforts to target goods produced in Israel’s illegal settlements, the Israeli government and BDS critics are stepping up the propaganda counter offensive.
One of the main tactics adopted by those seeking to stem the boycott tide is to state that these measures actually harm Palestinians. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has been pushing back against a boycott along such lines for some time, but given recent developments in South Africa and the European Union, there has been a renewed emphasis on the supposed counterproductive effect of such tactics.
There have been joint Israeli government-settler propaganda initiatives, and even an official, MFA-circulated document on “the effects of labelling settlement products on the Palestinian economy”. “Should Europeans be successful in banning Israeli products from the West Bank”, Israel’s ambassador to the UN said in June, “this will bring about the loss of jobs of several thousands of Palestinians”.
Interestingly, there are parallels here with arguments used against the international boycott campaign during the time of Apartheid South Africa, with ANC activists having to confront claims “that Non-White people will be the first to be hit by external boycotts”. Those comparisons aside, the argument is flawed for four reasons.
First, despite the anti-BDS lobbyists’ apparent concern for the welfare of the Palestinian worker, the latter’s main enemy is in fact, the Israeli occupation. Israel’s colonial regime – at the heart of which are the settlements – is characterised by movement restrictions and discriminatory land access, and is consistently highlighted by the World Bank and IMF as the main brake on economic growth. more.. e-mail
Prisoners for Peace
Sam Gilbert, Ramallah, CounterPunch 8/16/2013
The Essential Terrorist
On Tuesday August 13th, 26 “low risk” Palestinian prisoners were released to their families by the Israeli government, a “gesture of good faith” made by Israeli Primer Minster Netanyahu to President Abbas amidst the peace talks that are set to resume in Jerusalem on Wednesday. These kinds of prisoner releases have been commonplace in the years preceding the landmark Oslo agreement-each event garnering massive media attention and the reiteration of a narrative of Israeli benevolence and victimization.
And while many in the media have questioned the sincerity of this gesture in brokering peace, little has been said about the flaws inherent to the peace process in Israel and Palestine regarding the prisoner issue.
In the history of this conflict the release of political prisoners has consistently been presented as a concession by Israel, not an obligation- seen through the lens of Israel security needs and an assumed symmetry between apposing sides. Conspicuously absent is any acknowledgement of the now 46 year long colonial occupation which criminalizes all forms of Palestinian resistance, and has led to the imprisonment of more than 750,000 Palestinians since 1967.
As former non-violent political prisoner Mahmoud told me:
“In the eyes of the media, internationals and especially the Israelis Palestinian’s are criminals, guilty until proven innocent…in other places I hear it goes the other way.”
Israeli Prisoner Policy and the Peace Process
Since Oslo there have been numerous high profile prisoner releases, most notably the Gilad Shalit swap that saw the return of over 1000 Palestinians for a single Israeli hostage…. more.. e-mail
It was all part of the plan
Yousef Munayyer, Al Jazeera.com 8/14/2013
Regardless of what happens during the peace talks, Israel will continue to build illegal settlements.
An interesting exercise, made easily possible today by the magic of the internet, is a search of news articles on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process over time.
The most central and persistent theme is the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. During intifadas, not during intifadas, during peace talks, not during peace talks, it didn’t matter. For the Israelis, every year was a good year to build more settlements.
What has changed dramatically is the reality on the ground, represented by both the number of settlers and settlements. Another change, clearly traced below, has been in the position of the United States toward the settlement issue.
In the
early 1990s, Secretary of State James Baker led the Bush Administration’s charge and was “negotiating with Arab countries on the wording of a new United Nations Security Council resolution that would criticise Israeli settlements in occupied Arab territories as a breach of international law.”
Baker took an almost unrecognisably strong position with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in comparison with Secretary Kerry today. At the time, Baker’s position was that “all growth in new and existing settlements in the occupied territories must halt before the United States would consider guaranteeing $400m in desperately needed loans for new Soviet immigrant housing.”
That was the last time a US Secretary of State actually conditioned US aid on Israel changing its colonial behavior….more.. e-mail
Netanyahu’s brazen contempt for peace
Uri Avnery, Redress 8/16/2013
I don’t know if the Guinness Book of World Records has a special section for chutzpah.
If it does not, it should. That’s the one competition where Israelis might take home a few gold medals.
The first one would surely go to Binyamin Netanyahu.
This week, on the eve of the first round of serious negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu did two interesting things: he announced plans for several large new settlement projects and he accused the Palestinians of grievous incitement against Israel.
Let’s take the settlements first. As explained by Israeli diplomats to their American colleagues, and repeated by all the Israeli media, poor Netanyahu had no choice. John Kerry compelled him to release 104 Palestinian prisoners as a “confidence building measure”. After such a momentous concession, he had to pacify his extremist colleagues in the Likud and in the cabinet. A thousand new housing units in the occupied territories (including East Jerusalem) was the very minimum.The prisoners theatre
The agreement to release prisoners let loose a veritable Witches’ Sabbath. All the newspapers and TV news programmes were awash with blood – the blood on the hands of the Palestinian murderers. “Murderers” was the de rigeur appellation. Not “fighters”, not “militants”, not even “terrorists”. Just plain “murderers”.
All the prisoners to be released were convicted before the Oslo agreement was signed, meaning that they have been in prison for at least 20 years. The probability that they would take part in future bloody activity must be minimal.more.. e-mail
Egypt: America’s Untouchable Asset
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Aug 2013 – By Iqbal Jassat Regime change whether by war and occupation or via a military coup seems to be entrenched in what passes as Western-style “democracy”. And no matter how persuasive their spin doctors may be to distance themselves from pursuit of selective policies reeking of hypocritical dual standards, very few people seem to be convinced. Egypt is the latest example where duplicity has yet again been exposed as a cardinal tenet underpinning Western hegemony. The sad reality is that people of this great country have paid a huge price to remind themselves and the world that sovereignty and independence is a costly commodity. To simply view the current disaster following the toppling of Egypt’s first democratic president elected by majority of voters as a “conflict” between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood without factoring in other players would be misguided. These players are not idle bystanders. They have a very…more
Israel’s White Phosphorous Smokescreen?
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Aug 2013 – By Zarah Louis On 26th April 2013, the BBC reported on its website that Israel was going to stop using white phosphorous in its shells and replace it with a gas. This important declaration was largely ignored by the British media as the timing of Israel’s announcement came whilst they and the public were fixated on the conflicting reports concerning the authenticity of the ‘evidence’ that Syria had been using illegal weapons. The British newspaper, The Telegraph in fact presented this news as the introduction into an article reporting on the shooting down of a drone by Israel that had been flying over Lebanon. Israel’s position on accusations that it had used white phosphorous in its shells has considerably shifted over the years, in a similar pattern of denials to that used by the USA. Israel initially denied that white phosphorous had been used at all, to eventually admitting that,…more
The Police Keep Firing; The Bodies Pile Up. In Cairo, Bloodbaths Are Now a Daily Occurrence
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Aug 2013 – By Robert Fisk It was a disgrace, a most shameful chapter in Egyptian history. The police – some wearing black hoods – shot down into the crowds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters from the roof of Cairo’s Ramses St
reet police station and surrounding streets. They even fired at traffic on the airport highway. And to see their terrible work, you had only to climb the pink marble steps of the Al-Fath Mosque – sticky with fresh blood yesterday evening – and see the acre of wounded lying on deep-woven carpets and, in a remote corner, 25 shrouded corpses. Dr Ibrahim Yamani gently lifted the bandages from their bodies: shot in the face, shot in the head, shot in the chest. So now we have the Ramses Square Massacre – these bloodbaths seem to come by the week, if not by the day – and even as I left the mosque last…more
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The New Dark Age 