19 March 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel to Ease Restrictions on Weapons Exports
IMEMC – The Israeli Defense Ministry is increasing the number of countries for which arms exporters will not be required to receive a special license for marketing non-classified weaponry and defense equipment. …
Remains of 4 Palestinians Returned After Over a Decade
IMEMC – Israeli authorities, late Tuesday, delivered the remains of four Palestinians withheld by Israel for over a decade, according to Palestinian officials. …
Israel Expands Settlements in East Jerusalem
IMEMC – On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Local Planning Committee gave building permits for 184 settlement units in East Jerusalem, Israeli media reports. …
Jerusalem Initiative to Sue Israel for Repressive Measures
IMEMC – A Jerusalemite initiative, under the name “Worship is my right”, started on Wednesday, aiming to expose Israel’s policies and violent practices against Palestinians, Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, with the hope of securing thousands of signatures — enough to sue Israel in the international courts. …
Israeli Court Issues Sentences Against 2 Palestinian Youth
IMEMC – The Israeli Salem military court, on Wednesday, issued actual prison sentences against two Palestinian juveniles from the town of Jalboun, near Jenin, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club (PPC). …
2 Prisoners End Hunger Strike After 70 Days
IMEMC – Two Palestinian prisoners suspended a 70-day hunger strike, Wednesday, after the Israeli authorities agreed to their demands, according to lawyer Jawad Bulous of the Palestinian Prisoner Society. …
Dozens of Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
IMEMC – Dozens of Israeli settlers, accompanied by soldiers, stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound through Bab al-Maghrabeh Gate, on Wednesday. …
Knesset to Approve Extension of Law Prohibiting Palestinian Reunification
IMEMC – It is expected that the Israeli Knesset will approve, on Wednesday, the extension of a law which prohibits Palestinian families from reunification for another year. …
Clashes with Israeli Forces, Raids Across West Bank
IMEMC – Nine kidnapped Clashes erupted between Israeli forces and young Palestinians, after several Israeli military vehicles raided Jenin city and refugee camp, on Wednesday. …
Soldier killed as Israel bombs Syria army after Golan attack
3/19/2014 – MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights (AFP) — Israel launched air raids against Syrian army positions early Wednesday and issued a stark warning to Damascus just hours after a bomb on the occupied Golan Heights wounded four Israeli soldiers. The Syrian army said one soldier was killed and seven wounded in strikes on its bases in the Quneitra region, which it denounced as “acts of aggression” that endangered…. Related: Syria: Israel strikes kill 1, ‘threaten region’s security’
Jerusalem municipality approves 186 new settlement units
3/19/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel moved forward Wednesday with plans to build another 186 new homes in East Jerusalem, a city councilor told AFP. The plans would see construction of 40 new homes in Pisgat Zeev and 146 in Har Homa, both of them settlement neighborhoods built on territory seized by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War, Yosef Pepe Alalu said. An official of the Israeli….
Israeli bulldozers demolish Palestinian home in East Jerusalem
3/19/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli bulldozers demolished a house in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of East Jerusalem early Wednesday, the homeowner’s family said. Without prior warning, Israeli military forces surrounded the Beit Hanina property, blockaded the home of Badwan Salaymah while he and his family were absent, and proceeded to tear the house down, Salaymah’s brother said. Israeli municipality officials then….
Israel ‘destroyed’ Islamic archaeological sites in Silwan dig
3/19/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Israel Antiquities Authority has destroyed several ancient archeological sites and antiquities as a result of a controversial dig in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said Tuesday. The authority recently began the final stage of archaeological excavations at the site, which is located in the Wadi Silweh area only 20 meters….
Israeli army recruits, rightists tour Aqsa compound
3/19/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Dozens of Israeli soldiers and settlers toured the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowment said. Over 90 Israeli army recruits entered the compound via the Moroccan Gate and were escorted by Israeli police officers. The visit was part of an Israeli army orientation tour, the PA ministry said. Because of the sensitive nature….
2 Palestinian prisoners end hunger strike after 70 days
3/19/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Two Palestinian prisoners suspended a 70-day hunger strike Wednesday after the Israeli authorities agreed to their demands, a lawyer said. Jawad Bulous of the Palestinian prisoner’s society visited hunger strikers Muammar Banat and Akram al-Fseisi at Kaplan Medical Center in northern Israel. He said in a statement that an Israeli prosecutor agreed to the demands the two announced….
PLO: 56 Palestinians killed, 897 injured since peace talks began
3/19/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli military forces have killed 56 Palestinians and injured 897 since the resumption of peace negotiations with Israel in July, the Palestine Liberation Organization said Tuesday.”Israeli violations of international law and human rights continued unabated. Rather than demonstrate goodwill during this period, Israel has done the opposite, with the aim of derailing the US peace efforts led by Secretary of….
Syria: Israel strikes kill 1, ‘threaten region’s security’
3/19/2014 – DAMASCUS (AFP) — Israeli air raids on Syria on Wednesday killed one person and injured seven, Syria’s army said, warning that the strikes endangered regional security and stability. In a statement, the army command warned that “these desperate attempts. . . endanger the security and stability of the region.” 1 ) Johnny benson / USA 19/03/2014 22:00That’s really funny,,endanger the peace and…. Related: Soldier killed as Israel bombs Syria army after Golan attack
Security forces arrest over 40 Hamas members in Nablus
3/19/2014 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Palestinian security forces arrested dozens of Hamas members following the funerals for the bodies of Palestinians held on Wednesday in Nablus, a Palestinian security source told Ma’an. The source said that over 40 Hamas members were arrested “for the events that followed the funeral,” without elaborating. He claimed that Hamas members attacked the ambulance which had delivered the remains….
Thousands bury Bethlehem man after Israel returns body
3/19/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Thousands of mourners on Wednesday attended the burial of a Bethlehem resident whose remains were returned to the occupied West Bank by Israel after being held by authorities for nearly 12 years. The body of Jamil Khalaf Mustafa Hmeid were delivered to his family at Tarqumiya checkpoint south of Hebron late Tuesday, Palestinian security sources said. The funeral procession started at…. Related: Israel delivers remains of 4 Palestinians held for over a decade
PA minister: Israel prisoner release delay ‘political blackmail’
3/19/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Any delay in releasing Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel would be “political blackmail,” the Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoner Affairs said Tuesday. Issa Qaraqe told Ma’an that Israel is scheduled to released a final group of 30 veteran prisoners on March 29. So far, 78 of a total of 104 veteran Palestinian prisoners have been freed in three separate….
Israel delivers remains of 4 Palestinians held for over a decade
3/19/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities late Tuesday delivered the remains of four Palestinians withheld by Israel for over a decade, Palestinian officials said. Tamir Arafeh, director of the military liaison department in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that the remains of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman al-Hanbali, Muhammad Abd al-Hamid Saleh Hamoudha, and Yasser Ahmad Saleh were delivered to the Taybeh checkpoint west…. Related: Thousands bury Bethlehem man after Israel returns body
A kuffiya for Tony Benn: The British warrior who ‘matured with age’
3/19/2014 – Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle. com. His latest book is “My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story.”- Long before the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment campaign inched slowly from the fringes of global solidarity with Palestinians to take center stage, Tony Benn — British Labor politician and member of Parliament for 47 years — had….
2 men arrested for ‘attempt’ to attack Fatah spokesman in Egypt
3/19/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Egyptian security forces arrested two people on Wednesday on suspicion of attempting to assault Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf in Cairo, Fatah said.” Assaf filed an official complaint to the Egyptian authorities about the crime of attempting to assault him,” Fatah said in a statement. Two unidentified men were arrested and taken to Abdeen Police station in Cairo on suspicion of attempting….
Syria’s besieged Yarmouk gets UN aid after 2-week halt
3/19/2014 – BEIRUT (AFP) — The UN Palestinian refugee agency on Tuesday resumed food distribution in the besieged Yarmouk camp in Damascus after a two-week halt. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said aid workers distributed 465 food parcels in addition to bread and jam, as well as 2,000 doses of polio vaccines and 800 small cartons of baby formula. The Palestinian refugee camp, a bustling built-up suburb of 170,000….
2 Egyptian officers, 6 gunmen killed in clashes in Qalyubiya
3/19/2014 – CAIRO (Ma’an) – Two Egyptian military officers were killed and a third was injured Wednesday during clashes between Egyptian troops and an armed group affiliated to Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. Egyptian security sources told Ma’an that Egyptian army and police clashed with a group of gunmen affiliated to the al-Qaeda-inspired Ansar Beit al-Maqdis in Qalyubiya governorate in Lower Egypt. Six gunmen were killed….
New case of sexual harassment in Egypt sparks outrage
3/19/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — A case of sexual harassment in one of Egypt’s largest universities has sparked outrage after the dean said the women’s outfit triggered the incident. In a video that has gone viral on social networks and has been covered by local media, Cairo University security guards escort a student wearing tight black pants and a long sleeved pink top after….
Israel warns Assad after Golan Heights blast
AlJazeera 19 Mar 2014 – Defence minister Yaalon says Syria government accountable for bombing of Israeli patrol in occupied northern territory.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Organizes One-Day Training Course for Fishermen on Human rights and Mechanisms of Access to Justice
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Calls for Investigating Young Man’s Death in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Jordan: HSTTW Supports Palestinian Refugees from Syria in Jordan
Relief Web 19 Mar 2014 – Source: UN Children’s Fund Country: Jordan, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Amman In Amman, Sven Berthelsen, Deputy Director of Operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jordan, accepted a generous contribution of US$ 50,000 from Help…
Syrian Arab Republic: The crisis in Yarmouk camp, 18 March 2014
Relief Web 19 Mar 2014 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic UNRWA remains deeply concerned about the desperate humanitarian situation in Yarmouk and the fact that increasing tensions and resort to…
Burundi: OFID’s Governing Board approves fresh funding in its 146th session – Funds to benefit over 30 countries worldwide
Relief Web 19 Mar 2014 – Source: OPEC Fund for International Development Country: Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, occupied Palestinian territory, Paraguay,…
occupied Palestinian territory: Recent ‘retreat from brink’ was stark reminder of unsustainable status quo in Middle East, political affairs chief tells Security Council
Relief Web 18 Mar 2014 – Source: UN Security Council Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Security Council SC/11322 7140th Meeting (AM) Under-Secretary-Generals Voices Worry over impact of Syria Violence on Lebanon A fragile retreat last week from the “brink of another crisis” in…
How Qatar’s policy on the Muslim Brotherhood burns the GCC
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Doha aimed to spread its influence throughout the Arab world by supporting the Muslim Brotherhood with billions of dollars in aid, infrastructure projects, and other investments.
Inside Doha, at the heart of a GCC dispute
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Qatar’s close relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood goes back decades before the start of the Arab Spring.
Leaked India-China war report piles pressure on Congress party
The National 19 Mar 2014 – The online publication of the Henderson-Brooks report that was compiled in 1963 ignites calls for the Congress-led government to declassify the report.
Qatar must explain its policy positions
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Unity in the GCC depends on Qatar being willing to engage in an open dialogue over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood
In pictures: Afghan cadets on graduation day
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Afghan National Army cadets at the graduation ceremony
Afghan women can affect ‘the political transition’
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Habiba Sarabi is the most prominent female candidate in Afghanistan’s April 5 election, running in a bid to become vice president.
Bahrain sentences 11 after terror convictions
The National 19 Mar 2014 – A court in Bahrain has sentenced 11 defendants after convicting them of terrorism.
Iranian women use parkour to navigate obstacles and prejudices
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Women in Tehran are discovering parkour, the fast-moving sport that has become their outlet for evading social constraints and dealing with stress.
In pictures: Parkour in Tehran
The National 19 Mar 2014 – In a Tehran park, a group of young women brave sneering men and shocked looks as they perform flips, mid-air somersaults and bound from pillar to pillar in a surprising sight in the Islamic republic.
Pakistan militant kills himself and family while tinkering with homemade bomb
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Aalim Deen Mehsud, a local commander of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the North Waziristan tribal area, was trying to remove explosive material from a mortar shell, triggering the blast.
Maldives police probe reports of sighting of missing Malayasian Airlines flight MH370
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Meanwhile, new radar data from Thailand gave Malaysian investigators more potential clues Wednesday for how to retrace the course of the missing airliner, while a massive multinational search unfolded in an area the size of Australia.
Luxury dog ‘with lion’s blood’ sold for $2 million in China
The National 19 Mar 2014 – A Tibetan mastiff puppy has been sold in China for almost $2 million, a report said Wednesday, in what could be the most expensive dog sale ever.
‘We hurt those who hurt us,’ says Israel after Syria attack
The National 19 Mar 2014 – Israeli warplanes struck Syrian army positions overnight, just hours after a bomb on the occupied Golan Heights wounded four of its soldiers, the military said on Wednesday.
GCC faces complexities as US-Sino ties shift
The National 18 Mar 2014 – Singapore’s ambassador-at-large and policy adviser at its ministry of foreign affairs spoke at a Majlis Singapura event which aimed to strengthen economic ties between the region and Singapore.
Israel pledges amnesty for asylum seekers stuck in long visa lines
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital worse off than ever
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Deputy Minister Danon to resign if more Palestinians freed
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Israeli defense minister apologizes for calling U.S. ‘weak’
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Princeton locals find Golan wine hard to swallow
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Two senior Israeli army officers arrested in Harpaz affair
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Palestinians seek Barghouti’s release as condition for extending talks
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Palestinian teen killed by Israeli army fire in South Hebron Hills
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Russia warns West it may change its stance on Iran
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Israeli DJs join Iranian-born techno musician to produce record
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law recounts night of Sept. 11
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
U.S wants public apology from Israeli defense minister for verbal assault
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Ukraine draws up withdrawal plan for Crimea troops
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Optimism in Vienna: Final Iran deal possible by July
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
On anniversary of Toulouse shooting, Jewish leader urges young Jews to leave
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Chief economist of Israeli treasury quits over Lapid’s housing plan
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Indian police detain suspicious man outside Israeli embassy
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Abbas’ son: Dad, a one-state solution would be easier
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Israel’s chief rabbis urge Netanyahu to block conversion bill
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Before Abbas recognizes the Jewish state, Israel must define it
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Striking Israeli diplomats gain unexpected ally: British trade union
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Why Israel’s peace camp is acting up
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Militiamen storm the Ukrainian navy’s headquarters
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Knesset slaps cap on gym exit penalties
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Washington officials targeting Israeli defense minister over his political stance, associates claim
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Netanyahu orders IDF to prepare for possible strike on Iran during 2014
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Israel returns remains of four Palestinian assailants
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Putin’s red lines go way beyond Crimea
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Women only to light Israel’s official Independence Day torches this year
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Jerusalem approves 184 housing units beyond Green Line
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Senior Palestinian official denies offering to recognize ‘Jewish State’
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Haredi leader calls for nationwide protests over arrest of yeshiva draft-dodger
Ha’aretz – 19 Mar 2014
Discard the false visions of a binational state
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
Time for a separate Israeli Arab parliament
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
A danger named Ya’alon
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
Israel to ease restrictions on military weapons exports
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
When we were once ‘Free to Be You and Me’ – in Israel
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
A death blow for the ideological parties
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
What to do against thousands of rockets a day?
Ha’aretz – 18 Mar 2014
Media comment: Democracy’s blind watchdog
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Evangelical millenials are, by and large, not being convinced that their former views of Israel are wrong.
EU funding for radical NGOs: A record far from straight
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Unfortunately, Ambassador Faaborg-Andersen, like his predecessors, failed to address the particulars of EU funding for radical NGOs.
Falsehoods left standing
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – According to the Goebbels formula, if you repeat a lie time and time again, the world may accept it as truth.
The Zionist enterprise and American Jewry
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Together we will train intelligent adults who will be able to conduct a frank and true dialogue without arrogance.
Haredi draft law: Problems and concerns
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Hiddush’s 2013 Religion and State Index found that while 82 percent of Israelis want the haredi population to serve.
The Syrian inferno
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – If Syria teaches us anything, it is that territory still counts and counts big, contrary to trendy wishful-thinking.
Israel Opera celebrates 30 years with new season
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Productions include a revival of Omri Nitzan’s saucy Israeli take on Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, and two visiting shows.
Dance watchers take the stage
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – For more than 10 years, choreographers Kattrin Deufert and Thomas Plischke have been inventing theater spaces.
Knesset approves bill to increase aid to Holocaust survivors
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Bill calls for an increase in aid from NIS 100 million to NIS 135 million annually, with further annual increases.
Government looks to increase French aliyah
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Ministry of Immigrant Absorption presents Knesset with plan to boost immigration to Israel from France.
Hardline haredi faction protest arrest of yeshiva student
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Ultra-Orthodox activists take to streets across Israel to demonstrate against arrest of haredi man who failed to report to IDF for enlistment.
Kerry slams Israeli Defense Minister Ya’alon’s Obama remarks
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – In response to harsh US criticism of Ya’alon over comments he made about Obama, sources close to the defense minister say that some in the US have “marked” him for being a bothersome element in the peace talks.
New bill seeks to put ‘Yisrael Hayom’ out of business
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – MKs propose legislation seeking to outlaw free daily newspapers such as pro-Netanyahu paper owned by Sheldon Adelson.
New sub-c’tee launched to examine Haifa Bay environmental issues
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – The sub-committee has been tasked with generating a recommendation for the Haifa metropolitan region within three months.
Team of Israeli researchers redefines approach toward sustainability
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – The new project begins with the premise that world has yet to come close to achieving targets that will allow for the planet’s future protection.
Gazan lighting-up neighborhood with used car batteries
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Hassan Saad converts old batteries to LED lights, providing free, basic electricity for some 50 homes facing blackouts.
Harpaz affair: Former chief IDF spokesman, chief of staff to Ashkenazi in jail overnight
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Scandal is alleged plot by Lt.-Col.(res.) Harpaz to illegally undermine Ehud Barak’s choice to succeed former IDF chief.
Finance Ministry chief economist resigns over Lapid’s housing tax exemption
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Michael Sarel says Lapid’s plan to eliminate Value Added Tax from sector is wrong “from every perspective.”
Report: Ben Gurion University medical school grads most socially involved
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Research in Harefuah, the journal of the Israel Medical Association, says BGU students more concerned with closing social gaps.
At talks, Iran and world powers grapple over planned nuclear reactor
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Tehran’s FM voices optimism that July 20 deadline for final deal is within reach; reiterates that Iran will not close down Arak reactor.
Bayit Yehudi walks out on vote after conversion bill spat
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Political squabble continues in coalition as factions abstains from vote of confidence in Netanyahu following final approval of legislation.
With ‘The Story of the Jews,’ Simon Schama returns to his roots
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Not since his earliest writings had Schama, a professor of art history and history at Columbia University in New York, focused on Jewish topics.
Survey: Facebook users clam up about their medical condition
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Although the average Israeli loves to bare his soul on social networks, four out of five avoid saying anything about their health on Facebook.
Jerusalem municipality approves 184 new homes in areas over Green Line
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Local planning committee approved requests by private contractors who purchased land years ago, says municipality spokeswoman.
Police officer convicted for abusive use of taser gun on handcuffed man
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Tel Aviv Court hands down first-ever conviction of kind; officer tazed subdued man 24 times with no justification.
Mother of slain soldier presents Gilad Schalit with award
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Esther Wachsman, whose son was killed by Palestinian terrorists, paid homage to former Hamas captive.
Syria confirms Israeli airstrike, warns against endangering stability in region
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Syrian army say 1 killed, 7 wounded in Israeli strike early Wednesday that targeted 3 sites near Qunaitra.
BOI: No mandatory tax filing until technology gets up to speed
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – Bank of Israel recommends only forcing citizens to file tax returns once an easier and simpler technology to do so has been developed.
Israelis who dressed up as Ku Klux Klan members on Purim make waves on Facebook
Jerusalem Post 19 Mar 2014 – 17 students from Harel High School in the Jerusalem-area suburb of Mevasseret Zion pose for controversial picture.
Iraq violence kills 37 nationwide
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 Violence across Iraq, including shelling and clashes in a militant-held city on Baghdad’s doorstep, killed 37 people on Wednesday amid a protracted surge in bloodletting with polls looming next month.
US denies closing Syria mission breaks international law
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 The United States Wednesday hit back at Syrian accusations that it was flouting international law by closing down Damascus’s embassy in Washington.
Kerry protested about Israel minister’s criticism: US
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 In a rare move, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday protested to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about strong criticism of US foreign policy by his outspoken defense minister.
Syrian rebels seize prison near Jordan and free inmates: activists
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 Rebels seized a prison outside the city where Syria’s uprising began three years ago this month and freed dozens of inmates, activists said on Wednesday.
Death toll rises to 19 in n. Lebanon sporadic clashes
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 Intermittent sniper fire breaks a tense calm in the northern city of Tripoli, killing one person from Jabal Mohsen following days of sporadic clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Syria, Russia criticise US over embassy closure
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 Syria denounced as illegal Wednesday Washington’s decision to close its embassy, while Russia said the move meant the United States had renounced its role as a peace sponsor.
Ex-al-Qaida spokesman tells of meeting bin Laden
Daily Star 19 Mar 2014 In surprise testimony in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday, Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law recounted the night of the Sept. 11 attacks, when the al-Qaida leader sent a messenger to drive him into a mountainous area for a…
US Army will exercise in Ukraine this summer
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – ….
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s daughter to get Israel Prize
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom to receive life’s work award for her contribution to State of Israel and ‘bridging rifts and gaps’ in Israeli society. ….
Ya’alon: No intention to hurt US-Israel relations
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – ….
UN refugee agency: Syrians dead in Greek sinking
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – ….
Organizer apologizes for Nazi items at US party
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – ….
Russian troops take over another Crimean naval base
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – ….
Germany arrests former Auschwitz medic, 93
YNet News, 19 Mar 2014 – Former SS member allegedly assisted in mass murder of prisoners who arrived on eight transports from Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Netherlands and Slovenia in September 1944. ….
Palestinian Information Center
Dozens of Israeli conscripts break into Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Dozens of Israeli conscripts in military uniform broke into the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday morning via Maghareba gate.
Family of captive Fasisi appeals for saving hunger striking captives
PIC – Captive Akram Youssef al-Fasisi, aged 31 from al-Khalil, entered on Tuesday his 68th day of hunger strike, in the Israeli occupation jails to demand his release.
IOF soldiers nab six Palestinians including teen, Jihad leader
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up six Palestinians in various West Bank areas at dawn Wednesday including a teenager and a leader with Islamic Jihad movement.
IOA approves construction of 186 settlement units in OJ
PIC – The Israeli occupation authority’s so-called Israeli Planning and Construction Committee approved on Wednesday the construction of 186 new settlement units in occupied Jerusalem.
IOF demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem
PIC – Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished Wednesday morning three homes in Beit Hanina neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of being built without permit.
Clashes erupt in Jenin and Nablus during IOF raids
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided at dawn Wednesday towns in Jenin and Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank.
Livni: 4th batch of prisoners will only be released if Abbas signs agreement
PIC – Israeli minister of justice Tzipi Livni said Israel will release the fourth batch of prisoners only if Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas signed the framework agreement.
Large excavations implemented near al-Aqsa Mosque
PIC – Al-Aqsa Foundation said that Israeli occupation authorities had started implementing the final phase of excavations at the entrance to Wadi Hilweh neighborhood only 100 meters south of al Aqsa Mosque.
Captive patient Raddad’s mother deprived of visiting her son
PIC – The mother of prisoner patient Mutassim Raddad said that she does not have any information about her son, whose health condition is seriously deteriorating as he suffers from cancer.
Italian navy rescues 596 migrants including Palestinians
PIC – The Italian Navy has rescued 596 Palestinian, Syrian and Eritrean refugees, including 25 children and 50 women, after two ships carrying them drowned off Italia’ coast.
Ashrawi: “Israel Manipulates Negotiations to Create Fait Accompli on Ground”
WAFA – 19 Mar 2014
Newspaper Reviews: Israel’s Lack of Commitment to Release Veteran Prisoners Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 19 Mar 2014
Israeli Court Issues Actual Sentences against Two Palestinian Juveniles
WAFA – 19 Mar 2014
Israel Approves Construction of 186 Housing Units in East Jerusalem
WAFA – 19 Mar 2014
Israeli Forces Arrest Six, Summon Two in Hebron and Bethlehem Districts
WAFA – 19 Mar 2014
Israeli Forces shoot, Kill Minor near Hebron
WAFA – 19 Mar 2014
Confrontations Erupt near Hebron
WAFA – 18 Mar 2014
2 high-ranking Egyptian officers slain in firefight at bomb factory
LA Times 19 Mar 2014 – CAIRO – Heavily armed Egyptian forces swooped down Wednesday on a suspected militant arms cache and bomb factory, triggering a firefight that left two high-ranking military officers dead, officials and state media said.
World Briefing: Syria: Rebels Seize Southern Prison
New York Times 19 Mar 2014 – Rebels took over a prison in Daraa Province on Wednesday, expanding their control near the border with Jordan and freeing hundreds of prisoners, antigovernment activists said.
U.N. Stymied in Efforts to Take Aid to Syrians
New York Times 19 Mar 2014 – Despite a Security Council resolution ordering the unhindered flow of food and medicine into Syria, aid workers are struggling even to get across the border.
More Than 2,000 Migrants Rescued Off Italian Coast
New York Times 19 Mar 2014 – Italian vessels rescued about 2,400 migrants coming from North Africa over the past two days, with the number reaching shore in the first months of 2014 increasing tenfold from the same period in 2013.
Gains Reported in Removing Syrian Chemical Supplies
New York Times 19 Mar 2014 – The organization helping oversee Syria’s purge said 10 shipments had been exported so far, including all of the country’s deadly sulfur mustard.
Israeli Strikes on Syrian Army Sites Raise Concern About Entanglement
New York Times 19 Mar 2014 – The Israeli airstrikes along the cease-fire line appeared to be the sharpest exchange since the civil war in Syria broke out three years ago.
Two Officers Killed by Militants, Egypt Says
New York Times 19 Mar 2014 – The killings of the two officers, who died conducting a raid on a rural building believed to be a bomb-making workshop, came amid an escalation of attacks on security forces.
Video: SodaScream — Bubble trouble
Mondoweiss – SodaScream – Bubble trouble from Soda Virtanen on Vimeo . Slick Finnish commercial video. We like it.
Apply now for the 2014 BDS Student Leadership Training!
Jewish Voice for Peace – Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee are excited to host the 2014 BDS Summer Institute: A 5 day Student Leadership Training (SLT) ! August 10-14 in Northern California Apply here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PGB9N5L Application deadline: May 1 Cost: $125, Receive $25 off if you apply…
Were Students Punished for Protesting Israel?
Jewish Voice for Peace – Op-ed in the Forward by JVP Campus Liaison Gabi Kirk and Brandeis SJP coordinator Joey Morris explores the suspension of Northeastern SJP March 17, 2014, 12:50pm Were Students Punished for Protesting Israel? By Gabi Kirk and Joey Morris Debate about Israel and Palestine on college campuses…
Presbyterians on Israel lobby junket visit SodaStream but fail to see life under occupation
Mondoweiss – (Photo: Jeffrey DeYoe) This past February, at the beginning of our Palestine olive tree planting trip sponsored by the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the Beit Sahour YMCA we had the opportunity to take a tour, led by a prominent Israeli human rights activist, through the large…
Israel wages war on universities because it’s lost control of the narrative — Hedges
Mondoweiss – Chris Hedges Chris Hedges’s recent article on Truthdig , Israel’s War on American Universities , documents Israel’s attempts to shut down political discourse on American campuses. He denounces billionaires, politicians, and alums willing to run roughshod over our First Amendment rights and chastises academics who’ve failed to protect students…
‘NYT’ covers Palestinian generational divide over the two-state solution
Mondoweiss – Mahmoud Abbas listening to Barack Obama at the UN General Assembly in 2011. (Photo: Seth Wenig/AP) We spend a lot of space on this site following the generational (and intra-family ) divide in the Jewish community over Israel. Turns out there seems to be a split among…
Ohio State says boycott would ‘limit human potential’ (What about Palestinians’?)
Mondoweiss – Last last year, Ohio State University joined the zombie swarm of higher-ed administrations condemning the historic American Studies Association vote to boycott Israel . The university’s anodyne title – “ Statement on proposed boycott of Israeli higher education ” — was belied by the seeming urgency of the Dec. 24,…
Housing cabinet has become a farce
Globes Main News – The ministers have mainly been involved in stabbing each other, in the back of course.
Hapoalim cuts bank account fees
Globes Main News – The bank has cut its checking account fees to NIS 10-32 per month.
Treasury chief economist quits over homes VAT plan
Globes Main News – Dr. Michael Sarel: Many of Yair Lapid’s measures are taken against the advice of top officials.
Hoodies in talks to buy Osnat jewelry
Globes Main News – Osnat has 30 branches and NIS 33 million in annual sales.
BoI recommends individual tax filing
Globes Main News – Expanding the reporting obligation to all employees aims to reduce unreported income and increase tax revenues.
3D printer co Solido in TASE reverse merger talks
Globes Main News – Solido has developed a 3D desktop printer using CAD to create a plastic-based product.
Corasanti describes inspiration for novel, ‘The Almond Tree’
Mondoweiss – Cover Art: The Almond Tree We have run several pieces about the novel, The Almond Tree , by Michelle Cohen Corasanti, including criticism of her perspective. The book has now been published in Asian markets; and it is garnering favorable reviews. Last month The Times of India published…
Locker Cttee: Banks should issue debit cards
Globes Main News – The introduction of debit cards will reduce cash transactions and improve tax collection.
Francisco Partners buys NSO for $120m
Globes Main News – The intelligence solutions developer raised only a few million dollars.
Lockerbie: 25 years of geopolitics over truth
Mondoweiss – It has now been a quarter-century since Pan Am 103 exploded in the air and dropped onto the quiet town of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 passengers and crew and 11 villagers. No credible claim of responsibility was ever made, and the saga of the search for…
Paz reports higher revenue, profits
Globes Energy & Water – Revenue rose 6% to NIS 19.6 billion in 2013 and net profit rose 14% to NIS 271 million.
Detained, Deported, but not Deterred: Report from CodePink’s Int’l Women’s Day delegation to Gaza
Mondoweiss – CODEPINK protest in the Cairo airport, March 4, 2014. (Photo: Cayman Kai) . On International Women’s Day although I woke up in America, my heart was in Gaza. After having been detained for over 22 hours in the Cairo airport without explanation, I was deported to London…
Explicit censorship of Palestine solidarity work is becoming the new normal on American campuses
Mondoweiss – (Image: Carlos Latuff) As members of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, we condemn Northeastern University’s suspension of Northeastern’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and denounce the baseless and reactionary disciplinary measures that the…
Palo Alto in advanced talks to buy Cyvera for $200m
Globes Main News – The data protection company will open an Israeli development center based on this acquisition.
Brandeis prof blasts school’s deference to Israel and AIPAC (and donors Steinhardt, Schusterman, Crown)
Mondoweiss – Mairson, from his page Check out this spectacular article. On March 7, Max Blumenthal opened Israeli apartheid week at Brandeis, with the usual opposition, and now the Brandeis student paper, The Justice, has run a piece by Harry Mairson, a computer science professor at the Waltham,…
Tamar fuels Delek units profits
Globes Energy & Water – Tamar sold 6.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2013.
SecureAlert acquires GPS Global for $11m
Globes Aerospace & Defense – GPS Global develops monitoring and surveillance solutions.
Elbit Systems backlog continues to grow
Globes Aerospace & Defense – The company’s revenue and profits rose slightly in 2013.
Amitai Etzioni, Nakba and Moral Blindness
Tikun Olam – Amitai Etzioni ( blog ) is a distinguished Israeli-American social scientist who teaches at George Washington University. He is a sociologist who founded a school of thought called communitarianism, which attempts to balance the needs and rights of the individual with the interests in society in maintaining coherence…
Netanyahu: Go to the Negev
Globes Macro Economics – “We’ve turned the Negev and Beersheva into the Eastern Hemisphere’s cyber capital.”
Israel’s Cyberwar Campaign Against Its Own Citizens
Tikun Olam – Israel announced a few days ago that it was going to unleash the equivalent of the NSA on its own citizens. Though the boundary has become quite porous lately, you’ll recall that the NSA is generally supposed to use cyber tools to surveil and foil the…
The way ahead: taking Israel to the ICC
Sabbah report 19 Mar 2014 – The stalled “peace” negotiation with Israel seems to suggest that the only viable option left for the Palestinian nation is to take Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Indeed, the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said recently that “the Palestinians would take Israel to the…
Divestment Measure Passes in Loyola University in Chicago Student Senate
The Foward Breaking News 19 Mar 2014 – The student government at Loyola University in Chicago passed a resolution calling on the university to divest from companies that do business in Israel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel attacks Syrian army sites
BBC 19 Mar 2014 – A Syrian soldier is killed in air strikes launched by Israel in retaliation for a bombing in the occupied Golan Heights, Syrian state media report.
Iran ‘sees signs of nuclear deal’
BBC 19 Mar 2014 – Iran’s foreign minister says he sees signs of a comprehensive deal on its nuclear programme, after talks with world powers, Iranian media report.
Conversion Reform Bill Passes Knesset Committee
The Foward Breaking News 19 Mar 2014 – A bill that would allow local rabbis to oversee conversions to Judaism in Israel passed a Knesset committee. Click here for the rest of the article…
Palestinian Teen Shot Dead While Foraging Wild Thistles for Cooking
The Foward Breaking News 19 Mar 2014 – Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said, in the latest killing to overshadow U.S.-brokered peace talks. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Defense Minister Blasts U.S. — Again
The Foward Breaking News 19 Mar 2014 – Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said he supports unilateral Israeli action against Iran and said the U.S. is weak, prompting strong condemnation from the White House. Click here for the rest of the article…
Lebanese army reopens Bekaa road to Ersal
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – Lebanese troops are deployed in the Lebanese town of Ersal on the border with Syria on March 19, 2014 after the reopening of the main road out of the town after a night of tension. (Photo: AFP) Lebanese troops are deployed in the Lebanese town of…
VIDEO: Climbers capture Oman cave ascent
BBC 19 Mar 2014 – Two men have successfully climbed out of the one of the world’s largest cave chambers using only a safety rope.
Israel’s envoy courts liberal Democrats on Iran
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Israel’s new ambassador to Washington is courting some of the most liberal Democrats in Congress in an effort to push the Obama administration to toughen its negotiating stance with Iran.
Freedom of religion in Egypt no better under military rule
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – The military’s conservatism and alliance with religious authorities, even if not the Muslim Brotherhood, is a constant in Egyptian politics.
Look for more assertive Russia in Middle East
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Unless there is a de-escalation of the crisis over Crimea, the Obama administration could expect to deal with a Russian president more willing to challenge US interests in the Middle East.
Interactive: Lebanon under Syrian rocket fire
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – Lebanese women inspect a damaged house after a rocket fired from Syria hit the village of Britel in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on February 28, 2014 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. (Photo: AFP) Lebanese women inspect a damaged house…
Iraq violence kills 30
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – Violence across Iraq, including shelling and clashes in a militant-held city on Baghdad’s doorstep, killed 30 people on Wednesday amid a protracted surge in bloodletting with polls looming next month. The bloodletting also wounded dozens more as the authorities struggle to grapple with the country’s worst…
A genuine uprising to remedy the Future Movement’s woes
Al-Akhbar Opinion 19 Mar 2014 – Supporters of the Future Movement wave the party’s blue flags at a rally in downtown Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Supporters of the Future Movement wave the party’s blue flags at a rally in downtown Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) It is now our duty to…
Egyptian officers killed in gunfight
BBC 19 Mar 2014 – Two Egyptian army officers and five jihadist militants have been killed in a gunfight that erupted during a raid north of Cairo, officials say.
Turkish man kills six former colleagues in government office
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – A disgruntled former employee burst into a government agency in eastern Turkey on Wednesday, shooting dead six staff before taking his own life, in what local media said appeared to have been a revenge attack over a professional dispute. The gunman took his one-time colleagues hostage…
Egyptian police shoot dead 13-year-old at pro-Mursi protest
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – A 13-year-old boy was shot dead on Wednesday in clashes in the south of the country between the Egyptian police and protesters supporting deposed Islamist President Mohammed Mursi, a ministry official said. “Amr Aly Mohammed was killed by a gun shot during clashes between police and…
Two officers, five militants killed in Egypt army raid
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – Two Egyptian army officers were killed on Wednesday in a shootout with members of a Sinai-based Islamist militant group, the Interior Ministry said. It said five militants were killed and four arrested when the military and police raided a bomb and weapons storage facility. The fighters…
Four rockets strike eastern Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – Updated 5:22 pm: Two rockets struck uninhabited areas in northeastern Lebanon Wednesday, and two others hit central Bekaa, without causing any casualties, state news reported. The attacks were the 12th of their kind perpetrated by suspected Syrian rebels this month. Lebanon’s National News Agency said one…
Israeli deputy FM: Palestinians haven’t budged ‘a millimeter’
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – In an interview with Al-Monitor, Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to pay a political price for advancing negotiations, unlike the Palestinian partners.
Disqualified candidates spark controversy in Iraq
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Newly issued judicial decisions, which prevent certain persons from running in the upcoming elections due to outstanding lawsuits against them, have caused a heated debate in Iraq.
Maliki, parliament in legal battle over budget
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – As the debate over the general budget continues in the Iraqi parliament, the government has gone to the judiciary for permission to disburse funds allocated to operating expenses.
Arsal strife could spread to other parts of Lebanon
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Following the Syrian rebels’ defeat in Yabrud, hundreds of militants are believed to have fled to the Lebanese town of Arsal, with the tense situation there threatening to spread to Tripoli and other parts of Lebanon.
What are you going to do, Comrade Obama?
Al-Akhbar Opinion 19 Mar 2014 – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow, on March 18, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Ria-Novosti/ Pool/ Alexei Nikolsky) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow, on…
Israel to build 186 new illegal settler homes in Jerusalem
Al-Akhbar News 19 Mar 2014 – Palestinian children (top) look on as an Israeli settler dressed up and wearing a mask takes part in a parade to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in al-Shuhada Street, in the West Bank town of Hebron, on March 16, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Menahem Kahana)…
Are reports of Turkey’s ‘authoritarianism’ overblown?
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Statistics from the European Court of Human Rights indicate Turkey’s current human rights record is better even than the early years of AKP rule.
Hamas, Fatah prepare for Gaza student elections
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Hamas and Fatah have agreed to hold student elections in Gaza as part of their reconciliation process, but no date has been set.
Lebanese factions seek unity against terrorism threat
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – After the new Lebanese government secures parliament’s official blessing, it may have the political cover to act militarily to address troubling security problems.
Where are Syria’s non-violent revolutionaries today?
Al-Akhbar Politics 19 Mar 2014 – Protesters hold as capes the pre-Baath Syrian flag, now used by the opposition, during a rally outside Downing Street in London on March 15, 2014, to mark the third anniversary since the start of the Syrian conflict.(Photo: AFP-Andrew Cowie) Protesters hold as capes the pre-Baath Syrian…
Federalism challenges Arab oil producers
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – In light of popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world, the oil industry is witnessing a similar movement, where some local governments are demanding their share of oil revenues and their participation in oil production.
Peace talks could benefit from implementing previous agreements
Al-Monitor 19 Mar 2014 – Advancing negotiations can be greatly assisted by trust-building measures, namely fulfilling older agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians.
Beirut: personal interests, political pressure plague surveillance camera plan
Al-Akhbar Politics 18 Mar 2014 – Beirut municipality plans to install two thousand security cameras around Beirut. (Photo: Kamel Jaber) Beirut municipality plans to install two thousand security cameras around Beirut. (Photo: Kamel Jaber) The Lebanese Audit Bureau seems hesitant about approving a deal to buy and install surveillance cameras in the…
Articles
A new Palestinian intifada seems inevitable, but…
Ali Jaradat, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 3/19/2014
Despite the resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations last July, Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government has tightened its siege of the Gaza Strip, increased military incursions and missile attacks on the civilian population there, and intensified its measures to confiscate land in the West Bank for more illegal settlements. This is all in addition to the unprecedented escalation in the pace of Israeli’s Judaisation of Jerusalem, violations of the holy city’s religious sanctities, and attempts to control or at least divide these Islamic and Christian sites. Moreover, the resumption of negotiations did not prevent the Israeli occupation’s military and security forces from increasing their arrest campaigns, which did not spare Palestinian children, and their political assassinations, which have claimed the lives of about 50 Palestinians.
There are those who attribute this to Netanyahu’s desire to drag the Palestinians into a new round of bloody conflict in order to hold them responsible for the failure of the negotiations. This may be the case in terms of the timing and tactical aspect, but the Israeli government’s increased radicalisation can be attributed to its deluded belief that it can separate the never-ending negotiations from the escalations on the ground, which invalidate these negotiations and turn them into a cover for Israeli violations; and the government’s belief that continuing to commit these violations will eliminate the Palestinians’ “resistance mentality”.
This is a new-old Israeli theory that has been proven to be false. Even Israeli political, military, security and media circles have warned consistently about the consequences of being too attached to this theory. This means that the escalation on the ground is nothing more than an echo of the policy dictated by ideological extremism, reflected by subsequent statements made by Netanyahu, who summed up the whole matter thus: “I want to make clear that I will not accept an agreement that does not cancel the [refugees’] right of return and which does not include Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state, and my government will not put such an agreement to a referendum.” It is as if Netanyahu’s cancellation of the right of return means that the essence of the Palestinian cause will be liquidated…. more..e-mail
A kuffiya for Tony Benn: The British warrior who ’matured with age’
Ramzy Baroud, Ma’an News Agency 3/19/2014
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is “My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story.”
Long before the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment campaign inched slowly from the fringes of global solidarity with Palestinians to take center stage, Tony Benn — British Labor politician and member of Parliament for 47 years — had been advocating a boycott of Israel with unrestricted conviction for years.
“Britain should offer its support for this strategy by stopping all arms sales to Israel, introducing trade sanctions and a ban on all investment there together with a boycott of Israeli goods here and make it a condition for the lifting of these measures that Israel complies with these demands at once,” Benn wrote in his blog on April 19, 2002, under the title “A STATE OF PALESTINE NOW.” The “strategy” of which Ben spoke was for Arafat to declare a state, and for “friendly nations” to recognize it.
Yes, the title was all in caps. It was as if Benn, a principled British left wing politician, had wanted to loudly accentuate his insistence that the Palestinian people deserved their rights, freedom and sovereignty. He was as bold and courageous as any man or woman of true values and principles should always be. He remained uncompromising in matters of human rights and justice. This international warrior left a challenging space to fill when he passed away at the age of 88, on Thursday, March 13.
Following the news of his death, British media was awash of reports about Benn and his long legacy of being a stubborn politician and uncompromising advocate for human rights. Frankly, there was less emphasis on the latter and much more on the former…. — See also: Palestine Chroniclemore..e-mail
Time to target Britain’s Israel-first MPs
Stuart Littlewood, Redress 3/19/2014
BDS must expose our MPs’ unnatural devotion to a foreign power that practises apartheid, defies international law and terrorises children.
Last week David Cameron, addressing Israel’s Knesset, pledged to defeat any boycotting of Israel. “Britain opposes boycotts,” he said without having consulted the British people on the matter.
This should be enough to put the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) on a war footing. But when a friend suggested to one of the PSC’s senior people that next year’s general election candidates who had joined Friends of Israel should be named and shamed, he got a sniffy response. Being a Friend of Israel, he was told, “is not a totally reliable indicator of where people stand”.
The enemy within
There’s no doubt where the ringleaders stand, though. Their words and actions make it perfectly clear. And with electioneering already in full swing, now would be a good time to target them. Cameron and his lieutenant, William Hague, have provided abundant ammunition, here for example, to mount a devastating campaign exposing their unnatural devotion to a foreign military power that practises apartheid and treats international law with contempt.
The pair are currently drumming up sanctions against Russia after the citizens of Crimea, exercising their right of self-determination, upset the West’s apple-cart by voting to rejoin “the Bear”. On the Foreign Office website Hague whined: “We are witnessing a clear attempt to pave the way for the annexation of part of the sovereign territory of an independent European state, through military force and an illegal and illegitimate referendum….” more..e-mail
USA’s Israeli-inspired new world disorder
Jamal Kanj, Redress 3/19/2014
Following serious cajoling by the United States and the European Union, and arm twisting by Arab governments, the Palestinians entered what was to be nine months of negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians, who had forgone demands for Israel’s compliance with previous signed agreements before starting new negotiations, were promised that this time Israel would enter into serious discussions to reach a final agreement by 29 April 2014.
After stalling for four months, Israel refused to discuss any issues other than security arrangements. Negotiations were effectively over late last November when US Secretary of State John Kerry mobilized a large team, led by a former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) employee, to resuscitate it.
The looming deadline is around the corner and there is no indication that the two sides are any closer than when they started. In fact, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, added two fresh conditions this week: no final deal with the Palestinians unless they relinquish the rights of refugees, and an additional recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.
For Israel, which has perfected the game of temporizing, these nine months were just a prelude to seek another extension in the talks and to take the steam out of the international boycott movement while undermining the peace process by building new Jews-only homes – over 7,000 units since July 2013.
This week, Netanyahu also declared, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times newspaper, that “It will take us at least a year to exhaust these negotiations.”
In June 1992, a year after the start of the Madrid peace talks, the then departing Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, revealed to an Israeli newspaper that he would have kept negotiating “for 10 years and in the meantime we would have reached half a million [Jewish squatters] ” in the West Bank. more..e-mail
A New World Disorder
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Mar 2014 – By Jamal Kanj Following serious cajoling by the US, the European Union and arm twisting by Arab governments, the Palestinians entered what was to be nine months of negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians, who had forgone demands for Israel’s compliance with previous signed agreements before starting new negotiations, were promised that this time Israel would enter into serious discussions to reach a final agreement by April 29. After stalling for four months, Israel refused to discuss any issues but security arrangements. Negotiations were effectively over late last November when US Secretary of State John Kerry mobilised a large team, led by a former American Israel public affairs committee employee, to resuscitate it. The looming deadline is around the corner and there is no indication that the two sides are any closer than when they started. In fact, the Israeli prime minister added two fresh conditions this week: No final deal…more
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The New Dark Age 
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