The New Dark Age

International Solidarity Movement

One Palestinian and one international activist arrested in peaceful protest in the Jordan Valley
1/18/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team, Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine – A Palestinian activist and an international were arrested today whilst peacefully protesting in the Jordan Valley. The international activist is falsely charged by Israeli forces with endangering people’s lives on the road, assaulting a soldier and trying to grab his rifle. The march held in Jiflleck Adam Junction saw around 60 people gathered to protest….

VIDEO: Protesters in Gaza’s ‘buffer zone’ under fire from Israeli forces
1/17/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Institute for Middle East Understanding, Gaza, Occupied Palestine – They are young, and they are fearless. In Gaza, a growing nonviolent movement, led predominantly by youth, is challenging Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands in the so-called “buffer zone” “” a unilaterally demarcated and militarily patrolled area that, according to Harvard researcher Sara Roy, now absorb[s] nearly 14 percent of Gaza’s total….

Relief Web

Syrian Arab Republic: Aid enters besieged Damascus refugee camp: Palestinian official
Relief Web 18 Jan 2014 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic 01/18/2014 14:36 GMT DAMASCUS, January 18, 2014 (AFP) – Food aid entered the besieged Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria Saturday for the first time in months, a Palestinian official…

The National

New Egyptian constitution backed by 98 per cent of voters
The National 18 Jan 2014 – Result seen as endorsement of military’s roadmap to democracy and possible candidacy of army chief Gen Abdel Fattah El Sisi for president.

Indian minister’s wife suffered ‘unnatural’ death
The National 18 Jan 2014 – Post-mortem finds Sunanda Pushkar, whose body was found in a New Delhi hotel room, suffered an ‘unnatural, sudden death’.

Change in university term dates will help Filipino students
The National 18 Jan 2014 – School principals and parents have welcomed a move by some of the Philippines’ top universities to shift their academic calendar to align themselves with their foreign counterparts.

Referendum vote shows Egyptians eager for fresh start
The National 18 Jan 2014 – Nearly 40 per cent of Egyptians turned out to give the country’s new constitution a 98 per cent “yes” vote.

Syrian opposition agrees to attend peace talks
The National 18 Jan 2014 – Under pressure from western and Arab allies, Syrian National Coalition votes to attend Geneva 2 conference starting on Wednesday.

Numbers of militants increase in Fallujah
The National 18 Jan 2014 – Al Qaeda-linked fighters and weapons have continued to flow into the Iraqi city of Fallujah despite it being surrounding by government forces.

India’s hunt for man eating tigers
The National 18 Jan 2014 – Indian officials are hunting man eating tigers who are responsible for several deaths across the country.

Ha’aretz

Rabbi Pinto probe sparks tensions between FBI and Israel Police
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

World Briefs
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Thai PM struggles to stay in power as protests intensify
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

What’s so unnerving about the new Central Synagogue rabbi? She talks about God
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Death toll in Indonesia floods hits 17
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Israel warns Hamas in Gaza: Rein in rocket fire for good
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Israel’s cabinet expected to back bill replacing two chief rabbis with one
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Yeshiva student stabbed in Kiev
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Garbage and resentment piling up in West Bank refugee camps
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

What makes Canada’s PM one of Israel’s staunchest supporters?
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Etgar Keret imagines a ‘brave new Israel’ where the word ‘Nazi’ isn’t banned
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Silvan Shalom attends international energy conference in Abu Dhabi
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Egypt: 98.1 percent of voters back constitution
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Remains of 36 Palestinians buried in Israel to be returned to PA
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Canadian premier Stephen Harper to visit Israel, address Knesset this week
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Projects threaten to alter Israel’s Negev desert beyond recognition
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Banking, telecoms executives fired as Turkish purge continues
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Phantom rock suddenly ‘appears’ on the surface of Mars
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Deadly Taliban attack in Kabul targets foreigners
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Nobel Prize winner says he’s a candidate to replace Peres as president
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

UN inspectors arrive in Tehran to kick off nuclear deal
Ha’aretz – 18 Jan 2014

Israeli doctors to strike for two hours to protest attacks on them
Ha’aretz – 17 Jan 2014

Israeli radio host reined in after on-air jokes about Palestinians
Ha’aretz – 17 Jan 2014

Jerusalem Post

The Chief Rabbinate’s sad statement on religious girls serving in the IDF
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Preventing young women from serving would be isolating them in cocoon apart from other sectors of Israeli society, relegating them to certain gender- based roles. 

Israel, migration and international development: The inextricable link
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – From a global perspective, immigration is unquestionably a hot-button political issue and one with which many countries – including the US – continue to struggle 

Bill mandating only one chief rabbi set to advance
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Bill would end practice of electing both an Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbi; next chief rabbi will be elected in 2023. 

Swiss comedian under fire after anti-Semitic jabs
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Comedian defends himself by saying there is always financial interest with Jewish humor that someone wants to gain. 

Comptroller: Ties between senior police commander Arbiv, Pinto were unethical
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto is suspected of attempting to bribe a head of Lahav 422- National Crime Unit Menashe Arbiv; Knesset to hold hearings next week. 

IMA to slow work at hospitals Sunday to protest recent attacks on staff
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Hospitals around Israel will strike for two hours Sunday as the Israel Medical Association protests against recent incidents of violence. 

New worlds: New technology targets slick winter highways
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Motor vehicle accidents involving wintry conditions and other hazardous weather claim the lives of more than 4,000 Americans and injure several hundred thousand per year. 

Stopping the drip
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Overactive bladder syndrome is one of the most common problems in both men and women over the age of 40, and greatly harms their quality of life. 

134 members of US Congress denounce ASA’s Israel boycott
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – 69 Democrats and 65 Republics sign letter against boycott of Israeli universities, calls move a “morally dishonest double standard.” 

Outcome of constitutional referendum: New hope for Egypt?
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Ratification of least Islamic, most democratic constitution since Sadat may give strongman Sisi legitimacy to tackle country’s severe economic woes. 

US, Canada urge UNESCO not to postpone exhibit on Land of Israel
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – UNESCO postponed exhibit in response to protest by Arab states; Wiesenthal Center plans to display panels if exhibit doesn’t open. 

Late US senator honored for supporting Israel
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Former ambassador to Washington Michael Oren: Daniel Inouye was a hero to whom we owe an historic debt. 

Municipal taxes
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – It might be a good idea for the state comptroller to turn his attention to what underlies municipal tax intricacies. 

For Zion’s sake: The day the British left
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – For the Irgun specifically, the King David bombing initiated a period of audacious attacks which drew worldwide attention. 

The meaning of Martin Luther King to American Jewish students in the 1960s
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Ahead of tomorrow’s Martin Luther King Day, an overlooked 1962 speech is recalled. 

Verdi at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv: ‘A Masked Ball’ unmasked
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Israel Opera presents Verdi’s dark tale of political intrigue and forbidden love. 

Kerry expected to unveil framework at end of month for continuation of Mideast peace talks
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – US Secretary of State to return to region to work towards a Palestinian-Israeli summit under Jordanian auspices at the end of January. 

Jew stabbed in Kiev on way home from synagogue
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Dov Ber Glickman made his way back to the synagogue where he collapsed and was taken to hospital. 

Main Syrian opposition group in exile agrees to attend peace talks
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – The Syrian National Coalition, based in Turkey, has little sway on the ground in Syria where many rebels oppose talks. 

Lapid threatens coalition over peace process
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – MK Shai calls on dovish elements of government to join “center-left” bloc that would compete with right. 

Official results: Egyptians back constitution in landslide vote
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – The “yes” vote of 98.1% advances transition plan of military backed gov’t; 38.6 percent of eligible voters take part. 

Palestinian opens fire on West Bank settlement with homemade gun, no injuries
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Suspect shoots at security guard at the entrance to the settlement in the Gush Etzion area. 

Report: Israel to return remains of dozens of Palestinians to PA
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Palestinian official claims move is Israeli gesture to the Palestinian Author
ity to continue with peace talks. 

UK parliament launches inquiry into funding for UNRWA, Palestinians
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – The parliamentary committee was formed in response to heavy lobbying by pro-Israel organizations. 

Netanyahu confidante: Jordan wants Israel to keep presence along West Bank boundary
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – Likud MK Ofir Akunis told a town hall gathering in Tel Aviv that the Palestinians are “obstacles to peace.” 

Ya’alon should be careful not to incur the Americans’ wrath
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – The special, strategic relationship with the United States is the most precious asset for an Israeli defense minister. It is also a guarantor of his or her ability to succeed at the job. 

IAEA inspectors arrive in Tehran for nuclear visits
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – The team, led by nuclear engineer Massimo Aparo, will begin reporting to the IAEA on Monday, marking official start of deal. 

Report: Egypt president expected to call for elections in March
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – With new constitution expected to win approval in referendum, Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seen as frontrunner. 

Peace on the ground, through ecological conservation
Jerusalem Post 18 Jan 2014 – For Prof. Saleem Ali, a ‘peace park’ between Israel and Jordan makes perfect sense – it’s bureaucracy that blocks the way. 

Security and Defense: Intelligence factory in the sky
Jerusalem Post 17 Jan 2014 – The IAF’s 100 Squadron provides constant real time intelligence and builds up target banks. It’s the oldest air force unit, predating the founding of the state and clocking more flight hours today than any other squadron. 

The Guardian

Syria conflict: Damascus refugee camp receives aid for first time in months
The Guardian 18 Jan 2014 – Delivery of food comes after reports that people in the Yarmouk camp have died of hunger and lack of medical care Food aid has entered the besieged Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria for the first…

Uruknet

You Can’t Opt Out: 10 NSA Myths Debunked
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014- The debate Edward Snowden envisioned when he revealed the extent of National Security Agency (NSA) spying on Americans has taken a bad turn. Instead of a careful examination of what the NSA does, the legality of its…

How Not to Be in Solidarity with Palestinian Refugees in Yarmouk?
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – Statements of “solidarity” with Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk are emerging one after the other. Albeit very late as it took some groups 200 days to assemble the courage to announce to the world that they are…

My Doctor Can Disclose My Medical Records to the NSA Without My Authorization (and so can yours)
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – You can learn a lot about a person from their medical records- what s that STD test all about? Mental health issues? Hiding a health problem from an employer? Terminated pregnancy? Had a medical issue that…

Iraq s Deputy Prime Minister: Maliki and America Got Us Into This Mess
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014- The Shiite-dominated government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has contributed to the current outbreak of violence in Iraq s Anbar Province by marginalizing Sunnis and former members Saddam Hussein s Baath Party, according to the country…

9 killed, 32 injured in army shelling of Iraq s Fallujah
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17 , 2014 -At least nine people were killed and 32 others injured Friday in an army artillery barrage in Iraq s western city of Fallujah, a tribal leader told Anadolu Agency.Rafae al-Jemeli said that the shelling targeted residential areas…

Israeli settler violence mirrors the large-scale aggression implicit in land grabbing
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 — In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the entrance of a mosque in the village of Deir Istiya, in the occupied West Bank, was set on fire. The walls were spray-painted with hate messages in Hebrew,…

VIDEO: Meet Gaza s Nonviolent Resistance
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014-They are young, and they are fearless. In Gaza, a growing nonviolent movement, led predominantly by youth, is challenging Israel s ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands in the so-called “buffer zone” — a unilaterally demarcated and militarily patrolled…

US Drone Strikes Necessitate Counseling Center for Traumatized Children 
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – Yemen had to set up a counseling center to help children deal with the psychological trauma of U.S. drone attacks, a Yemeni official told the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child this week….

Pentagon & NSA Officials say They Want Snowden Extrajudicially Assassinated
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – President Obama claims the right to extrajudicially execute American citizens, keeps a so-called “kill list,” and has bragged he s “really good at killing people.” This isn t bluster. Obama has backed this up with action,…

Obama s NSA Reforms Are Little More Than a PR Attempt to Mollify the Public 
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – In response to political scandal and public outrage, official Washington repeatedly uses the same well-worn tactic. It is the one that has been hauled out over decades in response to many of America s most significant…

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti: Israel trying to substitute another interim deal for a final settlement
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – Janaury 15, 2015 -The Palestine Liberation Organisation, representing the Palestinians, has engaged deeply and with goodwill in a process that has been going on for 20 years already, since the Oslo Agreement was signed. This was in the hope that…

Backlash against boycotting Israel s universities reeks of hypocrisy
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014- The American Studies Association s recent endorsement of the Palestinian call to boycott Israeli academic institutions is a triumph for the entire boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Israel s ongoing crime of apartheid against the Palestinian…

Continuum of Repression From Surveillance to Assassination
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – Surveillance is the National-Security State in its normalized practice, one which systematically breaks down the personality structure of the individual through reduction to a mere datum to be manipulated and cowed into submission. Yesterday s news:…

When pro Palestinian activists apply Liberal Zionist discourse on Yarmouk
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – My favorite “revolutionary” blogger “the Angry Lebanese” Asad AbuKhalil is at it again. After relentlessly trying to be a history revisionist on the events in Syria he now borrows the same “moral equivalency” compass and logic used by Liberal Zionists…

While you were neutral about Yarmouk
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014 – While you were insisting on neutrality about Yarmouk, the Syrian regime dropped barrel bombs on it. Mohammad Al Far. Husam Abo Ahmad. Mohammad Tafori. Mohammad Suhaib Al Qides. Ala a Fri j. These men are all…

Yemen set up a counselling centre for children because of drone strikes 
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 17, 2014- A Yemeni delegation to the UN yesterday admitted that it has had to establish a counselling centre for children because the level of traumatisation caused by US drone attacks in the country is so high. At a…

South Sudan: When the Empire is Your Liberator, You re Not Really Independent
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014- For decades, the United States and Israel sought to bring about the fracturing of Sudan, which had been, geographically, the largest nation in Africa. Secession of the South was a special project of Israel, whose most enduring…

The Ghost of Ariel Sharon
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014 – Sharonian evil lives. All Palestinians are fair game. Their supporters aren t welcome. A delegation of six academics visited the West Bank. They met with Palestinian scholars. According to one of their members, they did so “…

European intelligence seeking info on jihadis in Syria – from Assad regime
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014 – The intelligence services of some Western countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad have visited Damascus to discuss security cooperation with his government, Syria s deputy foreign minister confirmed in remarks broadcast on Wednesday. “I will…

Chelsea Manning Awarded Sam Adams Integrity Prize for 2014
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014 -The Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence (SAAII) have voted overwhelmingly to present the 2014 Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence to Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning. A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, U.S. Army Pvt. Manning…

Of negotiations and high treason: Israel-Palestine peace 
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014– No good for Palestinians will come of the current Middle East talks. Worse, harm seems likely. These negotiations threaten to undo years of work by Palestinian civil society and solidarity partners around the world who have been…

Nobody Expects the SS!
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014- Because I am so incredibly generous and thoughtful, I ve decided to once again give you the benefit of a look into my crystal ball. (I had to get a new one; the old one was worn…

AMP denounces Syrian regime; demands an end to siege on Yarmouk refugee camp
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014- ….Women are dying while giving birth, and children are suffering from diseases related to severe malnutrition, according to Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesman. “Residents, including infants and children, are subsisting for long periods on diets of stale vegetables,…

Syria News – January 16, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos) 
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014 -By the end of Thursday, the coordination committees were able to document 69 martyrs including 7 children, 6 women and 5 martyrs under torture: 28 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 15 in Aleppo; 13…

Buddhist mob kills more than a dozen Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar: rights group
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014 – — A Buddhist mob rampaged through a town in an isolated corner of Myanmar, hacking Muslim women and children with knives, a villager and a rights group reported Thursday, saying there could be more than a…

Time to Properly Investigate UK War Crimes in Iraq
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014- Ten years after the UK joined in the invasion of Iraq, the repercussions continue to hit at the heart of the establishment. This week a law firm and a leading international justice organisation jointly sent a 250-page…

Military Resistance 12A12 Fallout
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014 – Within a day of Fukushima One s March 11, 2011, melt-down, American “first responders” were drenched in radioactive fallout. In the midst of a driving snow storm, sailors reported a cloud of warm air with a…

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (09- 15 January 2014)
Uruknet 18 Jan 2014 – January 16, 2014- Summary: Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (09 – 15 January 2014). Shooting: During the reporting period, Israeli forces wounded 12 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children…

Daily Star

Britain welcomes ‘difficult’ Syria opposition decision
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 British Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomes the “difficult” decision by Syria’s deeply divided opposition to join an international peace conference next week.

US hails ‘courageous’ Syria opposition vote to attend peace conference
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praises a decision by Syria’s opposition leaders to attend an international conference that aims to bring an end to the war there.

U.S. urges Egypt to implement rights under new constitution
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 The United States Saturday calls on Egypt to fully implement the rights guaranteed under its newly approved constitution.

Obama tells Merkel, Germans he will not wiretap
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 U.S. President Barack Obama tells Germans and their leader he will not let intelligence work damage relations, and differences of opinion between the two countries is no reason to wiretap.

Libya declares state of emergency over unrest in south
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 Libya’s General National Congress declares a state of emergency in the country, an official says, after fresh clashes erupted in the south when gunmen group seized a military base.

Syria warplanes bomb Aleppo, killing 34: activists
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 Government warplanes launch raids on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and the surrounding countryside, killing 34 people, including five children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.

Israel minister attends renewables meet in UAE
Daily Star 18 Jan 2014 Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom attends a meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency in the United Arab Emirates, which has no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

YNet News

Iran’s supreme leader commutes almost 900 sentences 
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – ….

Hospitals will provide emergency services only on Sunday morning
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – ….

Obama tells Merkel, Germans he will not wiretap
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – ….

Rocket hits open area near Sha’ar Hanegev, no injuries
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – ….

US urges Egypt to implement rights under new constitution
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – ….

Hasbara: A new approach to America 
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – Op-ed: How can Israel market itself to US? Perhaps by emphasizing America is better off with Israel than without Israel at both national and personal levels ….

Berlin museums, Jewish heirs in dispute over art
YNet News, 18 Jan 2014 – German government-created commission fails to make a final decision on who should rightfully own a medieval treasure trove worth an estimated quarter of a billion dollars – a Berlin museum foundation or the heirs of Holocaust-era Jewish art dealers ….

Abbas: Israel using peace talks to ‘cover’ West Bank construction 
YNet News, 17 Jan 2014 – Abbas says ‘there can be no peace without Jerusalem being recognized as the capital of Palestinian state,’ adding that peace talks must ‘not serve as a cover for settlements. King Mohammed VI of Morocco slams ‘Judization of Al-Quds’ ….

Plot thickens in Rabbi Pinto graft affair
YNet News, 17 Jan 2014 – More witnesses to testify in Rabbi Pinto graft affair, including mystery forth man. Meanwhile, Ynet reviews the main protagonist in complex story which ties together a rabbi, a congressman and porn distributer ….

Gaza: Two wounded in border clashes with IDF
YNet News, 17 Jan 2014 – Palestinian sources claim two Palestinians were moderately wounded when the IDF attempted to break up a protest being held outside the buffer-zone between Israel and the Gaza Strip ….

Palestinian Information Center

Jerusalem International calls on APU and King of Morocco to save Jerusalem
PIC – Jerusalem International Foundation called on the Arab Parliamentary Union (APU) and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to save the city of Jerusalem and support its people.

IOF soldiers violently quell demonstration in Jordan Valley
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) violently quelled a massive demonstration in Jaftalk village in the Jordan Valley on Saturday that was protesting Israeli plan to annex the Valley.

Resheq: Hamas continues its efforts to end the siege on Yarmouk
PIC – Member of Hamas political bureau Ezzat Resheq stressed that his movement is making every possible effort to find a solution to end the siege imposed on the Yarmouk camp.

Four Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike against detention, medical neglect
PIC – Three administrative detainees and a patient prisoner have gone on hunger strike protesting their detention without trial or charge and medical neglect.

West Bank stages marches in solidarity with Yarmouk camp
PIC – Dozens of Palestinian protesters on Friday were wounded in clashes that erupted during the West Bank’s weekly anti-apartheid wall and settlement marches.

Detained MP Yasser Mansour starts hunger strike in the occupation jails
PIC – Palestinian MP for Nablus captive Yasser Mansour, aged 46, announced on Friday that he has started an open hunger strike to protest the continuation of his detention administrative.

Four Palestinian refugees killed in Syria
PIC – Four Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria on Friday as a result of the ongoing shelling and siege on their refugee camps and due to starvation.

IOF soldiers arrest two boys in Silwad during night incursion
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested two Palestinian boys in Silwad village, east of Ramallah city, on Friday night after raiding the town in big numbers.

WAFA

Israel Bans Lawmaker from Travel
WAFA – 18 Jan 2014

Israeli Forces Quell a March in the Jordan Valley
WAFA – 18 Jan 2014

Official: Kerry’s Economic Plan to be Extend to 6 Years
WAFA – 18 Jan 2014

PMA: Business Indicator remains Negative despite Improvement
WAFA – 18 Jan 2014

Presbyterian Church USA Announces Publication of new Book on Zionism
WAFA – 18 Jan 2014

Armenians to Celebrate Christmas
WAFA – 18 Jan 2014

Misc

Official results in Egypt: 98.1% approve constitution
LA Times 18 Jan 2014 – The interim government depicts the referendum result as a repudiation of the Muslim Brotherhood, but some observers express concern about intimidation. CAIRO — Setting the stage for a potential presidential run by the country’s military chief, Egyptian election authorities declared Saturday that more than 90%…

Food aid allowed to enter Palestinian refugee camp in Syria
LA Times 18 Jan 2014 – RAMALLAH, West Bank — A food convoy was allowed into the besieged Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria for the first time in months on Saturday after an agreement was worked out with the Syrian government and leaders in the camp.

Official results: New Egyptian constitution approved by more than 98%
LA Times 18 Jan 2014 – CAIRO — More than 98% of Egyptians voted in favor of a new constitution heavily promoted by Egypt’s military-backed government, according to final official results released Saturday.

Iranian diplomat shot to death in Yemen
LA Times 18 Jan 2014 – SANA, Yemen — Gunmen shot and killed an Iranian diplomat in Yemen’s capital in a brazen midday strike on Saturday, an attack that called attention to anger over Iran’s role in a bitter sectarian conflict.

Region Boiling, Israel Takes Up Castle Strategy
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – As Israel faces threats both from traditional Shiite adversaries like Iran and from extremist Sunni cells in Syria, Iraq and beyond, officials have embraced a castle mentality. 

Vote Validates Egypt’s Constitution and Military Takeover
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – Egypt’s Supreme Electoral Committee said Saturday that 98.1 percent of the voters had approved a revised constitution validating last summer’s military takeover and paving the way for Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, the country’s top military leader, to seek the presidency. 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Commutes Almost 900 Sentences
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei agreed on Saturday to pardon or reduce the sentences of 878 people in honor of the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday on Sunday, the state news agency IRNA reported. 

Syrian Opposition Votes to Attend Peace Talks
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – The vote was boycotted by a third of the members of the main rebel coalition, a reflection of the intense divisions among those seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. 

Egyptians Overwhelmingly Back Constitution-Official Results
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – More than 98 percent of voters backed a new Egyptian constitution in a referendum this week, authorities said on Saturday, though the turnout was lower than some officials had indicated, with under 40 percent of the electorate taking part. 

Bombs, Mortar Fire Kill 14 People in Baghdad
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – Mortar fire, car bombs and gunfire killed at least 14 people and wounded 55 in Baghdad on Saturday, police and medics said. 

Some Food Aid Reaches Besieged Damascus Suburb
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – A food aid delivery reached a besieged suburb of Damascus on Saturday, resident activists said, badly needed after months of isolation but not enough for thousands of trapped civilian who are malnourished and without medicine. 

Syrian Coalition Say Will Attend International Peace Talks
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – The main Syrian political opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Coalition, said it had agreed on Saturday to attend internationally sponsored peace talks beginning in Switzerland next week. 

Syria Offers Aleppo Truce as Rebels Argue Over Talks
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – The Syrian government, preparing for peace talks with rebels next week, handed the Russian co-sponsors of the conference a proposal on Friday for a ceasefire in Aleppo and an exchange of prisoners. 

Food Enters Syria’s Main Palestinian Refugee Camp
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – A Palestinian official says food supplies have begun entering a besieged rebel-held Palestinian refugee camp in Syria’s capital for the first time in months. 

3 Soldiers Killed in Clashes in Southern Libya
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – A military official in Libya says three soldiers have been killed in clashes in the restive southern city of Sabha, a stronghold for former loyalists of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi. 

Inspectors Arrive in Iran to Monitor Nuclear Deal
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – A team of international inspectors have arrived in Iran ahead of the Islamic Republic opening its nuclear program as part of a landmark deal struck with world powers. 

Libya Sends Troops to Restore Order in Volatile South: PM
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – Libya is sending troops to the country’s restive south after gunmen stormed an air force base in the region’s biggest town, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said on Saturday, following days of skirmishes between rival tribesmen and militias. 

Officials: Iranian Diplomat Killed in Yemen
New York Times 18 Jan 2014 – Gunmen killed an Iranian diplomat in a drive-by shooting in Yemen’s capital Saturday, security and medical officials said, the latest attack on Iran’s diplomatic corps in the Middle East in recent months. 

On the Ibrahimi mosque wall, a notice from the military authorities
Mondoweiss – Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Exile / Restriction of movement Israel to take over area around Ibrahimi Mosque HEBRON (WAFA) 16 Jan – The Israeli military government Thursday said it is going to take over an area around the Ibrahimi mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs)…

Rabbi Pinto’s ‘Generosity’ Extends Up GOP Food Chain
Tikun Olam – In a recent post, I relayed a very smart theory posed to me by a journalist friend that Wonder Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto didn’t just decide on his own to come to the States and open an offshoot of his Shuva Yisrael movement in New York City. …

Sentencing Israel of Genocide 
Sabbah report 18 Jan 2014 – While the so-called international legal bodies such as ICC, UN and Security Council lack the guts to face up to the Zionist global terrorism, the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal (KLWCT) has demonstrated unequivocal courage for prosecuting the terrorist state of Israel and its military generals…

Take Israel to the ICC, Abbas or GET OUT of the WAY 
Sabbah report 18 Jan 2014 – Abbas does not speak for Palestine. He cannot sign or agree to any “agreement” for the Palestinians. If he agrees to a U.S. Framework Agreement that gives away Palestinian rights, he is a Traitor. Continue reading …>> Read More: Take Israel to the ICC, Abbas or GET…

Syria opposition to attend Geneva II 
BBC 18 Jan 2014 – Syria’s main political opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, agrees to attend the Geneva II peace talks in Switzerland next week.

Egypt constitution ‘backed by 98%’ 
BBC 18 Jan 2014 – A new Egyptian constitution wins the backing of 98.1% of voters with a turnout of 38.6% in last week’s referendum, officials say.

‘Aid enters’ besieged Damascus camp 
BBC 18 Jan 2014 – Aid reaches the besieged Palestinian camp Yarmouk in the Syrian capital Damascus for the first time in months, Palestinian officials say.

Iran diplomat dies in Yemen attack 
BBC 18 Jan 2014 – An Iranian diplomat has been killed in a gun attack outside the ambassador’s residence in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, local officials say.

How Israel Went From Beacon of Hope to ‘Normal’ Outpost of Reaction 
The Forward Leonard Fein 18 Jan 2014 – 

San Diego JCC Cancels Planned Show by Singer Eyal Golan Amid Sex Probe 
The Foward Breaking News 18 Jan 2014 – A Jewish community center in San Diego cancelled a concert by Eyal Golan amid suspicions that the Israeli singer had sex with minors, an Israeli radio station reported. Click here for the rest of the article…

U.S. Demands Revival of ‘Jewish Israel’ Show 
The Foward Breaking News 18 Jan 2014 – The Obama administration is “deeply disappointed” with a decision by UNESCO, the United Nation’s cultural arm, to cancel the opening of an exhibition on the Jewish presence in the land of Israel and is seeking its placement “as soon as possible.” Click here for the rest…

Israel Under Fire Over ‘Restrictions’ on Palestinian Academics — But What Is Truth? 
The Forward New 17 Jan 2014 – Israel took flak at recent academic conferences over its supposed restrictions on academics at Palestinian universities. But are the claims true? Click here for the rest of the article…

March 8 Reassures the Free Patriotic Movement: No Progress in Cabinet Negotiations Without Aoun’s Blessing 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Meanwhile, March 8 sources did not deny the ambiguity surrounding the Free Patriotic Movement, saying, “General Aoun thinks that we have agreed with Hariri on more than the outline. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Meanwhile, March 8 sources did not deny the ambiguity surrounding the Free Patriotic Movement, saying,…

Hariri Tribunal Threatens to Raise UN Complaint Against Lebanon 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – A picture shows the exterior of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague on January 16, 2
014, on the first day of the delayed trial into the murder of former Lebanese Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. (Photo: AFP – Toussaint Kluiters) A picture shows the exterior…

DNA of suspected Hermel bomber doesn’t match 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – DNA samples taken from a relative of Hussein Ghandour, a suspect in Thursday’s East Lebanon suicide bombing, do not match samples from human remains collected at the crime scene, the army said Saturday. “The outcome of the investigation in the terrorist bombing that targeted the town…

Israeli minister attends UAE energy summit 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom attended a meeting Saturday of the International Renewable Energy Agency in the United Arab Emirates, which has no diplomatic relations with the occupying force. It is the first time Israel has sent a minister to a meeting of IRENA since its…

ISIS tightens grip on Fallujah 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Al-Qaeda and other rebel groups have tightened their grip on Fallujah, defying the Iraqi government’s efforts to persuade local tribesmen to expel them from the city, residents and officials say. Despite an army siege, fighters and weapons have been flowing into the city. In an embarrassing…

East Lebanon border shelling injures three 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Overnight border shelling injured three people in the East Lebanese town of Ras Baalbak on Saturday, a day after cross border rocket attacks on nearby Ersal killed eight people, state news reported. The National News Agency identified the wounded men in Saturday’s attack as Rifaat Nasrallah,…

Yemen army shelling kills pregnant mother, two daughters 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Army shelling killed a pregnant woman and her daughters, three and five, in the same Yemeni town where a bombardment killed 19 mourners last month, medics said on Saturday. The girls’ father, Yassin Said, was seriously wounded when the shell slammed into their home in Daleh,…

Turkey seizes opposition candidate’s assets 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Turkish authorities seized the assets of main opposition Republican People’s Party’s candidate for mayor of Istanbul in the run-up to highly-charged local polls in March, media reports said Saturday. Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund announced the decision late Friday after Mustafa Sarigul and nine other creditors…

Egypt to announce results of constitution vote 
Al-Akhbar News 18 Jan 2014 – Polling station officials count ballots in the Egyptian capital Cairo on January 15, 2014 at the end of the second day of voting in a referendum on a new constitution. (Photo: AFP – Khaled Desouki) Polling station officials count ballots in the Egyptian capital Cairo on…

Who Pulls the Strings of the Islamic Front’s Shura Council? 
Al-Akhbar Politics 17 Jan 2014 – A member of jihadist group Al-Nusra Front stands in a street of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on January 11, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Baraa Al-Halabi). A member of jihadist group Al-Nusra Front stands in a street of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on…

Lebanon: Hermel Attack Missed Its Target 
Al-Akhbar Politics 17 Jan 2014 – A pictures shows the aftermath of a car bomb explosion which went off the previous day in front of the main government administration building in Hermel, a stronghold of Lebanon’s Hezbollah near the border with Syria, on January 17, 2014. (Photo: AFP – STR). A pictures…

Articles

When will Palestinians clear the decks for action? 
Stuart Littlewood, Redress 1/18/2014
Let’s shine a light into the International Criminal Court’s dusty corners
I watched Palestinian ambassador Manuel Hassassian’s performance before a session of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee enquiring into “Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories: prospects for 2014”.
He was asked by MP Rory Stewart: “Why did you come back to the negotiating table?”
Hassassian replied: “The PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] since 1988 has committed itself to the recognition of the state of Israel and to a two-state solution. And in 1993 we reiterated our commitment, believing that the only way out of this conflict is by negotiation.”
This belief, he seemed to be saying, persists despite Israel not complying with agreements that had been signed and despite the Palestinian government not knowing what the future holds if Israel continues with its expansionist policies – and especially its illegal “settlement” programme – which it clearly will do unless firmly checked.
Throughout he was careful not to mention the international law option, nor did he utter the dreaded “Justice” word, as far as I recall.
Given the decades of painful failure trying to find a way through the “peace process” cul-de-sac, switching focus to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as suggested in the Sabeel letter, makes sense. The letter campaign urges the ICC to investigate the many charges of war crimes relating to Israel’s “settlements” on territory under its “belligerent occupation” and the transfer of large numbers of the Israeli population into them. more.. e-mail

Sharon the Terrorist 
Jeffrey St. Clair And Alexander Cockburn, CounterPunch 1/17/2014
A Career Drafted in Blood
Note: On the eve of the fateful Israeli elections in 2001, Alex and I wrote a long profile of the vicious, sinister career of Ariel Sharon. In the wake of Sharon’s death, I revamped the essay as a corrective to the drooling eulogies which have gone so far as to label him an “Israeli Moses.” — JSC
Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel on February 6, 2001. Some incorrigible optimists then suggested that only a right-wing extremist of Sharon’s notoriety would boast the credentials to broker lasting peace with the Palestinians.
Maybe so. History is not devoid of such examples. But Sharon’s record was not encouraging. His crucial role in provoking Palestinian uprisings by his excursions under heavy military protection to holy sites in Jerusalem is well known. A little more faintly perhaps people recall the verdict of an Israeli commission of inquiry finding that Sharon bore some responsibility for the dreadful Phalangist massacres in Palestinian refugee camps outside Beirut.
But in fact Sharon’s history as a terrorist, with documented participation in what can be fairly stigmatized as war crimes, goes back to the early 1950s. Here is a brief resume, culled in part from a two-part series on Sharon in the well-respected Hebrew-language Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.
Sharon was born in 1928 and as a young man joined the Haganah, the underground military organization of Israel in its pre-state days. In 1953 he was given command of Unit 101, whose mission is often described as that of retaliation against Arab attacks on Jewish villages….more.. e-mail

Ariel Sharon’s legacy is deeply disturbing 
Sarah Leah Whitson, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN) 1/13/2014
What is Ariel Sharon’s legacy? The eulogies have focused on his decision to pull Israeli settlers out of Gaza in 2005 under the so-called “disengagement plan.” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Sharon’s “political courage and determination.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sharon “surprised many in his pursuit of peace.”
The reality is that Sharon’s withdrawal from Gaza portended no courage to change his pro-settlement, virulently anti-Palestinian policies.
Since the 1970s, when he planned and h
elped establish 64 West Bank settlements, Sharon had earned his moniker as “the father of the settlements.” His evacuation of 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank seemed surprising, indeed. But the removal of settlers must be seen in the context that overall during Sharon’s term as Israel’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, increased from roughly 388,000 to 461,000.
Sharon’s legacy is deeply disturbing. He went to his grave without facing justice for terrible things he did. His death is a grim reminder that impunity for human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law has plagued Israel and the Palestinians for far too long.
It mattered little to Sharon that Israel’s transfer of its civilians into Palestinian territories was—and is—a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and a potential war crime. It mattered even less that the settlement regime and Israel’s military rule in these areas subjects Palestinians to severe discrimination and a mountain of restrictions that makes life miserable. — See also: Joseph Massad: Theses on Zionismmore.. e-mail

Murdering Palestinians by starvation
Hussein Ibish, Uruknet 1/14/2014
Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk are being starved to death by the Syrian regime. Does anyone care?
There isn’t much the Palestinian people haven’t suffered. But the use of enforced starvation against them by the Syrian dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad at the Yarmouk refugee camp breaks new ground in cruelty. Hundreds are said to be facing imminent death by starvation, lack of water and medical care, and the loss, for almost a year now, of all heat and electricity.
Last weekend, at least 41 Palestinian refugees were reported to have died as a result of food and medicine shortages, and all the evidence suggests this account is a low estimate. The numbers continue to grow daily.
Rights groups said that today eight more Palestinians in Syria have died from malnutrition, including an 80-year-old, Jamil al-Qurabi, a 40-year-old, Hasan Shihabi, and a 50-year-old woman called Noor. Meanwhile 10-year-old Mahmoud al-Sabbagh and two 19-year-olds, Majid Imad Awad and Ziad al-Naji, were killed while protesting the blockade of the camp. Muhammad Ibrahim Dhahi is reported to have been tortured to death by regime forces, while Hasan Younis Nofal was killed by one of Assad’s now-notorious barrel bombs.
Yesterday a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) convoy of trucks loaded with desperately-needed food and medicines were fired on by pro-Assad forces, most likely the so-called PFLP-GC, as they tried to enter the camps and were unable to deliver the urgent relief.
The PLO says it is still trying to negotiate with “Syrian officials and [pro-Assad] militants in Palestinian camps in Syria in order to reach a solution and create a safe passage for the entry of relief supplies to Yarmouk.” They are, in effect, begging for the lives of innocent Palestinians suffering a siege that, while significantly smaller in scale, is without doubt much crueler and more arbitrary than anything imposed on Gaza by either Israel or Egypt. — See also: Hunger, death stalk camp near Damascus more.. e-mail

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