1 May 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Vandals Damage 8 Palestinian Cars in Nazareth
IMEMC – Jewish Israeli vandals, on Wednesday, slashed the tires of eight cars belonging to Palestinians in Nazareth City and occupied the historical city of Acre, where they painted religious symbols on buildings, there. …
Ashrawi Calls Upon the International Community to Continue Upgrading Relations with Palestine
IMEMC – Dr. Hanan Ashrawi of the PLO Executive Committee called on the international community and, in particular, the European Union to continue in upgrading its relations with Palestine, and its recognition of the State of Palestine, as well as in curbing the Israel’s persistent violations and unilateral measures. …
Continued Violations and Assaults by Israeli Soldiers and Settlers Across West Bank and Gaza
IMEMC – VIDEO: Farming Under Fire Escalated violence against the Palestinian people and their property, by both Israeli military and civilians, continued on Thursday, with reports of violations and abuses surfacing throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. …
Netanyahu Seeks to Codify ‘Jewish Statehood’ Into Law
IMEMC – Israel will secure its status as the national homeland of the Jewish people by law, if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has his way. …
Four Palestinian Villagers Attacked By Army Near Ramallah
IMEMC – Israeli soldiers assaulted, on Thursday [May 1, 2014] four Palestinians who were working in their farmlands near Aboud village, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. …
Soldiers Invade Doura, Near Hebron
IMEMC – [Wednesday Evening, April 30, 2014] Several Israeli military jeeps invaded Doura town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and detonated some walls near a home after surrounding it. …
Israeli helicopters hover over West Bank
5/1/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Israeli military helicopters hovered at low altitude over West Bank cities early Thursday. Israeli media reported a day earlier that the Israeli forces were preparing for an air show to be performed May 6 marking Israel’s Independence Day. Helicopters were seen flying at a very low altitude in Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. [END]
Palestinian man, settlers injured in car crash near Ramallah
5/1/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man and four settlers were lightly injured in a car crash west of Ramallah on Thursday, Israeli media reported. The incident occurred near the illegal settlement of Modin Ilit. The Palestinian man was taken for treatment by Red Crescent ambulances while Israeli medics took the settlers to Tel Hashomer medical center. 1 ) Susan Shaw / Uk 01/05/2014 15….
Israel PM looking to enshrine ‘Jewish state’ in law
5/1/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel will seek to anchor its status as the national homeland of the Jewish people in law, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.” One of my main missions as prime minister of Israel is to bolster the status of the State of Israel as the national state of our people,” Netanyahu said in a speech in Tel Aviv, a transcript of….
PA: Over 700 workers hurt on job in 2013
5/1/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Over 700 Palestinian workers sustained injuries from accidents on the job in 2013, the Palestinian minister of labor said Thursday marking May Day. Ahmad Majdalani said 20 workers died and 752 workers sustained injuries. The labor ministry, he added, has taken legal procedures against work places which do not observe the internationally accepted standards of safety. But the secretary-general of the….
Palestinian unity: Hope and gloom in the Beach refugee camp
5/1/2014 – By Ramzy Baroud – For years, Palestinian factions have strived for unity, and for years unity has evaded them. But is it possible that following several failed attempts, Fatah and Hamas have finally found that elusive middle ground? And if they have done so, why, to what end, and at what cost? On April 23, top Fatah and Hamas officials hammered out the final details of….
May Day: Palestinian workers in Israel still ‘denied basic rights’
5/1/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — As countries across the world celebrate International Workers’ Day, an Israeli human rights group says that Palestinian laborers face harsh and humiliating conditions and are still being denied their basic rights.” For Palestinian workers, there is not much cause for celebration: the day is a painful reminder that another year has gone by and nothing has changed,” B’Tselem….
Turkish police tear gas May Day protesters in Istanbul
5/1/2014 – ISTANBUL (AFP) — Turkish police used water canon and tear gas on Thursday to disperse hundreds of protesters who tried to defy a Labor Day ban on demonstrations on Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the scene of protests that have dogged the government for months. After giving a final warning, hundreds of riot police backed up by water cannon trucks moved in on protesters in the….
Israeli forces ‘attack Palestinian woman, daughter’ in Silwan
5/1/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces attacked a Palestinian woman and her teenage daughter in the Wadi Hilweh quarter south of the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday, Palestinians in Silwan neighborhood said. Director of the Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center Jawad Siyam told Ma’an that Israeli officers broke into the home of Umm Kalawoon al-Tawil and “brutally” beat her and her 15….
Monitor: Syria regime raid on Aleppo kills at least 33
5/1/2014 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Syrian warplanes hit a popular market in a rebel-held district of Aleppo on Thursday killing at least 33 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Several people were also wounded in the attack that targeted the market in the Halak neighborhood in northeastern Aleppo, the Britain-based monitor said. [END]
Officials: 13 dead in Taliban suicide car bomb
5/1/2014 – KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Taliban suicide car bomb killed at least 13 people in Afghanistan on Thursday, including six policemen, officials said.”Six police were killed, and seven civilians,” Abdul Aziz Ghairat, police chief of Panjshir province, told AFP.”A number of other civilians and security forces were wounded.”[END]
Netanyahu to push for Jewish statehood
AlJazeera 1 May 2014 – Israeli prime minister wants to enact a law that defines Israel as a Jewish state, despite its sizeable Arab population.
occupied Palestinian territory: Despite impasse, UN chief urges continued focus on Middle East peace efforts
Relief Web 1 May 2014 – Source: UN News Service Country: occupied Palestinian territory 1 May 2014 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed to Israelis and Palestinians to exercise prudence and avoid unilateral steps that would diminish the prospects of resuming negotiations after the latest downturn…
Nigeria: Polio this week – as of 30 April 2014
Relief Web 1 May 2014 – Source: Global Polio Eradication Initiative Country: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic Polio this week The data table below…
occupied Palestinian territory: Refugee Kids in Lebanon and Gaza Get TOMS Shoes
Relief Web 1 May 2014 – Source: American Near East Refugee Aid Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory This is the third year that ANERA has distributed new TOMS Shoes to thousands of refugee children in Gaza, but this time was even more special. ANERA was able…
occupied Palestinian territory: Microsoft partnership for UNRWA students
Relief Web 30 Apr 2014 – Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Amman The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has announced a joint initiative with the Microsoft IT Academy…
US report praises GCC for progress in countering terrorism
The National 1 May 2014 – State Department report singles out UAE for progress in curbing financing of extremists groups but says Qatar and Kuwait need to do more.
Maliki may be overconfident in expecting a third term as Iraqi PM
The National 1 May 2014 – After eight years in power, the prime minister faces estranged Shiite allies, a deeply suspicious Sunni minority, and Kurds resentful of his perceived meddling in their affairs.
90 hurt in Labour Day clashes between police and protesters in Istanbul
The National 1 May 2014 – Crowds try to defy ban on observing May 1 at the traditional site which has also been the centre of anti-government protests over the past year.
Bride-to-be killed in blasts on train at Chennai railway station
The National 1 May 2014 – Two low intensity-bombs damage three carriages in latest violence as country holds general elections.
Pro-Russian mob seizes building in Ukraine s Donetsk
The National 1 May 2014 – Anti-government demonstrators in a major eastern Ukraine city storm the regional prosecutor’s office as authorities appear to be losing control over swaths of the country.
Lebanon in frenzy over Clooney-Alamuddin engagement
The National 1 May 2014 – Word that Beirut-born Amal Alamuddin has stolen the heart of George Clooney has caused a frenzy in Lebanon, where citizens are more used to bad news.
Death toll in clashes between Philippines army and Abu Sayyaf rises to 26
The National 1 May 2014 – Captain Maria Rowena Muyuela, the regional military spokeswoman, said the latest field reports showed 25 Abu Sayyaf militants have been killed and 24 wounded. One Philippine marine had died and 19 were wounded.
Toronto mayor says he ll take leave to seek help as second drug video surfaces
The National 1 May 2014 – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will take a leave of absence to seek help for alcohol, he said, as a report surfaced about a second video of the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.
Americans in Israel urged to resist new U.S. oversight of their bank information
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Wertheimers selling stake in Blades Technology to Pratt & Whitney
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Healing in the Holy City
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Bibi the Builder: Netanyahu starring in a special Independence Day clip
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
A Turkish premier consolidating his power orders Taksim empty on May Day
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Intuit reportedly in talks to acquire Israeli bill-paying app for $350 million
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Woman found stabbed to death in suspected terror attack
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Russia stages first Red Square May Day parade since Soviet era
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Israeli-born chef leading America s high-end vegan revolution
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
WATCH: BBC’s outgoing provocateur-in-chief Paxman vs. Israel’s advocates
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Reform Jews threaten to leave Conference of Presidents
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Petah Tikva man arrested for beating 78-year-old woman with hammer
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
PLO official: Netanyahu using Jewish state law to bury peace
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Israeli Arab activist under house arrest for Facebook post
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Netanyahu pushing Basic Law defining Israel as Jewish state
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Netanyahu: Don’t take photos with your smart phones, live!
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Court rejects state’s request to demolish Bedouin village
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
The New York Times is clueless about Israel – and Orthodoxy
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Jay Leno to host $1 million award ceremony in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
The highs and lows of Assi Dayan
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Turkish protesters defy May Day ban, head to Istanbul square
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Hate crime culprits are terrorists, says public security minister
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Israel at 66: 8.2 million residents and 14 cities
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Toronto mayor takes time off to dry out after new drug video surfaces
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Austrian police raid Muslim centers over Syria war ties
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Netanyahu, hero of the binational state?
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
NBC, TMZ rapped for mistakes in Sterling racism story
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Iran would buy 400 airliners if sanctions lifted, aviation official says
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Soldier who aimed at Palestinian becomes Facebook hero
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Apartheid or not, Kerry s warning was clear
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Report: British police to say Peaches Geldof died of heroin overdose
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
Women to light up Israeli Independence Day
Ha’aretz – 1 May 2014
The truth, off the record
Ha’aretz – 30 Apr 2014
Ground-breaking held for memorial site for fallen soldiers
Ha’aretz – 30 Apr 2014
Is this not apartheid?
Ha’aretz – 30 Apr 2014
Back to square one
Ha’aretz – 30 Apr 2014
In the event of a real alarm
Ha’aretz – 30 Apr 2014
Thousands demonstrate in Tel Aviv May Day march for workers rights
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Carrying red flags and banners from several left-wing parties, the protesters marched shouting slogans against the capitalist regime.
Israel’s PA predicament
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – The government finds itself on the horns of a grave dilemma it can severely punish the PA, but it dares not bring it to its knees.
Middle Israel: An era of economic promise
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Until today, the world in which the Israeli economy operated was driven by Europe and America.
Study: Israel ranks second in world in self-made billionaires
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Hong Kong led the list, followed by Israel, the United States, Switzerland, and Singapore.
White House says it has ‘wide range of options’ if Iran talks fail
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Israeli envoy Dermer, Menendez express concern over the direction of talks in Vienna to Foundation for Defense of Democracies forum.
The sky is not falling
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – The doomsday diviners are certain that unless the twostate solution is promptly implemented, Israel will molder, or atrophy into apartheid and inch into isolation.
20-year-old girl stabbed to death in possible terror attack
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Police investigating possibility of nationalistic motives in the suspected murder; Shelly Danon was found with stab wounds on her body in Migdal HaEmek.
70 years since the Hungarian Shoah, Am Yisrael Hai
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – It has also been 70 years since the rescue of the remnant of Hungarian Jews by Raoul Wallenberg, the disappeared hero of the Holocaust, who demonstrated that one person can confront evil, can resist, can prevail, and thereby transform history.
Sinai today: Kerry s sins
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – I will not allow my commitment to Israel to be questioned by anybody, said John Kerry in defending himself following his use of the word apartheid in relation to Israel. He misses the point.
Holy Fashion: A-head of the game
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Fashion photographer Ella Manor visits the ‘Piece of Mind’ exhibition in Holon, the display of 15 headpieces by young Israeli designers.
My word: ‘A wonderful country
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – We re not perfect. Nobody is. But neither are we the world s worst offenders by far when it comes to human rights, civil liberties and freedom.
The POSTman Knocks Twice: From vulgarity to 44,000 books
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Israel is the response to Hitler s genocide.
Energy security firm receives patent for EV grid protection technology
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – As the electric vehicle usage becomes increasingly popular around the world and cyber-attack vectors on energy networks expand, Nation-E said that it identified a grid weakness caused by the vehicle usage.
Israeli envoy to US distances from Danon after Kerry slight
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – “Danon’s views of Secretary Kerry do not reflect the views of the Government of Israel,” says Ron Dermer.
Yitzhar settlement votes no to violence against the IDF
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – The Yitzhar settlement opposes the targeting of security forces within its settlement and the surrounding hilltops.
Likud convention set for Wednesday
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – The convention had been set for March 31, but it was delayed due to internal legal technicalities in the party.
Ahead of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel welcomes 104 lone soldiers, 90 other new olim
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Among the olim was London native Josh Steele, a finalist from Israel s Master Chef TV cooking competition.
Husband and wife from Yitzhar arrested for Umm al-Fahm Price Tag attack
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Couple arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attempted torching of an Umm al-Fahm mosque in a suspected Price Tag attack last month.
Baby’s toes mangled after light colored hair cuts off blood circulation
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Kaplan Medical Center narrowly avoids amputating a baby’s toes after a hair got wrapped around them without the parents noticing the damage done.
Ben-Dahan calls for Jewish prayer on Temple Mount
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – The deputy minister of religious services says the ministry is preparing new regulations for Jewish prayer at the site.
Finally, some optimism in Hadassah Medical Organization money crisis
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Negotiations have persuaded all sides to climb down from high ladders and agree to make concessions.
Israel summons Jordanian ambassador to protest anti-Semitic op-ed by one of his predecessors
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Op-ed published in ‘Jordan Times’ by a former Jordanian foreign minister used quotes from Mein Kampf to support his vehemently anti-Israel argument.
Cooking with JPost: Jerusalem artichoke cream sauce pasta
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Chef Yochanan Lambiase says kosher food can be hip and funky. Check out this amazing quick recipe for a delicious pasta dinner.
European Rabbis condemn Egypt for mass death sentence
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – An Egyptian court sentenced the leader of the outlawed Islamic organization and 682 supporters to death earlier in the week.
Knesset to name Foreign Affairs, Defense C’tee chairman on May 12
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Sensitive panel has not had a leader for six months; leading candidates and Elkin, Levin, Hanegbi and Shelah.
Israeli infectious disease expert: WHO slow recognize global threat of bacteria resistance
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 –
Israel agrees to turn American s bank accounts over to IRS
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – The 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act requires int’l financial institutions to turn over all information on their US account holders.
Kerry: US taking a pause, reassessing after peace talk failure
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – During trip to Ethiopia, US secretary of state says both Israel, Palestinians interested in returning to negotiating table.
PM to push Basic Law that will define Israel as ‘Jewish state’
Jerusalem Post 1 May 2014 – Netanyahu says that personal and civil rights of all Israelis Jews and non-Jews will be forever preserved.
Israeli soldiers join online campaign in support of jailed ‘David of Nahal’
The Guardian 1 May 2014 – Online campaign follows publication of video showing soldier David Admov pointing gun at Palestinians confronting him Israeli soldiers, their faces obscured to avoid punishment, have mounted an unprecedented mass online campaign in support of a soldier…
Abu Ghraib 10 Years Later: Challenging Corporate Impunity for Torture
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – AprApril 28, 2014 -Ten years ago, the world got its first glimpse of images that would forever tarnish the United States reputation for how it conducts its wars. On April 28, 2004, a “60 Minutes” broadcast leaked photos of US…
Rand Paul Attempts To Woo Neocons By Cutting Aid To Palestinians
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – Rand Paul has long been an object of skepticism among neoconservatives in the Republican Party for his hostility to foreign aid and activist foreign policy in the Middle East. However, the Kentucky senator and 2016 hopefulwill…
US Military Censors Images of Soldiers Recorded by Miami Herald, Which They Let Army Journalists Publish
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – A video posted to YouTube by the Miami Herald shows how the United States military is now imposing a greater regime of censorship on the press, who are credentialed to cover the detention center at Guantanamo…
Israel likely to approve largest military budget in its history
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – A Palestinian news website has cited a report by Israel Hayom stating that in 2015 the Israeli army is set to receive its largest military budget since the establishment of the state. Israel Hayom previously reported…
Israel punishes Palestinian Authority by freezing construction projects in the West Bank
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – An officer of Israel s occupation forces has revealed that political motivations are behind Israel s recent decision to freeze 19 Palestinian construction projects in the West Bank, saying that this is an effort to impose…
UK official visits Iran to discuss upgrading ties
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 -Tehran: A senior British official and nuclear negotiator visited Iran on Monday to discuss upgrading relations severely damaged over an Islamist mob raid on the British embassy in Tehran in 2011.Simon Gass, a former ambassador in Tehran…
Palestinian street doubtful of Fatah-Hamas reconciliation
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – It seems that the ceremonious pictures of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have not convinced the people, who are accustomed to seeing such imagery every time a similar announcement…
American Abu Ghraib Prisoner “Disappears”
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – Citing security concerns, on April 15, the Iraqi government reported the closure of the notorious torture prison, Abu Ghraib. In the week prior to closure, 2,400 inmates were reported to have been moved to other prisons…
Israeli organization steals Palestinian lands in Negev
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – Al-Kakal a Zionist organization is launching a cold war through buying the Palestinian lands secretly in a way similar to Mossad s. Israeli channel 10 revealed that the organization appoints an Arab deputy, his name is…
Syria News – April 24, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 24, 2014 – By the end Thersday the Coordination Committees were able to document 128 martyrs in Syria including 10 women, 15 children and 5 martyrs under torture: 62 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 29 in Daraa; 17 in…
Syria News – April 25, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – By the end of Friday the Local coordination committees in Syria, were able to document 66 martyrs in Syria, including 5 children, 2 women, and 6 martyrs under torture: 17 martyrs in Daraa, 15 martyrs in Damascus and its suburbs,…
Syria News – April 26, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 26, 2014 – By the end of Saturday, Coordination Comiittees were able to documnet 93 martyrs including 4 women, 13 children and 2 martyrs under torture: 52 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 13 in Damascus and its suburbs; 11…
Syria News – April 27, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 -By the end of Sunday, Coordination Committees were able to document 115 martyrs including 9 women, 19 children and 5 martyrs under torture: 48 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 14 in Damascus and its suburbs; 11 in…
Syria News – April 27, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 -By the end of Sunday, Coordination Committees were able to document 115 martyrs including 9 women, 19 children and 5 martyrs under torture: 48 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 14 in Damascus and its suburbs; 11 in…
Bibi s Use of Holocaust Memory: Not Just Wrong, An Obscenity
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – April 28 is the day on which Jews all around the world commemorate the Holocaust. It s an important day, a somber time for obvious reasons. One would think it would be treated with respect, especially…
John Kerry and Israeli apartheid
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – Anti-Palestinian advocates are up in arms over US Secretary of State John Kerry s warning that Israel could become an “apartheid state” in the absence of a “two-state solution.” The Anti-Defamation League declared itself “startled and…
True Palestinian reconciliation must include refugees
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014- … For those of us who are the children of Palestinian refugees, our yearning for a just peace grows each day our parents are denied the right to access their homeland. With more years lived than left, they…
Palestinians call for refusal of Israel army service
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – Palestinians in present-day Israel are calling on all Arab citizens of Israel to refuse to serve in the army.In an emailed statement, the Coalition Against Military Service, led by Baladna, the Association for Arab Youth, and…
Sheldon Adelson s BuzzFeed strategy won t fix Israeli apartheid
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 – When people think of Israel s assaults on Palestinians, what often comes to mind are soldiers, separation walls, bulldozers, rockets and drones. All this has assured Israel s military dominance but it also has become a…
Israel prosecutors seek 5 to 7 years for ex-PM Olmert
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 — Israel s state prosecution is seeking a jail term of five to seven years for former premier Ehud Olmert who was convicted in March of bribery, a judicial source said Monday. Olmert was convicted on March…
PLO to seek membership of international bodies
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 28, 2014 — The Palestine Liberation Organization s central council on Sunday adopted a plan to pursue attempts to join 60 United Nations bodies and international agreements. The council, under the auspices of president Mahmoud Abbas, “affirms the need…
Shi ite militias join Iraqi army to fight Sunni groups
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – The Sunni militants who seized the riverside town of Buhriz late last month stayed for several hours. The next morning, after the Sunnis had left, Iraqi security forces and dozens of Shi ite militia fighters arrived…
Military Resistance 12D17 700 Hundred Soldiers Punished
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – Neither the reactionary behavior of the Morales regime nor the rising movement against it is particularly surprising. What is surprising is the quantity of fools who bow down to Morales as some sort of “socialist” or “…
Mass Hunger Striking for Justice
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – Thousands of Palestinian political prisoners languish in Israel s gulag. Hundreds are detained administratively. They re uncharged. They committed no crimes. Many are held longterm. Some are released and rearrested.Prolonged arbitrary detention breaches international law. Article…
Before Iraq election, Shi ite militias unleashed in war on Sunni insurgents
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – The Sunni militants who seized the riverside town of Buhriz late last month stayed for several hours. The next morning, after the Sunnis had left, Iraqi security forces and dozens of Shi ite militia fighters arrived…
Israel-Palestine: Kerry s Peace Talks Hit Separation Wall
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – With the recent announcement of a Hamas-Fatah reconciliation and the prospect of a unity government between the rival Palestinian factions, the U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have come to a screeching halt. The agreement, which shocked Mideast…
Yemen latest front line in Saudi-Qatari feud
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – ….Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been fighting a fierce war of influence over Yemen since 2011. The main dispute was over the Muslim Brotherhood, which has widespread activity in Yemen. The Brotherhood s Yemen branch, Islah,…
Is Washington Purposely Bleeding Syria?
Uruknet 1 May 2014 – April 27, 2014 – …On the rebel front, it s become increasingly clear that the opposition s Western backers are no longer interested in toppling Assad, assuming they ever were….The Washington Post last summer, Fareed Zakaria wrote that by providing…
Legalize cannabis, says Jumblatt
Daily Star 1 May 2014 The leader of Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party said he supports the growing of cannabis for medical purposes.
Netanyahu to define Israel as Jewish state in law
Daily Star 1 May 2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would seek to enact a law to define Israel as a Jewish state, a step certain to raise opposition from Arab citizens who make up a fifth…
Iran to buy 400 airliners if sanctions lifted
Daily Star 1 May 2014 Barred by sanctions from buying Western airliners since the 1970s, Iran has pent-up demand for 400 new planes, Tehran’s top aviation official was reported as saying, offering potential billions to manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing.
Islamist group condemns Egypt’s death sentences
Daily Star 1 May 2014 An association of Muslim scholars led by influential Qatar-based cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi has condemned death sentences passed by an Egyptian court against 683 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood as an act of revenge against political opponents.
Militant attack in Afghanistan kills 4 policemen
Daily Star 1 May 2014 Officials say a militant attack on a security post in eastern Afghanistan has killed four policemen.
Iran raps US report keeping it on terror list
Daily Star 1 May 2014 Iran rejected an annual US report that keeps Tehran on a list of state sponsors of terrorism as reflecting double standards, media reports said Thursday.
Israel police challenge US ‘terror’ findings
Daily Star 1 May 2014 Israeli police on Thursday challenged Washington’s inclusion of Jewish extremist attacks on Palestinians in a global terror report, saying such incidents could not be likened to militant attacks.
Iraq’s Maliki welcomes election turnout
Daily Star 1 May 2014 Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday that a high turnout in parliament elections the previous day was a “slap in the face of terrorism” as government forces battle al-Qaida-inspired militants west of the capital, Baghdad.
Jewish extremists trying to provoke ‘intifada’
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – Op-ed: What began with refined ‘price tag’ attacks may lead up to murder of Arab personality or blowing up of mosque or church. ….
What about Israel’s Donald Sterlings?
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – Op-ed: Former Clippers owner’s punishment is impossible in Israel. We are still very far off from enlightened countries which see racists as criminals. ….
France deports Algerian suspected of recruiting for Syria jihad
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – ….
Gaza rocket falls in open field in Eshkol; none hurt
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – ….
Activists: At least 33 killed in Syrian airstrike
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – ….
NATO official: Russia now an adversary
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – ….
J Street hits back: Conference of Presidents doesn’t represent the Jewish community
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – Pro-Israel lobby, that was denied admission to major umbrella group of American Jewish organizations, starts petition to unseat executive vice chairman of body. ….
Anne Frank memorial tree planted at US Capitol
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – Sapling grown from tree written about by famed diarist while in hiding celebrated as ‘living testament’ to one of Holocaust’s most cherished victims. ….
IDF must put an end to virtual protest
YNet News, 1 May 2014 – Analysis: If from now on every military or political issue provokes an online protest from soldiers, Israeli army’s power of deterrence will pay a heavy price. ….
Cobblestones to remember murdered Jews multiply in Berlin
YNet News, 30 Apr 2014 – Artist’s ‘stumbling blocks’ in high demand; 45,000 stones installed across Europe remembering victims of Holocaust. ….
Palestinian Information Center
PA can use trump card of security collaboration against Israel
PIC – Since last week’s reconciliation agreement between Fatah and the Islamic liberation group, Hamas, Israel has been behaving visibly hysterically.
Hamas warns of lifting the ban on visiting al-Aqsa
PIC – Hamas Movement has warned of lifting the ban on visiting al-Aqsa Mosque, adding that it would only support Israeli Judaization policy in occupied Jerusalem.
IOF attacks Palestinian farmers in Ramallah
PIC – Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacked on Thursday a number of Palestinian farmers while working in their agricultural land in Ramallah, Palestinian medical sources revealed.
Administrative detainees on hunger strike until getting their demands
PIC – Prisoner Jamal Al-Tawil said that the prisoners in administrative detention started mass hunger strike once again after the Israeli jailers backtracked on pledges to end this type of detention.
IOF demolishes Palestinian home, Israeli settlers attack al-Khalil natives
PIC – A Palestinian house and a water well were demolished by the IOF on Thursday in Wad al-Baqar in al-Khalil, while several Palestinian vehicles were attacked by a bunch of Israeli settlers.
Egypt closes Rafah crossing after opening it for two days
PIC – Egyptian authorities have re-closed on Wednesday Rafah crossing after being exceptionally opened for two days, during which nearly 1,500 citizens managed to travel.
Gaza‚¨ “!s boat blast reveals IOF attempts to thwart anti-siege solidarity moves
PIC – A blast rocked Gaza‚¨ “!s international anti-siege boat on Tuesday before it was to set sail from Gaza shores in a symbolic solidarity move against the siege.
IPS isolates 12 administrative detainees
PIC – Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has isolated 12 Palestinian administrative detainees in Negev prison after declaring hunger strike, while 3 other detainees were isolated in Ohli Kidar prison.
Israeli security apparatus claims uncovering Hamas cell in Qalqiliya
PIC – Shabak, the Israeli general security service, claimed having arrested a Hamas-linked cell in Qalqiliya, north of the Occupied West Bank, as they were setting to carry out operations targeting IOF.
Intensive IOF presence in Nablus as Jewish settlers enter Joseph’s tomb area
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Thursday stormed different neighborhoods of Nablus city as busloads of Jewish settlers arrived at the area where Joseph’s tomb is located.
Israeli Forces Seize Marble Slabs from Bethlehem Village
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Workers’ Day: No Cause for Celebration for Palestinians Working in Israel
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israel Forces Seal off a Hebron Village
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Settlers Uproot Scores of Olive Saplings near Bethlehem
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Abbas: Unity of Land and People is our Path to Freedom and Independence
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Forces Brutally Assault Farmers North of Ramallah
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Settlers Pelt Palestinian Vehicles with Stones near Hebron
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Forces Closed Down Islamic Soccer Club in Qalqilya
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Erekat: With Status Quo on Its Side, Israel Happily Rejects Peace
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Extremists Slash Tires of Palestinian Cars, Spray Racist Graffiti in Jerusalem
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Shaªath Calls for Popular and International Action after Israel foiled Peace Talks
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Strike in Arab village against Jewish Extremists Assaults
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Army Arrest 6 in West Bank, including Ex-Detainees, a Female
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Palestine’s UN Observer: Israel s Settlement Construction Undermined Peace
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Participation of Men in Labor Force 4 Times Higher than Participation of Women, says Statistics Bureau
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Forces Demolish Two Homes near Hebron
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israel Continues its Policies of Aggression against People of Palestine
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Erekat: Israel Never Gave Negotiations Chance to Succeed
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Occupation Authorities Demand Wattan TV to Immediately Stop Broadcasting
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Abbas: Extending Negotiations Requires defining borders of Palestinian state within three months
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Israeli Police Arrest 3 Students in Anti-conscription Demonstration in Jerusalem
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Road Blocked due to Israeli Military Training near Hebron
WAFA – 1 May 2014
Settlers Set Up Tent near Tulkarm
WAFA – 1 May 2014
U.S. worries its aid to Egypt may be misdirected
LA Times 30 Apr 2014 – The Egyptian military recently used American-made Apache helicopter gunships to fire rockets into houses in the Sinai Peninsula, the latest in a series of lethal raids targeting a little-known Al Qaeda-inspired group that has bombed civilians.
The Lede: Tributes and Mourning on Social Media as an Egyptian Voice Goes Silent
New York Times 1 May 2014 – Friends and dignitaries shared on social media memories of Bassem Sabry, who died in Cairo at age 31, as an influential and principled thinker.
Netanyahu Plans to Promote Legislation on Jewish State Designation
New York Times 1 May 2014 – The move comes as an apparent response to Palestinians rejection of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s demand for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state during peace talks.
Qaeda Affiliates Gain Regional Influence as Central Leadership Fades
New York Times 30 Apr 2014 – The groups are exerting new power in Somalia, Syria, Yemen and West Africa, a State Department report says, challenging counterterrorism officials despite the weaker Qaeda leadership in Pakistan.
Stronger Action Required on Syria, Aid Chief Warns
New York Times 30 Apr 2014 – Following a barrel bomb attack on a school in Aleppo, the emergency relief coordinator of the United Nations said a Security Council resolution had failed to bring relief to Syrians in need.
With Security Tight, Iraqis Cast Votes in Unaccustomed Peace
New York Times 30 Apr 2014 – Millions defied threats from Islamist extremists to vote for a new Parliament, in what was seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
Candidate for President in Egypt Tempers His Expectations
New York Times 30 Apr 2014 – The meager expectations of Hamdeen Sabahi, who is opposing the former general Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi in the race for Egypt s presidency, illustrate the breakdown of Egypt s political life since the presidential election two years ago.
Children s Art at Syria School, and Then a Bomb
New York Times 30 Apr 2014 – Images of the school in Aleppo showed pools of blood and children s drawings, after a blast that reportedly killed at least 20 people, including 17 students.
Don t destroy our dream-castle Israel! (Why the Jewish establishment shut out J Street)
Mondoweiss – The American Jewish establishment voted by a wide margin yesterday to refuse membership to the J Street, a lobby group that has often but mildly criticized Israeli policy. J Street at first expressed keen disappointment over the vote by the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish…
15 years ago, IHT piece warned: failed peace process= apartheid
Mondoweiss – Raji Sourani Last night at Vassar College, Ali Abunimah stated how appalling it is that the mainstream media are jumping all over John Kerry s apartheid statement without asking Palestinians how it looks to them. On the one hand it s incredible that the elites are having this…
J Street rejected from the imperial court of contemporary Jewish life
Mondoweiss – J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami. (Photo: Alon Ron) This is part of Marc H. Ellis s Exile and the Prophetic feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page . When I read yesterday that J Street was denied admission to the Conference of…
Fiddler on the Nakba
Mondoweiss – A scene from Fiddler on the Roof Yesterday I listened to Terry Gross interviewing Sheldon Harnick , the lyricist for Fiddler on the Roof. As they talked about Russian villages in which Jews were persecuted, and which they fled to come to America forced out, Gross said…
Debbie Almontaser salutes Donna Nevel
Mondoweiss – On Sunday night at its fourth annual gala in New York, the Muslim Consultative Network was toasted by leading politicians, Scott Stringer the city comptroller and Letitia James the Public Advocate. And the Network honored three leaders and an organization for civic engagement: New York education…
Conference of Presidents Rejects J Street
Tikun Olam – Bibi Netanyahu whispering sweet-nothings in Malcolm Hoenlein s ear J Street applied for membership in the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations . Today, its application was resoundingly rejected in a vote in which only 17 of 50 voted to accept the group. 22 voted No …
Gaza Writes Back
Sabbah report 1 May 2014 – Yousef Aljamal discusses Omar X, a story about the death of his brother, featured in a collection of short stories by Gazan writers. Continue reading í! Read More: Gaza Writes Back . Sign up for our FREE newsletter!
The essence of apartheid in Israel
Sabbah report 1 May 2014 – Israel has no intention of ever meeting the technical definition of an apartheid state, either, because that would be a public-relations disaster. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems convinced that he can avoid that outcome simply by hanging on to the occupied territories indefinitely but never…
Israel s Stolen Nuclear Materials: Why it Still Matters
Sabbah report 1 May 2014 – Once again revelations concerning the genesis of Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons program are attracting notice. The extent of Israeli espionage activities conducted in the U.S. second only to that of the KGB according to one top-level source. Continue reading í! Read More: Israel s Stolen Nuclear…
Anti-Palestinian arson attacks on the rise
Sabbah report 1 May 2014 – A wave of violence over the past fortnight, including attacks on two mosques and a church, has shocked Israel’s Palestinian citizens, who comprise a fifth of the population, and raised fears that Israeli right-wing extremists are growing bolder as they shift attention to targeting Palestinian areas…
U.S., Israel Reach Tax Information-Sharing Agreement to Combat Tax Dodging
The Foward Breaking News 1 May 2014 – Israel has become the latest country to reach a tax information-sharing agreement with the United States under a new law meant to combat offshore tax dodging by Americans, a U.S. Treasury Department spokesperson said on Thursday. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Regains ‘Free’ Designation by Freedom House in Annual Report
The Foward Breaking News 1 May 2014 – Israel was the only country in the Middle East with a press designated as free by a Washington think tank. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israel Population Grows to 8.2 Million, According to Bureau of Statistics
The Foward Breaking News 1 May 2014 – Israel s population increased to nearly 8.2 million, according to figures released just ahead of Israel Independence Day, or Yom Ha atzmaut. Click here for the rest of the article…
Israeli Director Assi Dayan Dies at 68
The Foward Breaking News 1 May 2014 – Celebrated Israeli actor and director Assi Dayan, whose father Moshe Dayan became internationally known as Israel s eye patch-wearing defence minister during two Middle East wars, died on Thursday at the age of 68, his family announced. Click here for the rest of the article…
Rwanda: Egypt, Middle East Expo Opens in Rwanda
allAfrica.com1 May 2014 – [CAJ News]Kigali -MORE than 60 companies, mostly from Asia, are participating at this year’s Egypt and Middle East expo, which started in Kigali on Wednesday.
Rwanda: Egypt and Middle East Expo Opens At Amahoro Stadium
allAfrica.com1 May 2014 – [Focus]Over 60 companies from Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and China are in Kigali participating in this year’s Egypt and Middle East expo that opened on Wednesday at Amahoro Stadium. The 11-day trade fair named ‘Shop Till You Drop’ seeks to strengthen…
Iraq: A proxy battleground in a regional war
BBC 1 May 2014 – How Iraq is becoming proxy battleground in regional struggle
Tunisia MPs approve electoral law
BBC 1 May 2014 – Tunisia’s interim parliament takes one of the last steps towards the country becoming a full democracy by approving a new electoral law.
Deadly air strike on Aleppo market
BBC 1 May 2014 – At least 33 people are killed in an air strike on a market in a rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, activists say.
Former US diplomat warns of possible ‘grave mistake’ in Syria
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – Ryan Crocker, former US ambassador to Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, warns against a regime change plan that would depose the Alawite power structure in Syria and advises the Obama administration to contain the fighting by backing US regional allies, but not to intervene militarily.
Lebanon: Presidential void inevitable
Al-Akhbar Opinion 1 May 2014 – Lebanese members of parliament count the votes after casting their ballots to elect the new Lebanese president in the parliament building in downtown Beirut on April 23, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Joseph Eid/POOL) Lebanese members of parliament count the votes after casting their ballots to elect the new…
Israel denounces US terrorism report over mention of “price tag” attacks
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – An Israeli settler woman, left, questions a Palestian woman walking her children home, as settler families move into a four-story building which the Palestinian Rajabis family has said was taken over fraudulently by Israeli settlers, in the West Bank town of Hebron, on April 13, 2014. (…
Armed forces kill alleged Al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – Yemeni troops backed by aircraft killed six suspected Al-Qaeda militants as they pressed a ground offensive in the south, the defense ministry said on Thursday. The assault that began overnight focused on the Shabwa province towns of Maifaa and Azzan, the ministry’s26sep.netnews website said….
In Turkey, how Germany s president became Germany’s imam
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – The rampant political paranoia in Turkey is even capable of demonizing German President Joachim Gauck as the imam of a treacherous parallel state.
Rai defies his predecessors, decides to join papal delegation to Israel
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – The current Maronite patriarch, Mar Bishara al-Rai, with his predecessor Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir behind him. (Photo: Archive) The current Maronite patriarch, Mar Bishara al-Rai, with his predecessor Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir behind him. (Photo: Archive) In almost every controversial matter, Maronite Patriarch Mar Bishara al-Rai…
Protests in Istanbul send ‘mayday’ for Turkish democracy
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – Demonstrators defied the security clampdown on Istanbul, leading to waves of arrests and another challenge to the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Congress seeks more control over government news agency
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – A key panel has voted to reform a US news agency whose Middle East coverage has long frustrated lawmakers.
Russia-Iran ties getting better, but not at expense of nuclear talks
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – Russian officials see an advantage in expanding economic relations with Iran, but are still committed to concluding a nuclear agreement.
Qatar reforms wage payment plan for expat workers
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – Qatar, building for the 2020 World Cup, moves toward labor reform with lessons to learn from Bahrain.
Officials rescue 300 migrants left for dead in Sudanese-Libyan desert
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – Ten migrants have died among some 300 abandoned by smugglers in the scorching Sudanese-Libyan desert, with the others in poor condition, Sudanese officials said Wednesday. “They are hungry and thirsty,” Abdelaziz Hassan Salih, a senior official of Sudan’s foreign ministry, told the official SUNA news agency….
Russian policy in Ukraine, Mideast not just about Putin
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – The sources of Russian foreign policy are primarily found in geopolitics and longstanding interests, not just Russian’s current president.
Iraq vote count gets under way
BBC 1 May 2014 – Vote counting is under way in Iraq as the US and UN hail the country’s first parliamentary poll since the withdrawal of US troops three years ago.
Will US-Russian chill benefit Assad?
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could benefit from the strained relations between the West and Moscow, and the sanctions placed on the latter.
Iraq counts votes after deadly election day
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – Iraqi election commission officials count votes at a polling station in the Mansour district of Baghdad on April 30, 2014.(Photo: AFP – Khalil al-Murshidi) Vote counting was under way Thursday after Iraqis braved a wave of attacks to cast ballots in elections hailed by the United…
Chechen jihadists in Syria: The case of Omar al-Shishani
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – Chechen jihadists in Syria. (Photo: AFP) Chechen jihadists in Syria. (Photo: AFP) Chechen jihadists play a major role in the conflict in Syria. They have been fighting in Syria since 2012 and their role has been carefully planned, with direct clerical guidance from certain countries and…
Israeli sanctions on Palestinians could backfire
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – The Israeli assumption that economic pressure will return the Palestinians to “the straight and narrow path,” has already proven to be ineffective and might endanger the motivation for successful security cooperation.
Turkish forces use tear gas on Labor Day demonstrators
Al-Akhbar News 1 May 2014 – Turkish police used water cannons and tear gas on Thursday to disperse thousands of protesters who tried to defy a Labor Day ban on demonstrations on Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the scene of protests that have dogged the government for months. After giving a final warning, hundreds…
Corruption still hinders Arab energy sector
Al-Monitor 1 May 2014 – While the Arab energy sector continues to play an important role in the region s economies, it is facing a number of challenges.
Lebanon energy strategy should focus on job creation
Al-Monitor 30 Apr 2014 – As Lebanon works to begin oil production, it is important that this is handled by technical experts and not negatively affected by political disputes.
AIDS patients in Gaza face isolation, humiliation
Al-Monitor 30 Apr 2014 – Several treatments programs are available to AIDS patients in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where they are treated as outcasts by society.
Articles
Has the Greater Israel project finished?
Dr Fayez Rasheed, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)5/1/2014
Netanyahu: “Jordan, for example, is part of the lands that constitute greater Israel.”
The question of whether or not Israel is finished with its greater project is received differently by different groups, as there are some who believe that this project has been buried once and for all. There are also those who believe that Israel’s intention to carry out its greater project is still nothing more than a dream buried deep within the Zionist imagination, especially when it comes to the extreme right wing which is fascist to the bone.
We ask ourselves this question once again, after nine months of negotiations have led us to a standstill and in the wake of the reconciliation agreement signed in Gaza. Let us imagine for a moment that right wing fascist groups in Israel gain control of the government (and in the end they are not much worse than Netanyahu’s government), would these groups not work towards implementing Israel’s greater project?
The majority of Israel’s coalition government still considers the West Bank to be Judea and Samaria. Moreover, in a statistical report published by Haaretz last year, 65 per cent of Israel’s population is expected to affiliate with right wing fascist groups by the year 2025. Thus, those who have come to the conclusion that Israel will bury its greater project are largely misinformed.
It is important to note that although Israel has attempted to establish a firmly defined state for almost seven decades, they have yet to demarcate their official borders and, so far, they refuse to define them. For many years after its establishment, Israel promoted the following slogan, which it wrote on the wall of the Knesset facing the House of Representatives: “The borders of Israel expand from the Nile to the Euphrates”.more..e-mail
Palestinian unity: Hope and gloom in the Beach refugee camp
Ramzy Baroud, Ma an News Agency5/1/2014
For years, Palestinian factions have strived for unity, and for years unity has evaded them. But is it possible that following several failed attempts, Fatah and Hamas have finally found that elusive middle ground? And if they have done so, why, to what end, and at what cost?
On April 23, top Fatah and Hamas officials hammered out the final details of the Beach Refugee Camp agreement without any Arab mediation. All major grievances have purportedly been smoothed over, differences have been abridged, and other sensitive issues have been referred to a specialized committee. One of these committees will be entrusted to incorporate Hamas and the Islamic Jihad into the fold of the PLO.
A rift lasting seven years has been healed, rejoiced some headlines in Arabic media. Israelis and their media were divided. Some, close to right-wing parties, decried the betrayal of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the “peace process.” Others, mostly on the left, pointed the finger at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for pushing Abbas over the edge “into Hamas’ arms” per the assessment of Zehava Galon, leader of the left-wing party Meretz.
It is untrue that the rift between Fatah and Hamas goes back to the January 2006 elections, when Hamas won the majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and formed a government. The feud is as old as Hamas itself. The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, was founded in Gaza with two main objectives, one direct and the other inferred: to resist the Israeli military occupation at the start of the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987, and to counterbalance the influence of the PLO.
Since then, a staple argument has clouded the judgment of many analysts, most of them sympathetic to Palestinians. They claim that Hamas was the brainchild of the Israeli intelligence Shin Bet, to weaken Palestinian resistance. That too is a misjudgment.more..e-mail
Palestinian unity: The bottom line
Scott Field, Al Jazeera5/1/2014
Palestinian unity was, is and always will be a necessary condition for resolving the conflict.
In many ways it was a surprising move. With US Secretary of State John Kerry emphasising Israeli intransigence, it seemed the Palestinians might, for a change, actually win the blame game that is ritually enacted upon the unravelling of the peace process. Why, then, would President Mahmoud Abbas choose to throw in his lot with internationally reviled resistance group Hamas and hand an easy victory to Israel? By welcoming the US-listed terrorist group back into the Palestinian political tent, he has guaranteed that the blame will be largely diverted from Israel and thus squandered any strategic advantage on offer.
That he chose to do so is surely a sign he believed there would in fact be little strategic fruit for the Palestinian cause to be harvested from continuing the US-sponsored talks. Most disturbing from a Palestinian point of view, these negotiations had failed to suggest that there would ever be a Palestinian capital in a shared Jerusalem, a deal no Palestinian leader intent on political survival could dare to take before their people.
It also suggests that Abbas has learned from previous acts of disobedience towards the Americans – such as signing on to a host of international conventions, as he did recently – that going against US wishes no longer has the painful consequences it once did. With Kerry’s last role of the dice, US custodianship of the peace process finally seems to be slipping away. An international law and human rights-based approach is now becoming much more attractive for the Palestinians.
But there is also a deeper root to Abbas’ action, one that speaks to a fundamental flaw in the fabric of the peace process itself, at least as formulated and pursued by successive US administrations.more..e-mail
Israelis threatened with jail if they try to leave
Marianne Azizi, Redress4/30/2014
We are tens of thousands was a message I received the other day from one of the myriad of people without the freedom to leave Israel.
They are not criminals. Is this just a common visa issue? Absolutely not. They don t even have to be citizens of Israel.
It may be difficult to get your head around a scandalous issue within Israel s borders, but tens of thousands of No Exit orders (a document preventing travel by any means, walking, driving, swimming, flying, etc.) are handed out annually to men, women and even children.
Disagree, agree, give an opinion, but it is indisputable that the draconian family laws in Israel are enforced by using a dangerous weapon. The weapon is curtailing freedom of movement. Usually it is for an alleged debt, or a need for future financial security in divorcing couples. You don t have to be a debtor, just an alleged one. While Israel battles its bordering neighbours, inside the country individuals are battling each other.
Trying to leave with a No Exit Order incurs a two-year prison sentence. If someone helps you and there is evidence that smuggling people out of Israel is a big business they will also incur a prison sentence. Returning to Israel, if someone has placed the order on you while you are abroad, also incurs an automatic sentence.
Seven years ago my life was turned upside down when my husband Ilan and I went for a week s holiday to Israel. He never returned home, becoming one of the many thousands of victims of a No Exit Order, Travel Ban or Stop Order, to give a few alternative names for it. It meant he could not leave Israel s borders, without a minimum deposit of USD 150,000 and exchanging three Israeli citizens freedom for his own.more..e-mail
Egypt “humiliates” travelers from Gaza
Electronic Intifada: 1 May 2014 – Only 36 medical patients were allowed through Rafah crossing in February.more..
Assured debut film portrays Palestinian artist’s triumph over Israeli jailor
Electronic Intifada: 1 May 2014 – Jessica Habie makes deft use of colors in Mars at Sunrise .more..
an inside look at life in Latakia under terrorist attacks
In Gaza: 1 May 2014 – On Tuesday, in addition to the massacre of civilians in Homs by multiple terrorist car-bombings and a rocket attack, and the terrorists mortar attack-murder of 14, mostly children, in the west of Damascus old city, there were attacks as well as in other areas of Damascus and outskirts. Yesterday, mercenaries attacked Latakia. Lilly Martin, an American living in Syria for the past 22 years, had this to say yesterday: Today, in Latakia, this afternoon there were 2 long range missile attacks. Both landed in a crowded residential area inside the city which is called Bastan al Rayhan . One home was destroyed, but no deaths and no injuries reported. These long range missiles started landing in Latakia on March 9th. Since then many have landed, but not every day. They are random and sporadic. Some have hit without death and injuries, and one hit with 15 dead and dozens injured…more
A Palestinian Resistance View
Dissident Voice: 1 May 2014 – As expected, the so-called peace talks farce has ended in disarray with all parties utterly discredited again.Do they never learn? Expect more acrobatics and slapstick if the same circus clowns remain in the ring. A new act is badly needed. Let this be the moment in history when world leaders finally stop talking poppycock about peace in relation to the Holy Land, and start talking justice . A statement issued yesterday by Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat seemed to say there will be no more negotiations until Israel complies with the 1967 borders and ends its illegal occupation. He didn t mention explicitly that the PLO would now take their case to the International Criminal Court or War Crimes Tribunal; but he talked about using every legitimate means possible to pursue Palestine s independence and fulfill its people s rights. We were also given figures showing how desperately the Israelis those self-styled partners…more
The Holocaust’s Visit to Yad Vashem
Dissident Voice: 30 Apr 2014 – A striking and provocative video has been brought to wider attention by the free thinker and humanist Gilad Atzmon who comments, This is a must watch, Israel is way ahead of us in its treatment of this bizarre non-historical piece of history& (don t let the Shoa s hairy armpits put you off, remember the theatrical event takes place in Israel and bad taste is inherent to the Israeli vision of beauty). The video is accompanied by the following introduction: For the first time in history! after a worldwide tour& The Holocaust came to visit Yad Vashem the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Who’s responsible for the Holocaust? The video takes as its basis the undeniable occurrence of a genocide during World War II. Natali Cohen Vaxberg a far-left Israeli actress, as described by the right-wing Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post courageously plays the role of Shoa as a deus ex…more
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The New Dark Age 
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