11 December 2013 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
U.S. University students receive ‘eviction notices’ in satirical action by Palestine supporters
IMEMC – Students in dorms at the University of Michigan were awakened to eviction notices on their doors, which said that they needed to vacate their dorm rooms by December 13th, at which point their dorm rooms would be demolished. …
Kerry Negotiations Lack Hope For Palestinians
IMEMC – [December 11, 2013] U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to arrive to the region, today, in order to push the last of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the Palestinian News Network (PNN) has reported. …
Israeli Settler Stabs Young Palestinian Man In Jerusalem
IMEMC – [Tuesday Evening, December 10, 2013] Eyewitnesses state that a young Palestinian man was moderately hurt after being stabbed by an Israeli settler in Jaffa Road, in West Jerusalem, the Milad News Agency has reported. …
Palestinian man attacked, stabbed in West Jerusalem
12/11/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man was stabbed and assaulted by a group of Israelis late Tuesday in West Jerusalem. Mohammad Marwan Oweis, 20, was on his way home after work to the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan when an Israeli approached him and stabbed him in the hand after realizing he was Palestinian, his family told official news agency Wafa. Oweis tried to….
Israeli forces detain 6 in Aida refugee camp
12/11/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained six Palestinians in Bethlehem overnight Tuesday, locals said. Witnesses told Ma’an that several Israeli military vehicles stormed Aida refugee camp after midnight and detained Khalil Abu Akar, 21, his brother Mustafa, 24, Hamdi Ali Ayyad, Muhammad Adil Jado, Jawad Muhammad, 20, and Khadir Akram Abu Khdreir, 18. Israeli forces also issued summons to Ahmad Amir Audah….
Prisoner visits canceled due to clashes in Israeli jail
12/11/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Family visits for Palestinian detainees in Israel’s Megiddo jail were canceled on Wednesday after clashes broke out between prisoners and Israeli prison guards. Relatives of prisoners told Ma’an that their visits were canceled due to the clashes, with witnesses saying that Israeli guards fired tear gas into prison courtyards. Israeli media reported that detainees began throwing objects….
Administrative detainees to go on strike
12/11/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinians in administrative detention in Israeli jails will hold a hunger strike on Thursday in protest of their detention, the minister of prisoners affairs said. Issa Qaraqe said that detainees will continue their protest steps despite the arbitrary punishments imposed on them by the Israeli prison administration. Over 300 Palestinians are held without charge in administrative detention in Israeli prisons, using….
Israel in settlements row with Romania
12/11/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — A diplomatic spat has erupted between Israel and Romania after Bucharest reportedly refused to allow Romanian construction workers to be employed in West Bank settlements, Israel’s military radio said Tuesday. The row comes in the wake of tensions between Israel and the European Union over new guidelines that bar EU funding for any Israeli entity operating in the occupied Palestinian territories….
Auditors: EU aid to PA needs ‘overhaul’
12/11/2013 – BRUSSELS (AFP) — EU aid to the Palestinian Authority worth billions of euros needs an “overhaul” and major changes in some areas, the bloc’s Court of Auditors said Wednesday. If the circumstances are difficult, there are still “a number of aspects of the current approach in need of an overhaul,” said Hans Gustaf Wessberg, who wrote the report for the court.” There is a….
UN slams Israel demolition of West Bank properties
12/11/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The United Nations Wednesday slammed Israel’s demolition of 30 Palestinian properties in the West Bank, saying it displaced some families for the second time in less than two weeks.”I am concerned about the destruction of Palestinian structures in the Jordan Valley yesterday (Tuesday),” UN Humanitarian Coordinator James Rawley said in a statement.”The demolitions resulted in the displacement of 41….
Dutch water firm cuts Israel ties after tense PM visit
12/11/2013 – THE HAGUE (AFP) — Dutch water supplier Vitens has ended a partnership with Israeli water company Mekorot due to the “political context”, the Dutch company said on Wednesday. The abrupt decision comes days after a visit to the Mekorot offices in Israel by the Netherland’s trade minister Lilianne Ploumen was abruptly cancelled. In a statement, Vitens said it had come to the conclusion that….
Thousands of students ‘evicted’ in pro-Palestine solidarity campaign
12/12/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Thousands of University of Michigan students woke up Tuesday morning to faux eviction notices slipped underneath their dorm room doors.” If you do not vacate the premises by 13 DEC 6PM, we reserve the right to demolish your premises without delay,” the notices read.” We cannot be held responsible for property or persons remaining inside. Charges for demolition will by applied….
Video: Gazans with disabilities ‘lost between 2 governments’
12/11/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — On the International Day of People with Disabilities, Palestinians in Gaza marched in solidarity with over 100,000 disabled fellow citizens, who are regularly denied basic services. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, a law passed in 1994 requires that the government provide people with disabilities access to education, employment, rehabilitation, and health services. However, the law has not….
PA says still sending patients abroad despite costs
12/11/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Sending Palestinian patients to receive medical treatment abroad at the expense of the Palestinian Authority’s treasury is a costly process but necessary due to a lack of local hospitals and medical centers. The Palestinian Authority has been trying to rely on local medical centers and skilled specialists have reduced the financial burden of referrals to hospitals abroad and in….
PA to close all West Bank schools Thursday due to storm
12/11/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education will close all schools in the West Bank on Thursday due to adverse weather conditions, an official said. Undersecretary of the ministry of education, Muhammad Abu Zeid, told Ma’an that all schools will close Thursday after partial closures on Wednesday due to heavy rain.”Palestinian weather forecasters expect weather conditions to
worsen Thursday…. Related: PA closes several schools due to heavy rain
PA closes several schools due to heavy rain
12/11/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education closed schools in several districts across the West Bank on Wednesday after heavy rainfall overnight. Abdul-Hakim Abu Jamous, a spokesman for the ministry of education, told Ma’an Tuesday that the ministry’s local offices were authorized to take decisions to close schools in their districts. A snowstorm is expected to hit Palestine…. Related: PA to close all West Bank schools Thursday due to storm
Woman killed in car accident near Jenin
12/11/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — A woman was killed late Tuesday after being knocked down by a car in Qabatiya, south of Jenin. Siham Hussein Zakarna, 50, suffered fatal injuries after being hit by the vehicle and was evacuated to al-Raza hospital in Jenin where she was pronounced dead. Police have opened an investigation into the accident. [END]
Egypt soldiers kill suspected militant in Sinai
12/11/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian soldiers shot dead a man in the northern Sinai peninsula on Wednesday after he attempted to attack a military checkpoint. Egyptian military officials told Ma’an that a man riding a motorcycle attempted to throw grenades at the checkpoint south of el-Arish. Several explosive devices were found on the man. [END]
Chaos in dock at Egypt Brotherhood trial, judges walk out
12/11/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — The trial of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chief and his deputies on charges related to protest deaths came to an abrupt end Wednesday when the judges walked out, citing chaos in the dock. The previous session on October 29 of the trial against Mohamed Badie and 34 co-defendants had also been halted when the three presiding judges withdrew, citing “reasons of conscience….
Embassy: Britain suspends non-lethal aid to Syria rebels
12/11/2013 – ANKARA (AFP) — Britain said Wednesday it has suspended non-lethal aid to the opposition in northern Syria after Islamist rebels seized key bases belonging to the Free Syrian Army, following a similar move by the United States.”We have no plans to deliver any equipment while the situation remains unclear,” a spokesman for the British embassy in Ankara told AFP. [END]
Mandela family ‘humbled’ by thousands turning out in cold, rain
12/11/2013 – PRETORIA (AFP) — Nelson Mandela’s family on Wednesday said they were humbled by the thousands of people who braved terrible weather to attend the South African anti-apartheid icon’s memorial service.” We were particularly humbled by the fact that thousands of people braved cold and wet weather to honor Madiba and stand by us,” the family said in a statement. [END]
Jihadist site urges Syria militants to free journalists
12/11/2013 – BAGHDAD (AFP) — An online forum that frequently features statements from jihadists has called on an Al-Qaeda-linked militant group to free two Spanish journalists who were kidnapped in September in Syria. The Honein jihadist forum urged “our brothers the mujahedeen (holy warriors) in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL) militant group to free reporter Javier Espinosa and photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, in a….
AlJazeera
UN slams Israel on West Bank home demolitions
AlJazeera 11 Dec 2013 – Israel destroyed 30 Palestinian properties in occupied territory, displacing families for second time in two weeks.
German court rejects Afghan airstrike case
AlJazeera 11 Dec 2013 – Case of German-ordered US strike that resulted in death of more than 90 civilians dismissed over lack of evidence.
PA to Bring Prisoners Plight to International Forums
Palestine News Network
The Art of Resistance, Empowering Young Women in Hebron
Palestine News Network
Ashrawi Calls on NBC to Stop Production of Drama Series “DIG,” to Take Place in East Jerusalem
Palestine News Network
PNN Journalist Wins 3rd Place Prize for Best Investigative Reports
Palestine News Network
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Sourani Concludes His Visit to Sweden by Participating in Number of Activities and Meetings
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
occupied Palestinian territory: EU Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority needs an overhaul , say EU Auditors
Relief Web 11 Dec 2013 – Source: European Court of Auditors Country: occupied Palestinian territory A report published today by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) questions the sustainability of the EU PEGASE Direct Financial Support (DFS) to the Palestinian Authority (PA). While the Commission and…
occupied Palestinian territory: Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) Palestine (ECHO/WWD/ BUD/2014/01000) Last update 17/10/2013 Version 1
Relief Web 11 Dec 2013 – Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department Country: occupied Palestinian territory The activities proposed hereafter are still subject to the adoption of the financing decision ECHO/WWD/ BUD/2014/01000 AMOUNT: EUR 29500000 CONTEXT The Middle East Peace Process has been stalled for the…
Video: Abu Dhabi memorial for Mandela
The National 11 Dec 2013 – South African expatriates and other nationalities gathered at the Evangelical Community Church in Abu Dhabi to offer their tributes to Nelson Mandela. Produced by Mohammed Al Neyadi.
India upholds law that criminalises homosexual acts
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Supreme court upholds the constitutionality of a 150-year-old law that criminalises gay sex, prompting protests in Delhi and Mumbai. Samanth Subramanian reports
Israel slams Dutch company for cutting water ties over settlements
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Vitens, the largest drinking water supplier in the Netherlands, says it is ending its joint projects with the Mekorot water company.
EU should not pay Gaza public servants who don t work, auditors say
The National 11 Dec 2013 – The European Union’s financial assistance to public servants via salaries in the Gaza Strip should be halted because 40 per cent of recipients of the aid do not go to work, European auditors say. Hugh Naylor reports
GCC elects UAE to host defence think tank
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Announcement that the UAE will host the Gulf Academy for Strategic and Security Studies underscores Gulf leaders’ calls for deeper military, economic and political cooperation. Hadeel Alsayegh reports
Ukrainian president vows not to use force against peaceful protesters
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Viktor Yanukovich urges the opposition to sit down for talks after several dozen protesters are injured in fresh clashes with riot police.
Mandela memorial sign language interpreter a fraud
The National 11 Dec 2013 – South Africa’s deaf community has accused the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial of being a fake, who had merely flapped his arms around during speeches.
Iran s hardliners tell Zarif to steer clear of military issues
The National 11 Dec 2013 – The head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards rebukes the country’s foreign minister over alleged remarks he made about the military’s inability to withstand a potential American attack. Michael Theodoulou reports
Iraqi civilian tortured, killed by British troops, court told
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights will consider whether Tarek Hassan was detained in an ‘arbitrary and unlawful’ manner and whether Britain should have carried out an investigation into his death.
Snow and hail storms lash Syria refugee camps in Lebanon
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps in Lebanon weather a winter storm bringing snow, rain and freezing temperatures to the country.
Desmond Tutu s home burgled while he attended Mandela memorial
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Burglars broke into the Cape Town home of South African peace icon Desmond Tutu while he attended Nelson Mandela’s memorial, aide says.
French veil ban unconstitutional and targets Muslims
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Lawyers for young woman whose arrest for wearing a full-face veil sparked riots argue that France’s contentious ban on such coverings targets Muslims.
Aid for Syrian refugees will be a test of Iran s intentions
The National 11 Dec 2013 – By helping to relieve the misery of millions, the Iranian leadership can prove that it means what it says
US budget deal ends stand-off that caused government shutdown
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Bipartisan budget accord worth US$85bn (Dh312bn) announced in the US Congress will end nearly three years of stand-offs between Democrats and Republicans.
In pictures: Snow and wintery weather sweeps through Turkey, Syria and Lebanon
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps in Lebanon were weathering a winter storm that brought snow, rain and freezing temperatures through the region.
US suspends aid into northern Syria after Islamic Front seizes opposition bases
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Fighters from the Islamic Front, a newly formed union of six major rebel groups, take control of Free Syrian Army bases at the Bab Al Hawa crossing on Syria’s northwestern border with Turkey.
Libya s oil security force expects eastern ports to reopen Sunday
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Libya’s oil security force expects an eastern autonomy movement to reopen seized export ports this weekend as promised, the force’s commander says.
Former actress pleads guilty to sending ricin to Obama
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Shannon Guess Richardson, who appeared in television series ‘The Walking Dead’, pleads guilty to sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg under a deal her lawyer says will cap her prison time at 18 years.
Key trial challenges legality of French veil ban in public places
The National 11 Dec 2013 – A key trial begins today in France with the lawyer for a young woman, whose arrest for wearing a full-face veil sparked riots, challenging the legality of a ban on the Islamic face-covering in public places.
Singapore police question thousands of expat workers over riot in Little India
The National 11 Dec 2013 – Three more Indian nationals were charged in court Wednesday with rioting, in addition to 24 compatriots charged a day earlier with the same offence, which is punishable by up to seven years in jail and caning.
Peretz: New Labor leader makes Hatnua-Labor unity possible
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Kerry dooming peace talks by siding with Israel, Palestinian sources say
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Officials: Americans to present framework agreement in weeks to Netanyahu, Abbas
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
A missed funeral and the true meaning of Zionism
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Livni: Construction beyond settlement blocs harming Israel’s security
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Israel’s baiting game in Lebanon
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Fake sign language interpreter at Mandela memorial service outrages the deaf
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Israeli lawmakers absent from South African ambassador’s memorial for Mandela
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Pope Francis named Time’s Person of the Year
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Government may allow gay couples to use Israeli surrogate mothers
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Ukraine pitting EU and Russia against each other
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Israeli army paying above-market rent for lone soldiers
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
As winter finally hits, northern Israel braces for storms
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
The secrets behind Israel’s strategic alliance with apartheid South Africa
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Just one-third of school children attend state-subsidized cultural events
Ha’aretz – 11 Dec 2013
Retired civil servants get clothing allowance, vacation pay
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
Israeli Education Ministry to limit use of security cameras in schools
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
How the third intifada will start
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
Why Israel supported South Africa’s apartheid regime
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
State Prosecutor recommends appealing Lieberman acquittal
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
Netanyahu’s symbolic absence
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
Israeli officials: U.S. admits Iran will get $20b from sanctions relief
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
This Christmas, visitors will find Church of the Nativity in scaffolding
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
A farewell watched by the world
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
Israel and Russia aim for free trade treaty
Ha’are
tz – 10 Dec 2013
Dutch water giant severs ties with Israeli water company due to settlements
Ha’aretz – 10 Dec 2013
Israel negotiating boat deal with Germany, while considering other options
Ha’aretz – 9 Dec 2013
Snow begins to fall as winter storm rolls in
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Golan Heights, Galilee mountains, Gush Etzion see snowfall; flakes expected in Jerusalem by morning.
Court rejects suit against Espresso Bar for failure to enforce non-smoking law
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Nonsmokers rights found no legal help on Wednesday as the Tel Aviv District Court.
Three security prisoners injured at riot in Megiddo jail
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Prisoners banged on the doors of their cells, threw trash at wardens, and torched a drying rack they used to hang up their laundry.
The Center of European Nuclear Research (CERN) to vote on Israeli membership
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Joining European body would be significant step for Israel science says Science, Technology and Space minister Peri.
Affirmative action for haredim bill in public sector defeated in Knesset
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Bill claimed that the haredi community, like other sectors of the population, suffers from discrimination.
The hijacking of apartheid
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – The Palestinians and her supporters have blindly but broadly attempted to brand Israel as a racist criminal state.
Can Israel be a country like any other?
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – The mistaken concept that Israel will become a country like all others has already had a long shelf-life in parts of Zionist history.
Pollard s Nightmare
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – A pardon is not what Jonathan is seeking. He is seeking commutation of his sentence to the 28 years he has already served.
Sexual harassment is still prevalent in the IDF
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Victims of sexual harassment and sexual violence must know and trust that we are here to support them.
They got it right; they got it wrong
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – I believe that more progress has already been achieved in the negotiations than most people here, on both sides, would have expected.
How to fight intolerance
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Legislation that criminalizes intolerance is liable to achieve the opposite outcome a popular outcry in defense of the most abhorrent views.
Roads flood, winds pound as country waits for snow
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Up to 10 centimeters of snow is expected to fall on mountain peaks in the country’s central and Jerusalem areas.
Key Obama ally tells him to free Pollard
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Former New Mexico Governor Richardson calls on US president to put Israeli agent on Christmas holiday clemency list.
Rocking the airwaves
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Kol Hacampus radio station celebrates 18 years as a breeding ground for some of the budding stars of the Israeli media community.
Report: Former BoI governor Fischer leading candidate for US Federal Reserve vice-chair
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Source familiar with matter says man credited with guiding Israel s economy through difficult waters has already been offered US job.
Likud likely to vote for split with Yisrael Beytenu against Netanyahu’s wishes
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – The central committee, which is more hawkish than the general Likud membership, is also expected to pass proposals backing annexing Judea and Samaria and endorsing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.
US tweaks Syria policy after Western backed rebels suffer setback to Islamists
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Suspension of assistance into country’s north ceases in first such move since US began involvement in theater.
Netanyahu’s office dismisses report that PM cancelled attendance at Reform Judaism conference
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – PM will appear at confab via satellite; report in Israeli media says he is standing up meeting following Mandela cancellation.
Securities chairman: Israeli companies ‘exits’ cost state up to 3 times their value
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Losses refer to benefits state might have accrued if same company had chosen to go public on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Palestinians slam Guatemalan president for visiting east Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Erekat calls visit in coordination with the Israeli foreign ministry an “attempt to legitimize Israel s occupation policies.”
Health minister to allow same-sex couples to have child via surrogate
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Yael German wants to expand surrogacy law which thus far banned gay, lesbian couples from bringing a child through surrogate mother.
PA policeman killed in attack near Bethlehem
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Palestinian security official does not rule out that attack on station revenge for earlier killing of fugitive.
White House ‘failing to challenge Iran’s interpretations of Geneva deal’
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Iran’s interpretations of nuclear agreement contradicts claims put forward by the US, expert says.
Romanian state TV airs Christmas carol about burning Jews, celebrating Holocaust
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Song includes lyric: “This is what the kike is good for, to make kike smoke through the chimney on the street.”
50-yr-old Bnei Brak man sentenced to 15 years jail for sexually assaulting 8-yr-old girl in bomb-shelter
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – “Haven of safety” became place full of “fear, anxiety,” court says in its ruling; says danger of man repeating actions.
US University delegation arrives in Israel to forge new study abroad partnerships
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – CEO of Masa Journey Israel says initiative will strengthen students’ connections to Israel while bolstering Israeli academia.
Gaza s women have a surprising new hobby – karate
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – Women of different ages, heights, social classes and backgrounds can be found at Gaza s Karate Sports Club as gender taboos erode.
Israel and UK sign agreement promoting English studies in Israel
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – British Secretary of State for Education says cooperation is example of blossoming relationship between countries
Magen David Adom donation stand thrown out of Knesset for discouraging Ethiopian MK from giving blood
Jerusalem Post 11 Dec 2013 – MDA’s policy is not to take blood from a person who has lived for more than a year in country where HIV is prevalent.
Charity condemns Israeli role in UK drone project
The Guardian 11 Dec 2013 – War on Want claims technology to be used in Watchkeeper drones has been field tested in attacks on Gaza A campaigning charity has criticised the UK’s deal with an Israeli firm to develop a new drone,…
Golan Druze Feel the Brunt of Syria s Civil War
IPS The Golan Druze feel the brunt of Syria s civil war. Credit: Pierre Klochendler/IPS By Pierre Klochendler MAJD E-SHAMS, Israeli-occupied Golan Heights , Dec 11 2013 (IPS) The faint explosion is a reminder that though the newly refurbished fence protects their town, the two-and-a-half-year-old civil war which is tearing their motherland apart…
WHO concerned over humanitarian health crisis in Gaza
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 — The World Health Organization on Sunday expressed concern over a humanitarian health crisis in the Gaza Strip, as the health infrastructure struggles to cope with severe shortages in basic supplies. “The accumulation of shortages in basic…
Millions caught in cell phone tracking by US police agencies
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- With the support of the Obama administration, police agencies in the US receive detailed call and location records of Americans cell phone activity without a warrant, according to reports released yesterday. The information could be used to…
Whose Seymour Hersh?
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 …Seymour M. Hersh, on the other hand, wants to see Assad prevail in the current struggle. He told Amy Goodman as much on Democracy Now this morning while discussing his new piece in the London Review of…
Kite-flying film shows Gaza s kids grow old too soon
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -In July 2010, approximately 7,500 children gathered on a beach at Seifa in northern Gaza to fly kites. They were aiming to beat their own record for simultaneous kite-flying, set the previous year at more than 3,000….
As Bedouin villages are destroyed, so too are hopes for Palestinian peace deal
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- As United States envoys shuttle back and forth in search of a peace formula to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a matter supposedly settled decades ago is smouldering back into life. In what was billed as a “day…
Hamas has resumed ties with Iran, senior leader says
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – Hamas has “resumed” relations with Iran after a temporary falling out over the Syrian conflict, a senior member of the Palestinian Islamist movement said on Monday. “Relations between Hamas and Iran have resumed,” Mahmoud Al Zahar…
Charging Poland for complicity in alleged US crimes
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -On Dec. 2 the European Court of Human Rights held an unprecedented fact-gathering hearing on Polish complicity in the U.S. s extraordinary rendition program, in which terrorism suspects in U.S. custody were secretly flown to other countries…
Snowden document shows Canada set up spy posts for NSA
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – A top secret document retrieved by American whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals Canada has set up covert spying posts around the world and conducted espionage against trading partners at the request of the U.S. National Security Agency….
Iraqi civilian tortured, killed by British troops, court told
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -Europe s rights court yesterday heard claims from the family of an Iraqi civilian who suffered an unexplained and violent death after being taken captive by British troops in 2003. The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (…
Obama Sentences Lynne Stewart to Death
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – Lynne s crime was compassion. She was imprisoned for doing the right thing. She did it honestly, admirably and courageously. She did it defending some of America s most disadvantaged for 30 years. Previous articles explained.She…
International Human Rights Day | Remember Palestinian Political Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli jails
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -Since the occupation of Palestine in 1948, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned. Different groups of the Palestinian society are exposed to Israeli arrest campaigns, including children, women and the elderly. For decades, Palestinian female prisoners…
Israel and Russia aim for free trade treaty
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -Israel and Russia have agreed to begin negotiations over a free trade area agreement to take place in the first quarter of next year, TheMarker has learned.Sources in Israel told TheMarker that an agreement could be concluded…
How South Africa s apartheid regime saved Israel s defense industry
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -South Africa under apartheid was the Israeli defense industry s biggest customer and funded its most ambitious projects. The South Africans were in effect a “captive customer”: The South African army had huge funds at its disposal,…
International Human Rights Day…. Palestinian People s Suffering Continues
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 -On 10 December, the world celebrates the Human Rights Day, which was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950 to review the international achievements in the field of universal respect, promotion and protection of human…
Sy Hersh s Chemical Misfire What the legendary reporter gets wrong about Syria s sarin attacks.
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – … Hersh is apparently unaware that there s a growing body of evidence that answers these questions. Much of that evidence comes from the Syrian military itself — and it very strongly suggests that it was Assad…
Iraqi government rejects plans for women s shelters
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – “Living in a jungle ruled by men.” This is how Dahaa al-Rawi, the chair of the Women s Committee in the local Baghdad government, described the status of women in Iraq. Women are marginalized and their…
The long journey to Palestine
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – This December will be remembered as the month which saw Nelson Mandela s passing, a landmark event ending the epic life of a man who left a legacy of compassion for all who suffered injustice, not…
Guantanamo s secretive review boards
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- There are 162 prisoners still held at Guantanamo. They fall into three categories: 84 were cleared for release in January 2010 by the high-level, inter-agency Guantanamo Review Task Force that US President Barack Obama established shortly after…
Jailing of Palestinians who tackled Israeli killer shows courts serve apartheid
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- If further proof was needed that the courts are an integral part of Israel s apartheid system, it was in abundance in a Haifa court last month. Six Palestinian men have been handed prison sentences of up…
Assad s Favorite Nun To Meet Republican Conservatives
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- Mother Agnes Mariam of the Cross, the Lebanese nun who is one of the most prominent critics of the Syrian opposition, has arrived in Washington to persuade Christian conservatives that their interests are aligned with Syria s…
A letter from al-Walaja: Wars, walls and now roads
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- A new Israeli-planned road, ostensibly meant to give the Cremisan Monastery access to Israel and Jerusalem, will cut off the Bethlehem-area village of al-Walaja from its lands. Its lands were taken and villagers displaced in first in…
Commemorations, new strategies, and clashes in West Bank resistance village
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- On Saturday, 7 December, the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh hosted a special event commemorating several important milestones and a new beginning for the Popular Struggle against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Approximately three hundred…
The military face behind the Prawer Plan s civilian mask
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013- The Bedouin will not live on his land with his flock, but rather will be part of the urban class that comes in the afternoon and puts on his slippers, Moshe Dayan said in 1963. In the…
Muslim American Subjected to Rendition, Detention & Abuse Continues Effort to Hold FBI Agents Accountable
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – Amir Meshal, a United States citizen born and raised in New Jersey, is a Muslim, who decided to visit Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2006, in order to “broaden his understanding of Islam after the country s volatile…
President Obama Forcibly Repatriates Two Algerians from Guant·namo
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 – Here at “Close Guant·namo,” we are disappointed to hear that Djamel Ameziane and Belkacem Bensayah, two Algerian prisoners at Guant·namo – amongst 84 men who have long been cleared for release – were repatriated last week….
Israel passes law to detain illegal African migrants
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 10, 2013 — Israel s parliament has approved a law which allows illegal immigrants from Africa to be detained for up to a year without trial, MPs announced on Tuesday. The government-backed bill amends earlier legislation from 2012 under…
John Kerry s Anti-Palestinian Agenda
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 9, 2013 -He s no peacemaker. He never was throughout 30 years in state and federal government service. He s one of America s privileged. He s super-rich. His record shows exclusive support for wealth and power. He spurns…
Shooting the Messenger
Uruknet 11 Dec 2013 – December 9, 2013 – There is a deeply misguided attempt to sacrifice Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, Chelsea Manning and Jeremy Hammond on the altar of the security and surveillance state to justify the leaks made by Edward Snowden. It is argued…
2 Saudi women detained for breaking driving ban
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 Saudi activists say police have detained two women in Riyadh caught breaking an official ban on females driving.
Yemen warning closes UN offices in Sanaa Thursday: UN source
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 A warning of a possible attack in the part of Yemen’s capital where UN offices are located has prompted an order for staff to stay home on Thursday, a UN source said.
Israel PM an enigma, opposition says
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 Israel’s new opposition chief said Wednesday that Benjamin Netanyahu’s views on a peace deal with the Palestinians remain an enigma, and that he’s not sure the Israeli prime minister has the “mental willingness” to do what…
British, Danish PMs laugh off ‘selfie’ at Mandela memorial
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Danish counterpart on Wednesday laughed off criticism that they had acted inappropriately by posing for a mobile phone “selfie” with US President Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service.
Egypt frees Kadhafi cousin cleared of attempted murder
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 A cousin and former aide of slain Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has been released two days after his acquittal in a trial for attempted murder, a security official said Wednesday.
Gunmen kill Libya port official, school attacked
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 A Libyan security official says gunmen have assassinated a senior official of the port of Darna, while a bombing hit a polling center elsewhere in the same eastern city known to be a stronghold of an…
News outlets urge Syria rebels to halt abductions
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 Major international news organizations send a letter to the leadership of the armed opposition in Syria, calling for urgent action against rebel groups increasingly targeting journalists for kidnappings.
UN slams Israel demolition of West Bank properties
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 The United Nations slams Israel’s demolition of 30 Palestinian properties in the West Bank, saying it has displaced some families for the second time in less than two weeks.
Hamas leader talks to Russian foreign minister
Daily Star 11 Dec 2013 Gaza’s Hamas government says its prime minister has held a rare phone conversation with Russia’s foreign minister.
US: RBS paying $100M to settle sanction claims
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – ….
UN: Rwandan Hutu fighters in Congo surrendering in large numbers
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – ….
US detective resigns over resident status
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – ….
US Congress to hold off on Iran sanctions for now
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – ….
Tree falls on car in Tel Aviv; no injuries
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – ….
Saudis’ choice: Iran or Israel
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – Analysis: Despite shared interests, there is little chance for normalization in Saudi-Israeli relations ….
‘In NY I’m not a 2nd-class haredi’
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – Ben Barber of the Bobov Hasidic group emigrated from Israel in great poverty; today he is one of wealthiest people in Brooklyn’s Jewish Orthodox community. Since Yohanan Gorelik arrived in New York, he has been getting many shidduch proposals. Haredim who have left Israel for New York believe US has more to offer than their homeland ….
No need for modesty
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – Op-ed: As place representing Israel in front of world leaders, PM’s residence deserves some luxury ….
Palestinians see worrisome trend in ‘honor’ killings rise
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – Past year saw 27 women slain for ‘family honor’ reasons in Palestinian-run areas more than twice last year’s victims. ‘It’s standard,’ says Aqqaba resident ….
US set to boost funding of Israel missile defense program
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – Congress supports allocating $173 million for missile defense program, $200 million for purchase of Iron Dome batteries as part of 2014 defense budget ….
Jewish group gives Greek PM award
YNet News, 11 Dec 2013 – European Jewish Congress praises Antonis Samaras for his ‘courageous leadership’ following arrest of leading members of far-right Golden Dawn party ….
Girl says was drugged, raped on dance floor
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Girl raped as club goers document disturbing incident. Ashkelon police launch investigation after receiving widely-circulated video. Victim’s friend outraged by behavior of witnesses who filmed scene ….
Soldier arrested for allegedly selling entry permits to Palestinians
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Following lengthy, covert investigation, soldier arrested under suspicion of trading permits to enter Israel for drugs, cash. Police say further arrests are expected ….
New York student allegedly attacked by Orthodox Jews
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Black student attacked on way home, brutally beaten by gang. ‘I was alone. I was an easy target. I m black. I m gay,’ victim says. Bus driver’s arrival ends incident ….
Kerry raises doubts if Iran ready for final deal
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – US secretary of state says doubts Iran is truly prepared to conclude final deal with western powers on dismantling its nuclear program ….
Israel: In the eye of the storm
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Amid predictions of storm, authorities prepare for floods across country, city halls’ emergency staff on alert. Public, private organizations attempt to aid homeless ….
New migrants’ detention facility gears for opening
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Public Security Minister intends to release immigrants during daytime, but most regulations are similar to detention under house arrest. First 400 of 9,000 infiltrators expected to be held in facility to be admitted this weekend ….
Egypt tunnel blockade takes toll on Gaza businesses
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Residents of small strip suffer from great financial losses since Morsi’s ouster in July. Price of ton of cement rose more than sevenfold, unemployment stands at staggering 32% ….
World leaders pay tribute to Mandela in Johannesburg memorial
YNet News, 10 Dec 2013 – Some 100 heads of state and other celebrities attend massive memorial service for ati-apartheid icon. Obama: ‘Mandela earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, persistence and faith’ ….
Palestinian Information Center
Israel steps up “policy of provocation” in West Bank
PIC – Feeling somehow cornered by peace efforts led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Israel has been stepping up the “policy of provocation” vis-? -vis the Palestinians.
Three Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike transferred to hospital
PIC – The Israeli administration of Ofer jail transferred three Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to hospital on Wednesday after deterioration of their health condition.
Israeli jailors in Megiddo spray prisoners with gas
PIC – Three Palestinian prisoners in Megiddo jail have been treated for smoke inhalation after Israeli guards sprayed them with teargas.
OIC adopts action plan to protect Jerusalem
PIC – The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers has adopted a 13-point legal and political action plan to compel Israel to stop its aggressions and illegal measures in occupied Jerusalem.
Abu Zuhri warns of any agreement at the expense of Palestinian rights
PIC – Hamas movement has warned of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories for signing an agreement at the expense of Palestinian people’s constants.
IPS deprives Raddad from chemotherapy doses
PIC – The Israeli Prison Services deprived cancer patient Mutassim Radad, held in Hadarim prison, from his dosage of chemotherapy for 20 days, the prisoner’s mother said.
Khudari demands international pressure to the end siege
PIC – MP Jamal Al-Khudari has described the Israeli step of allowing limited quantities of construction materials for international projects in Gaza as ‚¨ Snot enough‚¨ ù.
IOA shuts down local radio station in al-Khalil
PIC – Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) decided to shut down a local radio station in al-Khalil under the pretext of jamming on planes at the Ben-Gurion airport.
Army Arrests Four in Hebron Area, Including Father of Seven
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
PEX Report: Index up Again in Low Trading
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
European Court of Auditors finds no Evidence of Corruption in Aid to Palestinians
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Court Puts Prisoner in Administrative Detention on Day of his Release
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Three Striking Prisoners Transferred to Hospital
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Police Arrest Suspects in Shooting Death of Officer
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
EU Missions Condemn Death Sentence Issued in Gaza
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Israel Allows Goods, Building Material into Gaza
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Palestinian Attacked by Israelis in Jerusalem remains Hospitalized
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Israeli Army Arrests Six People in Bethlehem
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
Weather Forecast: Palestine under Low Pressure
WAFA – 11 Dec 2013
U.S., concerned about militants, suspends some Syrian rebel aid
LA Times 11 Dec 2013 – BEIRUT — The United States has suspended delivery of non-lethal aid to the armed opposition in northern Syria following reports that Islamist militias had seized U.S.-provided equipment inside the country, the American Embassy in Turkey confirmed Wednesday.
Congress assails Iran nuclear deal, but one bid for sanctions falters
LA Times 11 Dec 2013 – House members tell John Kerry that the nuclear deal conceded too much to Iran, but congressional efforts to impose new sanctions falter. WASHINGTON Secretary of State John F. Kerry faced sharp complaints from House lawmakers Tuesday about the interim deal to rein in Iran’s…
ICC Prosecutor Criticizes UN Over Sudan Inaction
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court accused the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday of prolonging the conflict in Darfur by its failure to take action to arrest Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir and others accused of war crimes.
Egyptian Forces Arrest Qataris at Al Jazeera Office in Cairo: Report
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Egyptian security forces raided an office of Qatar’s Al Jazeera television channel late Wednesday night and arrested 11 Qatari citizens, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported.
The Lede: Wife Appeals for Release of Journalist Kidnapped in Syria
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Monica Prieto pleaded for the release of her husband, Javier Espinosa, a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, and Ricardo GarcÌa Vilanova, a photographer abducted with him.
Blood Donation Collectors Thrown Out of Israeli Parliament
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – The speaker of Israel’s parliament ordered a blood-collection crew to leave the legislature’s premises on Wednesday after it turned down an offer of a blood donation from an Ethiopian-born lawmaker.
Stanley Fischer Seen as Leading Candidate for Fed Vice Chairman
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Mr. Fischer, who recently stepped down as governor of the Bank of Israel, comes from academia and appears to reflect a desire for continuity at the Federal Reserve.
Military Chief In Iran Scolds A Top Official
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Differing assessments of the military threat posed by the United States revealed growing tensions in Iran between hard-liners and the moderate government.
German State Drops Plans for Reprint of Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – The German state of Bavaria announced on Wednesday it had
scrapped plans to publish a new academic reprint of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” with critical commentary when its legal power to ban the book expires in 2015.
Media Urge Syrian Rebels to Stop Kidnappings
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – International news organizations called on Syrian rebel leaders on Wednesday to stop armed groups kidnapping journalists, saying dozens of abductions were preventing full media coverage of the civil war.
U.S. Confirms Suspension on Non-Lethal Assistance to Northern Syria
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – The United States has suspended all further deliveries of non-lethal assistance into northern Syria, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.
Portugal Considers Asylum for 74 Syrians With Fake Passports
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Portugal is considering asylum requests from a group of 74 Syrians detained after flying in from Guinea-Bissau using fake Turkish passports, Portuguese officials said on Wednesday.
U.S. Suspends Nonlethal Aid to Syrian Rebels in North
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – The delivery of aid was halted after the United States concluded that some of it had fallen into the hands of extremist Islamic fighters, American officials said.
Opposition Mounts to Israel’s Arab Bedouin Transfer Plan
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Israel is promoting a plan to transfer some 40,000 Arab Bedouin citizens from traditional villages into towns despite opposition by activists and senior government officials that threatens to derail it.
AP INTERVIEW: Israel PM an Enigma, Opposition Says
New York Times 11 Dec 2013 – Israel’s opposition chief says Benjamin Netanyahu’s views on a peace deal with the Palestinians remain an enigma, and that he’s not sure the Israeli prime minister has the “mental willingness” to do what is needed.
JVP Congratulates Swarthmore Jewish Student Group
Jewish Voice for Peace – Jewish Voice for Peace Congratulates Swarthmore Jewish Student Group s Historic Decision to Become First Open Hillel and Welcome all Perspectives on Israel. 2010 Brandeis Hillel battle foreshadowed new student movement. Contact: Lev Hirschhorn, JVP National Board Member and Brandeis alum
Deutsche Bank sees foreign investors returning to TASE
Globes Main News – Deutsche Bank’s Hadar Oshrat: I doubt we will return to proportions of 40-50% of trading, but we will rise from the lows of 5-10%.
Leviathan partners mull leasing rig
Globes Energy & Water – The rig with the best chances of being leased to drill to the oil strata is owned by Italy’s Saipem.
Lapid urging Flug to expand dollar buying
Globes Main News – Economist: Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug will soon announce the expansion of the dollar purchasing program.
From the Royal Albert Concert Hall to an Israeli Dungeon: Omar Saad, a young violist and conscientious objector
Mondoweiss – Omar Saad Omar Saad is the oldest of a quartet of siblings from the Galilee village of Maghar. The four are, indeed, literally a quartet, namely the Galilee String Quartet, composed of violist Omar, his two younger violinist brothers, and their sister, the ensemble s cellist. When…
Wed: Teva, Opko lead falls
Globes Main News – The Tel Aviv 25 fell today, with Teva the most heavily traded share and Opko Health the biggest decliner, but Delek and its energy exploration units rose strongly.
After attending Mandela s memorial, Knesset member s blood rejected in gov t drive because she is African
Mondoweiss – The day after returning from anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela s memorial in South Africa, Israel s first Ethiopian-born Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata (Yesh Atid), had her blood refused in a government donation drive because she is African. Volunteers at a Magen David Adom ( Red Star of David Israel s…
Narrative stronger than weapons: the 23 short stories in Gaza Writes Back
Mondoweiss – Palestine is a martyr away, a tear away, a missile away, or a whimper away. Palestine is a story away. …
Rafael and SK Group to buy VisionMap
Globes Aerospace & Defense – Rafael: The company is not changing its format, and will continue to operate as an independent company under the current management.
Shared values: Likud member says Prawer Plan akin to what Americans did to the Indians
Mondoweiss – Knesset Member Miri Regev (Photo: Tomer Appelbaum/Haaretz) The U.S. and Israeli governments love to hype how both countries share the same values. AIPAC has a whole webpage dedicated to the progressive values [Israel] shares with America. I guess they won t be mentioning these shared values: You…
Netanyahu didn t go to Mandela memorial because he needed 100s of Israeli officers to protect him Danon
Mondoweiss – Yesterday Danny Danon, the deputy defense minister of Israel, said that Prime Minister Netanyahu didn t attend the Mandela memorial because he would have needed hundreds of security personnel to protect him. When WNYC s Brian Lehrer asked Danon why Netanyahu did not attend the event, and cited…
Dankner has NIS 900m debts, just NIS 100m assets
Globes Main News – Without IDB, the banks cannot collect Nochi Dankner’s debts to them.
Leumi: Leviathan does not need Woodside
Globes Energy & Water – After meeting Avner’s management, analyst Ella Fried thinks Leviathan’s partners can develop the field independently.
Forward publisher says America s full acceptance of its Jewish citizens is bad for the Jews
Mondoweiss – That Pew study showing all those Jews of no religion has sent shockwaves through the official Jewish community. From a November fundraising appeal from Samuel Norich, president and publisher of the Forward. I thought the Forward was, uh, forward& [No link, I’m typing this from the…
Kinneret water level starts rising
Globes Macro Economics – By Wednesday afternoon 35-50 millimeters of rain had fallen on the Galilee and coastal plain since Tuesday evening.
92d St Y speaker decried those who suck the cocks of Jew-haters
Mondoweiss – Podhoretz I don t know the context for this explosion, but Gawker published it in 2011 : Check out what Commentary s John Podhoretz said to Max Blumenthal on Twitter yesterday! Whatever their flaws, they don t suck the cocks of Jew-haters and murderers, Maxie boy. He later apologized and…
Israeli government hid map of Prawer plan from Bedouins and Knesset
Mondoweiss – Land, property, resources theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing See the Prawer Plan map Israel s government was keeping secret 972mag 9 Dec by Michael Omer-Man Former minister Benny Begin, who helped draft the Prawer Plan, denies saying Israel s Bedouin support the plan: How could they if…
Strong shekel forces Israeli manufacturers abroad
Globes Macro Economics – Israeli manufacturers tell “Globes” they are losing money due to the current strength of the shekel.
Judaisation vs Justice: Israel s war on the Bedouin proves 1948 settled nothing
Mondoweiss – Protesters against the Prawer Plan (Photo: Allison Deger/Mondoweiss) As United States envoys shuttle back and forth in search of a peace formula to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a matter supposedly settled decades ago is smouldering back into life. In what was billed as a day of…
Amdocs execs remuneration halved
Globes Main News – The aggregate remuneration of 16 Amdocs executives has fallen from $13.3 million in fiscal year 2011 to $6.2 million in fiscal year 2013.
Swarthmore Hillel stands by opening to anti-Zionists as int l org says, not under our roof
Mondoweiss – Hillel logo This is exciting news. After Swarthmore Hillel voted unanimously last weekend to open its doors to everyone who wants to discuss the conflict, including anti-Zionists, the president of Hillel International yesterday slammed the window on Swarthmore Hillel. And Swarthmore Hillel has responded, We stand…
Lapid: I’m no socialist, but trickle-down has failed
Globes Macro Economics – “Trickle-down failed in the US, it failed in Britain, and it failed in Israel. When the money reaches the top it stays at the top.”
Shekel stable at NIS 3.50/$
Globes Main News – FXCM Israel: The Bank of Israel will intervene in foreign currency trading if the exchange rate falls below NIS 3.48/$.
US to finance more Iron Dome batteries
Globes Main News – The Senate-House budget deal includes $220 million for Israel to buy additional Iron Dome batteries as requested by President Obama.
Hapoalim halts Discount Bank NY acquisition talks
Globes Main News – The disagreement on the price may be the reason for Bank Hapoalim’s decision today.
NSA Intelligence Contractors Created Online Games to Lure Islamist Terrorists
Tikun Olam – SAIC wargames depicting Palestinian terror scenarios After reading almost a year s worth of wild tales of NSA derring-do, there isn t much that should surprise us& Until I read yesterday s story that the NSA contracted with security contractors to infiltrate the online gaming world . Their mission was…
Syrian refugees hit by Lebanon storm
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – The UN is “extremely concerned” for Syrian refugees in Lebanon as a winter storm brings snow, high winds and freezing temperatures to the country.
Ethiopian-Born Knesset Member Rejected As a Blood Donor
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2013 – Israeli lawmakers called for an examination of Magen David Adom blood donation policies after an Ethiopia-born Knesset member was rejected as a donor. Click here for the rest of the article…
Stanley Fischer Offered Position of Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2013 – Former Israeli central bank governor Stanley Fischer has been offered the position of vice chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Brotherhood trial halted in Egypt
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – Egyptian judges for the second time halt the trial of several leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, after they refuse to stop disrupting proceedings.
North Africa: Egyptian Wins Post of Assistant Sec. Gen. for Arab Members in OIC
allAfrica.com 11 Dec 2013 – [Egypt Online]Egypt’s candidate for the post of assistant secretary general of the Arab Group in the 40th session of the foreign ministers council of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia has won the voting.
Benjamin Netanyahu Cancels Live Speech at Reform Biennal
The Foward Breaking News 11 Dec 2013 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled plans to speak in person to the biennial meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism. Click here for the rest of the article…
EU ‘must stop paying Gaza officials’
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – European auditors say the EU should stop paying the salaries of thousands of Palestinian civil servants in the Gaza Strip who are not going to work.
Rome retailers boycotts SodaStream
Global BDS 11 Dec 2013 – A retailer in Rome displays a sign indicating they don t sell SodaStream In Rome, on December 7, for the Italian National Boycott Sodastream Day , 20 activists from the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign organized an action against the sale of Sodastream products at a retailer…
Iranian envoy to make first UK visit
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – Iran’s envoy to the UK is to make his first visit to London this week, Home Secretary William Hague announces.
Egypt: Egypt to Partake in Investment in Kuwait On Wednesday
allAfrica.com 11 Dec 2013 – [Egypt Online]A high-level Egyptian delegation grouping Planning Minister Ashraf el-Arabi and Investment Minister Osama Saleh arrived in Kuwait Tuesday 10/12/2013 on a few days’ visit to attend Arab investment talks.
South African Jews Slam Benjamin Netanyahu’s Snub of Mandela Memorial
The Forward New 11 Dec 2013 – South African Jews sought to distance themselves from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s controversial decision to snub Nelson Mandela s memorial service. Click here for the rest of the article…
Hillel Threatens Its Swarthmore Chapter With Expulsion Over Israel Dispute
The Forward New 11 Dec 2013 – Hillel is adamantly against its Swarthmore chapter s decision to welcome even anti-Zionists to campus. It s not clear where Swarthmore s embrace of the Open Hillel movement will end. Click here for the rest of the article…
Terminate the NBC film project promoting Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing and colonization in occupied East Jerusalem
Global BDS 11 Dec 2013 – Palestinian Civil Society and National Institutions to NBC: Terminate the NBC film project promoting Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing and colonization in occupied East Jerusalem Respect corporate responsibility for international law and Palestinian human rights We, the undersigned Palestinian civil society organizations and national institutions, condemn in…
Skipping Mandela Funeral, Bibi Misses an Important Lesson
The Forward Editorial 10 Dec 2013 – EDITORIAL: With Benjamin Netanyahu s decision to skip Nelson Mandela s funeral, Israel lost an opportunity to honor the Jewish role in the anti-Apartheid struggle. Click here for the rest of the article…
Syrian refugees hit by Lebanon storm
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – The UN is “extremely concerned” for Syrian refugees in Lebanon as a winter storm brings snow, high winds and freezing temperatures to the country.
US and UK suspend Syria rebel aid
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – The US and UK suspend “non-lethal assistance” to rebels in northern Syria – but not humanitarian aid – after an Islamist alliance seizes FSA bases.
VIDEO: Refugees ‘burning shoes to survive’
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps along the Syria-Lebanon border are being forced to improvise to survive harsh winter conditions without aid.
Brotherhood trial halted in Egy
pt
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – Egyptian judges for the second time halt the trial of several leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, after they refuse to stop disrupting proceedings.
UN slams Israeli repeated demolition of West Bank homes
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – The United Nations Wednesday slammed Israel’s demolition of 30 Palestinian properties in the West Bank, saying it displaced some families for the second time in less than two weeks. “I am concerned about the destruction of Palestinian structures in the Jordan Valley yesterday (Tuesday),” UN Humanitarian…
Egyptian judges recuse themselves from chaotic Muslim Brotherhood trial
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie gestures from inside the defendants cage during his trial in the police institute near Cairo’s Turah prison on December 11, 2013. (Photo: AFP – Maher Iskander) The trial of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chief and his deputies on charges related to…
Dutch water company ends partnership with Israeli firm
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Dutch water supplier Vitens has ended a partnership with Israeli water company Mekorot due to the “political context,” the Dutch company said on Wednesday. The abrupt decision comes days after a visit to the Mekorot offices in Occupied Palestine by the Netherland’s trade minister Lilianne Ploumen…
Ethiopian-born Israeli MP rejected by blood bank, told she has “special blood”
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – An Israeli blood drive rejected a donation by the only Parliament member of Ethiopian origin on the grounds that she had special blood, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported on Wednesday. Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata presented herself on Wednesday to a mobile blood donation center managed by…
EU ‘must stop paying Gaza officials’
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – European auditors say the EU should stop paying the salaries of thousands of Palestinian civil servants in the Gaza Strip who are not going to work.
The War in Qalamoun: Battling Inside Mountains
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Photoblog by Radwan Mortada Last month Al-Akhbar visited the Qalamoun mountains, the Syrian region that runs along Lebanon’s eastern border, touring villages, towns, and even caves there, where opposition and al-Qaeda-affiliated militants are holed up in preparation for the coming battles. The road to the Qalamoun…
Syria: Saudi Loses Battle for Damascus
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Syrian government forces flashing the sign for victory and waving their national flag bearing the portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.(Photo: AFP / SANA). Syrian government forces flashing the sign for victory and waving their national flag bearing the portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.(Photo: AFP / SANA)….
Syria slams Gulf Cooperation Council’s “inflammatory rhetoric”
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Syria’s government on Wednesday slammed the Gulf Cooperation Council for interfering in the country’s conflict and condemned the bloc for what it called “inflammatory rhetoric.” The foreign ministry statement came after the GCC called for the withdrawal of foreign forces taking part in the conflict, and…
Syrian Salafi Militants: More United, than Divided on Future
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – A rebel fighter aims his weapon as he stands amidst snow during clashes with Syrian pro-government forces in the Salaheddin neighbourhood of Syria’s northern city of Aleppo on December 11, 2013. (Photo: AFP – Medo Halab). A rebel fighter aims his weapon as he stands amidst…
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Face a Bitter Winter
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Syrian refugees play with snow at the makeshift refugee camp of Terbol near the Bekaa Valley town of Zahleh in eastern Lebanon on December 11, 2013. (Photo:AFP – STR). Syrian refugees play with snow at the makeshift refugee camp of Terbol near the Bekaa Valley town…
Russia calls on all Geneva II participants to work towards a positive outcome
Al-Akhbar News 11 Dec 2013 – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, right and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov give a joint press conference in Tehran on December 11, 2013. (Photo: AFP – Behrouz Mehri) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged all “responsible countries” to act to ensure a Syrian peace conference…
Iranian envoy to make first UK visit
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – Iran’s envoy to the UK is to make his first visit to London this week, Home Secretary William Hague announces.
Western Media Complicity With Israeli War Crimes
Al-Akhbar Blogs 11 Dec 2013 – When the history books are written years from now hopefully after the demise of the Zionist apartheid regime it will be noted that Western media (the liberal and he conservative branches) have been complicit with Israel in its propaganda. Western media have consistently, in…
Dutch hostages released in Yemen
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – A Dutch couple freed after six months in captivity in Yemen say they were “treated very well” by their kidnappers, a day after being released.
Syria sides fight for keeps as Geneva peace talks loom
BBC 11 Dec 2013 – Syria sides vie for position as Geneva peace talks loom
Lebanon: No Return for Mikati Government
Al-Akhbar Politics 10 Dec 2013 – No one took Mikati s recent proposal to hold a cabinet session seriously, despite repeated calls by some parties that the resigned government meet to settle urgent matters. (Photo: Haitham Mousawi). No one took Mikati s recent proposal to hold a cabinet session seriously, despite repeated calls by…
Articles
Israel s war on the Bedouin: 1948 settled nothing
Jonathan Cook, Nazareth, Redress 12/11/2013
As United States envoys shuttle back and forth in search of a peace formula to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a matter supposedly settled decades ago is smouldering back into life.
In what was billed as a day of rage last month, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to protest against a plan to uproot tens of thousands of Bedouin from their ancestral lands inside Israel, in the Negev (Naqab).
The clashes were the worst between Israeli police and the country s large Palestinian minority since the outbreak of the second Intifada 13 years ago, with police using batons, stun grenades, water cannon and arrests to deter future protests.
Things are only likely to get more heated. The so-called Prawer Plan, being hurried through parliament, will authorize the destruction of more than 30 Bedouin villages, forcibly relocating the inhabitants to deprived, overcrowded townships. Built decades ago, these urban reservations languish at the bottom of every social and economic index.
Bedouin leaders, who were ignored in the plan s drafting, say they will oppose it to the bitter end. The villages, though treated as illegal by the state, are the last places where the Bedouin cling to their land and a traditional pastoral life.
But the Israeli government is equally insistent that the Bedouin must be concentrated a revealing term employed by Benny Begin, a former minister who helped to formulate the plan. In the place of the villages, a handful of Jewish towns will be erected.Unfinished ethnic cleansing
The stakes are high, not least because Israel views this battle as a continuation of the 1948 war that established a Jewish state on the ruins of Palestine.more..e-mail
Israel: legitimacy and behaviour
Lawrence Davidson, Redress 12/11/2013
In the year 1762 the King of Prussia, Frederick II, launched an unprovoked attack on Austria with the aim of conquering the province of Silesia. One hundred and two years later, in 1864, Otto von Bismarck, then prime minister of Prussia, provoked a war with Denmark in order to seize the Danish provinces of Schleswig and Holstein. Since its founding, the United States has launched over 330 mostly unwarranted foreign military interventions around the globe. Concurrently, the US existed as a slave state until 1865 and then practised institutional racism right up into the 1960s. Throughout all of this history the citizens of these countries never doubted the legitimacy of their nation-states.
This discounting of violent and inhumane policies reflects a long tradition which asserts that if a state exists, that is, if it has a government that can exercise sovereignty over territory, it is automatically legitimate. In this way the idea of legitimacy has been separated from the fact of behaviour. If you think about it, this is the equivalent of saying a killer is a legitimate member of society simply because he of she is alive and occupying space. In both cases it is true that the state and the person exist, but can either really be judged legitimate members of their respective communities apart from their behaviour? In the case of criminals, no society separates legitimacy and behaviour. Criminal behaviour leads us to try to rehabilitate the offender or segregate him or her from the population through incarceration. Dealing with states which act in criminal ways is, of course, more complicated.
The Zionist gambit
Most Zionists play this game of separating legitimacy from behaviour when they defend against those who question Israel s right to be. For them, it should not matter if, like Prussia, Israel steals others land, and it should not matter if, like pre-civil rights America, Israel practises institutional racism. For most Zionists such behaviour has nothing to do with Israel s legitimacy as a country. more..e-mail
Jewish establishment stays silent on Israeli plan to forcibly displace Bedouins
Alex Kane, Mondoweiss 12/7/2013
The heavy-hitters in the American Jewish community usually march in lockstep with the Israeli government. But many organizations that comprise the American Jewish establishment have gone silent over the Prawer Plan, the Israeli government s initiative to uproot tens of thousands of Bedouin Arabs, relocate them to urban areas and build new Jewish areas on top of demolished villages.
The Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs have issued no statements on the Prawer Plan, in contrast to their numerous statements in support of Israel on the peace process and Iran. The major umbrella group representing American Jewish groups, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has also not commented on the initiative. The silence has held even in the wake of major protests against the plan throughout Israel/Palestine, which thrust the issue into the mainstream and Jewish media in the U.S.
The Jewish Council on Public Affairs has had two phone briefings on the plan, though: one with Benny Begin, a government official responsible for pushing the plan forward, and another by members of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which opposes the plan. The Jewish Federations of North America has held events on the Negev, where the Bedouin villages slated to be demolished are located, and their partners have funded a variety of initiatives for the region, including efforts to promote Bedouin employment. The Anti-Defamation League has condemned racism against Bedouin Arabs.
But despite past statements on Bedouins in the Negev, requests for comment on the Prawer Plan were not returned by any of the main Jewish organizations. Many left-leaning Jewish groups, though, have publicly criticized the Prawer Plan, which has been called the largest land grab by Israel since at least 1967. In June, the legislation passed its first reading in the Knesset over the objections of Bedouin leaders and Palestinian citizens of Israel. more..e-mail
Prawer Plan buries the two state solution
Zohra Ahmed, Al Jazeera 12/11/2013
The new Israeli resettlement plan will disperse the Negev Bedouins and make them invisible.That Bedouin communities, in both Israel and the Occupied Territories, face strikingly similar challenges, underscoring the inadequacy of the two state “solution”. The Israeli Knesset is set to pass legislation this week to displace 40,000 Negev Bedouins within Israel. Called the Prawer Plan, this is part of Tel Aviv’s latest attempt to displace Bedouins on both sides of the Green Line that separates Israel from the Occupied Territories. The Israeli government’s policy tries to make Bedouins, whether citizens of Israel or subjects of military occupation, effectively invisible.
Two years before Israel was established in 1948, there were as many as 95,000 Bedouins in the desert region called the Negev. By 1953, there were only about 11,000. The new Israeli state had relocated many to smaller tracts of land within a designated area of the Negev. Others fled to the West Bank. Over the next sixty years, the militarisation of the border between Israel and the West Bank cemented the physical and legal separation of these two Bedouin communities. Today, however, both communities face similar challenges.
In Israel and the West Bank, Bedouins encounter administrative barriers that make everyday life exasperating. Bedouin villagers must deal with complicated zoning procedures, disputed land claims, and an active policy of demolishing Bedouin homes. This is because Israel’s land policy tries to shrink Bedouin land. In Israel proper, the Prawer Plan forcibly transfers Bedouins into urban townships away from their land. Since Israel won’t formally recognise the Bedouins’ right to stay on the land on which they live, everything – including getting enough water to drink – has been a struggle. The Prawer Plan will be a tragic end to Bedouin communities’ valiant struggle. more..e-mail
I’ve no choice but to battle Gaza’s blackouts
Electronic Intifada: 11 Dec 2013 – My children ask why we are constantly without power; I don t know how to explain. more..
To end the occupation, dissolve the Palestinian Authority
Electronic Intifada: 11 Dec 2013 – Popular resistance is the only thing that will bring us freedom. more..
How front group “Student Rights” undermines Palestine solidarity
Electronic Intifada: 11 Dec 2013 – Conservative activist Raheem Kassam has generated headlines about extremism on UK campuses. more..
From the Middle East to Lausanne: Arabic Thoughts amidst the Alps
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Dec 2013 – By Ramzy Baroud Here in Switzerland, the train chugs along nicely between Geneva and Lausanne. The Alpine mountain range desperately fights to make its presence known despite the irritating persistence of low- hanging clouds. A friend had just introduced me to the music of J.J. Cale, but my thoughts were moving faster than the speed of the train. Time is too short to sleep, but never long enough to think. It has been nearly a week since I embarked on a speaking tour in French-speaking countries of Europe. The trip was more difficult than I thought it would be, but also successful. I am here to talk abou
t Gaza, to explain Arab revolutions and to remind many of their moral responsibility towards Palestine and Arab nations. For six months prior to that date, I lived and worked in the Middle East. Soon after I had arrived, Egypt entered into a…more
Nelson Mandela s Inspiration
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Dec 2013 – By Richard Falk Fifteen years ago I had the extraordinary pleasure of meeting Nelson Mandela in Cape Town while he was serving as President of South Africa. It was an odd occasion. I was a member of the International Commission on the Future of the Oceans, which was holding a meeting in South Africa. It happened that one of the vice chairs of the Commission was Kader Asmal, a cherished friend and a member of the first Mandela cabinet who himself played a major role in the writing of the South African Constitution. Kader had arranged for Mandela to welcome the Commission to his country and asked me if I would prepare some remarks on his behalf, which was for me an awesome assignment, but one that I undertook with trepidation, not at all confident that I could find the words to be of some slight help to this great…more
All the Way to Holland : The Routine at Qalandiya Checkpoint
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Dec 2013 – By Tamar Fleishman Qalandiya Checkpoint, West Bank These are just routine inspections said a soldier who was securing another soldier while she was training a dog, using vehicles owned by Palestinians. To them this is a routine. Just routine. But to those who had the misfortune of getting picked, and were forced to leave their vehicle, stand aside and watch a dog being led to their car, how it sniffs the tires, circles the exterior, jumps on the car, enters the trunk and the inside of the car, gets the seats dirty with his feet, crawls under the seats, drools everywhere and not stopping until it finds the scented ball that the trainer left for it, for these people this isn t routine. For them this is a humiliation, an invasion to their personal space and an act of desecration according to their religion. Because according to Islam the dog…more
Is the West Comparatively Racism Free?
Dissident Voice: 11 Dec 2013 – I have not read Max Blumenthal s book, Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel , but I am in solidarity with his opposition to racism in Israel. I was, however, very disappointed by his and Paul Jay s interview segment were Blumenthal smeared Gilad Atzmon on air. Jay acquiesced to this smear and refused Atzmon a chance to defend himself. It was gutter journalism. 1 It is deplorable because The Real News is among the best video information sources out there. The fact that such news appears in independent media reinforces the stringent need for informed skepticism among media viewers/readers to appraise not just a source but also the content of each article/episode. I like the fearless style of Jay Knott s writing, and I am in solidarity with his opposition to supremacism. However, in his review of Blumenthal s book, I could not accept some of the points he posits. 2 Knott writes,…more
Probing Max Blumenthal s Goliath
Dissident Voice: 11 Dec 2013 – Note: throughout this review I refer to concepts like racial oppression , Jewish supremacy and so on. None of this is intended to imply that the concept race is meaningful, biologically or otherwise. Racial supremacy does not depend on the reality of race, but merely on the belief in it. Whether race is or is not meaningful is a completely separate question from whether Israel is an instance of racial supremacy. I cover this separate question in another article, Invention, Imagination, Race and Nation. Max Blumenthal just had a book published, entitled Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel . He is a left-wing Jewish American journalist. The book assumes that the left/right political dichotomy is meaningful, not only in America, but in the Jewish state. He writes as if Israel can be reformed: The Nakba law was only one among a constantly expanding battery of racist and anti-democratic proposals pouring from…more
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The New Dark Age 
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