10 January 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian Activists Disrupt Normalization Meeting In Jerusalem
IMEMC – Dozens of nonviolent Palestinian activists managed to stop a meeting that was taking place at the Ambassador Hostel in occupied Jerusalem between Palestinian and Israeli officials, and said “normalization with the occupation weakens the Palestinian cause, and beautifies the ugly face of the Israeli occupation”. …
Dozens Injured By Israeli Gas Bombs Near Qalqilia
IMEMC – Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Thursday evening [January 9 2013], the ‘Ezbet al-Tabib village, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, firing gas bombs and causing dozens of residents to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. …
Settler Child Sprays Face Of Palestinian Child With Chlorine
IMEMC – Jerusalem – January 9 2014, Eyewitnesses said that a settler child, approximately 12 years of age, sprayed the face of a Palestinian girl with chlorine and fled the scene. Soldiers kidnap a Palestinian in Hebron, attack a young woman. …
Israel announces more than 1,800 new settler homes
1/10/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel announced plans on Friday to build more than 1,800 new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, settlement watchdog Peace Now said. The housing ministry announced the plans for 1,076 units in annexed East Jerusalem and 801 in the occupied West Bank, Peace Now spokesman Lior Amihai told AFP.”The housing ministry announced the plans this morning,” Amihai said. The….
Israeli forces shoot 4 protesters in al-Jalazun camp clashes
1/10/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Four Palestinians were injured by live bullets during clashes with Israeli soldiers in al-Jalazun refugee camp north of Ramallah on Friday, locals said. Israeli forces chased Palestinians down the alleys of the camp and fired live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, and tear gas at Palestinians who threw stones and empty bottles in return. No Palestinians were detained during the clashes, despite….
Israel excavates site in flashpoint West Bank city
1/10/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel is excavating an archaeological site in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, officials said Thursday, in a move critics say aims to legitimize Jewish settlement in Palestinian territory. The excavations began on Jan. 5 during US Secretary of State John Kerry’s 10th visit to the region to push Israel and the Palestinians towards an elusive peace deal. The site….
Jewish extremists cut down fruit trees in revenge attack
1/10/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Suspected Jewish extremists cut down fruit trees belonging to Israeli-Palestinians overnight in an apparent revenge attack for Palestinian villagers detaining Jewish settlers, police said Friday. The vandals left placards in the orchard reading “Regards from Esh Kodesh,” the West Bank settlement outpost whose residents were assaulted and briefly detained on Tuesday when they entered the Palestinian village of Qusra, some wearing masks. The….
Dozens injured by tear gas as Israel disperses Kafr Qaddum protest
1/10/2014 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Dozens of Palestinians suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces dispersed a protest in the village of Kafr Qaddum in the northern West Bank on FridayProtest spokesman Murad Ishtewi said that Israeli soldiers raided several neighborhoods in the village and fired hundreds of tear gas canisters in residential areas, causing dozens of people to suffer from excessive tear gas….
Activists stop ‘normalization’ conference in Jerusalem
1/10/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Activists on Friday disrupted and cut short a joint Palestinian-Israeli conference in an East Jerusalem hotel, a Ma’an reporter said. The activists demonstrated in front of the Ambassador hotel, accusing the conveners of advocating “normalization” with the Israeli occupation. They managed to enter the conference hall, where they interrupted the opening statement by chanting slogans. There was a verbal….
Israel refuses Palestinians access to World Bank-funded landfill
1/10/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities prevented Palestinians from using the World Bank-funded al-Minya landfill to the east of Bethlehem while allowing Israeli settlers continued access, Israeli media reported Thursday. According to Haaretz, the Israeli Civil Administration in the occupied West Bank informed Palestinian officials that they would not be allowed to use the landfill for waste disposal, despite the fact that it was funded….
UNRWA employees continue hunger strike
1/10/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Twenty-four UNRWA employees in the West Bank and Jerusalem have entered into the 11th day of a hunger strike in protest of the agency’s policies and “negligence” towards workers. A spokesman for the UNRWA local employees’ union, Shaker al-Rashq, said they categorically condemn the suspension or dismissal of any employees who were detained by Israeli forces, referring to….
Official: Hundreds face imminent death in Yarmouk camp
1/10/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus face imminent death in the coming 10 days unless a safe supply line is opened, a Palestinian official told Ma’an Thursday. Ayman Abu Hasham, director of the Palestinian Refugees Support Network in Syria, said that residents in the camp are eating grass in order to ward off…. Related: Starving refugees: How we disowned Palestinians in Syria
Israeli forces release 9 detained Palestinian children and 1 youth
1/10/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces freed nine Palestinian children and one youth from detention on Friday after the intervention of Palestinian military liaisons, according to a Palestinian security source. The released teenagers were from across Hebron and Ramallah governorates and were all detained by Israeli forces on the pretext of throwing stones. The official source in the military liaison identified the released detainees from….
Starving refugees: How we disowned Palestinians in Syria
1/10/2014 – Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle. com. His latest book is “My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story.”- A worst case scenario is unfolding in Syria, and Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Yarmouk refugee camp, are paying a heavy price for Syria’s cruelest war. They are starving, although there can be…. Related: Official: Hundreds face imminent death in Yarmouk camp
Erekat: Israel settler plans ‘message’ to Kerry not to return
1/10/2014 – RAMALLAH (AFP) — Israeli plans unveiled Friday to build over 1,800 settler homes are a signal to US Secretary of State John Kerry not to pursue his peace push, a top Palestinian negotiator said.” The new settlement construction plan is a message from (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to Kerry not to come back to the region to continue his efforts in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks,” Saeb Erekat….
PA asks to participate in upcoming Geneva II conference
1/10/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Authority representative to the UN in Geneva Ibrahim Khraishi said on Friday that the PA has applied to participate in an upcoming international summit to find a solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria. Khraishi told Ma’an that PA foreign minister Riyadh al-Malki has sent letters to the United States, Russia, and UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon….
Hamas cancels West Bank celebrations after 20 members arrested
1/10/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Hamas said Friday that it would not hold a celebration in the West Bank for its 26th anniversary after the Palestinian Authority arrested a number of its members. The celebration was originally planned for Saturday. Hamas Spokesman Husam Badran said in a statement that PA security forces arrested 20 Hamas members within 24 hours, including members of the planning committee for….
Egypt renews detention of Jazeera journalists
1/10/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt extended Thursday by 15 days the detention of three journalists working for Al Jazeera television network who the authorities accuse of threatening public order, one of their lawyers said. Australian Peter Greste, the Canadian-Egyptian bureau chief for Al Jazeera English in Cairo Mohammed Fahmy and producer Baher Mohamed, were arrested on Dec. 29 in a Cairo hotel. Ragia Omran, a lawyer representing….
Tribes, police seize parts of Ramadi from Wahhabi militants
1/10/2014 – RAMADI, Iraq (AFP) — Tribesmen and police retook two areas of Anbar provincial capital Ramadi from Wahhabi militants Friday, but gunmen still held other parts of the city and controlled another one on Baghdad’s doorstep. The United Nations and NGOs have said that civilians lack access to essential supplies such as food and fuel as a result of a government blockade, while Human Rights….
Tunisia’s Jomaa tasked with forming govt to end crisis
1/10/2014 – TUNIS (AFP) — Tunisia’s premier-designate Mehdi Jomaa was tasked Friday with forming a cabinet of independents to end months of political deadlock and lead the country to fresh elections after the Islamist-led government finally quit. Jomaa’s appointment after his predecessor Ali Larayedh’s resignation on Thursday, under an agreement to get Tunisia’s democratic transition back on track, comes nearly….
3 dead as police crack down on Muslim Brotherhood protests in Egypt
1/10/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — Three people were killed in Egypt Friday in clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohamed Morsi, and police arrested dozens of Islamist protesters across the country, security officials said. A police officer said a street vendor was shot dead in clashes between Morsi’s Islamist supporters and civilian opponents in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Police arrested the shooter and….
Israel unveils plans for more settler homes
AlJazeera 10 Jan 2014 – Proposed units in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem draw criticism from Netanyahu’s own coalition partners.
International Solidarity Movement
Palestinian fisherman kidnapped by the Israeli navy in Gaza waters
1/10/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – 11th January 2014, International Solidarity Movement, Rosa Schiano, Gaza, Occupied Palestine(Photo by Rosa Schiano) On Wednesday, 8th January 2014, 27-year-old Palestinian fisherman Mohammed Sultan Al Khader had was arrested by the Israeli navy in Gaza waters. He had been fishing with his two brothers, Ahmad and Hamdi, on a small fishing boat, called a hasaka. Al Khader was released in the evening.”We went….
Lebanon: Medical care for Syrians in Lebanon
Relief Web 10 Jan 2014 – Source: Islamic Relief Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Vulnerable Syrian families currently living in Lebanon, are to receive vital healthcare assistance in an Islamic Relief project that begins next week (15 January). Since conflict erupted in 2011,…
occupied Palestinian territory: Treating Childhood Diseases in Gaza
Relief Web 10 Jan 2014 – Source: American Near East Refugee Aid Country: occupied Palestinian territory In 2012, ANERA spearheaded a pilot program to treat Gaza children for parasite infections. More than 300 families benefitted from the program, which also included awareness sessions to help prevent…
India retaliates as US sends diplomat home after indictment
The National 10 Jan 2014 – As Devyani Khobragade left New York after being charged with making fraudulent visa application for her maid, New Delhi asked for an US official of similar rank to leave India.
India’s strong-arm diplomacy shows weakness
The National 10 Jan 2014 – New Delhi’s retaliatory measures to Indian envoy’s arrest in New York is bluster that betrays its insecurity, observers say.
Israeli plans for settler homes are ‘message to Kerry to stay away’
The National 10 Jan 2014 – Palestinians say latest announcement of hundreds of new settler homes in the West Bank shows Israel is not interested in success of peace talks initiated by the US secretary of state.
Iraqi troops clash with Al Qaeda in Anbar
The National 10 Jan 2014 – Government forces claim to have retaken parts of Ramadi, but suffering continues for residents of Fallujah as threaten of all-out assault to dislodge militants looms.
Unrest in Anbar reflects tense Iraq-Saudi relations
The National 10 Jan 2014 – Like the Sunnis in Anbar, Saudi Arabia feels prime minister Nouri Al Maliki is to blame for the unrest in the western Iraqi province.
Pakistani schoolboy who died stopping bomber recommended for award
The National 10 Jan 2014 – Aitzaz Hasan nominated by police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where bombing attempt was foiled by the 15-year-old student.
Video: Santiago blanketed by smoke, health alert issued
The National 10 Jan 2014 – The Chilean government issues a health alert in four regions of the country, due to the effects of multiple forest fires. Jillian Kitchener reports.
Video: US charges Indian diplomat
The National 10 Jan 2014 – Indian diplomat at the centre of major rift between the U.S and India is indicted for visa fraud. Paul Chapman reports.
Video: Lightning kills three in Argentina
The National 10 Jan 2014 – At least three killed and 15 more injured as lightning bolt hits a beach in Argentina. Paul Chapman reports
Video: Fighting among rebel groups in Syria
The National 10 Jan 2014 – Amateur videos appear to show clashes between the Free Syrian Army and members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
Video: Chad assembly to decide CAR leader’s fate
The National 10 Jan 2014 – French and African forces patrol Bangui to stop violence as Central African Republic leader comes under pressure to leave power at summit in Chad. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
Diners asked to eat off plastic plates as gesture to striking refugees
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Recent clash between settlers, Palestinians shows the failure of IDF, Shin Bet
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Restoring Nazi-looted art to rightful owners is no simple matter
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Lapid: Israel’s economy will suffer if peace talks fail
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Iran sanctions have majority backing in Senate, but is it enough to override a veto?
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Obama administration to recognize Utah same-sex marriages
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky visits Israel
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Gaza woman gives birth to first baby born from smuggled sperm
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Iran’s Rohani, Netanyahu both to attend World Economic Forum in Davos
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Obama nominates former Bank of Israel chief Stanley Fischer as Fed vice chairman
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Tourism in Israel hits all time high
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Lieberman changes gears in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace plan
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
‘I’m very good at working with Jews,’ says Chinese tycoon in bid for New York Times
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Israel boycott debate sows dissent at annual MLA convention
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Why Palestinians are puzzled by the ‘Jewish state’ demand
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Israel announces tenders for 1,400 new housing units in West Bank, Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Foreign Ministry summons Dutch ambassador after pension fund boycott
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Report: The Netherlands opposes a boycott against Israel
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
Netanyahu rejects inclusion of Jerusalem in Kerry’s framework deal
Ha’aretz – 10 Jan 2014
The occupation is one big ‘price tag’ attack and we’re all paying the price
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Hebron dig: Annexation in the guise of archaeology
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
What is the point of the Africans’ strike? ‘To prove that we’re human beings’
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Beit Shemesh mayor appeals election disqualification to High Court
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
My travels with Ariel Sharon
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Why Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman took a sharp turn to the left
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Not even God will save us
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
ZOA slams call by U.K. actors for boycott of Habima Theater production in London
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Health Ministry announces end to Israel’s seven-month-long polio crisis
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
A third of Israeli Arabs in favor of towns being annexed to Palestinian state
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Ariel Sharon in grave condition as health further deteriorates
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
Israel Museum rejects claims it neglected to return Nazi looted art to owners
Ha’aretz – 9 Jan 2014
US Senator: Sanctions bill is ‘insurance policy’ to Iran nuclear talks
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Senator Robert Menendez says new bill would bolster diplomacy with Tehran, not threaten, spelling out consequences to failure of talks; “This should motivate Iranians to negotiate honestly and seriously.”
Amiri Baraka, black poet condemned as anti-Semitic, dies
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Baraka suggested Israel knew in advance of the 9/11 attacks; wrote “I got the extermination blues, jewboys. I got the hitler syndrome figured.”
Dieudonne fans bring down French JDL website, two others
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Supporters of anti-Semitic comedian whose new show was banned in France hijack pro-Israel websites.
British student deported from Israel because his social media posts ‘posed a security threat’
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Activist stopped at Ben-Gurion Airport, was subjected to full body search, interrogation, and sent back to the UK.
Iran, EU make progress in atom deal implementation talks
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Iran’s deputy FM says sides have found “solutions for every difference,” but US says discussions not yet finalized.
Obama nominates former BoI governor Stanley Fischer as Fed vice chairman
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – “I am confident that Fischer and Fed chief Janet Yellen will make a great team,” US president says in statement.
Netanyahu, Rouhani to attend World Economic Forum in Davos
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Unclear whether leaders might meet at Jan 22-25 conference, where attendants can rub shoulders away from public eye.
Smuggled sperm brings baby joy to Gaza prisoner’s family
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Births of babies of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jail viewed as an act of defiance against Israel’s jail policies.
Lapid: Fire Chief Rabbis over objection to religious women’s service in the army
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Chief Rabbis reiterate opposition to enlistment of religious women to the IDF; Lapid: This is insolence, a national scandal.
Vehicle of IDF’s Samaria Brigade Commander vandalized in West Bank settlement
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Tires of Col. Yoav Yarom’s vehicle were punctured in Yitzhar; Ya’alon: Act done by small group, who belongs behind bars.
Health Ministry claims victory over wild polio virus
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Latest tests show no sign of virus; ministry reinstates polio vaccine to children’s routine immunization schedule.
Erekat: Israel sabotaging US peace efforts with new settler homes
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Israel announces 800 new homes in W. Bank, 600 in e. J’lem; Lapid: Yesh Atid will do everything it can to block the building.
Tricky draw for Israeli tennis players at Australian Open
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Dudi Sela, who is ranked at No. 67 in the world, was drawn to face Jarko Nieminen (39) in the first round.
Russia throwing Iran lifeline: Negotiating big oil-for-goods deal
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – In defiance of sanctions that helped force Iran enter nuclear talks, the deal would lift Iran oil exports by 50 percent.
Foreign Ministry summons Dutch ambassador over pension fund divestment
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – PGGM announces decision to divest from Israeli banks; envoy told Israel expects the Netherlands to object the move.
3 settlers suspected of targeting clerk who distributes W. Bank demolition orders
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Suspects are from West Bank settlements of Talmon near Ramallah and Shadmot-Mehola in Samaria.
Sharon remains in grave condition following dramatic decline
Jerusalem Post 10 Jan 2014 – Former prime minister’s life teetering on the edge; Sheba Medical Center says 85-year-old facing “final hours”.
Interior minister vows government will stand firm on migrant policy
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – Gideon Sa’ar discusses this week’s mass demonstrations by African migrants in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem; accuses outside bodies of initiating protests to pressure state to change “infiltrator law”.
Missing son of ‘Boston Globe’ columnist found safe in NYC
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – Boston area police say Caleb Jacoby, 16, has been located in Manhattan after going missing on January 6.
Security sources see decline in Hamas’s ability to maintain truce
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – Increase of attacks on Israel from Gaza lead security sources to question Hamas’s motivation, ability to enforce cease-fire.
Column One: Israel and the death of pan-Arabism
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – The message couldn’t be clearer; We are basing our national strategy on a world that no longer exists.
WATCH: Israel Police Counter-Terrorism Unit in action
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – PM visits Israel’s elite SWAT unit; lauds forces for helping to lower number of Israeli injuries from attempted attacks in 2013.
The master of the world of law
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – Tony Angel has the unique job of running the world’s largest law firm – DLA Piper – and talks to the ‘Post’ about why the mega-firm model is the wave of the future.
Into The Fray: Sovereignty? Yes, but look before you leap
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – Extending Jewish sovereignty over Judea-Samaria is imperative, but some proposals for this imperil Israel no less than the two-state folly.
My word: From ‘Mary Poppins’ to migrants
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – The fact that such events are taking place, very close to our borders, shows that the world is not the simple place of a child’s Disney movie.
iEngage: ‘And thou shalt love the stranger’
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – We need a paradigmatic shift to the opposite attitude – treating all immigrants as gerim for whom we should care.
Savir’s Corner: Three circles of peace
Jerusalem Post 9 Jan 2014 – We Israelis have to add a new term in our diplomatic lexicon and to overcome our national inability to say “Thank you” to friends who work for our good.
Wife of Palestinian prisoner gives birth after sperm smuggled from Israel
The Guardian 10 Jan 2014 – Gaza woman produces baby boy in birth seen by Palestinians as act of defiance after husband’s sperm smuggled from jail The wife of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail gave birth on Friday to a…
Israel to build 1,400 new homes on disputed land
The Guardian 10 Jan 2014 – New Jewish settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem are likely to hamper progress of John Kerry peace talks Israel plans to build 1,400 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,…
Gaza Loses an Underground Lifeline
IPS Underground trade tunnels destroyed on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza. Credit: Khaled Alashqar/IPS. By Khaled Alashqar GAZA CITY , Jan 10 2014 (IPS) The border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip used to buzz with activity until a few months back as traders brought in an array of…
Iraq s Real Problem: A US Occupation legacy of Sectarian Politics
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014- Violence in Iraq is again in the news. The biggest problem we face about what is going on in Iraq is the disinformation campaign to which we have been subjected since the 2003 invasion and occupation. Iraq,…
Incitement against Palestine: Israel not ready to give up villa in the jungle
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 -US Secretary of State John Kerry spent last week testing the waters with Israelis and Palestinians over his so-called framework agreement – designed to close the gaps between the two sides. But the issues he is trying…
Bureau podcast interviews drone strike eyewitness
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – I saw a big balloon of dust. Then I heard a bang. In the latest edition of the Bureau s drones podcast a man from Pakistan s tribal region describes witnessing a drone strike in 2009…
Iran offers major concessions to US and European oil giants
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014- As it seeks to reach a rapprochement with the US and its allies, the Iranian government is offering Western corporations a substantial stake in the country s oil and gas resources. Major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil,…
Hamas and Iran rebuild ties three years after falling out over Syria
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – A rapprochement between Hamas and Tehran is under way almost three years after a breach over the Palestinian party s refusal to back the Syrian government in the civil war, and amid its current political isolation…
NSA and GCHQ activities appear illegal, says EU parliamentary inquiry
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9 , 2014 – Mass surveillance programmes used by the US and Britain to spy on people in Europe have been condemned in the “strongest possible terms” by the first parliamentary inquiry into the disclosures, which has demanded an end…
Out the back door: secret deal with Anbar tribes sees Al Qaeda leave Fallujah
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014- A secret deal was done between the tribes of Anbar and Sunni Muslim extremists this week – the result has seen extremists withdraw from Fallujah. But questions remain: Will PM Nouri al-Maliki still react with military force?…
Liberman: Citizenship annulment is a condition for peace
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014- Avigdor Liberman has come roaring back again. When the Israeli foreign minister returned to his post following a lengthy corruption investigation that ended in anti-climax of acquittal, some thought he had been chastened by time or political…
Palestinian nationhood: End the politics of compromise now
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – … The years since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993 were characterised by a pretence that progress was being made towards peace. This deception only increased the political power and landholdings of Israel and confirmed…
The open secret
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – …So, immediately after the embassy bombing, Sami Kleib, the news director of the pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen TV, wrote in the Hezbollah mouthpiece Al-Akhbar that the attack on the embassy actually presented a useful opportunity to push this…
As U.S. Rushes Weapons to Iraq, New Assault on Fallujah Threatens Explosion of Sectarian Conflict
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – Janaury 9, 2014 – raqi forces have surrounded Fallujah in preparation for a potential assault to retake the city from Sunni militants who have also seized parts of Ramadi. Thousands of Fallujah residents have fled to avoid being trapped in…
Iraqi tribesmen recapture most of Anbar
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 -Cautious calm has returned to Ramadi and Fallujah cities after Iraqi tribes recaptured the majority of the Sunni stronghold province from al-Qaeda-linked fighters, Al Arabiya correspondent reported.Despite the returning calm, the correspondent citing local sources, said minor…
Dutch pension giant divests from Israeli banks
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9 , 2014 -Dutch pension fund PGGM announced on the front page of its website today that it had withdrawn tens of millions of Euros worth of investments from five Israeli banks. The fund cited the banks unethical and illegal…
Protesters disrupt Israeli-Palestinian “normalization” meeting in Ramallah (Video)
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – Palestinian activists tried to prevent a meeting of the pro-Israel organization Minds of Peace in the occupied West Bank today.Activists scuffled with Palestinian Authority forces guarding the City Inn Palace Hotel in al-Bireh, on the outskirts…
Maliki s Policies: The Quest for Salvation at Iraq s Expense
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – On December 30, 2013, Iraqi security forces stormed the al-Ramadi protest square, forcibly dispersing protesters. The move resulted in open clashes between the army and the security forces, on one side, and armed members of the al-Anbar tribes, on the…
Andy Worthington Discusses Guantánamo with Chris Cook on Gorilla Radio
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – …In reviewing my activities, I see that Chris and I spoke for the first time three years ago, in January 2011, when we spoke about Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and, of course, Guantánamo, and this week we…
3 injured in Israeli airstrike on southern Gaza
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014– Three Palestinians were injured after an Israeli airstrike targeted the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, medical officials said.Gaza s health ministry spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidra, told Ma an that an Israeli plane fired a missile at a three-wheeled…
Israel : 150 imprisoned African asylum seekers start hunger strike
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 9, 2014 – Some 150 Sudanese asylum seekers jailed in the Saharonim prison began an open-ended hunger strike on Sunday. The prisoners, all of whom took part in the March For Freedom last month and were taken back to…
Military Resistance 12A7 Numbers
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 – The Iraqi government has declared that Fallujah has fallen entirely into the hands of “Al Qaeda and Daash”.This follows over a month of US and Iraqi PR campaigning in the news media touting Al Qaeda s…
Rogue State Accuses Victims of Incitement
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014- Blaming victims repeats with disturbing regularity. More on this below. Extremist ideologues run Israel. They re criminals. They re thugs. They re militantly hardline. They threaten humanity. They deplore democratic rights. Rule of law principles are ignored….
Syria News – January 8, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 – By the end of Wednesday the Coordination Committees were able to document 123 martyrs, including 9 women and 14 children: 85 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 9 in Daraa; 9 in Idlib; 6 in Damascus and…
Population swap: From apartheid to something worse
Uruknet 10 Jan 2014 – Janaury 9, 2014 – …Finally, the “transfer” (for which read, ethnic cleansing) of 300,000 Palestinians to a Bantustan will reduce the number of Palestinians in Israel itself and limit the political and ideological influence of those who remain Israeli citizens…
Heroic Anti-war Activists And The 1971 FBI Break-in
Uruknet 9 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 – The New York Times this morning has an extraordinary 13-minute video from a team of reporters including the independent journalist Jonathan Franklin, and an accompanying article by Mark Mazzetti, about the heroic anti-war activists who broke…
Iraq: Four armed groups fighting in Fallujah
Uruknet 9 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 – … A group of prominent Anbari tribal leaders, led by Sheikh Ali Hatem al-Salman, the emir of the Dulaim tribe, has insisted that al-Qaeda is not in the city and that the confrontation there is between the…
US investigates wedding drone strike in response to Reprieve evidence
Uruknet 9 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 -In response to evidence uncovered by human rights charity Reprieve, the US government will investigate a 2013 drone strike on a Yemeni wedding party that killed 12 civilians and injured 14. The Defense Department s Joint Special…
Video shows nightly brutality of Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem
Uruknet 9 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 -This video, published by the Independent Media Center (IMC) (imcpal.ps), shows Israeli forces roughing up and arresting youths in the walled-in eastern occupied Jerusalem village of al-Eizariya early this morning.A report accompanying the video – that names…
13,000 Families Flee Fallujah Amid Iraq Standoff
Uruknet 9 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 – More than 13,000 families have fled Fallujah, NGOs said Wednesday, warning of a dire humanitarian situation in Iraq, as masked gunmen held the city, locked in a days-long standoff with the army.And though traffic police returned…
Fallujah Leaders to al-Qaeda: Get Lost Anbar in Crisis as Food, Water Run Low
Uruknet 9 Jan 2014 – January 8, 2014 – Fallujah s tribal leaders have threatened to fight if the Iraqi military makes an effort to retake the city from al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), but that doesn t mean they re okay with AQI staying either….
White House won’t predict Iran sanctions vote
Daily Star 10 Jan 2014 The White House declined Friday to renew its previous prediction that a Senate bill slapping new sanctions on Iran, which it fears could scupper nuclear talks, would not pass the Senate.
Iran will not attend Syria peace talks: U.S. officials
Daily Star 10 Jan 2014 Iran will not attend peace talks on the Syrian civil war due to take place in Switzerland this month, senior State Department officials said on Friday.
Tribes, police seize parts of Iraq city from militants
Daily Star 10 Jan 2014 Tribesmen and police retook two areas of Anbar provincial capital Ramadi from militants Friday, but gunmen still held other parts of the city and controlled another town on Baghdad’s doorstep.
Russia church urges gay sex ban referendum
Daily Star 10 Jan 2014 Russia’s powerful Orthodox Church proposed Friday a referendum on banning gay relations in the face of Western pressure over human rights ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in Sochi.
An elegy to Algeria’s failed revolution
Daily Star 10 Jan 2014 Exile is more than a geographical concept, wrote Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.
Iran to start next phase of talks with IAEA soon
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – ….
Palestinian prisoner’s wife has baby from smuggled sperm
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Gazan gives birth after impregnated by sperm smuggled out of Israeli prison where her husband is jailed ….
West Bank soldiers: We guard settlers; they spit us in the face
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Soldiers serving in West Bank face animosity from settlers they are assigned to protect. Following vandalism to IDF officer’s car while he was meeting with settlement representatives, soldiers express sense of betrayal, asking ‘How can you harm those who guard you and put their lives at risk for you?’ ….
US officials: Iran will not attend Syria peace talks
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – ….
Haredi sector gets ‘kosher’ lottery
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Company presents halachic permit from famous rabbi recommending that public purchase lottery tickets. ‘It’s a mitzvah,’ rabbi says ….
White House won’t predict Iran sanctions vote
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – ….
Protesters urge release of Israeli Arab security prisoners
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Village of Ara holds rally in support of Israeli Arab prisoners, whose release was set as part of US brokered resumption of peace talks between Israel, Palestinian Authority ….
UNHCR slams Israel’s asylum regulations
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – ….
Obama nominates Stanley Fischer as Fed vice chairman
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – ….
Iran: Talks resolved all nuclear disagreements
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Islamic republic’s deputy chief negotiator Abbas Araqchi says Tehran, EU found solutions to all disagreements regarding implementation of nuclear deal ….
Lapid: The Right must understand there will be two states
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Finance minister says announcement of settlement construction tenders is Netanyahu’s way to calm right, but is the wrong way. ‘Right must come to terms with the fact there is a peace process underway,’ minister tells Ynet ….
Israel summons Dutch ambassador over divestment
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – After Dutch pension manager divests from Israeli banks in protest of their involvement in West Bank settlement construction, Israel summons Dutch ambassador, asking for ‘clarification’ ….
Iran, Russia negotiating big oil-for-goods deal
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Contract will defy Western sanctions agreed upon in Geneva preliminary deal, Moscow 500,000 bpd purchase of crude would lift Tehran’s oil exports by 50%, provide major flip to struggling economy ….
Lies I’ve been told about ‘occupation’
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Op-ed: Ahead of historic decision on peace deal based on half-truths, let’s not lie to ourselves ….
European kosher food database launched
YNet News, 10 Jan 2014 – Conference of European Rabbis launches first ever comprehensive list of all products listed as kosher by various authorities throughout Europe. ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas: The Palestinians allegedly arrested in Ismailia are legal passengers
PIC – The Hamas Movement categorically denied the Egyptian claims that the two Palestinians who were allegedly detained in Ismailia governorate had entered the country illegally.
Israeli army: We downed a Hamas-made drone near Gaza
PIC – The Israeli army claimed it had shot down last Monday a drone belonging to Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas as it was overflying a settlement near Gaza.
Israeli gov’t issues tenders to build 2,000 units in Jerusalem and West Bank
PIC – The Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing approved on Friday bids for the construction of about two thousand settlement units in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
IOF arrest citizens, close roads in W. Bank
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested Palestinian citizen Ibrahim Zamareh, from Halhoul north of al-Khalil, after raiding and searching his house, and took him to an unknown destination.
PA apparatuses arrest 17 Hamas members, summon elderly in W. Bank
PIC – The Palestinian Authority security apparatuses arrested 17 activists and cadres of the Hamas movement in the West Bank, including university students.
PA police escort Israelis out of Ramallah in police cars
PIC – The Palestinian Authority’s security services evacuated dozens of Israelis who attended a normalizing meeting in the City Inn hotel in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday morning.
Tensions in Nafha prison following Ibrahim Hamed’s transfer to Ohli Kedar jail
PIC – The IPS has decided to transfer the prisoner Ibrahim Hamed, sentenced to 57 life-terms, from Nafha to Ohli Kedar prison, causing a state of tension among prisoners held in Nafha jail.
PSA condemns incitement against Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon
PIC – The Palestinian Scholars Association (PSA) in Lebanon condemned the systematic incitement campaign carried out by some Lebanese media outlets against Palestinian refugee camps.
Israeli tanks withdraw following fierce resistance in Gaza
PIC – The Israeli Occupation Forces withdrew on Thursday afternoon from Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip amid an exchange of fire with the Palestinian resistance.
PA forces arrest members of preparatory committee for Hamas’ 27th anniversary
PIC – The PA Security Forces in Nablus city have arrested in less than 48 hours members of the preparatory committee for Hamas’ 27th anniversary scheduled to be organized on Saturday.
White House suggests Iran sanctions bill could draw U.S. into war
LA Times 10 Jan 2014 – WASHINGTON — The White House launched a harsh attack on supporters of a Senate bill to impose fresh sanctions on Iran, suggesting that they have a hidden goal of drawing the country into another Mideast war.
Syrian rebel infighting has claimed nearly 500 lives, activists say
LA Times 10 Jan 2014 – BEIRUT — Days of fighting between rival rebel factions in Syria’s contested northern and central regions have killed nearly 500 people, according to opposition activists.
Between Kerry’s visits, Israel announces more settlement construction
LA Times 10 Jan 2014 – JERUSALEM — Israel announced plans Friday to build an additional 1,400 housing units in West Bank settlements and eastern Jerusalem, drawing fierce criticism and warnings of destroying the ongoing peace process.
Defying U.S. concern, Afghan government to free 72 terrorism suspects
LA Times 9 Jan 2014 – Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his top justice officials on Thursday ordered the release of 72 imprisoned terrorism suspects for lack of evidence to prosecute them, defying U.S. objections to freeing men still considered a security risk.
U.S. response muted to Al Qaeda affiliate’s gains in Syria and Iraq
LA Times 9 Jan 2014 – WASHINGTON – Americans were agreed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that allowing extremist groups like Al Qaeda to hold territory posed a direct danger to the U.S. homeland.
Syria car bomb kills 18 near school
LA Times 9 Jan 2014 – Meanwhile, Syrian activists report the opening of a new front in fighting between rebel factions, in Homs province. BEIRUT — A car bomb detonated Thursday near a school in the central Syrian province of Hama, killing 18 people, according to the Syrian government and opposition…
The Lede: An Invitation to Geneva Two
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – The United Nations has sent out invitations to an international summit to address the conflict in Syria, called Geneva Two, which is scheduled to begin on Jan. 22 in Montreux, Switzerland.
World Brief | Middle East: American Freed From Prison in United Arab Emirates
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – Shezanne Cassim, who was arrested in April after posting a video online that satirized Dubai youth culture, returned to the United States on Thursday.
Listening Post: Gates Memoir Portrays White House Leaning on Clinton
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – In former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’s account, Hillary Rodham Clinton fares better than the president or vice president.
Iran Says All Outstanding Issues Resolved Over Implementing Nuclear Accord
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – The Iranian assertion came at the end of a two-day meeting of deputy negotiators in Geneva.
U.S. Sanctions Bill Iran Nuclear Talks ‘Insurance Policy’: Senator
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – A Democratic U.S. senator leading the charge to pass new sanctions on Iran despite objections from the Obama administration said on Friday the measure is a “diplomatic insurance policy” to push Tehran to comply with agreements to curtail its nuclear program.
Iran Will Not Attend Syria Peace Talks: U.S. Officials
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – Iran will not attend peace talks on the Syrian civil war due to take place in Switzerland this month, senior State Department officials said on Friday.
Jordan Valley Settlements Hit by Boycott Campaign
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – An international campaign to boycott Israeli settlement products has rapidly turned from a distant nuisance into a harsh economic reality for Israeli farmers in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley.
The Lede: ‘Paranoia Is the Mother-in-Law of Invention,’ Puppet Accused of Terror in Egypt Tells BBC
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – In an English-language interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation on Friday, the Egyptian puppet recently accused of acting as a terrorist mouthpiece protested her innocence.
The Lede: American Man, After Jail Term in U.A.E., Says He Was Tried by ‘Kangaroo Court’
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – Shezanne Cassim told reporters when he returned to Minnesota that he did nothing wrong, adding that the United Arab Emirates authorities were “scared of democracy.”
U.S. Lawmaker Says Deeply Troubled by Russia-Iran Talks on Oil Swap
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – U.S. Representative Elliot Engel said on Friday he was “deeply troubled” about a new report that Russia is negotiating an oil- for-goods swap with Iran, saying it raises questions about Russia’s commitment to end Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Iraqis Seek Political Solution to Avert Army Attack on Falluja
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – The prospect of an imminent Iraqi army assault on Falluja receded on Friday as negotiators tried to work out a deal under which al Qaeda militants who seized the city 10 days ago would give way to Sunni Muslim tribal leaders.
White House Still Reviewing How to Resume Non-Lethal Aid to Syria Rebels
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – The White House said on Friday that it is still reviewing how to resume shipments of non-lethal aid to moderate rebel groups fighting in Syria after an incident last month where Islamist fighters seized supplies from a warehouse.
Sardinia Does Not Want to Host Syrian Chemical Weapons Transfer-Governor
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – The governor of the Italian region of Sardinia warned Prime Minister Enrico Letta on Friday that he would fight against allowing the transfer of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal on the island, a statement said.
U.S. Says Progress Made in Iran Talks, but Not Finalized
New York Times 10 Jan 2014 – The United States said on Friday that technical talks on Iran’s nuclear program had made good progress, but reports that a deal had been finalized were inaccurate.
Israeli MK and Right-Wing PR Flack Conspired to Keep U.S. Representative Out of Jail
Tikun Olam – Today is the second installment in the Israeli-American soap opera I’m calling the Pinto-Grimm scandal. Yesterday, I reported on the millionaire miracle rabbi who made his followers wishes come true and the leeches who preyed on him. One of the latter was U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm. …
Palestine, 1927
Mondoweiss – (Photo: Reddit) Arabic and Hebrew on a Palestinian coin from 1927. Photo from Reddit . Invented people, with their invented currency, right Newt? “ @Mondoweiss : Coin from Palestine dated 1927 http://t.co/BdA4XLwbRd via @reddit ” — Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) January 10, 2014
What peace talks? Bulldozers expand Hebron settlement for ‘archaeological park’
Mondoweiss – Video, Tel-Rumeida, Hebron. Jan. 5, 2014. By Youth Against Settlements. The plundering of Palestine continues. Under the guise of archaeological digs, what the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration cynically calls “ rescue evacuations ,” Israel is expanding its settlement in the heart of Hebron to include the…
Arab-American scholars back ASA boycott as legal threats start pouring in
Mondoweiss – The landmark decision by the American Studies Association (ASA) to boycott Israeli academic institutions has lead to legal threats, reports of intimidation aimed at pro-boycott scholars and pushback from those in support of the ASA’s decision. The latest is that a group of prominent Arab-Americans have…
Christie’s other scandal: $12 million special election he claimed wasn’t political
Mondoweiss – As someone who’s spent hours in traffic jams in New Jersey, I’m overjoyed that Chris Christie is on the hotseat and his presidential ambitions are jeopardized. When it first came out that those lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last fall were an act of…
Are the Palestinians the losers of the Arab Spring?
Mondoweiss – Reading the news of Hassan Hassan’s murder, the Palestinian actor and comedian, in Syria’s Yarmouk refugee camp, was like a bombshell. Hassan and his wife were arrested by Al-Assad forces three months ago; his wife and son were released two days later. However, he was detained…
Jewish Federations angry at Wasserman Schultz for backing Obama on Iran deal
Mondoweiss – Debbie Wasserman Schultz The Iran deal continues to divide the American Jewish community. The rightwing lobby and leftwing lobby are dividing; the rightwing is angry that its stalwart Debbie Wasserman Schultz stopped the Support-Israel-on-Iran bill, which has traction in the Senate , from moving in the House….
Disillusioned with a Jewish State
Mondoweiss – This is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit Ellis’s archive page . As the Rolling Stones continue to negotiate a multi-million dollar payday – time, time, time, it’s on Israel’s side. Yes it is. But,…
Israel has isolated itself by its own actions, Robert Gates says
Mondoweiss – You can’t buy Robert Gates’s new book till January 14 , but coverage of the former Defense Secretary’s memoir has included several of his perceptions re the U.S.-Israel relationship. From the New York Times review by Michiko Kakutani Regarding the Bush administration, the most compelling parts…
PLO official: Kerry threatened to stop funds if Palestinians do not agree to his framework
Mondoweiss – Ma’ariv (Hebrew) reported Thursday that a PLO official claimed Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to stop aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if the current peace talks fail. At a press conference on Wednesday in Ramallah, Tayseer Khaled, a member of the PLO…
Boycott panel at MLA draws applause and fearful questions
Mondoweiss – The Modern Language Association is holding its annual convention in Chicago this week and considering various measures to address the limits on the academic freedom of Palestinians. Yesterday it held a panel on academic boycott featuring supporters of boycott. Liz Shulman sent this report. Those of…
FBI Accuses Israeli Police, Cabinet Minister of Sabotaging Congressional Corruption Investigation
Tikun Olam – Israeli ministry of justice gag order preventing reporting that police and cabinet minister perverted justice on Rep. Michael Grimm’s behalf. This story begins with Israel’s coterie of wonder rabbis , who parlay their status far beyond the spiritual realm. They’re genuine influence-peddlers who arrange deals, broker truces,…
VIDEO: Syria’s refugee child workers
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The war in Syria has forced thousands to flee and disrupted the education of children who could be the key to rebuilding the country in the future.
Israel plans new settlement homes
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Israel announces plans to build more than 1,400 new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Stanley Fischer, Ex-Bank of Israel Chief, Tapped for Federal Reserve
The Foward Breaking News 10 Jan 2014 – President Barack Obama on Friday nominated former Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer to be vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, and tapped two others to round out the U.S. central bank’s top ranks just as it begins winding down its historic economic stimulus. Click here…
Bend the Arc Leader Stosh Cotler Has Radical Streak — and Black Belt
The Forward New 10 Jan 2014 – When Stosh Cotler takes over as CEO of Bend the Arc, a Jewish group that fights for immigration reform, workers’ rights and other domestic liberal causes, she will be one of the few women leading a national Jewish group of its size. Click here for the…
Three die at Egypt protest clashes
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – At least three people have been killed in Egypt in clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, officials say.
‘Very good progress’ at Iran talks
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The EU reports “very good progress” at talks with Iran on the implementation of a nuclear deal, while Tehran says all issues have been resolved.
North Africa: Fahmy, Arabi in Paris to Participate in Arab Ministerial Meeting
allAfrica.com 10 Jan 2014 – [Egypt Online]Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil El-Arabi left Egypt on Friday, heading for Paris to take part in an Arab ministerial meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
Ethiopia: MSF Complements Medical Provision With Psychosocial Support for Returnees
allAfrica.com 10 Jan 2014 – [MSF]Following the decision of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to deport ‘illegal’ foreign workers, 154,837 men, women and children have already arrived at Bole Airport in Ethiopia carrying whatever they managed to salvage in sacks, cardboard boxes and suitcases. They are returning home,…
Husband’s Smuggled Sperm Gives Baby to Palestinian Wife
The Foward Breaking News 10 Jan 2014 – The wife of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail gave birth on Friday to a boy born from sperm smuggled into Gaza, her family said, the first successful pregnancy of its kind in the embattled coastal enclave. Click here for the rest of the article……
Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani Both Going to Davos Economic Forum
The Foward Breaking News 10 Jan 2014 – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will both attend the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos this month, the organisers told Reuters on Friday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Dutch Chided by Israel Over ‘Occupation Boycott’
The Foward Breaking News 10 Jan 2014 – For the second time in less than a month, Israel demanded clarifications from the Netherlands on Dutch firms’ divestment from Israel’s occupation. Click here for the rest of the article…
VIDEO: Syria’s refugee child workers
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The war in Syria has forced thousands to flee and disrupted the education of children who could be the key to rebuilding the country in the future.
Israel plans new settlement homes
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Israel announces plans to build more than 1,400 new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Karzai condemns US killing of four-year-old
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – Afghan children wait for relief supplies from the Muslim Hands United For The Needy during an aid distribution at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kabul on January 5, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Noorullah Shirzada) Afghan children wait for relief supplies from the Muslim Hands…
Three die at Egypt protest clashes
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – At least three people have been killed in Egypt in clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, officials say.
‘Very good progress’ at Iran talks
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The EU reports “very good progress” at talks with Iran on the implementation of a nuclear deal, while Tehran says all issues have been resolved.
Returning Yemenis from Guantanamo Bay
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Returning detainees to Yemen is a headache for the US
Syria rebel clashes ‘kill hundreds’
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Almost 500 people have been killed in clashes between Syrian rebels and the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist State in Iraq and the Levant, activists say.
Lebanese ship dumped dead cows off Danish coast: police
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – A dead cow lies on the beach on January 10, 2014 in Ystad, southern Sweden, as carcasses of almost a dozen cows have washed ashore in Denmark and Sweden. (Photo: AFP / TT – Johan Nilsson) A dead cow lies on the beach on January 10, 2014…
Fighting continues for control of Iraq’s Anbar province
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – Pro-government forces battled militants in Iraq’s Anbar province on Friday but gunmen still held key areas on Baghdad’s doorstep, while an official warned the crisis could persist for weeks. The United Nations and NGOs have said that civilians lack access to essential supplies such as food…
Week In Photo (4 January- 10 January)
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – People enjoy Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba – AFP) People enjoy Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba – AFP) A car full with people and their belongings in the PK 9 district flee from Bangui, Central African…
Tel Aviv memorial to persecuted gays
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Tel Aviv becomes the first Israeli city to unveil a memorial in honour of gay and lesbian victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
Lebanon: Arms Sales Eased as Dealers Go Online
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – The ISF is unable to monitor all sites, but we follow up each new phenomenon we become aware of.(Photo: Marwan Tahtah). The ISF is unable to monitor all sites, but we follow up each new phenomenon we become aware of.(Photo: Marwan Tahtah). The arms market in…
Straw ‘optimistic’ after Iran visit
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Former foreign secretary Jack Straw says he detects a “lighter atmosphere” in Iran and believes President Rouhani is “committed to change”.
Israel scolds Dutch envoy over bank boycott
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – Israel on Friday summoned the Dutch ambassador to protest over a move by a Netherlands-based pension fund to divest from Israeli banks because of their dealings with illegal Jewish settlements built on internationally recognized occupied land. The decision by the fund, PGGM, reflects growing tensions between…
Al-Qaeda Leaks: Baghdadi and Golani Fight Over the Levant Emirate
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – An image grab taken from a video released on January 4, 2014 by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (Photo: AFP). An image grab taken from a video released on January 4, 2014 by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (…
Egyptian street vendor, two others killed in clashes
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – Three people were killed Friday in clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohammed Mursi in Egypt, and police arrested dozens of Islamists across the country, security officials said. A police official said a street vendor was shot dead in clashes between Mursi’s Islamist supporters…
Who’s a Terrorist? USAID Scholarships Restrict Political Activity
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – USAID doesn’t discriminate against any student on the basis of gender or birthplace, mainly because the admission and interview phases are handled directly by the three universities. (Photo: Haytham El-Mousawe). USAID doesn’t discriminate against any student on the basis of gender or birthplace, mainly because the…
Bahrain releases photojournalist
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The authorities in Bahrain release photojournalist Ahmed Fardan, who was detained last month and allegedly tortured during interrogation.
Alcoa in $384m bribery settlement
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The aluminium giant Alcoa and a joint venture partner will pay $384m (£234m) to settle a bribery investigation by the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
Erdogan plan to curb judiciary powers slammed as “unconstitutional”
Al-Akhbar News 10 Jan 2014 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference at the prime minister’s office in Malaysia’s administrative capital in Putrajaya on January 10, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Mohd Rasfan) Turkey’s top judicial body hit back Friday at the government’s plans to curb its…
VIDEO: Can a puppet be a terrorist?
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – Abla Fahita – the puppet accused of being a terrorist in Egypt
AUDIO: Dubai parody video man ‘scapegoat’
BBC 10 Jan 2014 – The lawyer of an American men jailed in Dubai over a parody video says he was “made an example” of.
Turks quietly find love online
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – While official statistics suggest that very few Turks are finding their partners on the Internet, dating website figures tell another story.
As Assad lingers, Turkey focuses on ISIS
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – Despite its predictions and aspirations, Turkey has lost what grip it had on many of today’s political and military conflicts, to the amusement and satisfaction of many in the region.
Slow but steady escalation between Gaza, Israel
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – The growing economic crisis in the Gaza Strip and frustration over Hamas’ rule play into the hands of small jihadist terror organizations, which fire at Israel and destabilize the status quo.
Saudi comedians address formerly taboo topics
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – While Saudi comedy has long been limited to social events, there is an expanding — albeit limited — comedic movement that addresses political topics.
No Palestinian tears for Sharon
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – Palestinians will not be mourning the loss of Israeli strongman Ariel Sharon, whom they remember as the “Butcher of Beirut.”
Will Iran postpone FM’s visit to Beirut?
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – In light of developments across the Middle East, there are signs that Iran might postpone an upcoming visit by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Beirut.
Israeli ‘price tag’ extremists determined to set the territories ablaze
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – Both Israeli and Palestinian extremists try to inflame a new cycle of confrontations: marginalized settler youth on one side, established Palestinian terror organizations on the other.
The rise and fall of Israeli PR king Rani Rahav
Al-Monitor 10 Jan 2014 – Public relations powerhouse Rani Rahav has represented most of Israel’s rich and famous, until becoming himself the product he sells: a symbol of a society who cares little for the poor and cherishes fast money.
Former ISIS prisoner recounts horrors of detention
Al-Monitor 9 Jan 2014 – Speaking to Al-Hayat, a former detainee in an ISIS prison in northern Syria recounts some of the atrocities he witnessed during his detention.
Articles
Israel not ready to give up ‘villa in the jungle’
Jonathan Cook in Nazareth, Redress 1/10/2014
US Secretary of State John Kerry spent last week testing the waters with Israelis and Palestinians over his so-called framework agreement – designed to close the gaps between the two sides. But the issues he is trying to resolve appear more intractable by the day.
As he headed to the region, Israel’s hawkish cabinet ministers gave their blessing to legislation to annex the Jordan Valley, a large swath of the West Bank that might otherwise be the Palestinian state’s economic backbone and gateway to the outside world.
To underscore their point, the interior minister, Gideon Saar, a close friend of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, led a group of right-wing politicians on a tour of the valley during which they held a dedication ceremony for a new settlement neighbourhood.
In a speech there, the deputy foreign minister, Zeev Elkin, averred that the Jordan Valley must remain under “Israeli sovereignty forever”. Without it, Israel would return to what he called the “Auschwitz borders” before the 1967 occupation began.
On 5 January, as Kerry left, the defence minister, Moshe Yaalon, added a new condition: peace was impossible, he argued, as long as the Palestinians and their schoolbooks “incited” against Israel, even quoting from a government-compiled “Palestinian incitement index”. more..e-mail
The New Master Plan for the Jewish State
Uri Avnery, CounterPunch 1/10/2014
Perhaps I am too stupid, but for the heck of me I cannot understand the sense of the Israeli demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
On the face of it, it seems like a clever trick by Binyamin Netanyahu to divert attention from the real issues. If so, the Palestinian leadership has fallen into a trap.
Instead of talking about the independence of the putative State of Palestine and its borders, its capital in Jerusalem, the removal of the settlements, the fate of the refugees and the solution of the many other problems, they quarrel endlessly about the definition of Israel.
One is tempted to call out to the Palestinians: what the hell, accord them this damn recognition and be done with it! Who cares!?
The answer of the Palestinian negotiators is twofold.
First, recognizing Israel as a Jewish State would be an act of betrayal towards the million and a half Palestinians who are citizens of Israel, If Israel is a Jewish State, where does that leave them?
Well, that problem could be solved by a provision in the peace treaty stating that irrespective of anything else in the agreement, the Palestinian citizens of Israel will enjoy full equality in every respect.
Second, that the recognition of Israel’s Jewishness would block the return of the refugees. more.. e-mail
Shameless intervention in support of Netanyahu
George S. Hishmeh, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 1/9/2014
Several decades ago, when I began my career in journalism at the Daily Star in Beirut, Lebanon (and later became editor-in-chief), I was assigned to interview, at a late hour one evening at the capital’s international airport, a prominent member of the British Labour Party and the House of Commons who was at the start of a Mideast tour. Edith Summerskill, who was sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians, had loudly criticised the position of the British government vis-a-vis the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. So I hoped she would then respond to some of my questions, but she surprised me when she said she would not criticise the British government outside Britain; she would do that once she returned home. Her position stunned me, but I later appreciated her attitude.
So last week, I was shocked to learn from Haaretz, the Israeli daily, that Republican Senator John McCain had declared publicly during an unexpected visit to occupied Jerusalem that he shared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s concerns about whether some parts of the so-called “framework” agreement that is being negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians by US Secretary of State John Kerry are enforceable, viable options that do not jeopardise Israel’s security.
I thought McCain would have done better had he followed in the footsteps of Summerskill and not embarrass a senior member of the US government. The US Secretary of State was in occupied Jerusalem at the same time on his tenth visit there to craft a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement and the following day, he was scheduled to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Alongside McCain was his frequent fellow traveller, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming — they had all travelled to Afghanistan before coming to occupied Jerusalem. For the record, the three senators did not bother — disappointingly — to visit Abbas, whose office was only a few miles away. more.. e-mail
Book review: The year Palestine became a zero-sum game – 1929
Ran Greenstein, +972 Magazine 1/10/2014
After 1929, Arabic-speaking Jews who had lived in peace and cultural affinity with fellow residents, and orthodox Jews who had shunned Zionism, could no longer feel safe among their erstwhile neighbors and friends. They had to rely on the new Yishuv to protect them from then on, and they never looked back. Introducing new information and highlighting forgotten facts, a new book by Hillel Cohen brings fresh context to the 1929 massacres in Mandate Palestine.
It is not easy to write history in a popular and accessible manner, all while retaining academic precision and professional credibility. Prominent historians of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as Benny Morris and Ilan Pappe, tried to do that in recent books and have been subject to criticism for sloppiness and overtly political bias that detract from the scholarly value of their earlier work. Hillel Cohen’s new book, 1929: Year Zero of the Jewish-Arab Conflict (Keter, 2013), however, proves it can be done.
This is a remarkable book not only for its content but its structure as well. It is written in a non-linear fashion, using a question-and-answer format that breaks the story into small easily digestible chunks, and uses plain prose avoiding academic jargon and fancy theory. All this aims to remove the usual entry barriers that generally make academic work less accessible. And yet, its simple style does not make for simplistic analysis, nor does the easily flowing narrative come at the expense of the need to remain grounded in written documents and oral evidence, and use the standard tools essential to serious historical writing.
What is special about 1929? It was the year in which serious country-wide ‘disturbances’ (to use the official term) took place for the first time during the British Mandate period, including mass attacks on Jewish settlements and neighborhoods. Above all, it became notorious for the massacres carried out in Hebron and Safed, homes to well-established Jewish communities that preceded the new Zionist settlement project by centuries. more.. e-mail
Incitement against Palestine: Israel Not Ready to Give up ‘Villa in the Jungle’
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Jan 2014 – By Jonathan Cook – Nazareth US Secretary of State John Kerry spent last week testing the waters with Israelis and Palestinians over his so-called framework agreement – designed to close the gaps between the two sides. But the issues he is trying to resolve appear more intractable by the day. As he headed to the region, Israel’s hawkish cabinet ministers gave their blessing to legislation to annex the Jordan Valley, a large swath of the West Bank that might otherwise be the Palestinian state’s economic backbone and gateway to the outside world. To underscore their point, the interior minister, Gideon Saar, a close friend of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, led a group of rightwing politicians on a tour of the valley during which they held a dedication ceremony for a new settlement neighborhood. In a speech there, the deputy foreign minister, Zeev Elkin, averred that the Jordan Valley must remain…more
Why Israel? The Anatomy of Zionist Apartheid – A South African Perspective – Book Review
Palestine Chronicle: 9 Jan 2014 – By Jim Miles ( Why Israel? The Anatomy of Zionist Apartheid – A South African Perspective . Suraya Dadoo and Firoz Osman. Porcupine Press, Melville, South Africa. 2013.) Why Israel? is a large work of enormous value for the study of events within Israel and the Middle east. The title question is answered relatively easy, as it is one of the many counters that Israeli supporters use to try and divert attention away from their transgressions. Yes, there are many other states in the world where racism is evident, where oppression and some form of apartheid are applied. The reason of why Israel is simply a matter at looking at where one can place their time and resources, for what one believes is more important relative to another situation, and for where that time and effort will produce the most effect. While it is possible to be aware of all the other…more
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The New Dark Age 