8 February 2014 — VTJP
Peace, Love and Occupation? Tell Ben & Jerry’s to Stop its Complicity with the Israeli Occupation!
News
International Middle East Media Center
5 Injured by Israeli Fire in Gaza
IMEMC – Five Palestinians were wounded by Israeli army gunfire near the separation barrier in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday, according to Palestinian medical sources. …
Car Bomb Explodes in Tel Aviv, Killing One
IMEMC – An Israeli was killed after a car bomb exploded on Saturday evening, in south Tel Aviv. …
Several Towns Raided By Israeli Forces
IMEMC – Israel forces raided several towns in the Jenin district, on Saturday, provoking clashes with residents, according to security sources. …
Rocket From Gaza Falls Into Western Negev
IMEMC – A rocket from Gaza fell in the Western Negev region on Saturday evening, causing no damage, according to an Israeli military spokesman. …
Two Fighters Killed In Two Separate Incidents In Gaza
IMEMC – Palestinian medical sources have reported that two Palestinian fighters were killed on Friday night, [February 7, 2014], in two separate incidents, in the besieged coastal region. …
Medics: 5 injured by Israeli fire in Gaza on Friday
2/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — Five Palestinians were wounded by Israeli army gunfire Friday near the separation barrier in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources said. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory, said the five men were in their early twenties. One was in serious condition from a shot to the chest, he told AFP. An Israeli army spokeswoman told….
Gaza rocket falls in open area in western Negev
2/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli military spokesman said on Saturday night that a rocket from Gaza fell in the Western Negev region on Saturday evening, causing no damage. The spokesman said that the rocket fell in the Sdot Negev regional council, near the border of the Gaza Strip. He added that the rocket fell in an open area and caused “no damage.”An Israeli….
Egyptian army destroys 7 Gaza smuggling tunnels
2/8/2014 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — The Egyptian army demolished seven smuggling tunnels under the border with the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Egyptian border police sources told Ma’an. The sources added that large quantities of clothes, pesticides, and other goods were found in a vacant house in Egypt’s El-Arish, presumably to be smuggled into Gaza. Egypt’s army, which ousted former president…. Related:Egyptian authorities close Rafah crossing
A tent amongst the rubble in East Jerusalem
2/8/2014 – The following story was issued by the Media Office of the Union of Charitable Societies-Jerusalem. UCS-J is an umbrella organization with 150 NGO members from across the Palestinian Territories. – Similar to other pregnant women who eagerly await their transitions into motherhood, on that gloomy morning May Aldebai was speaking to her unborn baby. She was telling him about the cozy room she had prepared for….
Israeli killed in south Tel Aviv car bombing
2/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli was killed after a car bomb exploded in mysterious circumstances in south Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. Israeli sources reported that the explosion targeted a car on Sheshet Hayamim (Six Days) street in the neighborhood of Kfar Shalem. The sources added that a large force of police and ambulance rushed to the scene of the explosion, and that police….
UN nuclear experts back in Iran to tackle tougher issues
2/8/2014 – TEHRAN (AFP) — The UN nuclear agency and Tehran held new talks on Saturday on allegations of past Iranian weapons work and on additional safeguards to allay international concerns over its nuclear ambitions. The day-long discussions with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will build on a framework deal agreed in November that required Tehran to take six practical steps by next Tuesday. With completion…. Related:UN nuclear experts have ‘constructive’ talks in Iran
UN nuclear experts have ‘constructive’ talks in Iran
2/8/2014 – TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran said talks Saturday with the UN atomic watchdog over allegations of Tehran’s past weapons work and additional safeguards were constructive and have been extended for another day. The five-hour-long meeting came as the Islamic republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, demanded tolerance from critics of President Hassan Rouhani ahead of fresh talks with world powers. Negotiations between Iran…. Related:UN nuclear experts back in Iran to tackle tougher issues
Besieged civilians in Syria’s Homs await UN aid
2/8/2014 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — The United Nations was poised to deliver aid to desperate civilians besieged in rebel-held areas of Syria’s third largest city Homs on Saturday on the second day of a humanitarian truce. The planned relief convoy comes after 83 children, women, and elderly people who had survived more than 600 days under tight army blockade were evacuated from the war-battered enclave on….
Officials: Egypt bombs wound 6 officers, clashes kill 2
2/8/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) – Six Egyptian policemen were wounded in a bomb attack Friday in Cairo as clashes elsewhere in Egypt between police and Islamist protesters killed at least two people, including a child, officials said. The attack shattered a tense calm in the capital after a spate of bombings on Jan. 24 killed six policemen, in an escalation of a militant campaign following the overthrow of….
Jordanian dies of MERS virus
2/8/2014 – AMMAN (AFP) — A man has died in Jordan after being infected with the MERS virus, the kingdom’s first fatality from the respiratory disease in more than a year, news reports said on Saturday. Another man was reported to have died of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu.”Two men in their eighties have died in Jordan, one from the coronavirus MERS and the….
Egypt military ‘kills 16 Sinai militants in air strikes’
2/8/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt’s military said it killed 16 militants Saturday in air strikes in the restive Sinai peninsula, which Wahhabi militants have used as a springboard for attacks across the country. The air force has pressed ahead with air strikes in the region even after militants in north Sinai downed a helicopter last month with a shoulder fired missile, killing the entire crew….
Homs aid delayed as vehicles hit by mortar fire
2/8/2014 – Damascus (AFP) — A convoy delivering aid to civilians trapped in Syria’s Homs city on Saturday was fired on, wounding at least one driver, as the regime and rebels accused each other of breaking a humanitarian truce. The violence comes a day after 83 children, women and elderly people who survived more than 600 days of a choking army siege were evacuated in a….
International Solidarity Movement
Madleen Kolab, Gaza’s only fisherwoman
2/8/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – 9th February 2014, International Solidarity Movement, Charlie Andreasson| Gaza, Occupied Palestine – I have seen her standing there more then once, at the edge of the port, looking out over the boats in the harbor and then towards the horizon. And for a short second, I have seen myself, when as a child I took my bicycle down to the harbor just to stand at the….
Military repression following a settler attack in Qusra
2/8/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – 7th January 2014, International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team, Qusra, Nablus District, Occupied Palestine – On the 7th of January in Qusra, two farmers working on their land were threatened by settlers carrying guns. Villagers helped them to chase the invaders away before being violently repressed by the army. On Friday, at 10:30 a. m. , two Palestinian farmers were working their land around the village of….
occupied Palestinian territory: 30, 000 Palestinian families benefit from Human Appeal International UAE’s humanitarian aid
Relief Web 8 Feb 2014 – Source: Emirates News Agency Country: occupied Palestinian territory, United Arab Emirates WAM RAMMALLAH, 8th February, 2014 (WAM)–Human Appeal International UAE (HAI) is implementing the AED2 million winter humanitarian campaign in the Palestinian territories, where it is distributing clothes, food, blankets…
occupied Palestinian territory: Infographic: Palestinian Children in Israeli Military Detention
Relief Web 7 Feb 2014 – Source: Defence for Children International/Palestine Section Country: occupied Palestinian territory
Child casualties of Afghan war rise steeply in 2013
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Number of children killed or wounded in 2013 rose by 34 per cent, with Taliban bombings and battles with Afghan security forces responsible for majority of civilian casualties.
Fresh fighting delays aid to Homs and jeopardises truce
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Syrian Red Crescent convoy reports gunfire and shelling in attempt to deliver aid into Homs on second day of ceasefire.
Hope for Iran s blacklisted students rests with Rouhani
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Divisions within the Iranian state is preventing the country’s so-called starred students from returning to class, even after the election of moderate president Hassan Rouhani.
India village once famous for saris now known for TB epidemic
The National 8 Feb 2014 – The area of Uttar Pradesh state is under unofficial quarantine because of the epidemic. Strangers rarely venture into these villages outside the ancient city of Varanasi. Even rickshaw drivers refuse to enter, turning away the few passengers looking for a lift.
Syria evacuees: All of their names will go to the mukhabarat
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Syrian officials insisted on registering all 83 people who were evacuated from Homs on Friday, prompting concern they may be detained or interrogated at a later date.
In pictures: India s tuberculosis epidemic hits Uttar Pradesh village
The National 8 Feb 2014 – The high rate of TB cases in Lohata is unusual, even for India, where the disease kills about 300,000 people every year.
Legal experts warn Filipinos against loan sharks
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Filipinos in the UAE who are forced to turn to lenders have been warned not to present their passports as guarantee or agree to unreasonably high interest rates.
Video: Clashes break out over fare hike at Rio train station
The National 8 Feb 2014 – At least seven are injured in Rio de Janeiro, including a video journalist, as a rush-hour protest against train fare hikes dissolves into chaos and clashes.
Video: Aleppo from commercial hub to war zone
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Aleppo, once Syria’s commercial hub, is now a war zone in the battle for control of Syria.
Video: Busloads of Syrians evacuate Homs
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Syria evacuates civilians living in Homs in the first part of a three-day humanitarian ceasefire.
Video: Military dog captured by Taliban
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Video posted on a Afghan website shows a military working dog now in Taliban custody.
Video: Family, actors mourn Philip Seymour Hoffman at private funeral
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Family and friends attend a private funeral on Friday for actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died of an apparent overdose at the age of 46.
Video: He said he was carrying a bomb passenger on hijacked Turkish plane
The National 8 Feb 2014 – After a hijacked Turkish plane was forced to quickly land in Istanbul, passengers on the flight speak out about the ordeal.
Video: Violence spreads in Bosnia-Hercegovina
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Protesters in Bosnia-Hercegovina set fire to buildings as unrest grows over political and economic instability.
Video: Families evacuate Bolivian flood zones
The National 8 Feb 2014 – Families are desperately fleeing for higher ground as deadly floods swamp Bolivia, killing their livestock.
Lapid threatens to quit coalition if Haredi draft bill doesn t deliver equality
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Ad offers U.S. permit for Israeli drivers with suspended licenses
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
‘When I dance, I remember what I used to be’
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Israeli army sees increase in Christian Arab recruits
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Terror and wonder in Kiev: This is what real protest feels like
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Hadassah hospital files for court protection against creditors
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Videos show settlers attacking activists, as Israeli soldiers stand by
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Anti-Semitism possible factor in Pollard case, says ex-CIA head
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Senate urges renegotiation of terms for return of Iraqi Jewish archive
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Israel’s internal medicine doctors critical of new plan to fix overcrowded emergency rooms
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
In pictures: Day one of Winter Olympics in Sochi
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Man killed in south Tel Aviv car blast
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Dylan Farrow on Woody Allen’s NYT letter: Distortions and outright lies
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Clooney calls for the return of looted art
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Report: Iran sending warships close to U.S. borders
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Gaza rocket explodes in open area in southern Israel
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
2 killed, 5 injured in accidents across Israel this weekend
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Hebrew University launches innovation and entrepreneurship MBA in English
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Israel evicts Palestinian protest camp in Jordan Valley
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Kerry: Netanyahu, Abbas can voice objections to framework deal
Ha’aretz – 8 Feb 2014
Israeli transgender man tells tale of love and darkness
Ha’aretz – 7 Feb 2014
Rehovot giving community park to Haredim, residents complain
Ha’aretz – 7 Feb 2014
For African migrants now calling it home, Holot open prison is a prison all the same
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Detainees at western Negev facility disappointed with recent protests, despair about their future.
Man killed in car bomb in south Tel Aviv
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – This is the third bomb this week in Israel after two people were killed Monday in a Petah Tikva “work accident.”
Lapid vows to quit coalition over sanctions for haredi draft dodgers
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Lapid: “There is a law that must obligate everyone and everyone will have to obey it. We will not sit in a government that will not pass the draft bill, and it must be real.”
Feasts for the eye and mind
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Irving Spitz presents an overview of some noteworthy museum exhibits of 2013.
The Zionist angel of Rwanda
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village provides a nurturing community for 500 of the most needy orphans.
Take care of our own poor first
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – There are a significant number of Israelis who live below the poverty line; whole families suffering from a lack of work opportunities.
Secondary education: The primary challenge for integrating haredim into the workforce
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – The challenge of integrating haredim into the Israeli workforce has been a source of much public debate in recent years.
Throwing the book
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Sometimes legislation is born out of the best of intentions, but legislative good intentions can often leave no winners.
New holiday encourages Jews to engage in constructive conflict
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Purpose of New International Jewish Day of Constructive Conflict is to create respectful, peaceful debate on hot-button issues.
Hundreds of Palestinians riot on Temple Mount after Friday prayers
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Police say officers responded to rock-throwing by entering Temple Mount area, dispersing mobs with stun grenades.
PA forces arrest scores of radical Islamists in West Bank dragnet
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – The crackdown came after Hizb-ut-Tahrir distributed leaflets condemning PA chief Abbas’ NATO proposals.
Lapid: Hadassah Medical Organization will not fall, but must institute recovery program
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Public hospitals to give only 2 hours of lifesaving treatment Sunday in sympathy with HMO employees’ plight.
Fatah delegation arrives in Gaza for possible reconciliation with Hamas
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – The visit came after Hamas PM Haniyeh announced last month that his gov’t would allow Fatah leaders and activists who fled Gaza in 2007 to return to their homes.
US praises Liberman for declaring Kerry to be ‘true friend’ of Israel
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Foreign minister lashes out at Bennett, warns against damaging relations with Israel’s allies.
Iran says its warships approaching United States
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – “This move has a message,” a top Iranian naval officer told the Fars news agency.
IN PICTURES: Israel’s team at the Winter Olympics
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Five athletes represent Israel at the games in Sochi, Russia.
Kerry: Netanyahu, Abbas entitled to express objections to framework accord
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – US secretary of state says provisos may be the only way for leaders to “keep the negotiations moving”.
Egypt’s top satirist Bassem Youssef returns to TV
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – “Egyptian Jon Stewart” hosts first airing of show since it was pulled 3 months ago; pans public for lionizing army chief Sisi.
Top Iranian official: Israel a ‘cancer’ in the Middle East
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – US delegation walks out of Tunisia constitution party in protest of remarks made by Iran’s parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani.
Housing minister: Let s talk over humous
Jerusalem Post 8 Feb 2014 – Uri Ariel invites John Kerry to talk, even though the secretary of state s warnings “look and sound like a threat.”
Woody Allen denies adopted daughter’s renewed molestation accusations
Jerusalem Post 7 Feb 2014 – In open letter, acclaimed director says adopted daughter victim of mother’s “festering anger.”
Preparing for the northern arena: Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion
Jerusalem Post 7 Feb 2014 – ‘The Jerusalem Post’ joins soldiers from the one of the IDF’s special forces units on the final leg of their grueling combat training.
ADL recognizes Bush for fighting terror, anti-Semitism
Jerusalem Post 7 Feb 2014 – Anti-Defamation League presents former president with its highest honor; cites commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace process, promoting democratic values.
Former PM Olmert: No trust exists between Netanyahu and Abbas
Jerusalem Post 7 Feb 2014 – Olmert tells Channel 2 news that building personal trust was critical in order to reach a peace deal.
Woodside signs memorandum of understanding for 25% acquisition of Leviathan
Jerusalem Post 7 Feb 2014 – Australian company will pay more than it had originally offered to enter the Leviathan field, which sits 80 miles west of Haifa.
Children of the occupation: growing up in Palestine
The Guardian 8 Feb 2014 – Nawal Jabarin wants to be a doctor when she grows up. For now, she lives in a cave with 14 siblings, in constant fear of military raids. We meet the Palestinian children living under Israeli occupation…
Uruknet Note: uruknet.info is currently down. Go touruknet.de
Man arrested during Army raid in east Lebanon
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 The Lebanese Army Saturday arrested a man during a raid on his home in Zahle, east Lebanon, security sources said.
Egypt army kills 16 suspected militants in Sinai
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 Egypt’s military spokesman says airstrikes in the northern Sinai Peninsula have killed 16 militants with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the ousted president’s Islamist group.
Syria says Red Crescent aid workers wounded in Homs
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 Syrian state television says four members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were wounded by rebel fighters as the aid workers tried to deliver humanitarian supplies to a besieged, rebel-held district of Homs city.
MP Fayyad calls for enhancing Hezbollah-FPM MOU
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad calls for further developing the Memorandum of Understanding his party has with MP Michel Aoun s Free Patriotic Movement.
Iran sending warships close to U.S. borders
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 A senior Iranian naval commander says his country has sent several warships to the Atlantic Ocean, close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time.
Future Movement marks 40 days since Shatah s killing
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 The Future Movement marks 40 days since the assassination of former Minister Mohammad Shatah, hailing the man as a moderate who wished for a just and prosperous Lebanon.
Iraq governor gives Anbar militants one-week ultimatum
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 An Iraqi provincial governor gives militants controlling a city near Baghdad one week to surrender as government forces made steady progress in an effort to end a weeks-long crisis.
Renewed Syria fighting breaks cease-fire in Homs
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 Renewed fighting breaks a cease-fire in the embattled central Syrian city of Homs and halts a plan to evacuate civilians and bring supplies into rebel-held areas under siege, an official and activists say.
Drone over Maarab complex likely Israeli: Charbel
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 The mysterious drone spotted over the residence of the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Gegea likely belongs to Israel, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel says.
Iran leader: Don’t pin hope on sanctions relief
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 Iran’s Supreme Leader urges officials not to pin hopes for economic recovery on the sanctions relief from a landmark deal reached with world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Ukraine launches terror probe over Turkish plane hijack bid
Daily Star 8 Feb 2014 Ukraine launches a terror probe into a bid by an apparently drunk man to force an airliner flying to Turkey to land in Sochi where leaders gathered for the opening of the Winter Olympic Games.
Jordanian parliament against principle of recognizing Israel of Jewish state
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – ….
US urges removal of foreign fighters from South Sudan
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – ….
Reformist or conservative – which way will Iran go?
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – The deployment of warships to the Atlantic is meant for internal Iranian consumption, as Rouhani and his allies seek to quell criticism over the nuclear deal. But can they fend of their conservative detractors? ….
Six adults, two children shot to death in Guatemala jungle
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – ….
US Justice Department to expand rights of same-sex couples
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – ….
Police in Turkey disperse protest over Internet curbs
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – ….
Replacing one occupation with another?
YNet News, 8 Feb 2014 – Op-ed: Abbas’ NATO proposal shows Palestinians are only against a very specific type of occupation ….
Palestinian Information Center
European lawmakers must speak up against Zio-Nazism
PIC – The EU countries can do much to discourage Israel from pursuing the present criminal discourse against the helpless Palestinians.
Hamas condemns Israeli attacks on activists, Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Hamas movement described the ‚¨ Sbrutal‚¨ ù Israeli attacks on worshipers in the Aqsa Mosque and on activists in Ein Hijle village on Friday as a new ‚¨ SZionist crime‚¨ ù.
Baby girl dies of drought in Yarmouk refugee camp
PIC – A Palestinian baby girl aged only 40 days proclaimed dead on Friday after she suffered from severe drought as a result of the harsh humanitarian situation in the besieged refugee camp of Al-Yarmouk.
Massive protest in Gaza against Kerry’s plan and peace talks
PIC – Scores of Palestinians participated on Friday afternoon in a massive rally called for by the Movements of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in northern Gaza in protest at Kerry’s peace plan.
Israeli plan to expand Ma’ale Zeitim settlement in Jerusalem
PIC – Ahmad Sob-Laban, a Palestinian researcher in settlement activities, revealed an Israeli plan to expand Ma’ale Zeitim illegal settlement, built in Ras al-Amoud neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem.
PA large arrest campaign in West Bank
PIC – PA Security Services have launched on Friday evening an arrest campaign targeting members of Hizb ut-Tahrir throughout West Bank.
Captive Iyad Astete on hunger strike for the 8th day
PIC – Lawyers at the Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs in the West Bank Karim Ajwa stated that the prisoner Iyad Astete has been on hunger strike since February 1, 2014.
IOA extends detention of Jerusalemite minors accused of throwing stones
PIC – The Israeli occupation police in Jerusalem extended the detention of four minors and two youths, convicted of throwing stones in al-Aqsa Mosque during clashes that erupted after Friday prayers.
Tunisian campaign to support al-Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Palestine Supporters Association has launched in Tunisia a campaign in support of al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalemites’ steadfastness under the title “Siraj al-Aqsa campaign”.
IOA plans to build 22 new settlement units in Beit Hanina
PIC – The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) are planning to expand a settlement built on the lands of Beit Hanina in the occupied city of Jerusalem, by constructing 22 new settlement units.
Syria aid convoy bound for Homs comes under attack
LA Times 8 Feb 2014 – TARTUS, Syria — In a setback for a United Nations-brokered aid effort, a convoy carrying humanitarian assistance to civilians trapped in the center of the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday was met with gunfire and shelling, breaking a cease-fire.
Egyptian leftist politician first to announce bid for presidency
LA Times 8 Feb 2014 – CAIRO — Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi has become the first candidate to announce his candidacy for president in Egypt’s upcoming election.
Mubarak trial resumes in Egypt, with small interruption
LA Times 8 Feb 2014 – CAIRO — The retrial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resumed Saturday, but was briefly interrupted when the toppled leader reported feeling low blood pressure and medics were called in to assist.
Iran Says Warships Sailing Towards U.S.: Agency
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – An Iranian naval officer said a number of warships had been ordered to approach U.S. maritime borders as a response to the stationing of U.S. vessels in the Gulf, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday.
Libyan Ex-Prosecutor General Assassinated
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – A Libyan security official says the former prosecutor general has been gunned down in his hometown eastern Libya.
Iran Says It Will Cooperate With U.N. Nuclear Inquiry
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Iran has told diplomats that it plans to cooperate this weekend with United Nations experts investigating alleged activities that it has steadfastly denied: work on nuclear weapons.
Ex CIA Head: Anti-Semitism Likely in Pollard
Case
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Former CIA Director James Woolsey says anti-Semitism could be a factor in the U.S. refusal to release a Jewish American jailed for spying for Israel.
Aid Convoy Leaves Homs Safely After Being Fired On: Red Crescent
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – A joint aid team of United Nations and Syrian Red Crescent workers safely left the Old City of Homs on Saturday after their convoy came under fire as they delivered humanitarian supplies, the Red Crescent said.
Egypt’s Sabahi Says to Contest Presidency
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Egyptian leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi announced on Saturday he would be running for the presidency in a forthcoming election, enlivening a race that army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely expected to win.
Egypt Army Hits Sinai Militants; New Group Claims Cairo Bomb
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – The Egyptian army said on Saturday it had killed 16 Islamists in Sinai, and a new group said it carried out a bomb attack on police in Cairo, underscoring the widening scope of militant violence since the army removed Mohamed Mursi from power.
Fifteen Pilgrims Die in Saudi Arabia Hotel Fire: Report
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Fifteen people died and around 130 were injured when a fire broke out in a hotel packed with Muslim pilgrims in the Saudi Arabian city of Medina on Saturday, the state news agency said.
2 Dead as Tensions Rise in Algerian Desert City
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Sectarian tension in a southern desert city is boiling over after the deaths of two Berber men in as many days, including one that a local official said was knifed to death and disfigured under the eyes of police.
Egyptian Army Says Kills 16 Militants in Sinai
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Egypt’s army said on Saturday it killed 16 Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula in an area near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Syria Says Red Crescent Aid Workers Wounded in Homs
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – Syrian state television said four members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were wounded by rebel fighters on Saturday as the aid workers tried to deliver humanitarian supplies to a besieged, rebel-held district of Homs city.
Iran Sending Warships Close to US Borders
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – A senior Iranian naval commander says his country has sent several warships to the Atlantic Ocean, close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time.
Iran, UN Focus on Iran’s Alleged Nuclear Arms Work
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – After years of stonewalling, Iran has told diplomats that it plans to cooperate this weekend with U.N. experts probing alleged activities whose existence it has steadfastly denied work on nuclear weapons.
New Militant Group Claims Cairo Bombings
New York Times 8 Feb 2014 – A new militant group has claimed responsibility for two bombings in Cairo that targeted the Egyptian police on Friday and has vowed to carry out more attacks, underscoring the risk of a widening campaign of violence against the security forces.
Cameras reduce accidents
Globes Main News – Police issued 180,000 traffic reports in 18 months, and there were 26% fewer accidents.
Haredim: We’ll go to jail
Globes Main News – Demonstrators took to the streets today protesting against the halt to yeshiva funding.
Gaining the valuable hatred of their enemies, boycott movement is educating others
Mondoweiss – Charnwood s Lincoln Congress is the next battleground for the boycott movement against Israel. Some congressmen are leaping to introduce legislation to stem these efforts. And the Israelis are enraged that John Kerry even dignified the boycott movement by mentioning it out loud. From Lord Charnwood s Biography…
Student who exposed leftist teacher is honored at Knesset, while teacher gets violent threats
Mondoweiss – Adam Verete (left) and Sapir Sabah This is a story about a young Israeli high school teacher and a student who accused him of making inappropriate left wing political comments in class. It is being widely covered in Israel , but this kind of tale, although it…
Thomas Friedman occupies BDS
Mondoweiss – Friedman Thomas Friedman is in Ramallah on a mission. Apparently he has to sell the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to the Palestinian National Authority. On repeated occasions the PA had announced it does not support the BDS campaign launched in 2005 by Palestinian civil society…
A Namibian newspaperman, now gone, guides my reaction to Kerry s (unlikely but possible) framework
Mondoweiss – Hannes Smith (1933-2008) As the leaks continue to dribble out about the U.S. Secretary of State s Israel/Palestine peace negotiations, I find myself thinking back to conversations I had in Windhoek, Namibia, in 1982, with Hannes Smith, the legendary editor. Back then, South Africa continued to call…
Hey Mayor De Blasio it s New York, New York, not Israel, Israel
Mondoweiss – Demonstrators went to City Hall two days back to protest Bill de Blasio s private pander to the Israel lobby group AIPAC on Jan. 23, when he promised to stand by AIPAC whenever it needed him and to defend Israel as part of his job description. Some…
Meet Zohar Zuaretz: Israeli Fascist of the Week
Tikun Olam – Suaretz s Facebook photo: In every generation [anti-Semites] arise to destroy us, but the Holy One Blessed be He saves us from their hand. Generally, I try to write about the big issues, major trends in Israeli national society and security. But occasion
ally I make exceptions when…
Bibi s Cheap Trick on Abu Mazen
Tikun Olam – Back in the days of old (rock oldies, that is) there used to be a rock band called Cheap Trick. I don t remember anything about its music other than that there was a lot of electric guitar flourish and flash. The most memorable thing about it…
#Palestine News Roundup 2014.02.07
Sabbah report 8 Feb 2014 – News roundup related to Palestine including: the forced eviction of Ein Hijleh, Al-Aqsa attacks by Jewish thugs, the funny pictures of the Israeli terrorists teargas themselves, Kerry’s peace framework reactions and more. Read More: #Palestine News Roundup 2014.02.07 . Sign up for our free newsletter!
Iran warship to sail ‘close to US’
BBC 8 Feb 2014 – Iranian warships are to sail close to US maritime borders in the Atlantic for the first time, an Iranian naval commander tells state media.
VIDEO: Why are Arab women into tech?
BBC 8 Feb 2014 – There are proportionally more female tech entrepreneurs in the Middle East than anywhere else in the world, according to a recent US study.
VIDEO: Miliband: UN must act on Syria aid
BBC 7 Feb 2014 – Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called on the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution demanding open access so humanitarian groups can bring more aid into Syria.
Pilgrims killed in Saudi hotel fire
BBC 8 Feb 2014 – At least 15 people are killed and 130 injured in a fire at a hotel used by pilgrims in western Saudi Arabia, the state news agency has reported.
Aid convoy fired on in besieged Homs
BBC 8 Feb 2014 – An aid convoy bringing supplies into a besieged district of the Syrian city of Homs is trapped for several hours after coming under fire.
VIDEO: Iraq launches first ski resort
BBC 8 Feb 2014 – Iraq is hoping to attract tourists to a new $95m ski resort in Kurdistan – but will security concerns scare them off?
Armenians in Syria, After the Conflict
Al-Akhbar News 8 Feb 2014 – A worshiper receives communion as he attends a service at the Syrian Saint Sarkis Church for Armenian Orthodox in Damascus to celebrate the Armenian Christmas on January 6, 2014. (Photo: AFP – STR) A worshiper receives communion as he attends a service at the Syrian Saint…
Interview: British Envoy Says Syrian Unity Is Priority
Al-Akhbar News 8 Feb 2014 – A rebel fighter, carrying a weapon, gestures to people standing near a fire reportedly caused by an aerial bombardment from explosives-packed barrel bombs in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on February 8, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Fadi al-Halabi) A rebel fighter, carrying a weapon, gestures…
Mortar fire breaks Homs ceasefire
Al-Akhbar News 8 Feb 2014 – Syrian activists and officials said mortars were fired early on Saturday in the besieged Old Homs despite a ceasefire intended to allow the evacuation of civilians and delivery of aid to people trapped in the city’s central neighborhoods. There were no immediate reports of casualties from…
Jordanian man dies from MERS virus
Al-Akhbar News 8 Feb 2014 – A man has died in Jordan after being infected with the MERS virus, the kingdom’s first fatality from the respiratory disease in more than a year, news reports said Saturday. Another man was reported to have died of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. “Two men…
Metal band demands $666,000 from Pentagon over use of music as torture device
Al-Akhbar News 8 Feb 2014 – Protestors wear orange detainee jumpsuits and black hoods as they hold a banner calling for the closing of the US detention center at Guantanamo naval base in Cuba in front of the White House in Washington on January 11, 2014 to mark the 12th anniversary of…
Iran and IAEA resume nuclear talks
Al-Akhbar News 8 Feb 2014 – Iran resumed talks on its nuclear program with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Saturday, the official IRNA news agency said, in discussions expected to broach sensitive military-related issues. The UN atomic agency hopes to persuade Iran to finally start addressing long-held suspicions that it…
Jibril Rajoub calls for Iran to deal with ‘all the Palestinian groups’
Al-Monitor 7 Feb 2014 – In an exclusive interview in Tehran, Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub discusses his effort to rebuild Fatah s ties with Iran.
By Royal Orders: Saudis Abandon Their Fighters
Al-Akhbar Politics 7 Feb 2014 – Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal leaves the Foreign Ministry after meeting with Pakistan’s Adviser for National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad on January 7, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Aamir QURESHI) Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal leaves the Foreign Ministry after meeting with Pakistan’s…
Israel ‘National Singer’ tainted by sex scandal
Al-Monitor 7 Feb 2014 – Israeli police has decided not to press any charges against singer Eyal Golan, but revelation of his conduct leave many of his admirers disheartened.
Articles
A tent amongst the rubble in East Jerusalem
UCS-J, Ma an News Agency2/8/2014
The following story was issued by the Media Office of the Union of Charitable Societies-Jerusalem. UCS-J is an umbrella organization with 150 NGO members from across the Palestinian Territories.
Similar to other pregnant women who eagerly await their transitions into motherhood, on that gloomy morning May Aldebai was speaking to her unborn baby.
She was telling him about the cozy room she had prepared for him, his warm bed, the nice clothes and the toys that would come to life at the moment of his arrival to the world.
Mai did not imagine that before the clock had struck 10 a.m., all of her baby’s clothes and toys, along with her dreams, would be smashed and buried beneath the rubble of her family home.
In 2008, Azam Idriss and his son-in-law Bahaa Aldbai bought a piece of land in the Ashqariyeh neighborhood in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem.
Two years later, they took out loans to build a single-story house and divided it into two apartments in order to protect them from the winter cold and summer heat. The apartments would be their family shelter, and would come to house fifteen people.
However, during the construction they were subjected to a great deal of harassment by the Israeli municipality, which even issued a fine of 170,000 shekels ($48,200) against them under the claim of unlicensed construction.more..e-mail
Madleen Kolab, Gaza’s only fisherwoman
Charlie Andreasson, Gaza, Occupied Palestine, International Solidarity Movement2/8/2014
I have seen her standing there more then once, at the edge of the port, looking out over the boats in the harbor and then towards the horizon. And for a short second, I have seen myself, when as a child I took my bicycle down to the harbor just to stand at the pier and gaze, for a long, long time, at the boats that disappeared beyond the horizon, and wonder what was beyond that line. And I have briefly asked myself if she does the same. But she is not a child, she is a young, adult woman. A strong woman.
I asked a good friend to arrange a meeting with Madleen Kolab, 19 years old and Gaza s only fisherwoman, for an interview. Later, she would reveal this was only to tell me face to face tell me that she does not give interviews. For almost two years, she has declined all requests from journalists because they, as she says, only writes for their careers. But she decided to make an exception when she recognized me and knew that I was involved in the rebuilding of Gaza s Ark, and thus in work for Palestine. Her firm look told me that she was serious and I felt honored, but also a little embarrassed, and was grateful that I could lower my eyes towards my notepad.
When she was six years old, she already accompanied her father when he was fishing, and she knew early what her coming profession would be. She loves her work. It gives her a sense of freedom to be on the sea, and she was careful to point out that nobody forced her to become a fisherman. Her rapt answers to my questions, that she never needed any consideration, unwavering eyes and lack of hesitation left no doubt or room for me to think otherwise. I could not doubt her word when she said that the other fishermen respect her as an equal colleague. It was only after I stressed that women all over the world find it difficult to break into an extremely male-dominated industry like fishing that she confessed she too has been fighting for her rights, and has been treated with prejudice, but that has now changed.more..e-mail
Israel spreads Hamas phobia in Europe
Dr Adnan Abu Amer, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)2/7/2014
Without prior warning, on December 31, 2013, the Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, banned two European organisations on the grounds of their association with Hamas, namely: Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) in Belgium and the European Campaign to Remove the Siege Against the Gaza Strip in Norway, declaring them as illegal and allowing Israel to seize their funds and prosecute their members.
Hypothetical justifications
An Israeli military source claimed the motives behind the decision was the fact that the two organisations work as a “pressuring lobby” for Hamas in the European Union and are the movement’s biggest supporters there. The source also said the organisations are carrying out their activities under the guise of sympathising with the Palestinians and are headed by senior activists in the movement.
However, the two banned organisations rejected Israel’s decision as they are registered as organisations operating within the European Union. They said they are working to develop dialogue between Europe and the Arab world and to find a just s
olution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Moreover, many of the organisations’ board members are members of the European Parliament. The organisations have also organised visits to the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for parliamentarians, decision-makers, activists, journalists and academics in order for them to study the political and economic conditions, as well as the human rights situation there.
This indicated that the Israeli decision may not be directly linked to Hamas but is due to the efforts exerted by the organisations….more..e-mail
Historic Framework or Reheated Old Coffee Dregs?
Rami G. Khouri, Agence Global2/8/2014
PRINCETON, New Jersey The widespread anticipation among what seems like just 27 people in the United States who follow the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations is that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will soon table a set of American positions or proposals for the key elements of a framework agreement that would define the next phase of the permanent status talks and extend them beyond the April deadline.
We are also told two other significant things by some among the 27 faithful followers: The U.S. positions on key issues are not fixed and could change before the framework is made public, and, more significantly, the Palestinian and Israeli leaders could signal their willingness to keep negotiating within the framework particulars but without formally accepting them all. What has been leaked to date, especially to Israeli media by leaders of Jewish organizations who were briefed last week by the leader of the American negotiating team, Martin Indyk, suggests that with only one big exception, the framework contains little of major new significance.
The leaked reports say that the United States will support 85 percent of Israeli Jewish settlers staying in their colonies built on occupied Palestinian lands that will become part of Israel, in return for land swaps; the United States will support Israeli troops staying in the Jordan Valley for a period of time while Washington also provides significant new security guarantees; the two parties would formally accept Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and the Palestinian West Bank-Gaza state as the homeland of the Palestinians; compensation would be paid to Palestinians who fled or were evicted from their homes inside present day Israel, and also to Jews who fled or were forced out of Arab countries; the Palestinian state would have its capital in parts of Arab East Jerusalem that Israeli has not yet colonized; and, reportedly, Palestinian refugees would return to the new West Bank-Gaza state but not to Israel itself.more..e-mail
The Not So Magnificent Kerry
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Feb 2014 – By S.R.H. Hashmi In his article The Magnificent Kerry published in the Tripoli Post on February 6, while giving credit to US Secretary of State John Kerry for averting military action against Iran and Syria, Gwynne Dyer likened his Palestine-Israeli peace mission to the charge of the British Light Brigade in the Crimean War in 1854, and quoted French General Pierre Bosquet commenting on the suicidal attack It is magnificent, but it is not war. It s madness and taking the same line, Gwynne declares Kerry s mission not to be diplomacy but hubris. I would consider the comparison of Palestinian-Israeli peace process with charge of the Light Brigade as rather inappropriate simply because in the former case, the outcome is dependent not just on the will and capability of the two opposing sides but also on those of the international community mainly the United States and the European…more
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The New Dark Age 