7 March 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Lieberman Denies EU Request To Visit Palestinian Detainees
IMEMC – A request by a European Union official to visit Palestinian political prisoners, held by Israel, was denied by Israeli Prime Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, of the extreme right-wing “Israel Our Home” party. …
Detainee Moved To Hospital Facing Serious Complications
IMEMC – The Prison Administration at the Negev Detention Camp, in the Negev Desert of occupied Palestine, moved detainee Majed Taha Qaraqe’, age 40, to the Soroka medical center after suffering serious complications. …
West Bank: Settlers Assault Palestinians in al-Mughayyar Village, Key Bethlehem Road Closed
IMEMC – A group of colonial Israeli settlers attacked, on Thursday morning, three young Palestinians in al-Mughayyar village, to the north of the West Bank city of Ramallah. …
Pope Francis Threatens to Cancel Israel Visit, Workers Protest Gaza Siege
IMEMC – Palestinian evangelicals lead shift away from Christian Zionism The papal ambassador to Israel has informed the Israeli Foreign Ministry that Pope Francis will cancel his planned visit to Israel, which was to take place over May 24-26, due to the ongoing labor dispute at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. …
UN Observer Sends Identical Letters Addressing Deteriorating Conditions in Occupied Territories
IMEMC – Palestine’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, sent on Wednesday identical letters to the UN Secretary General, President of the UN Security Council and President of the UN General Assembly, briefing them on the ongoing turmoil and the worsening conditions in the occupied Palestinian Territories. …
Seven Palestinians Kidnapped from Jenin, Hebron, Beit Sahour
IMEMC – One summoned for interrogation Israeli occupation forces abducted, on Thursday, four Palestinians from the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp. …
Israeli troops detain 4 Palestinians during raid on youth center, including prominent lawyer
IMEMC – Late Thursday, Israeli forces raided the town of al-Issawiya, in east Jerusalem, and abducted several members of the family of former political prisoner and 266-day hunger striker Samer al-Issawi, including his sister, the prominent Palestinian human rights lawyer Shireen al-Issawi. …
‘Israel apartheid week’ events held at over 200 universities, including Hebrew University
IMEMC – A week of events organized to bring attention to Israel’s practices and policies which resemble the South African race-based system known as apartheid were held at hundreds of universities from March 2nd to 7th 2014. Among the universities that held events this year was the Israeli Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where a photo exhibit documented some of the issues faced by Palestinians living under occupation. …
Over 150 academics submit letter condemning Israeli intimidation and censorship
IMEMC – A group of professors, researchers and other academics from around the world published an open letter this week condemning the Israeli government’s attempts to stifle debate and academic freedom at universities all over the planet. …
Israeli forces detain 8 at Al-Aqsa following Friday prayers
3/7/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained at least eight young Palestinian men as they left the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon. Director of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said that Anas Abu Asab, Muni al-Ajlouni, Mohammad Abu Sneineh, Omar al-Zaaneen, Awni Dkeidek, Awni Abu Sbeih, and Mohammad al-Dakkak were among those detained. The identities of the other detained individuals were….
Israeli settlers stone AFP photographer’s car in West Bank
3/7/2014 – RAMALLAH (AFP) – Israeli settlers in the West Bank stoned the car of a Palestinian photographer working for AFP, slightly injuring him, as he was on his way to cover a story Friday. The photographer said several of around 100 settlers who were gathered at the side of the road threw stones at his car, cracking the windscreen and lightly injuring him in the face and….
Six injured as Israeli forces disperse protests across West Bank
3/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Six Palestinians were injured and two Israeli peace activists were detained as protests against the Israeli occupation broke out in at least four villages across the West Bank on Friday. Dozens of Palestinians also suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation during the clashes, which took place in al-Ram, Kafr Qaddum, Bilin, and Beit Ummar. Al-Ram Four Palestinian youths were injured and….
Israeli forces arrest man for planting trees near Qalqiliya
3/7/2014 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Friday afternoon detained a young man while he was planting an olive sapling east of Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank, locals said. Alaa Issa al-Dweiri, 20, was detained and taken to an unknown destination while he was participating in a campaign to plant olive saplings on Palestinian lands in Izbet at Tabib under threat of confiscation by….
Israeli forces block entrance to Beit Ummar
3/7/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces blocked the entrance to the village of Beit Ummar near Hebron with piles of dirt and cement blocks on Friday. Spokesman for the popular resistance committee in Beit Ummar Mohammad Ayyad Awad said that Israeli bulldozers closed the entrance to the village, which is adjacent to the main road connecting Jerusalem and Hebron. Awad added that Israeli forces arrested….
10th annual Israeli Apartheid Week kicks off globally
3/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestine solidarity activists launched the 10th annual Israeli Apartheid Week in North America and the UK last week, as their counterparts around the world prepared to mobilize throughout the month of March. Israeli Apartheid Week is a global campaign that seeks to raise awareness about the discrimination faced by Palestinians and to rally support in favor of the Boycott, Divestment, and….
Iran: Israel fabricated Gaza weapons claim
3/7/2014 – JAKARTA (AFP) — Iran’s foreign minister on Friday sharply rejected an Israeli allegation that Tehran tried to ship missiles to the Gaza Strip, calling it a “lie”. Israel has said it captured a Gaza-bound ship Wednesday carrying dozens of Syrian-made rockets “capable of striking anywhere in Israel”. The raid coincided with a high-profile US trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with US….
Egypt ban on Hamas could lead to ‘Israeli attack on Gaza’
3/7/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Egypt’s decision last week to ban the Hamas movement could lead to a new attack on Gaza by Israel’s military, a Hamas official said Friday.” We want calm, peace, and stability for Egypt, we want it’s people to achieve the values of justice, freedom and equality and relinquish injustice. We don’t want….
Israeli forces hand out 2 stop-work orders in Hebron village
3/7/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Friday handed stop-work orders to two families for homes in Ithna village west of Hebron. The orders to stop work on construction were received for a house owned by Wisam Jibril Hittawi, which was built four years ago and is home to six people, as well as a house under construction owned by Sayel Mahfouth Islemiyya. The notices….
Kerry in Jordan to meet King Abdullah
3/7/2014 – AQABA, Jordan (AFP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jordan on Friday for talks with King Abdullah II on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a US spokeswoman traveling with him said. The short stop in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where he was to meet the king, had not been previously announced. Kerry, who arrived from Rome from where he also brought back….
Israel diplomat strike could hinder pope visit
3/7/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — A strike at Israel’s foreign ministry could make Pope Francis’s first trip to the Holy Land, set for May, “impossible,” an Israeli diplomat said Friday.”Imminent planned visits by foreign leaders, including (British Prime Minister) David Cameron next week or the Pope in May, will be complicated, and perhaps impossible” because of the strike which began Tuesday, Yigal Palmor….
Netanyahu says peace deal would leave some settlements in Palestine
3/7/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday raised the possibility that some Jewish settlements would remain under Palestinian sovereignty if the two sides struck a peace deal.”It is clear that some of the settlements will not be part of a (peace) deal,” Netanyahu, wrapping up a visit to the United States, told Israeli television.”I will not abandon anyone. I will not….
White House: Obama speaks to Putin to explain sanctions moves
3/7/2014 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Barack Obama spoke to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, hours after Washington imposed visa bans and readied further sanctions on Russian officials.”President Obama emphasized that Russia’s actions are in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which has led us to take several steps in response, in coordination with our European partners,” the White House said….
Experts: Syria war may last 10 more years
3/7/2014 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The brutal war in Syria could grind on for a decade as Iran and Russia prop up President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and jihadist groups flood the battlefield, experts warned Thursday. Assad has chosen a deliberate “Machiavellian strategy” of standing by while militant groups such as al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fl
ourish, leaving the US-backed moderate opposition….
Iran denies medical care to political prisoners
3/7/2014 – NICOSIA (AFP) — The International Federation for Human Rights on Thursday raised the alarm over what it termed the deliberate denial of medical care to sick political prisoners in Iran.”Iranian authorities deny prisoners access to medical care on purpose,” Karim Lahidji, president of the Paris-based FIDH, said in a statement.”They punish prisoners of conscience twice: first by arbitrarily arresting and imprisoning them, then by….
PFLP-GC: ISIL re-enters Yarmouk camp
3/7/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant re-entered the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp on Thursday, two days after al-Nusra Front did the same, a PFLP-GC spokesman said. PFLP-GC spokesman Anwar Rajaa said in a statement that ISIL militants had returned to the Damascus camp on Thursday, adding that they detained and “abused” several Palestinians upon arrival. Aid distribution in Yarmouk….
International Solidarity Movement
VIDEO – Roadblocks
3/8/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus| Occupied Palestine – The video below shows the presence of Israeli flying checkpoints and roadblocks that impede Palestinian movement. [END]
8216;I can’t give you information about your health, it’s a security matter’
3/7/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Corporate Watch, Tom Anderson and Therezia Cooper, Gaza, Occupied Palestine – International action has been called for in solidarity with prisoners held in Israeli jails. Corporate Watch has been investigating the companies involved in the Israeli prison system and interviewing ex-prisoners. This interview is part of a series of articles which will be released over the coming months focusing on companies providing equipment and services to the Israeli Prison “˜Service….
World: Survivor Tells How Rebel Group Stole His Youth before Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution 2143 (2014) Condemning Child Recruitment in Armed Conflict
Relief Web 7 Mar 2014 – Source: UN Security Council Country: World SC/11309 Security Council 7129th Meeting (AM) Attacks on Schools, Hospitals Deplored as More than 60 Speakers Feature in Debate “My childhood was robbed by the Revolutionary United Front for two years,” former child soldier…
occupied Palestinian territory: Gazan communities work together for rights and justice
Relief Web 7 Mar 2014 – Source: Islamic Relief Country: occupied Palestinian territory Islamic Relief is empowering Gazan communities in the fight against poverty, thanks to an ambitious European Union-funded project. The 28-month Gaza Strip project, which began in 2012, brings together community-based organisations in the…
Syrian Arab Republic: Analysis-Middle East drought a threat to global food prices
Relief Web 7 Mar 2014 – Source: Reuters – AlertNet Country: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic U.N. and experts say Middle East driest in decades Rain-fed cereal areas in Syria and Iraq hurt Experts say poor management worsens drought’s impact Increased need…
World: Life can change: Securing housing, land and property rights for displaced women
Relief Web 7 Mar 2014 – Source: Norwegian Refugee Council Country: Afghanistan, Colombia, Ecuador, Lebanon, Liberia, occupied Palestinian territory, World, South Sudan Humanitarians are failing women in need of a safe home Major international investments in justice in conflict-affected countries fail displaced women in need of…
World: Girl, disrupted
Relief Web 7 Mar 2014 – Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Country: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, occupied Palestinian territory, World Violence, conflict, disasters and displacement have different impacts on men, women, girls and boys. Women and girls suffer higher rates…
No drama in North Korea’s elections, but plenty of anxiety for voters
The National 7 Mar 2014 – Going to the polls is expected of all eligible voters, which effectively makes North Korean elections a powerful tool for checking up on the people.
Mahmoud Abbas: I will not recognise Jewish state
The National 7 Mar 2014 – Palestinian Authority president in firm stance on Israel as US secretary of state John Kerry visits Jordan to gain support for Middle East peace talks.
Saudi terror label shows world is waking to extremist threat in Syria
The National 7 Mar 2014 – Riyadh’s decision to brand two of the strongest rebel groups terrorists stems from miscalculations made at the beginning of Syria’s war.
Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group
The National 7 Mar 2014 – Riyadh also designates ISIL and Jabhat Al Nusra ‘terrorists’ and penalises involvement in any of the groups’ activities at home or abroad and outlaws the use of ‘slogans of these organisations’, including in social media.
Scarlett Johansson says support of SodaStream is environmentally motivated
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Three killed, dozens wounded Islamists and police clash across Egypt
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Nine wounded Ukrainian protesters arrive in Israel
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Report: Russian soldiers storm Ukrainian military base in Crimea
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Netanyahu: I won’t leave any Israeli undefended under peace deal
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Netanyahu: I won’t leave any Israeli undefended under peace deal
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Daniel Gordis’ Begin biography teaches liberals and leftists can’t be trusted
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
If I were an American Jew, I’d worry about Israel’s racist cancer
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
The new Jews of L.A.: Venice Beach’s Orthodox outpost
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Irish student union endorses Israel boycott
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Reform leader: Cabinet pledged to nix transfer of Kotel prayer area to settler group Elad
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Forget coffee: New app lets users wake up to the smell of bacon
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Israeli envoy opens ‘hotline’ with Ukrainian ultra-nationalist
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Israeli envoy opens ‘hotline’ with Ukrainian ultra-nationalist
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Egyptian Jewish leader Nadia Haroun dies
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Confusion over pope’s planned visit to Holy Land
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Ukraine says Russian troops in Crimea have doubled to 30,000
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
How Israel avoided another Marmara-style media debacle
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
IAF scrambles jets after Syrian aircraft near border
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Kerry in Jordan for talks on Middle East peace
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
What a difference a braid makes
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Facebook’s safe haven for Israeli racists
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Innovative American aircraft train in Israel
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Shas’ Avraham Michaeli tops list of MKs’ spending on contact with the voter’
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Frankly, America, Bibi doesn’t give a damn
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Putin can’t count on the Jews of Ukraine – but he always has Israel
Ha’aretz – 7 Mar 2014
Struggling Maariv newspaper may be up for sale again
Ha’aretz – 6 Mar 2014
How women can fight the wage gap by demanding more pay
Ha’aretz – 6 Mar 2014
TV show refuses tax probe’s demand for medical tourism material
Ha’aretz – 6 Mar 2014
Mother dies in Bnei Brak hospital several days after childbirth
Ha’aretz – 6 Mar 2014
For Israel, warming U.S.-Iran ties are just as dangerous as smuggled missiles
Ha’aretz – 6 Mar 2014
Haredi man convicted for ‘prostitute’ slur against soldier
Ha’aretz – 6 Mar 2014
9 wounded Ukrainians to be brought to Israeli hospitals
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – The Jewish community in Kiev organized treatment for the wounded protesters, who will be admitted to Hadassah and Kaplan Medical Centers.
Abbas: I will not recognize Israel as Jewish state
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Ahead of his meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry this month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas rejects Prime Minister Netanyahu’s repeated request to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as a critical part of framework deal.
Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Saudi Interior Ministry also lists Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, whose fighters are battling Syrian President Assad.
Kerry lands in Jordan to discuss peace talks with King Abdullah
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – US secretary of state departs Rome, stops in Jordan for visit with king to to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Iran says nuclear talks with powers in Vienna ‘substantive and useful’
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Head of Iranian delegation at the talks says work in Vienna in past days very serious, intention to prepare for next round of negotiations.
Woman arrested for killing newborn and burying body
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Negev resident arrested after police find body of baby buried; two other women suspected of involvement in ‘great efforts’ to cover up murder.
Vatican denies reports Pope cancels visit to Israel in May
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Reports circulating that dispute in Israel Foreign Ministry causes Pope to cancel visit, rumors of British PM Cameron cancelling also spreading.
US bill ‘dramatically strengthens’ Israel alliance
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Bill to expand delivery of forward-deployed US weapons to Israel and help commit Congress to further funding of the Iron Dome.
Russia says there will be no war with Ukraine
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Russia’s assembly speaker denounces conflict between “two brotherly nations,” says Crimean parliament has right to referendum, to be held March 16.
Erdogan says Turkey could ban Facebook and YouTube
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Locked in power struggle with former ally, Turkish prime minister aims to quell abuse by his political enemies on internet sites.
International Women’s Day brings IDF servicewomen to the front
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – International Women’s Day is a celebration of women worldwide, but it is easy to forget the girls who place themselves in danger everyday for their nation.
Sources: Egypt to revoke citizenship of nearly 14,000 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas
Jerusalem Post 7 Mar 2014 – Security forces say that Hamas members that became Egyptian citizens have taken part in terrorist attacks.
Ahead of revote, judge orders anonymous election posters in Beit Shemesh removed
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – Yesh Atid brought the claims after haredi activists posted signs around the city showing an image of Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid.
EU reassures Israel over ties despite opposition to West Bank settlements
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – European officials tried to reassure Israeli journalists concerned by its publication last year of settlement guidelines.
State: Body for probing Shin Bet active since January
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – This is the first time the state has publicly acknowledged the status of the new unit, and it has not been previously reported.
Non-Orthodox prayer area near Western Wall to remain under government control
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – Area to be run in accordance with the terms of the future deal currently under discussion between the government, non-Orthodox Jewish denominations.
Column one: Surviving Obama
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – Obama’s newfound courage to begin abandoning his pretense of supporting Israel presents Israel with a new challenge.
Exclusive: Azrieli philanthropy to give $100 million within 5 years
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – According to ‘Forbes Magazine,’ the Azrieli family is worth $3.1 billion, earning it a rank of 520 in the magazine’s 2014 billionaire’s list.
Crimea and punishment?
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – The US president is being inserted into the process of the Middle East peace process, even against his better judgment.
Netanyahu: Iran’s lies will be exposed when interdicted ship comes to Eilat
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – The Jews paid heavy price when the world powers did not take Hitler’s words seriously, PM says in Los Angeles.
Into the Fray: The Zionist Organization of America – A personal postscript
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – ZOA’s current condition reflects the accumulative result of the incumbent president’s best efforts over the past 20 years. His reelection is unlikely to induce the change that even his proponents admit is needed.
My Word: On wine and women
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – In all, I worked my way through nine half-full glasses of excellent wine (but who was counting, especially as I wasn’t driving).
Another tack: Krake Zuckerberg
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – Why was it essential to emphasize Zuckerberg’s ethnicity? Why did Zuckerberg have to be lambasted as the generic Jew? Was it even vaguely germane to the issue at hand?
Savir’s Corner: What if the answer is yes?
Jerusalem Post 6 Mar 2014 – The two leaders, Netanyahu and Abbas, should meet on a monthly basis and negotiate the most difficult issues – Jerusalem to Ramallah is a 15-minute drive.
Tahrir Square Finds a GrEEK Neighbour
IPS IT entrepreneur Marwa Sadek, the face of a new Egypt. Credit: Rachel Williamson/IPS. By Rachel Williamson CAIRO, Mar 7 2014 (IPS) The group of buildings near Tahrir Square could be modern campus-style office space anywhere. It’s hard to believe that just outside the heavy steel gates lies downtown Cairo, the…
UN criticizes violence against Egypt protesters
Daily Star 7 Mar 2014 A group of 27 countries on the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed concerns Friday over the Egyptian government’s wide-scale use of violence against opposition protesters, the first reprimand from the international body since a bloody…
Three killed in Cairo clashes, 48 wounded across Egypt
Daily Star 7 Mar 2014 Three protesters were killed and dozens wounded as Muslim Brotherhood supporters and police clashed across Egypt on Friday, the health ministry and security sources said.
Whimsical Giannini stumbles on to winning formula
Daily Star 7 Mar 2014 After baffling supporters with capricious formations and naive tactics since replacing Theo Bucker, Lebanon manager Guissepe Giannini finally seemed to turn a corner with an astute lineup against Thailand in Bangkok Wednesday.
Equality of the sexes, at least at local shopping centers: AUB study
Daily Star 7 Mar 2014 Turns out the mall may be the great equalizer when it comes to the sexes in Lebanon.
Netanyahu says Israel would give up “some settlements” for peace
Daily Star 7 Mar 2014 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would give up “some settlements” in occupied Palestinian land to help secure a peace agreement but would limit as much as he could the number of enclaves removed.
Yemen names new oil and interior ministers: state news agency
Daily Star 7 Mar 2014 Yemen appointed new oil and interior ministers on Friday, state news agency Saba reported, after a series of lethal attacks on security targets and oil facilities.
US Border Patrol releases use-of-force guidelines
YNet News, 7 Mar 2014 – ….
Pentagon: About 20,000 Russian troops in Ukraine
YNet News, 7 Mar 2014 – ….
Report: Ukraine base in Crimea under siege
YNet News, 7 Mar 2014 – ….
Mexico announces friendly against Israel
YNet News, 7 Mar 2014 – ….
Russia in patriotic fervor over Crimea
YNet News, 7 Mar 2014 – ….
Combining technology and Jewish law
YNet News, 7 Mar 2014 – Zomet Institute aims to make it easier for people to observe Shabbat by reconciling Orthodox Jewish law with modern world. ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas and Egypt: A fluctuating relationship over the years
PIC – The recent ruling issued by a Cairo court on Tuesday (4-3-2014) to ban the activities of Hamas in Egypt has marked a new phase in the relationship between the movement and Egypt.
Al-Qassam Brigades denies relation with alleged Gaza-bound arms ship
PIC – Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, denied any connection with the arms shipment that was allegedly seized by the Israeli navy in the Red Sea a few days ago.
Jordanian group says Arab regimes will accept Israel’s Jewishness
PIC – A Jordanian anti-normalization group expressed its deep concern over news reports talking about the readiness of some Arab and Palestinian regimes to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
For four days, 80 thousand Jerusalemites deprived of water
PIC – The Israeli radio reported on Friday that about 80 thousand residents of Jerusalem have been without water since last Tuesday after water supply to their homes was cut off by the Israeli authorities
Netanyahu: We won’t accept any agreement not protecting our security
PIC – Israeli premierBenjamin Netanyahu said that he refuses any settlement agreement with the Palestinian side that does not meet the needs of Israel and ensure the protection of its national security.
Israeli expansion works in Njihut settlement ongoing
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) continued on Thursday construction works to expand Njihut settlement on Palestinian lands south of al-Khalil.
6 Palestinian refugees killed in Syria
PIC – Six Palestinian refugees were martyred on Thursday due to the acute food and medicines crisis and the continued shelling on Palestinian camps.
IPS forces hunger striker to undergo medical tests
PIC – The Israeli prison services (IPS) forced the hunger striker Wahid Abu Maria to undergo medical tests in Wolfson medical center against his will in presence of medical staff.
Hamas slams Popular Struggle Front official for inciting against it
PIC – Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri strongly denounced Popular Struggle Front leader Mahmoud Zak for claiming that Palestinian factions asked his Movement to stop interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs.
IOF arrests Shadi and Shirin al-Issawi
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested on Thursday evening lawyer Shirin al-Issawi and her brother Shadi, a former detainee in Israeli jails, in Issawiya village in occupied Jerusalem.
The Earthquake in the Ready East
WAFA – 5 Mar 2014
Saudis Put Terrorist Label on Muslim Brotherhood
New York Times 7 Mar 2014 – Saudi Arabia’s decree appeared to begin an effort to quell the Muslim Brotherhood, reflecting a divide in the Middle East after the military takeover in Egypt last year.
Among the Wounded in Syria’s War: Ancient History
New York Times 7 Mar 2014 – Archaeologists, long kept from their work in Syria, now hear reports of fighting and theft at historical sites and museums.
As Kerry Visits Jordan, Abbas Holds His Ground
New York Times 7 Mar 2014 – Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to consult King Abdullah II even as the Palestinian president restated positions that underscored the challenge Mr. Kerry faces.
World Briefing: French Court Convicts 3 Who Tried to Join Militants in Syria
New York Times 7 Mar 2014 – The three men were arrested in 2012 as they were boarding a flight to a Turkish airport not far from Syria and charged with criminal association with the intent to commit terrorist acts.
At War Blog: Building Bridges Between the Military and Universities
New York Times 7 Mar 2014 – Historically, the relationship between universities and the military has been complicated, though it wasn’t always so tense.
Syria Speeds Its Deliveries of Chemicals for Disposal
New York Times 7 Mar 2014 – The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said that Syria delivered two consignments of chemical weapons last week and that another significant shipment was expected this week.
Witness Says Defendant Spoke to Qaeda Trainees
New York Times 6 Mar 2014 – The testimony of Salim Alwan seemed intended to support the government’s contention that Sulaiman Abu Ghaith played an important role for Al Qaeda before the Sept. 11 attacks.
World Briefing: Iran Disputes Israeli Arms Claim
New York Times 6 Mar 2014 – Iran accused Israel on Thursday of falsifying claims that it had seized an Iranian shipment of weapons bound for Palestinian militants in Gaza aboard a merchant ship.
Listening Post: With Netanyahu, Obama Plays Bad Cop to Kerry’s Good Cop
New York Times 6 Mar 2014 – President Obama has fixed ideas about how best to pursue peace in the Middle East, and a far less solicitous style than his secretary of state, John Kerry.
Egypt Pulls Ambassador From Qatar
New York Times 6 Mar 2014 – The move made Egypt the fourth Arab state in two days to withdraw its ambassador from Doha over Qatari support for Islamists around the region.
Thousands denied water in Jerusalem as California Gov signs energy pact with Netanyahu
Mondoweiss – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and California Gov. Jerry Brown (L) sign a pact to strengthen economic and research ties between California and Israel at the Computer History Museum on March 5, 2014 in Mountain View, California. Israel cut off the water supply to 45,000…
A model factory for a colonialism in trouble: the SodaStream saga revisited
Mondoweiss – It may have taken up a nauseating amount of our attention by now, but the Scarlett Johannson/SodaStream saga sure has a lot of people talking about how those seltzer machines are made in the Occupied West Bank. Of the recent wave of boycotts against Israeli institutions…
December 2013 Report to UN Human Rights Council on Occupied Palestine
Sabbah report 7 Mar 2014 – Special Rapporteur addresses Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the wall in the context of the tenth anniversary of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and considers the policies and practices of Israel in occupied Palestine in light of…
Benjamin Netanyahu Concedes ‘Some Settlements’ Will Be Uprooted
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2014 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would give up “some settlements” in occupied Palestinian land to help secure a peace agreement but would limit as much as he could the number of enclaves removed. Click here for the rest of the article…
Wounded Ukraine Protesters Airlifted to Israel
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2014 – For 17-year-old Bolodimir Bedyuk, a Ukrainian who was severely wounded in clashes with Ukrainian forces on Feb. 18, Israeli medical care may be his only hope. Click here for the rest of the article…
Ukrainian Jews Seek To Emigrate Amid Uncertainty
The Forward New 7 Mar 2014 – The Jewish Agency for Israel has seen a spike in Ukrainians looking to immigrate to Israel as turmoil roils their country. Click here for the rest of t
he article…
Pro-Boycott Israel Figures Judith Butler and Rashid Khalidi Push Back
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2014 – Judith Butler and Rashid Khalidi are circulating a letter objecting to retaliation against those who support boycotts of Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Michele Bachmann Accuses Jews of Selling Out Israel
The Foward Breaking News 7 Mar 2014 – Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said American Jewish organizations are selling out on Israel in favor of the Obama administration. Click here for the rest of the article…
Palestine Solidarity Committee in India condemns Mekorot deal
Global BDS 7 Mar 2014 – The Palestine Solidarity Committee in India supports the first international Week Against Mekorot and says NO to water apartheid Mekorot is Israel’s state-owned water company responsible for implementing “water apartheid” on Palestinians, including the international crime of pillage of natural resources in occupied territory, discrimination against…
After Latest Incident, Israel’s Future in FIFA Is Uncertain
Global BDS 7 Mar 2014 – Their names are Jawhar Nasser Jawhar, 19, and Adam Abd al-Raouf Halabiya, 17. They were once soccer players in the West Bank. Now they are never going to play sports again. Jawhar and Adam were on their way home from a training session in the Faisal…
Spring in the step of BDS, as a worried Israel plans pushback
Global BDS 7 Mar 2014 – The first quarter of 2014 has been an interesting time for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign, with a number of promising developments – particularly in Europe – and indications that the Israeli government is taking the ‘threat’ posed by boycott initiatives more seriously than before….
Why the NY Times Atarot Snafu Matters
The Magnes Zionist 6 Mar 2014 – Some readers wondered why I devoted a whole post to showing that the NY Times “corrected” a story about Atarot by repeating a rightwing media’s group’s errors. I mean, so what if the Industrial Zone of Atarot is not in the same geographical area as the…
Brave Beauty Queen Who Refused To Go to Back of Israeli Bus
The Forward New 6 Mar 2014 – An Israeli soldier and beauty queen was branded a “prostitute” after she refused to move to the back of a Jerusalem bus. But Dorot Matalon wouldn’t budge. Click here for the rest of the article…
Brotherhood ‘terrorists’, say Saudis
BBC 7 Mar 2014 – Saudi Arabia designates the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, along with two jihadist groups fighting with the Syrian rebels.
Ten dead in Iraq violence
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – Violence in Iraq, including shelling in a city held by anti-government fighters for over two months, killed 10 people on Friday, among them a senior police officer, officials said. Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in bloodshed driven principally by the civil war in…
Al-Jazeera reporters’ trial a ‘bad joke’
BBC 7 Mar 2014 – Correspondent’s view of the Cairo trial of al-Jazeera journalists
Thousands in Gaza protest Egypt’s outlawing of Hamas
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – Thousands of Hamas supporters rallied in the Gaza Strip on Friday to protest against a Cairo court decision banning the Palestinian Islamist movement from operating in Egypt. Waving Egyptian flags and Hamas banners, the demonstrators gathered after Friday prayers and then marched to the former Egyptian…
Israel denies EU request to meet with Palestinian prisoners: report
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman refused to allow a delegation from the European Parliament to visit Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons, a local newspaper reported Friday. Yedioth Ahronoth said the European delegation had hoped to evaluate the prisoners’ conditions. The paper reported that Elmar Brok, the…
Week in Photos (1 March – 7 March)
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – A participant in a Snow Kayak race competes at the alpine skiing track in Druskininkai, Lithuania on March 1, 2014. (Photo: Petras Malikas-AFP) A participant in a Snow Kayak race competes at the alpine skiing track in Druskininkai, Lithuania on March 1, 2014. (Photo: Petras Malikas-AFP)…
Iranian bar association seeks greater independence
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Twenty-five percent of candidates for the Iranian Bar Association’s board of directors have been rejected by the High Regulatory Council of Judges.
Kidnappers release Lebanese, Danish journalists abducted in Ersal
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – A Lebanese and Beirut-based Danish journalist have been freed after being abducted in Lebanon and held hostage for almost one month, Danish media and a Lebanese press group announced on Friday. “Jeppe Nybroe was abducted just under a month ago, while he was in the Bekaa…
Israeli settlers hurl stones at AFP photographer in West Bank
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – AFP photojournalist Abbas Momani stands next to his damaged car on the road leading to the al-Jalazun Palestinian refugee camp, near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beit El, near Ramallah on March 7, 2014 after Israeli settlers threw stones at the vehicle. Many settlers, who…
Iraq Notebook: No talk of the Turkish model
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Although Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke in Kurdish during a conference on his first visit to Sulaimaniyah, most Iraqis wonder what happened to the once promising Turkish mode
l for the region.
Women’s empowerment key to development in Arab world
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – As International Women’s Day approaches, it is vital to remember that female empowerment furthers the rights of everyone in the Arab world.
What did Bassil send the Arab League?
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil during a press conference. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil during a press conference. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Despite the air of optimism surrounding the drafting of the ministerial statement, no tangible progress has been made. Now the…
Reversing Turkey’s brain drain
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Turkey is proud of the positive results of the initiatives taken to attract skilled researchers to return from abroad.
In latest tape, Erdogan calls judiciary
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Leaked tapes suggest Recep Tayyip Erdogan interfered directly in the judiciary to curb press freedom.
GCC rift another blow to Erdogan’s Mideast policies
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Turkey is increasingly isolated in the region, more so as Qatar is on the outs with other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – An Egyptian riot policeman stands guard on the top of an armored vehicle outside the Police Academy where a hearing in the espionage trial of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president Mohammed Mursi is expected to open on February 16, 2014 in Cairo. (Photo: AFP – Khaled Desouki)…
Inside Qatar’s squalid labour camps
BBC 7 Mar 2014 – Inside Qatar’s squalid immigrant labour camps
Protesting Erdogan a la Turca
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Despite all the authoritarian tactics employed to contain dissent, Turkish protesters are finding creative ways to stand up against the ruling party.
Egypt deports 100 Gaza-bound female activists
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – Egypt deported Friday dozens of women activists, who had flown in to Cairo but been barred from entering the country in their bid to reach the neighboring Gaza Strip, an airport official said. About 100 women, most of them from Europe and the United States, had…
A Sisi presidency will not work
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will not be able to make the kind of political or economic deal which will move Egypt toward political or economic stability.
ISIS renews rocket attacks on East Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 7 Mar 2014 – Updated 5:00 pm: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) said it was behind the launching of three rockets that slammed into East Lebanon on Friday, the jihadist group’s third such attack this week. Lebanon’s army said the rockets struck the northern Bekaa towns of…
Iraqi Shiite clerics maintain humility, influence
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – The Shiite clerics of Najaf have always provided a spiritual reference to their followers, while at the same time playing an important role on various levels.
Right-wing Knesset members lash out at Arabs for ratings
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – Housing Minister Uri Ariel’s remarks against Arab Knesset members aim first and foremost to attract headlines, says Arab Knesset member Mohammad Barakeh in an interview with Al-Monitor, but they sometimes serve Arab Knesset members as well.
Smuggled goods bound for Assad’s family intercepted
Al-Akhbar Politics 7 Mar 2014 – A picture uploaded on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) looking at papers with an employee from the Presential Palace in Damascus on February 25, 2014. (Photo: AFP/ Ho / Syrian Presidency Facebook page) A picture uploaded on the…
Israel’s ‘campaign between the wars’ with Iran
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – The latest capture of a vessel carrying weapons en route to the Gaza Strip reveals Israel’s ongoing battle against Iranian attempts to gain a military foothold in the region — while nuclear negotiations follow their course.
Jordan bill to criminalize membership in ‘terrorist’ groups
Al-Monitor 7 Mar 2014 – A Jordanian bill criminalizing membership in “terrorist” groups has been attacked by Salafists and by a human rights organization.
Israel celebrates seizure of Syrian rockets bound for Gaza
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Mar 2014 – Illustrated table comparing the M302 rocket to other home-made or smuggled rockets used by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip. (Photo: Reuters) Illustrated table comparing the M302 rocket to other home-made or smuggled rockets used by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in the…
Riyadh and Doha: A fierce but low-profile battle
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Mar 2014 – Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz (L) and Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah (R) arrive to attend the 130th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on March 4, 2014. (Photo: AFP-…
Articles
Figures show: Peace talks and settlement construction go hand in hand
Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine 3/7/2014
Successive Israeli governments have argued for years that settlements are not an obstacle to peace. The data tells a different story.
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics revealed earlier this week that 2013 was a record year in settlement construction, while 2014 has seen the beginning of construction of 2,534 housing projects – a rise of 123 percent from 2013.
Settlement construction took place all over the West Bank – in the so-called settlement blocs, which could be annexed to Israel in a two-state framework; in isolated settlements that are slated to be evacuated under such an agreement; on the western side of Israel’s separation barrier (which was built inside the West Bank, rather than on the internationally-recognized border), as well as on its eastern side.
Those numbers do not include, however, significant “unofficial” construction taking place in “illegal” outposts, or construction in annexed East Jerusalem, which is not measured separately by the CBS.
When last year’s figures were published in Israel, there was a considerable pushback from the right, which claimed that the rise in construction projects for Jews in the occupied territories was meant to compensate for an unofficial settlement freeze in 2012. However, the rise in construction last year is just as high when compared to 2011 or 2010. In fact, 2013’s figure is the highest since the CBS started publishing this data in 2001.
Most of the construction (1,710 projects) is government-sponsored, a figure that says a lot the Netanyahu’s government’s effort at changing the reality on the ground.more.. e-mail
The ultimate red line
Khaled Amayreh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/6/2014
Fresh Israeli provocations around Al-Aqsa Mosque threaten to explode an already tense situation while peace talks go nowhere.
Muslim authorities in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem have warned of dire consequences following recent Israeli measures aimed at imposing Israeli (Jewish) sovereignty at Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) — the third holiest Muslim shrine — that houses the two main Muslim sanctuaries, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
The Israeli Knesset, or parliament, last week briefly discussed a proposal to that effect. However, the discussion was suspended following a “secret warning” from Israel’s chief domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, that any tampering with the status-quo at the site, which Jews call “the Temple Mount”, would spark off a huge conflagration in the region.
Nonetheless, hard line lawmakers, many from the coalition government headed by Binyamin Netanyahu, vowed to “keep up the struggle going until the Temple Mount is liberated and placed fully under Israeli sovereignty”.
The Israeli army occupied East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and ever since the area has been administered by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Islamic Affairs.
Last year, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II reached an agreement affirming Jordanian jurisdiction over Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. The two leaders also agreed that Jordanian administration of Haram Al-Sharif would continue “as a trust” until the end of the Israeli occupation. more.. e-mail
Raid boosts ’trigger happy’ Israel claims
Nicola Nasser, Asia Times 3/7/2014
In the West Bank town of Birzeit early on February 27, Israeli troops seemingly acted determinedly to vindicate an Amnesty International report released only hours before, entitled “Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank”.
Under the command of Colonel Yossi Pinto, a Nahal infantry force of the Binyamin Territorial Brigade including some 200 soldiers, dozens of jeeps, two military bulldozers and Shin Bet (internal security) officers amassed in the university town for an armed assault, Ha’aretz reported on March 3.
A former mayor of Birzeit told this reporter that he heard the Ha’aretz reporter on the scene, Amira Hass, asking “Is [late al-Qaeda founder Osama] bin Laden inside?”
Their mission, according to Israeli military spokespeople, was to arrest a “wanted individual” who, according to the Shin Bet internal security agency, as quoted by Hass, had intended to carry out an “aggressive operation” against Israeli targets. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the man was suspected of terror activity.
Israeli National News on the same day quoted “the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Spokesman’s unit” as saying that he was “a wanted man suspected of terror activity”.
Hass wrote: “In the unofficial Israeli law code, unproved ‘terrorist intentions’ are enough to be punishable by death. In Hebrew, ‘terror attack’ is a magic phrase that exempts the Israelis from wondering why an arrest needs so many troops and fanfare, and has such a murderous end.” more.. e-mail
PHOTOS: Israeli women who have stood up to the occupation for 26 years
Keren Manor and Shiraz Grinbaum, Activestills.org, +972 Magazine 3/7/2014
In honor of International Women’s Day, Activestills pays tribute to more than a quarter century of anti-occupation activism by the ‘Women in Black’ group in Israel. Every Friday since 1988, the women have stood in the main squares of cities or at highway junctions with signs calling to end the Israeli occupation. Often spat at, cursed or violently harassed by passersby, they have become, for us, a symbol of persistence.
Dafna Kaminer: It was the time of the First Intifada, and we wanted to support the Palestinian struggle. So we decided that we would stand out there with signs calling to end the occupation. It was the simplest and most visual thing we could do.
Edna Glukman: In the beginning, the right-wing protesters started to attack us during the vigils. We sewed big black banners and with small white letters we wrote slogans against the occupation, as well as for justice, peace and women. By the time we began writing the word “women” on our banners, it was already starting to become a women’s movement.
Tamar Huffman: You could say we are handful of women with a lot of opinions; it is definitely a feminist group. If we had a man on the board, he would probably be the one making decisions.
Tamar Lehan: I didn’t join for feminist reasons, but rather for the persistent and clear statement of the group. However, I think that it is very logical that it is a women’s group, since women are accustomed to doing hard work for long periods of time without seeking immediate results.
Dafna Kaminer: In times of unrest, we expect more verbal and sometimes physical violence. People curse at us as if we were the ones responsible for the situation, and not Israel’s policy makers. When things are more calm, people just walk by and say nothing. Like we are transparent or nonexistent. more.. e-mail
Silicon Valley accord recycles myth of Israel’s green record
Electronic Intifada: 7 Mar 2014 – Benjamin Netanyahu omitted any reference to theft of Palestinian water resources during his visit to a parched California. more..
Baghdad Central – Book Review
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Mar 2014 – By Neve Gordon (Center-staging the calamities of collaboration, Elliott Colla’s noir thriller exposes the moral and strategic failures of military occupation. ) Without networks of collaborators conscripted from among the ranks of the insurgency, sustained military occupations are unthinkable. Yet, no one likes to talk about collaborators—it is an unpleasant subject because collaborators are about as loved by their handlers as they are by the communities they betray. To be sure, collaborators under military occupation consider themselves as a beneficial screen, ameliorating the worst that might happen, and at times they even embrace the new order and think of themselves as brave emissaries of the future. But from the handler’s viewpoint, they are instruments of war and counterinsurgency only to be expunged like a checkpoint or watchtower once the fray is over. And from the point of view of the majority of their own society, they are, at best, individuals who…more
Netanyahu’s Prayer: God Bless Putin
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Mar 2014 – By Uri Avnery Benjamin Netanyahu is very good at making speeches, especially to Jews, neocons and such, who jump up and applaud wildly at everything he says, including that tomorrow the sun will rise in the west. The question is: is he good at anything else? His father, an ultra-ultra-Rightist, once said about him that he is quite unfit to be prime minister, but that he could be a good foreign minister. What he meant was that Benjamin does not have the depth of understanding needed to guide the nation, but that he is good at selling any policy decided upon by a real leader. (Reminding us of the characterization of Abba Eban by David Ben-Gurion: “He is very good at explaining, but you must tell him what to explain.”) This week Netanyahu was summoned to Washington. He was supposed to approve John Kerry’s new “framework” agreement, which would serve…more
Netanyahu’s Anti-Iranian and Anti-BDS Rant at AIPAC
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Mar 2014 – By Ludwig Watzal Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave one of his typical speeches at this year’s AIPAC convention in Washington. Before he delivered his usual sermon about Iran and the other “terrorists” in the region, he implored the friendship and the alliance between Israel and the United States of America. This time, neither President Barack Obama nor veep Joe Biden showed up. Netanyahu’s main purpose of coming to Washington was, however, to strengthen the forces of opposition against the talks between Iran and the five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. For the Palestinian negotiators, he erected insurmountable political obstacles in order to prevent a durable peace agreement by demanding that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state; for the Palestinian leadership a no-go. Netanyahu also rejected international peace-keeping forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and he insisted on a future military presence in the Jordan…more
Secret Thoughts of a Palestinian Teacher in Israel – Satire
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Mar 2014 – By Hatim Kanaaneh The airport security apparatus’s routine act of strip-searching Ezies Elias Shehadeh, an Arab teacher in a Jewish school, has generated too much media noise including Israeli TV and radio reports and interviews and the main editorial in Haaretz . Local Arabic language papers veered off from their focus on the earthshaking Nazareth mayoral election rerun destined to decide the future of the Middle East and the world’s balance of power and nuclear armament, all to report on the teacher’s claims of injured pride. At the risk of angering friends and foes alike, let me be the devil’s advocate in pointing out the obvious: For one thing, Ezies exaggerates. What she underwent is the routine that Arabs have to put up with as long as they refuse to swear allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state. Let us not forget the special circumstances of this incident, an Arab woman…more
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