22 August 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Abbas: “We Will Not Demand To Return To Akka, Safad and Jaffa”
IMEMC – During a meeting with members of the Israeli Meretz opposition Party, who visited him Thursday in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, stated that the Palestinian Authority will not demand the Palestinian return to Jaffa, Akka (Akko) and Safad. …
P.A Calls On U.S, Quartet, To Act Against Israel’s Settlement Activities
IMEMC – [Thursday August 22, 2013] The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the Quartet Committee, mainly the United States as the mediator in direct peace talks with Tel Aviv, to intervene and put an end to Israel’s escalating illegal settlement construction and expansion activities. …
Masked Men Attack A Journalist In Gaza
IMEMC – Media sources in Gaza has reported that a number of young masked men, apparently unarmed, attacked a Palestinian journalist in Gaza City, the Palestine News Network (PNN) has reported. …
P.A. Warns To Resume UN Moves Due To Israel’s Settlement Activities
IMEMC – Palestinian officials involved in direct talks with the Israeli side, stated that the Palestinian Authority (P.A) in the West Bank would resume its international campaign at UN bodies should Israel insist on continuing its illegal violations, mainly its settlement construction and expansion activities. …
Prisoner deported to Gaza Strip
8/22/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel on Thursday deported a Palestinian prisoner to the Gaza Strip as part of a deal to end his 40-day hunger strike. Ayman Abu Daoud is from the West Bank city of Hebron, where his wife and children live. He was freed in October 2011 in Israel’s prisoner swap deal with Hamas, but Israel rearrested him four….
PA urges Quartet to stop settlement expansion
8/22/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – The Palestinian Authority’s ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday urged the international Quartet to immediately bring to an end all illegal Israeli settlement activities. In a statement, the ministry called upon local, regional and international bodies to document Israel’s settlement expansion “which is against international law and the Geneva conventions.”Documentation, added the statement, will be used…. Related: PLO threatens action over Israel settlements
Ex-prisoner dies in construction accident month after release
8/22/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A former Palestinian prisoner from Eisawiya in East Jerusalem died Thursday in an accident at a construction site, Israeli police said. Ata Ubeid, in his 40s, fell after suffering an electric shock while working on scaffolding in an industrial zone in Israel. Medics could not resuscitate him, police said in a statement. Israeli police and labor ministry inspectors have visited the….
Israeli forces detain Jerusalem teenager at Allenby
8/22/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Israeli forces on Wednesday afternoon detained a Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem at the Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. Nur Salim Shalabi, 15, was stopped by Israeli security officers at the Israeli side of the crossing while travelling back from Jordan with his mother, his uncle Omar Shalabi said. Shalabi highlighted that his nephew was stopped by….
Journalist attacked on Gaza City street
8/22/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – A Palestinian journalist was attacked by unidentified masked men in a street in Gaza City Wednesday morning. Ahmad Fayyoumi told Ma’an that while he was standing in the street, a motorcycle stopped beside him and two masked men got off and hit him with an iron bar on his hand dropping a bag he carried. The assailants stole….
Blasts rock north Israel as rockets fired from Lebanon
8/22/2013 – GESHER HAZIV, Israel (AFP) — Explosions were heard near Israel’s border with Lebanon on Thursday, witnesses and AFP correspondents said, as Lebanese security sources said militants had fired four rockets at Israel. Witnesses reported hearing several blasts near the northern coastal town of Nahariya. The Israeli army said that none of the rockets had hit the ground inside Israel.”We heard about four or…. Related: Netanyahu: We will strike anyone who tries to harm us
PLO threatens action over Israel settlements
8/22/2013 – BEIT JALA (AFP) — A top PLO official threatened Wednesday to sue Israel through international bodies if it continues expanding settlements in the occupied territories, warning it was an issue that could torpedo fledgling peace talks.”These are not just dots on a map,” PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said of more than 2,000 new settler homes which were approved for construction ahead of a…. Related: PA urges Quartet to stop settlement expansion
Iran’s envoy to UN nuclear watchdog quits
8/22/2013 – TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran’s representative to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, announced his resignation on Thursday without giving any reason, the Fars news agency reported.”My mission is finished. . . and I return to Iran with satisfaction,” said Soltanieh, who has held the post since 2005. On August 15, new President Hassan Rowhani named Ali Akbar Salehi to head….
Abbas: Prisoner release ‘separate issue’ to peace talks
8/22/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the release of Palestinians detained by Israel before the 1994 Oslo Accords was a separate issue to the resumption of peace negotiations. Israel released 26 veteran prisoners hours before peace negotiations resumed earlier in August, and is expected to release the rest of the pre-Oslo prisoners in stages throughout the talks. The president said the….
PA to ask EU to increase financial support
8/22/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority will hold talks with European Union to increase financial support to the West Bank government, caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Thursday. During a visit to Jericho, Hamdallah told reporters that talks would be held with a representative of EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton to increase aid to Palestine. The premier said the government was working to….
Netanyahu: We will strike anyone who tries to harm us
8/22/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Thursday of retaliation after a volley of rockets were fired from southern Lebanon at Israel, causing no casualties or damage.”Anyone who harms us, or tries to harm us, should know — we will strike them,” he said in a televised address. [END]
Netanyahu condemns reported Syria chemical attack
8/22/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria “terribly disturbing,” accusing Iran of using the country as a “testing ground.” “The reported use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians is terribly disturbing,” he said in a statement. Syria’s main opposition group on Wednesday accused the government of “massacring” more than 1,300 people in….
Haniyeh rebuffs new youth group targeting Hamas rule
8/22/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday warned a newly formed movement in the coastal enclave against calling for protests against Hamas’ rule later in the year. On Monday, a newly announced Palestinian youth movement urged protests against rivalries, exclusion, single-handedness, injustice, oppression and the violation of the inalienable rights of the people of Gaza. Astatement “They have practiced….
Palestinian film to premiere at Toronto Film Festival
8/22/2013
– RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A film by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi has been officially announced to compete at Toronto International Film Festival which will kick off on Sept. 5. Producer of Palestine Stereo Abdul-Salam Abu Askar said that the film would be screened six times, twice before journalists and critics, and four times before regular audiences. The film, according to Abu Askar, was shot in….
Imports from Israel lower West Bank tomato prices
8/22/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) – Tomato prices in the West Bank have dropped due to imports from Israel, prompting farmers and merchants to urge for intervention by the ministry of agriculture to protect local products. At the same time, consumers are welcoming the low prices which fell to a half a shekel per kilo as a result of the surplus after local and imported products flooded….
Police investigate suspicious death in Jenin
8/22/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) – The sudden death of a young Palestinian man in Jenin in the northern West Bank aroused police suspicions, and they decided to transfer the body for forensic tests. Locals said the unnamed 23-year-old man was undergoing therapy. His family believed he might have taken an overdose of medication. Police launched an investigation and were awaiting autopsy results. Family members told….
US avoids ‘red lines’ after Syria chemical claims
8/22/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States refused to set new “red lines” for Syria Wednesday as claims of a horrific chemical arms strike reignited debate over Washington’s reluctance to intervene in the civil war. Claims by Syrian rebels that President Bashar Assad’s forces massacred 1,300 people in a chemical weapons attack near Damascus sparked new pressure for action on Capitol Hill. But….
France calls for ‘force’ if chemical arms confirmed in Syria
8/22/2013 – PARIS (AFP) — France is seeking a reaction with “force” if a massacre in Syria involving chemical weapons is confirmed, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday, although he ruled out the use of ground troops.”If it is proven, France’s position is that there must be a reaction, a reaction that could take the form of a reaction with force,” Fabius told BFM-TV….
Human Rights Watch urges Egypt to protect churches
8/22/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian authorities must protect churches and Christian homes and businesses from attack and Islamists must stop inciting sectarian violence, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The group said it had documented attacks on 42 churches and dozens of Christian institutions, schools and homes, as well as Christian-owned businesses across the country. It said at least four people were reported killed in sectarian violence….
Egypt’s Mubarak leaves jail for hospital under house arrest
8/22/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak was transferred from prison to house arrest at a military hospital on Thursday, in a move overshadowed by a blistering crackdown against his Islamist successors. The former strongman, forced to quit in early 2011, was flown by medical helicopter to a military hospital, where he will remain under house arrest as he stands trial on corruption….
Experts: Syria symptoms consistent with nerve gas
8/22/2013 – PARIS (AFP) — The convulsions, pinpoint pupils and labored breathing seen in victims of an alleged chemical attack in Syria could be symptoms of nerve gas, experts said Thursday, but only blood and urine samples can provide proof. Syria’s main opposition group says more than 1,300 people were killed Wednesday in a government attack on rebel areas near Damascus — a charge the government vehemently….
Analysts: ‘Next generation’ of Qaeda being born in Egypt
8/22/2013 – PARIS (AFP) — Egypt’s bloody crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood has been a gift to Al-Qaeda that will help it attract fresh followers and open a new front in the Middle East, experts say. The repression of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi could see a new generation of radicals joining the movement founded by Osama bin Laden, they….
Witness tells of Syria ‘chemical attack’, burials by night
8/22/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Dozens of civilians killed in an alleged chemical weapons attack on a town near Damascus were buried in the dark of night to escape the attention of Syrian troops, an activist said Thursday. The bodies were “pale blue. They had died of suffocation,” said the activist, Abu Ahmad.”We buried the victims in the middle of the night, because the area we use….
State media: Syria’s Assad reshuffles government
8/22/2013 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad appointed six new cabinet ministers on Thursday, the official SANA news agency reported, in a cabinet reshuffle targeting namely economic portfolios. Assad replaced the ministers of the economy and external trade, industry, internal trade, higher education, tourism, and appointed a minister without portfolio, the agency said. [END]
Syria asked to okay UN chemical attack probe
8/22/2013 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The United Nations formally asked the Syrian government Thursday to authorize UN experts to investigate a reported chemical attack with mass casualties near Damascus, a spokesman said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also has decided to send Angela Kane, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs to Damascus, UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said. Damascus had agreed at the end of July….
Rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel
AlJazeera 22 Aug 2013 – Israeli army says Iron Dome defence system intercepts one rocket, and no casualties are reported.
Ashrawi Threatens to take Israel to UN or ICC
Palestine News Network
An Israeli Prisoner Arrested for Sending Death Threat to Netanyahu
Palestine News Network
Dozens of Palestinians Suffocated in Renewed Clashes in Jenin
Palestine News Network
Settlement Guidelines Nix Ahava Participation in EU-Funded Research Project
Palestine News Network
Israel Fires Missile Into Syria
Palestine News Network
Anonymous Group Assaults Journalist, Steals Laptop and Cell Phone
Palestine News Network
Israeli Forces Demolish Palestinian Homes, Uproot Trees
Palestine News Network
Punishing Killers of Protesters Should be Applied to All
Palestine News Network
Dr. Ashrawi: All Israeli Settlements are Illegal, Prevent a Palestinian State
Palestine News Network
Jordan to Trade Desalinated Water with Israel, Jordan Times Reports
Palestine News Network
Students Forced to Sign “Civility” Statements for Walk-Out Protest
Palestine News Network
International Solidarity Movement
Call to action: Join ISM for the 2013 Olive Harvest Campaign
8/22/2013 – International Solidarity Movement – 22nd August 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied West Bank – At a time of regular settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to join us for the 2013 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities. The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted, burned and….
Lebanon: Khalifa Foundation continues distributing aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Relief Web 22 Aug 2013 – Source: Emirates News Agency Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic WAM BEIRUT, 21st August, 2013 (WAM) — In implementation of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed…
Calls mount for international action on alleged Syrian chemical weapons attacks
The National 22 Aug 2013 – International pressure builds for action against those responsible for alleged nerve-gas strikes in the outskirts of Damascus, as UN investigators are kept from the site. Phil Sands reports
Yemen asks US for drones to help fight Al Qaeda
The National 22 Aug 2013 – Yemen has asked the United States to supply it with drones to help it fight an Al Qaeda threat that recently forced western countries to temporarily close diplomatic missions in Sanaa.
Lebanese fire rockets at Israel
The National 22 Aug 2013 – A rare rocket barrage from Lebanon has deepened Israeli fears that Al Qaeda affiliates are opening a new front for confrontation.
Mubarak free after two years’ jail
The National 22 Aug 2013 – Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for more than three decades, has been flown to a military hospital in the upscale neighbourhood of Maadi and placed under house arrest. Alice Fordham reports from Cairo
Abu Dhabi officials archive 80% of governnment documents
The National 22 Aug 2013 – The work is being carried out under a mandate from the President, Sheikh Khalifa, who has stressed the importance of keeping important documents for future generations.
Yemeni interim government apologises for Saleh’s wars
The National 22 Aug 2013 – Yemen’s interim government apologises to southern separatists and northern rebels to encourage participation in national reconciliation talks. Hakim Almasmari reports from Sanaa
Experts say Syrians’ symptoms point to nerve gas attack
The National 22 Aug 2013 – The convulsions, pinpoint pupils and laboured breathing seen in victims of an alleged chemical attack in Syria could be symptoms of nerve gas, experts say, but only blood and urine samples can provide proof.
Nissan’s short-haul trip into history at Sharjah airport
The National 22 Aug 2013 – Unmodified Nissan Patrol pulls 170-tonne Russian cargo plane for more than 50 metres along runway at Sharjah International Airport.
A mediator’s guide to the Middle East
Ha’aretz – 22 Aug 2013
The end of the world is starting in Damascus
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2013
The irony of tut-tutting ‘Arab nature’
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2013
The right to surrogacy
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2013
Why Israel’s ethnic conflict won’t die
Ha’aretz – 21 Aug 2013
Cairo under curfew
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – A violent few weeks have ravaged Egypt and lead to a 7 pm curfew on the country’s capital; one taxi driver describes the situation in plain words, “life is difficult.”
Palestinians freely crossing into Israel with Israeli Arab cooperation
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Municipal council head says the security problem is due to the fact that security barrier has not been completed.
Peres: To compete globally, invest in schools
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – At the opening session of the Holon Conference on Education, President Shimon Peres calls “social justice.”
UN urges probe into alleged Syria chemical attack ‘without delay’
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on government to allow inspectors to investigate, grant access to site.
Price for religious services on the rise
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Services included in the price hikes include marriage registration, kashrut licensing, burial, immersion in mikvaot and other ceremonies besides.
High Court demands explanation over state’s failure to draft haredim
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – NGOs petitioned the high court to draft haredi men from these years following the expiration of the Tal Law on August 1 2012.
PM: Iran watching carefully how world responds to Syrian chemical weapons atrocities
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Steinitz says world paying “lip service” to alleged gas attacks.
NGO injects feminism into municipal election
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – WePower launches campaign to increase number of female mayors from five to 30.
Egypt’s Mubarak leaves prison for house arrest
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Former autocrat flown from jail in symbolic victory for old order.
France: If chemical weapons allegations true, force needed in Syria
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – French FM Fabius says decision must be made, even without UN.
Israeli prisoner arrested for sending death threat to Netanyahu
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Man reportedly right-wing extremist angered by prisoner release.
The blurry lines between Syria’s civil war and the bloodshed in Egypt
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – End of Muslim Brotherhood dream in Egypt appears to have given jolt of confidence to Syria’s President Bashar Assad.
Activists: Assad’s forces bombard Damascus with rockets, mortars
Jerusalem Post 22 Aug 2013 – Day after opposition accuses army of gassing hundreds, state forces reportedly fire rockets, mortar rounds in rebel-held suburbs of capital.
Syrian chemical attack an American nightmare
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2013 – If confirmed, a large-scale chemical attack like Ghouta is unlikely to change the calculus of Obama or his national security team on how best to approach Syria. The only change might be on a diplomatic front.
Alleged Syrian chemical attack massacres hundreds
Jerusalem Post 21 Aug 2013 – Bloodbath in Sunni suburb of Damascus marks deadliest day of civil war • Rebels say over 1,300 killed • Doctors describe symptoms of sarin gas poisoning • Ya’alon: This is not the first time Assad has used WMDs.
Back to Mubarak, And Worse
IPS Egypt’s military rulers have set security solutions over political ones. Credit: Cam McGrath/IPS. Egyptian military leader General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said ousting the country’s first elected president was necessary “to preserve democracy” and resolve the political deadlock that had dangerously polarised the country. But six weeks after the coup he led,…
Bahrain’s Tamarod Is Here to Stay
IPS On Aug. 14, the 42 nd anniversary of Bahrain’s independence from Britain, an online group called Tarmarod (“rebellion” in Arabic) officially joined Bahrain’s democracy movement that began in February 2011. A montage of the Bahraini Uprising created from images available on the Wikimedia Commons. Tamarod’s name and inspiration came from…
Hundreds Reported Killed in Syria Gas Attack
IPS Syrian activists claim that government forces have carried out a “poisonous gas” attack in suburbs of the capital, Damascus, leaving hundreds of people dead. Activists said regime forces fired “rockets with poisonous gas heads” in the alleged attack early on Wednesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the…
As Egypt Smoulders, Churches Burn
IPS The ruins of the Evangelical Church in Minya that was burnt down by supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Credit: Rimon Zaky/IPS. Churches across Egypt are being attacked heavily following the brutal killing last week of supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. The Coptic Christians rights group Maspero…
Supporters of Egypt’s Mursi call protests against army takeover
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 Supporters of Egypt’s deposed President Mohamed Mursi called for mass protests on Friday against the army takeover, in a test of the Muslim Brotherhood’s ability to bring out the crowds with many of its leaders now…
U.S. says unable to conclusively determine chemical weapons used in Syria
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 The United States said on Thursday it was unable to conclusively say that chemical weapons were used in an alleged deadly gas attack near Damascus.
Paraguay Congress gives leader new military power
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 Paraguay’s Congress has given President Horacio Cartes new powers to use the military within the country.
Snatched Gazan starts hunger strike in Israel prison
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 A Palestinian from Gaza who was snatched from Ukraine and is being held in an Israel prison has begun refusing food, a prison spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing to Gaza: Hamas
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 Egypt is set to reopen the Rafah crossing, a Hamas official said on Thursday, a week after Cairo closed down the Gaza Strip’s only land passage that bypasses Israel.
18 dead in Iraq attacks including wedding bombing
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 Attacks killed 18 people in Iraq, including six who died in a bombing against a wedding party, the latest in spiralling violence that comes despite wide-ranging operations targeting militants.
Bomb kills one, wounds 16 in Pakistan’s Karachi
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 A roadside bomb targeting troops killed a civilian and left 16 more people including 11 soldiers wounded Thursday in Pakistan’s violence-plagued port city of Karachi, police and military officials said.
Bahrain opposition says will hold pro-democracy protest Friday
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 Bahrain’s main opposition will hold a day of pro-democracy protests on Friday despite a crackdown last week in which police used teargas and birdshot to disperse anti-government demonstrations.
Egypt military supporters rally at White House
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 About 500 protesters supporting Egypt’s military are marching outside the White House.
Vatican urges caution over Syria chemical arms claims
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 The Vatican calls for caution over opposition allegations that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in an attack in the suburbs of Damascus — a charge denied by the authorities.
Mubarak exit from jail stirs little interest in Egypt
Daily Star 22 Aug 2013 Toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak left jail for under house arrest but his release stirs little reaction as Egypt wrestles with the fallout from Islamist president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster.
Brazil hires 4,000 Cuban doctors to treat poor
YNet News, 22 Aug 2013 – ….
Departing FBI chief worries about airborne terror
YNet News, 22 Aug 2013 – ….
UNIFIL: Rocket launch critical violation of 1701 resolution
YNet News, 22 Aug 2013 – ….
Tel Aviv: 16-year-old stabbed by foreign national
YNet News, 22 Aug 2013 – ….
Tel Aviv: Dozens protest Syrian chemical massacre
YNet News, 22 Aug 2013 – ….
Abbas Tells Israelis He is Committed to Just Peace
WAFA – 22 Aug 2013
PEX Report: Index Closes Week’s Trading in Decline
WAFA – 22 Aug 2013
Israeli Army Raids Jenin Area village, Clashes Break Out
WAFA – 22 Aug 2013
Newspapers Review: Syria Dominates Front Page Headlines
WAFA – 22 Aug 2013
Abed Rabbo: The Americans Did Not Take Any Part in the Talks
WAFA – 22 Aug 2013
The factors behind Obama’s hands-off approach to Egypt
LA Times 22 Aug 2013 – From anti-terrorism border surveillance to use of the Suez Canal, Egypt’s military represents a crucial diplomatic tie for Washington. WASHINGTON — In February 2011, when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak bowed to a popular uprising and relinquished power, President Obama welcomed the change and declared, “Egypt…
Rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon
LA Times 22 Aug 2013 – Israelis escape injury in the first rocket attack from Lebanon in two years. Officials blame militants, but not Hezbollah. JERUSALEM — The first rocket barrage from Lebanon to reach Israel in two years sent residents in the north scurrying for bomb shelters Thursday evening, but…
More fighting reported in Syria after alleged chemical attack
LA Times 22 Aug 2013 – BEIRUT — Fresh clashes between Syrian government troops and rebel forces were reported in the outskirts of Damascus on Thursday, a day after alleged chemical attacks outside the capital purportedly killed hundreds.
Syrian rebels allege new gas attack by government
LA Times 21 Aug 2013 – Syrian opposition says hundreds of civilians were killed in a poison-gas attack near Damascus. The government calls the report untrue. BEIRUT — In what the opposition called the worst atrocity of Syria’s civil war, antigovernment activists accused the government of killing hundreds of civilians, including…
Egypt braces for release of Hosni Mubarak
LA Times 21 Aug 2013 – A court orders the former president freed from jail, a stunning turn of events and a blow to Egypt’s efforts to build a democracy. CAIRO — Even frail and dressed in prison whites, Hosni Mubarak had a few moves left.
American Tells of Odyssey as Prisoner of Syrian Rebels
New York Times 22 Aug 2013 – Matthew Schrier, a photographer, says he was held for seven months by jihadi fighters opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. After being robbed, tortured and accused of being an American spy, he escaped in July.
Mystery Virus That’s Killed 47 Is Tied to Bats in Saudi Arabia
New York Times 22 Aug 2013 – Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome has sickened 96 people over the past 15 months, killing 47.
The Lede: Egyptian Police Failed to Defend Churches, Rights Group Says
New York Times 22 Aug 2013 – A Human Rights Watch video report documents “simultaneous” attacks on churches across Egypt on the same day security forces violently dispersed two Islamist sit-ins in Cairo.
Mubarak Removed From Egyptian Prison
New York Times 22 Aug 2013 – Former President Hosni Mubarak’s release ended more than two years of incarceration but stopped short of granting him full freedom.
Rockets Fired From Lebanon Hit Israel
New York Times 22 Aug 2013 – The Israeli military said its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted one of the four rockets fired. Two fell between buildings in Israeli villages, damaging property but causing no injuries.
France Urges ‘Force’ in Syria if Chemical Attacks Are Confirmed
New York Times 22 Aug 2013 – The foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, spoke as other Westerners urged the Syrian government to permit U.N. inspectors to visit the site of the reported attack.
Syrian Rebels Report Chemical Attack
New York Times 21 Aug 2013 – Scores of Syrians were killed outside Damascus on Wednesday in an attack marked by the telltale signs of chemical weapons.
Woodside prepared to be patient on Leviathan
Globes Energy & Water – CEO Peter Coleman: Leviathan is a world-class asset and a significant value-creating opportunity.
Split over Discount NY caused Spiegel’s departure
Globes Main News – Israel Discount Bank chairman Yossi Bachar favors selling the US unit; CEO Reuven Spiegel wanted to keep it.
Court upholds suspension of new port tender
Globes Main News – The High Court of Justice upheld the ruling that the tenders for building private ports will be frozen for one month to allow talks with the Histadrut.
Thu: Tel Aviv 25 down 0.3% on week
Globes Main News – Delek Group had the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares, while NICE Systems had the biggest gain in a flat market.
Banks clarify exec p
ay policy
Globes Main News – Bonuses will only be distributed at Leumi if the bank’s return on equity reaches 7.5%.
IDB Development bondholders approve Elsztain proposal
Globes Main News – Under the proposal, Elsztain will inject NIS 700 million into IDB Development, with a further NIS 70 million to be invested in buying shares in the company from the creditors.
Amidror Out as National Security Advisor, Mossad Deputy Director to Take Over
Tikun Olam – Bibi Netanyahu’s national security advisor, IDF general and avowed settlerist, Yaakov Amirdror is resigning his position next month. He had a falling out with Netanyahu’s minister for strategic affairs, Yuval Steinitz. The latter saw Amidror and the NSC as subordinate to him. However, Israeli law determines…
Univ. of Michigan faculty leadership deplores disinvitation of Alice Walker
Mondoweiss – Another important development in the University of Michigan/Alice Walker imbroglio : the university faculty’s executive body has unanimously adopted a resolution expressing sharp concern about the university’s disinvitation of the scholar from a speaking engagement there, evidently because of her views on Israel. From AnnArbor.com : During a meeting…
The Cairo morgue
Mondoweiss – This is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page . As Bradley Manning is sentenced to 35 years for leaking secrets of US duplicity in the world and Pervez Musharraf, our great ally…
Smarting at Israeli’s reception, Florida school says students must not interrupt a ‘lawfully invited’ speaker
Mondoweiss – Earlier this month we posted a story about three students at Florida Atlantic University who had accepted disciplinary action from the university including a “reeducation” curriculum from the pro-Israel group the Anti-Defamation League because they had disrupted an April speech on campus by an Israeli colonel…
On tour for 16 college leaders, ADL says occupied East Jerusalem is Israel
Mondoweiss – ADL campus leaders Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League brought 16 college leaders from a diverse set of campuses to Israel for “the experience of a lifetime” — to learn about Israel’s “vibrant society” and about “the strategic and social challenges facing Israel today.” The students…
Egyptian massacre exposes US hypocrisy in Israel and Palestine
Mondoweiss – I’m deeply confused by the events in Egypt: by the apparent widespread public support for the massacre of Islamists, by the Muslim Brothers’ hand in sectarian violence, and by the evidence that these events are being driven by Egyptians not by outsiders. A people’s self-determination can…
Mahmoud Abbas Says Peace Deal Will End Conflict With Israel
The Foward Breaking News 22 Aug 2013 – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants a negotiated peace agreement to include a clause stating that the conflict with Israel is over, he told a delegation from the Israeli left-wing party Meretz on Thursday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Two Rockets Hit Northern Israel
The Foward Breaking News 22 Aug 2013 – At least two rockets fired from Lebanon hit northern Israel on Thursday, Israeli police and Lebanese security sources said, but there were no reports of casualties or damage. Click here for the rest of the article…
Cost of Marriage, Death and Keeping Kosher Goes Up in Israel
The Foward Breaking News 22 Aug 2013 – Jewish life and death in Israel will cost more, starting next month, as fees rise for religious services such as burial, marriage registration, ritual immersion and kashrut supervision. Click here for the rest of the article…
Jerusalem Candidate Vows To Quiet Mosques
The Foward Breaking News 22 Aug 2013 – Right-wing activist Aryeh King is playing the race card in his campaign for Jerusalem city council, promising to clean the capital’s parks of Arabs and lower the volume on mosques. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Saudi Arabia Calls On World to Support Egypt’s Stability
allAfrica.com 22 Aug 2013 – [Egypt Online]As Europeans are meeting to discuss developments in Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has urged the international community to support the interim government in Egypt in its efforts to maintain stability.
Librarians and Archivists for Palestine – Solidarity Statement
Global BDS 21 Aug 2013 – We are an independent group of librarians and archivists who traveled to Palestine from June 23 – July 4, 2013. We come from the US, Canada, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, and Palestine. We bore witness to the destruction and appropriation of information, and the myriad ways…
UN chief calls for swift Syria probe
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges the Syrian government to allow a UN team to swiftly investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Egypt’s Mubarak released from jail
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – Egyptian ex-President Hosni Mubarak is released from prison after an appeal against his detention, and is set to be placed under house arrest.
Rockets fired at northern Israel
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – Four rockets are fired from southern Lebanon across the border into Israel but there are no reports of casualties.
Are Members of Congress committed to upholding U.S. laws?
US Campaign to End the Occupation 22 Aug 2013 – Consideration of Senator Paul’s recent amendment to declare the Egyptian military’s takeover a coup d’état generated a discussion that adds serious doubts about whether Members of Congress are c
ommitted to upholding U.S. laws. The majority view among Senators held that while the U.S. is a nation…
The “Saudi Dilemma” Mires Jordan in Syrian Quagmire
Al-Akhbar Opinion 22 Aug 2013 – Syrian refugees wait to fill up plastic water containers at the Al-Zaatari refugee camp near the Jordanian city of Mafraq, some 8-kilometres from the Syrian border, on 26 July 2013. (Photo: AFP -Khalil Mazraawi) Syrian refugees wait to fill up plastic water containers at the Al-Zaatari…
World powers call for UN inspection of Syria’s Ghouta attack
Al-Akhbar News 22 Aug 2013 – A handout image released by the Syrian opposition’s Shaam News Network shows a Syrian couple mourning in front of bodies wrapped in shrouds ahead of funerals following what Syrian rebels claim to be a toxic gas attack in eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus on…
Syrian Kurdish Fronts Exhaust Islamist Battalions
Al-Akhbar News 22 Aug 2013 – An Iraqi-Kurdish man delivers mattresses as the Iraqi Red Crescent Society gathers aid supplies for Syrian refugees in the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on 19 August 2013. (Photo: AFP – Safin Hamed) An Iraqi-Kurdish man delivers mattresses…
Damascus Massacre: Civilians Pay Heaviest Price of War
Al-Akhbar News 22 Aug 2013 – A handout image released by the Syrian opposition’s Shaam News Network shows a Syrian couple mourning in front of bodies wrapped in shrouds ahead of funerals following what Syrian rebels claim to be a toxic gas attack by pro-government forces in eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts…
Yemeni government moves towards national reconciliation
Al-Akhbar News 22 Aug 2013 – Yemen’s government has apologized to southern separatists and northern rebels for wars against them, seeking to encourage a national dialogue aimed at drafting a new constitution and holding elections. The government “offers its regrets to the sons of the southern provinces,” who are demanding autonomy or…
Lebanon rockets fired towards Occupied Palestine
Al-Akhbar News 22 Aug 2013 – Updated at 6:00pm: Four rockets were fired from south Lebanon into Occupied Palestine on Thursday, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. The Israeli army told AFP that the Iron Dome defense system had intercepted one of four rockets fired into northern Occupied Palestine. “One rocket was…
Syrian rockets land in eastern Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 22 Aug 2013 – Several Syrian rockets landed in Lebanon’s border region on Thursday, causing material damage, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. The rockets landed at dawn in the Wadi Khaled region in the Bekaa, damaging a number of houses, an NNA correspondent said. There were no reports of…
Muslim Brotherhood Running Out of Options
Al-Akhbar Politics 21 Aug 2013 – Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami activists gesture with painted fingers in support of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in Karachi on 20 August 2013. (Photo: AFP- Asif Hassan) Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami activists gesture with painted fingers in support of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in Karachi…
Wanted: Families of Lebanese Hostages in Syria
Al-Akhbar Politics 21 Aug 2013 – These names were not mentioned in the news report of the Lebanese National News Agency. Rather, Awali and others read them in the Turkish press. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) These names were not mentioned in the news report of the Lebanese National News Agency. Rather, Awali and…
UN chief calls for swift Syria probe
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges the Syrian government to allow a UN team to swiftly investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Egypt’s Mubarak released from jail
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – Egyptian ex-President Hosni Mubarak is released from prison after an appeal against his detention, and is set to be placed under house arrest.
Rockets fired at northern Israel
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – Four rockets are fired from southern Lebanon across the border into Israel but there are no reports of casualties.
Thailand jails Iranians on bomb plot
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – A court in Thailand jails two Iranian men for their roles in an attempted bomb plot in the capital, Bangkok, in 2012.
VIDEO: Meet the Author: Sehar Delijani
BBC 22 Aug 2013 – The BBC’s Nick Higham talks to Sahar Delijani, whose novel, Children of the Jacaranda Tree, tells the story of Iran’s political prisoners of the 1980s.
Articles
Israeli violence and Palestinian memory
Ramona Wadi, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 8/22/2013
Breaching Israeli military orders has become the norm, despite IDF claims that it endeavours to minimise physical harm to Palestinians. A report by Defence for Children international – Palestine Section outlines the violence inflicted upon Palestinian civilians, stating that at least 24 children have been injured by crowd control weapons, and only a third of these cases involved children participating in protests.
Military regulations state that “The transition from one state to the next may be undertaken only if the previous means employed to stop the violent rioting did not succeed in doing so, or if it is impractical under the circumstances”. However, testimony from Palestinians and children in particular, outline severe misuse of weapons which have inflicted severe injury and disability.
Testimony from injured children and eyewitnesses regularly disregarded by the military, have affirmed excessive violence against civilians despite lack of provocation or clashes with Israeli soldiers. Atta Sabah, age 12, was shot by an Israeli soldier upon trying to retrieve his bag, which has been tossed away by one of his friends. Despite the lack of peril to the soldiers’ safety, live bullets were used, with the inflicted injury causing paralysis. Teenager bystanders and others seeking refuge during clashes have also been targeted by Israeli soldiers firing rubber coated bullets and live ammunition.
The regular targeting of civilians is described as a necessary and sporadic occurrence by Israeli officials, who have pledged loyalty to the soldiers in various manners which bequeath an indomitable impunity. Systematic violations are deemed exceptions by Israeli authorities, thus reinforcing the practice of ignoring statements from witnesses. With the military safeguarded from any rigorous investigative procedure, the detachment of the oppressor from the oppressed increases to the point of oblivion, which might be constructed as an incessant obsession to influence public and international opinion of the necessity to ‘protect the stability and security of the region and for the defence of the state of Israel. more.. e-mail
Arab-Jewish hip hop group challenges Israeli ’melting pot’
Hagar Shezaf, +972 Magazine 8/22/2013
System Ali, a ten-piece hip hop outfit which raps in Arabic, Russian, Hebrew and English sits down with Café Gibraltar to talk about the power of the genre, normalization, revolutionary Arab street poetry and the need to struggle for justice in their home city.
How did it all start?
We started playing in a local bomb shelter in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa. The shelter belonged to the Sadaka-Reut organization, and some of us had previously started the Jaffa Youth Center, which was a center of education and arts for Jaffa’s teenagers. The center focused on photography, theatre, writing and mostly music. That’s where we met, some of us as scouts and some of us as counselors. We started developing a permanent group of musicians, rappers and songwriters that met every week to jam, with everyone bringing their own material. This is how the newer shared material was created – as a response to one another. The meetings included a lot of inspiration as well as lots of clashes.
In 2006, around the time of a wave of expulsion and demolition orders for homes in Jaffa, we decided that it was the time to perform together as a group. We had our first performance on the roof of the shelter, as part of the popular struggle for housing. Since then we have been together, and are continuing with our musical endeavors as well as with our educational work with youth in Jaffa, Bat Yam, Lod and south Tel Aviv. Our new album is also our first one, after six years of hard work, performances and recordings. During this time we also established the “System Ali House” in Bat Yam, which is a rehearsal/recording studio which houses us, and is used as the center for all our educational projects for youth.
How many members are in the group today?
We are ten musicians, some of us play instruments, she of us sing, while others do both…. more.. e-mail
US on Israeli Settlements: A Policy Without A Policy
Mitchell Plitnick, Lobe Log 8/18/2013
Some days, it must be really difficult to be the State Department’s spokesperson. It doesn’t seem like a bad job to have at all, but on certain questions it’s impossible to not look like an idiot. A lot of those questions are connected to de facto policies which differ from de jure ones. And there is no better example of that than US policy on Israeli settlements.
Back in the early years after the 1967 war, the United States made it clear that the settlements were illegal according to international law. As recently as 1978, the State Department legal adviser confirmed that all Israeli settlements beyond the Green Line are illegal, and through the Carter administration, this was explicit US policy. That policy has never been explicitly revoked, but beginning with the Reagan administration, de facto policy has been ambiguous. Reagan began the trend when he stated that while the settlements were ill-a
dvised, provocative and that further settlement was not necessary for Israel’s security “I disagreed when, the previous Administration refereed to them as illegal, they’re not illegal. Not under the U.N. resolution that leaves the West Bank open to all people—Arab and Israeli alike, Christian alike.”
The problematic nature of Reagan’s statement — implying that “Arab” equals “Muslim” and “Israeli” equals “Jew”, and more importantly, citing the “U.N. Resolution”, which is not the basis for the illegality of the settlements (the Fourth Geneva Convention is) — notwithstanding, this was the beginning of the US’ refusal to label settlements illegal, terming them instead, at most, “illegitimate.”
The problem for spokespeople arises when they have to parse what that means. Last Monday, in Colombia, Secretary of State John Kerry made what turned out to be an interesting statement. “As the world, I hope, knows, the United States of America views all the settlements as illegitimate,” Kerry said. The use of the word “all” might have worked in Reagan’s day, even in Bill Clinton’s. But today, when the US has allowed Israel to assert that certain settlements are essentially guaranteed (the so-called “settlement blocs” of Gush Etzion, Ariel and Ma’ale Adumim) that little word carries heavy implications. more.. e-mail
Why won’t BBC let Nigel Kennedy denounce Israeli apartheid?
Amena Saleem, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 8/20/2013
While we’re used to the realities of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land being airbrushed from BBC output, a new, alarming and very real trend has emerged – that of pro-Palestinian sentiment actively being censored by the broadcaster.
BBC viewers will witness the latest act in this trend on Friday, when BBC Four will broadcast a concert featuring the world-famous violinist Nigel Kennedy and young Palestinian musicians from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, based in the occupied West Bank.
The concert, originally performed on 8 August, was part of the annual BBC Proms staged in London’s Royal Albert Hall. As it neared its end, Kennedy told a cheering audience: “It’s a bit facile to say it, but we all know from the experience of this night of music that giving equality and getting rid of apartheid gives a beautiful chance for amazing things to happen.”
His comments were heard in a live broadcast of the concert on BBC Radio 3, and were included in an audio recording which could be accessed via the BBC’s website for the following seven days.
However, they will be edited from the television broadcast on Friday.
Responding to an email query from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), a BBC spokesperson said: “Nigel’s comment to the audience at his Late Night Prom on 8 August will not be included in the deferred BBC Four broadcast on 23 August because it does not fall within the editorial remit of the Proms as a classical music festival.”Political interference
This reasoning apparently didn’t apply to the BBC 3 recording available for seven days on the BBC’s website, which did not redact Kennedy’s remarks. However, when that recording was made available there had not yet been any political interference in the matter. more.. e-mail
On Egypt’s Class-Struggle: Rabias of the World Unite
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2013 – By Ramzy Baroud “Lord! You know well that my keen desire is to carry out Your commandments and to serve Thee with all my heart, O light of my eyes. If I were free I would pass the whole day and night in prayers. But what should I do when you have made me a slave of a human being?” These were the words of the female Muslim mystic and poet, Rabia Al-Adawiya. Her journey from slavery to freedom served as a generational testament of the resolve of the individual who was armed with faith and nothing else. Rabia’s story is multifarious, and despite the fact that the Muslim saint died over 12 centuries ago, few Egyptians are failing to see the centrality of her narrative to their own. In the north of the Nasr City district, tens of thousands of Egyptians chose the iconic mosque named after her to…more
A Peek inside Kerry’s ‘Peace’ Efforts or Propaganda?
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2013 – By Sam Bahour The first proclaimed leak from Secretary John Kerry’s efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as it is so often called, were published last week in the reputable London-based daily Arabic newspaper, Al-Hayat. The source is said to be from a posting from the website of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, who claim the information was leaked to them by someone attending the tightly closed negotiating sessions. The validity of this claim and the contents of the leak are unverifiable and the infighting between Hamas and Fatah give both a vested interest to publicly damage the other, however, a read through the supposed leaked information makes anyone familiar with this issue take a worrying note. The Al-Hayat article on t
he leak states that Secretary Kerry obtained Palestinian President Abbas’ approval on general parameters for the restart of negotiations, at meetings between the two in Amman on 17-18…more
Egypt: Polarization and Genocide
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2013 – By Richard Falk In retrospect, Tahrir Square was “a revolution” that never was, which has now been superseded by “a counter-revolution” that was never possible. The dislodging of a Mubarak dynasty in 2011 did not even achieve “regime change”, much less initiate a transformative political process. There was no revolution to counter. Even more modest hopes for political reform and humane governance were doomed from the start. What then was Tahrir Square? Part project (getting rid of Mubarak and sons), part fantasy (hoping that the carnivalistic unity of the moment would evolve into the sustained pursuit of a just society), and part delusional experiment (believing that the established order of Mubarak elites and their secular opponents would be willing to rebuild a more legitimate political and economic order even if it meant that would be losing significant power and status). The turn to “democracy” in Egypt always contained a hidden…more
Egypt’s ‘Color Coup’
Palestine Chronicle: 22 Aug 2013 – By Eric Walberg A new tactic has been added to the US democracy promotion arsenal, where ‘color revolutions’ are too difficult, and ‘postmodern coups’ fail. The smoke is already clearing in the wake of Egypt’s latest coup—the whodunnit and why. All traces of the post-2011 attempts to reform and clean up the corruption of the previous 40 years are systematically being erased. All appointees under Morsi are being replaced by military officials and old-guard Mubarakites. A state of emergency and trials by military courts are in place. Complete disregard for legal norms—presided over by the Mubarakite head of the Supreme Constitutional Court and interim President Adly Mansour—is the order of the day. President Morsi is accused of conspiracy against Egypt—with the hapless Palestinians. The respected 70-year-old Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie is under arrest, and MB Secretary General Mohammed el-Beltagi, whose daughter Asmaa was murdered—shot in the back…more
How Rotella Reported Another Dubious Iranian Bomb Plot
Dissident Voice: 21 Aug 2013 – [While the terrible events in Egypt have delayed my plans to reply to ProPublica’s response to my critique of Sebastian Rotella’s report on the alleged build-up of Iran’s terrorist infrastructure in the Americas, Gareth Porter has written the following essay on a 2009 article by Rotella for the Los Angeles Times about an alleged bomb plot to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2008. It offers a very good illustration of some of the problems raised in my original critique of Rotella’s most recent work, notably the virtually exclusive reliance on sources that are clearly hostile to Iran with an interest in depicting it in the most negative light possible. But you be the judge. — Jim Lobe] It happened in Baku, transforming the capital of Azerbaijan into a battleground in a global shadow war. Police intercepted a fleeing car and captured two suspected Hezbollah militants from Lebanon….more
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