18 May 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Army Demolishes Wall, Uproot Land, In Hebron
IMEMC – [Sunday, May 18, 2014] Several Israeli military jeeps, accompanied by a military bulldozer, invaded Tel Romedia area, in the center of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, demolished a wall surrounding a Palestinian home, and uprooted a nearby Palestinian land. …
Elderly Man Kidnapped By Israeli Police In Al-Aqsa Mosque
IMEMC – [Sunday, May 18, 2014] Occupied Jerusalem – Israeli police officers attacked and kidnapped an elderly Palestinian man in the courtyards of the al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, the WAFA News Agency said. …
Israel Approves Illegal Confiscation Of 700 Dunams Of Palestinian Lands
IMEMC – [Sunday, May 18, 2014] The Israeli Regional Council for Planning and Construction approved a plan that would lead to the annexation of more than 700 Dunams (172.9 Acres) as part of Israel s illegal plan to build National Gardens on lands that belong to Palestinian residents of the al-Eesawiyya and at-Tour towns, in occupied East Jerusalem. …
Two Aid Convoys Arrive In Gaza
IMEMC – [Sunday, May 18, 2014] Around 30 international peace activists, in two humanitarian convoys, made it into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Terminal, between Gaza and Egypt. …
Settlement Toxins Kill 14 Sheep In Jordan Valley
IMEMC – [Sunday, May 18, 2014] Aref Daraghma, head of the Al-Maleh Village Council, in the Northern Plains of the occupied West Bank, stated that at least 14 sheep died due to toxins left by Israeli settlers in a Palestinian grazing land, close to an illegitimate Israeli settlement. …
Israeli Forces Storm School Near Bethlehem
IMEMC – Settlers seize agricultural pond Israeli forces, on Sunday, stormed a school in the village of al-Khader, to the south of Bethlehem, while settlers took over an agricultural property in the village, according to Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the anti-settlement committee in the village. …
Some Hunger Strikers Close to Death
IMEMC – The High Leadership Committee for Palestinian Prisoners has announced that health conditions of some of the prisoners are deteriorating. …
New Unity Government To Be Unveiled in Days
IMEMC – Livni meets with Abbas A new Palestinian “consensus government”, to be named by the PLO and Hamas, is to be finalized within days, according to a senior Hamas official. …
Army Confiscates Tents, Displaces Palestinians, Near Nablus
IMEMC – [Sunday Morning, May 18, 2014] Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded Khirbit at-Tawil village, near Aqraba village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, where they confiscated tents and displaced residents for the third time. …
At Least Six Palestinians Kidnapped In Hebron
IMEMC – [Sunday at dawn, May 18, 2014] Israeli soldiers invaded various Palestinian communities in the Hebron district, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, and kidnapped at least six Palestinians, including two brothers. …
Settlers torch private Palestinian field in Hebron
5/18/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli settlers set fire to a private Palestinian field in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday night as part of a celebration for the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer. Settlers circled around the field and watched as the fire burned olive trees, in a field that locals said belongs to the Iqneibi family….
Israeli forces confiscate tents in Nablus-area village
5/18/2014 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the Khirbet al-Taweel area near the northern West Bank village of Aqraba in the northern West Bank on Sunday morning and confiscated tents that locals use as dwellings. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement-related activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that Israeli military patrols stormed the area near the city of….
7 detained in overnight arrest raids across Hebron
5/18/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces made several overnight detention raids across the southern West Bank district of Hebron, detaining seven and delivering summons for questioning to a number of others. In the city of Hebron, Israeli troops detained Qusay Said Nassar, his brother Uday, and Muataz Ubeido after ransacking their homes, local and security sources told Ma’an. Separately, Israeli troops broke into….
Ministry: Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails need healthcare
5/18/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Special Israeli squads on Saturday stormed Eshel Prison near Beersheba, handcuffed Palestinian political prisoners and took them out in a provocative manner destroying their belongings, says the Palestinian ministry of prisoners’ affairs. In a statement Sunday, ministry lawyer Rami al-Alami quoted prisoner Muhammad Zawahra as saying that the inspection lasted eight hours. During inspection, he said, Israeli officers took Ahmad….
Israeli home demolition in Negev ‘leaves 6 homeless’
5/18/2014 – BEERSHEBA (Ma’an) — Israeli bulldozers on Sunday demolished a house in a Bedouin village in the Negev desert, witnesses said. Locals told Ma’an that Israeli bulldozers demolished the house in the unrecognized village of Wadi al-Niam under the pretext that it was built without a license. The demolition left a woman and five children homeless, the head of of Wadi al-Niam’….
3 Gaza security officers punished for violence against protestors
5/18/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Gaza Strip ministry of interior on Saturday evening agreed to jail three security officers for two weeks after a fact-finding commission determined that they had used excessive force against demonstrators and journalists during a rally marking the Nakba on Thursday. The move to punish the officers is a rare rebuke to the security forces by the Hamas-run Gaza government….
Hamas: Unity govt to be unveiled in days
5/18/2014 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — A new Palestinian “consensus government” to be named by the PLO and Hamas is to be finalized within days, a senior official in the Islamist movement said Sunday. Bassem Naim, an adviser to Hamas’ premier for the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, said a senior member of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, which dominates the PLO, would meet with Hamas officials…. Related:Gaza, West Bank govts to resign when unity govt announced
Son of Palestinian lawmaker sentenced to 22 months in prison
5/18/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli court on Sunday sentenced the teenage son of a Palestinian lawmaker to 22 months in prison. Mohammad Atwun, 15, the son of Jerusalem lawmaker Ahmad Atwun, was sentenced to 22 months, with a suspended sentence of 12 months, a 2,000-shekel bail, and was ordered to pay 7,000 shekels in damages to settlers. Atwun was arrested on Dec. 2….
Analysis: The political theology of the Muslim Brotherhood
5/18/2014 – Sarah Eltantawi is a scholar of Islamic studies, writer and political analyst. She is currently a postdoctoral EUME fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin and is an incoming assistant professor of comparative religion at Evergreen State College. – Elections in Egypt are fast approaching, and potential results are more interesting than meets the eye. Though the number who are planning to boycott is much lower than….
Iran’s Zarif says nuclear deal is ‘possible’
5/18/2014 – TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that clinching a final nuclear deal with world powers is still “possible” despite a tough round of talks this week.” Agreement is possible. But illusions need to go. Opportunity shouldn’t be missed again like in 2005,” Zarif said on Twitter, referring to Iran’s long-stalled dispute with world powers over its nuclear….
Livni under attack for meeting Abbas
5/18/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s chief negotiator Tzipi Livni came under attack on Sunday for talks with President Mahmoud Abbas, with senior officials insisting there was no intention to resume peace negotiations. Thursday’s meeting in London was the first between the two sides since the collapse last month of the latest round of talks, and came after both held separate talks with US….
Israel police say extremists ‘won’t succeed’ in ruining Pope visit
5/18/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s top police officer on Sunday vowed that Jewish extremists would not be allowed to spoil the upcoming visit of Pope Francis by vandalizing Christian holy places.”You cannot exaggerate the importance of this visit on both a national and an international level,” Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino told reporters in Jerusalem. The two-day papal visit to Israel, which begins on May….
Police say killer of Hebron young man arrested
5/18/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) – Hebron police say they have arrested the killer of 19-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Deib Zuhour from the village of Beit Kahil, who was found dead in the outskirts of Hebron on May 10. Chief prosecutor of Dura city in southwest Hebron Alaa Tamimi and director of Hebron police Muhammad Tayyim broke the news Sunday at a news conference held at the….
Gaza, West Bank govts to resign when unity govt announced
5/18/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — An adviser for the Gaza prime minister said the governments in the coastal enclave as well as the West Bank will offer their resignations once a unity government is
agreed upon. Issam al-Daalis told Ma’an that “the Gaza and West Bank governments will offer their resignations to the president at the moment of agreeing on the unity government…. Related:Hamas: Unity govt to be unveiled in days
Gaza woman killed in family feud
5/18/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A woman was killed late Saturday in a family feud in the central Gaza Strip, relatives told Ma’an. Hijaziyya al-Louh, 65, died after being hit several times in the head during a brawl between her family and the al-Yaziji family, her cousin said. Mahmoud al-Louh said an “old dispute” between the two neighboring families came to a head….
Man stabbed to death in Gaza City
5/18/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A man was found dead east of Gaza City early Sunday, police said. Gaza police spokesman Ayyub Abu Shaar told reporters the man, whose name was not given, was stabbed in the chest and the stomach. His body was found in an apartment in the Wadi al-Tuffah neighborhood, Abu Shaar said. [END]
Bomb wounds 4 at pro-Sisi rally in Cairo
5/18/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — A bomb explosion wounded four people overnight at a rally in Cairo for presidential election frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egyptian security officials said on Sunday. Two policemen were among those hurt in the attack, the first targeting a rally since campaigning began two weeks ago for the May 26-27 election, said the officials. The bomb had been planted in the ground under….
Heavy gunfire near parliament in Libya capital
5/18/2014 – TRIPOLI (AFP) — Heavy gunfire and clashes broke out Sunday in the south of the Libyan capital, near the country’s interim parliament, witnesses said. They said the clashes erupted after a convoy of armored vehicles entered Tripoli from the airport road and headed for the General National Congress building. [END]
Israel warns extremists ahead of papal visit
AlJazeera 18 May 2014 – Police chief warns Jewish extremists over attempts to disrupt Pope Francis visit as church leaders raise security fears.
occupied Palestinian territory: Israel troops wound 2 Palestinians in Gaza: medic
Relief Web 17 May 2014 – Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory 05/17/2014 19:59 GMT GAZA CITY, May 17, 2014 (AFP) – Israeli troops shot and lightly wounded two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip Saturday, the health ministry of the enclave’s ruling Islamist movement Hamas…
Syrian regime launches heavy assault on rebels in south
The National 18 May 2014 – Rebels says fighters from Hizbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard involved in offensive, which follows recent rift between moderate and Islamist groups.
Rogue Libyan general launches anti-Islamist raid on parliament
The National 18 May 2014 – Attack in Tripoli comes two days after troops loyal to Gen Khalifa Haftar lauched an assault against Islamist “terrorist groups” in the Benghazi.
Swimming against the El Sisi tide
The National 18 May 2014 – The veteran socialist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi spends the weekend drumming up support for Egypt s upcoming presidential showdown against the former defence minister.
An inspiring gift : UAE to fund mosque and learning centre in Malaysia
The National 18 May 2014 – News of the project came as Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, met the Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, who is on a three-day visit to the UAE.
Saudi state school kicks off sports for girls – a first for the country
The National 18 May 2014 – The Amal Institute in Jeddah is the first state school in the country to introduce sports for girls.
Egyptian court jails 126 Morsi supporters for 10 years each
The National 18 May 2014 – They were found guilty of taking part in riots, attacking security forces and participating in violent clashes on August 16.
Libya s rogue general prepares to renew offensive amid accusations of attempted coup
The National 18 May 2014 – Khalifa Haftar appeared determined to pursue his campaign after saying late on Saturday that his withdrawal from the city the day before was so his forces could regroup before attacking again.
In pictures: Luxury Ireland
The National 18 May 2014 – Taking a closer look at Ireland, where luxury tourism has finally developed to match the world’s expectations.
China evacuates 3,000 nationals from Vietnam as violence turns deadly
The National 18 May 2014 – Escalating anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam have left two Chinese nationals dead and 140 injured. Beijing said it was dispatching five ships to Vietnam to bring even more of its citizens to safety .
Fossils of largest dinosaur ever found in Argentina
The National 18 May 2014 – Researchers say the plant-eating dinosaur that probably lived some 90 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period weighed the equivalent of more than 14 African elephants, or about 100 tonnes, and stretched up to 40 metres in length.
In pictures: residents of Homs return following evacuation of Syrian rebels
The National 18 May 2014 – The fall of Syria s third largest city to government forces is a major blow to opposition forces trying to oust president Bashar Al Assad, and a major boost for Mr Al Assad weeks before his likely re-election.
Video: Assad challenger says security improving ahead of election
The National 18 May 2014 – Syrian presidential candidate Hassan Al Nouri says the situation on the ground is improving for holding election, while admitting his chances are slim against Bashar Al Assad.
Video: Anger, grief as Turkey buries dead
The National 18 May 2014 – As final bodies are pulled from Turkish mine the death tolls now stands at 301 for the country’s worst industrial disaster ever.
Video: Aid pledges for Balkan flood crisis
The National 18 May 2014 – Worst floods in over a century in the Balkans bring offers of international aid as big water surges threaten more homes.
Video: West African leaders vow to wage total war on Boko Haram
The National 18 May 2014 – West African leaders meeting in France vowed to wage ‘total war’ on Boko Haram saying the Nigerian Islamist group had become a regional ‘al Qaeda.’
In pictures: Titanosaur, the largest dinosaur to ever live?
The National 18 May 2014 – Paleontologists in Argentina s remote Patagonia region have discovered fossils of what may be the largest dinosaur ever, amid a vast cache of fossils that could shed light on prehistoric life.
World leaders pledge to combat Nigerian Islamist militants Boko Haram
The National 17 May 2014 – The leaders agree to improve policing of frontiers, share intelligence, and trace the weapons and cash that are the group’s lifeblood.
Syrian woman s film on horrors of Homs receives standing ovation at Cannes
The National 17 May 2014 – Wiam Simav Bedirxan, maker of the documentary Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait, had to be comforted by director Ossama Mohammed, whom she had just met, as the audience applauded.
Netanyahu could give ‘tacit support to Silvan Shalom s presidential bid
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Netanyahu could give ‘tacit support to Silvan Shalom s presidential bid
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Israel’s economy slows in Q1 as consumer spending, investment slump
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Treasury won t veto sale of Israeli companies to Chinese
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Mount Meron draws over 100,000 for bonfire day
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Police now focusing on ‘top 400 criminals
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Israeli chocolatier melts international competition
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
UCLA chancellor condemns effort to ban student leader trips to Israel
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Army reservists protest against hate crimes in heart of West Bank
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
The ADL s strange view of anti-Semitism around the world – and in Hebron
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Hamas official: Palestinian unity government about a week away
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Israel and the Vatican strive to patch up property issues
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Israel tenth on list of global weapons exporters
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Universities oppose longer leave for pregnant students, new mothers
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Holon s dunes trump single-family homes, panel rules
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Maccabi Tel Aviv wins Euroleague championship
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Cutting back on Ben-Gurion s legacy
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Far from home, a Nigerian nanny prays for her kidnapped cousin
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
DUPLICATE. DO NOT USE
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
State to raze outpost after settlers’ purchase papers found to be forged
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Police to set up shop in radical Yitzhar settlement
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Lag Ba’omer in Hebron: Settlers torch Palestinian orchard
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
Israeli trauma care expert helps families of South Korea ferry victims
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
U.S., Israel kick off joint exercise to train troops in battling missiles
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
North Korea says apartment building collapses, offers rare apology
Ha’aretz – 18 May 2014
A tale of two Ehuds
Ha’aretz – 17 May 2014
The Dayan dynasty and Israeli society: an uncanny reflection
Ha’aretz – 17 May 2014
A new beginning in India
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – An unprecedented 540 million, or 66.38 percent, of the country s 814 million eligible voters booted out the discredited Indian National Congress (INC) party by giving the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a landslide mandate.
Edelstein to announce mid-June presidential election date
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Report: Presidential hopeful, Hatnua faction chairman Sheetrit made secret deal with housekeeper.
Maccabi Tel Aviv crowned champion of Europe
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Yellow-and-blue claim 98-86 overtime win over Spanish side; teams remain neck-in-neck throughout seat-clenching European basketball final; Israeli team takes 6th European championship.
Reality check: A pope in Israel
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Unfortunately, many Likud, Yisrael Beytenu and Bayit Yehudi Knesset members are like Hebrew neo-Nazis in their disdain for minorities in Israel.
Think about it: Stopping inflamed crowds yelling Death to the Arabs
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – All too frequently inflamed crowds shamelessly yell death to the Arabs, against the background of a terrorist act.
Terra Incognita: Why Modi matters
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – The world needs more leaders like India’s incoming PM, not because of his checkered past, but because we need to not fear national, linguistic and religious pride and nation-states that respect their origins.
One state, two states
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Following the breakdown in talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has embarked on a brainstorming effort to explore alternative policy options.
Splintered al-Qaida rebels extend fighting in Syria
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Clashes continue between Islamist fighters from Nusra Front – the official al-Qaida branch in Syria – and breakaway faction ISIL.
Rape Crisis Centers: Shalom should not be able to run for president
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – MK Pnina Tamano-Shata: “The police and attorney-general had their say and the case is closed; Shalom’s innocence is clear and he can run for president.”
Israel to strengthen ties with Latin America
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – In move to decrease Israeli dependency on Europe, government approves 3-year, NIS 50 million plan to strengthen economic ties with Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
Wiesel: World has not learned enough from Holocaust
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Talk part of a ceremony marking the opening of the Holocaust Cellar, the first Shoah education center in Romania
GDP growth slows to 2.1% in first quarter
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Figure is down from 2.9% growth in the previous quarter, and similar to the 1.9% growth during the quarter before that.
Labor MK proposes permitting Jewish prayer on Temple Mount
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Jews ascend Temple Mount, but are watched closely to ensure that they do not pray there in order to maintain the status quo.
Don’t call 911 State tries to save Netivot police station from eviction
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Police station may be evicted by the Netivot municipality if the civil division of the Southern District Attorney’s Office does not win its appeal.
Conservative Jewish leader says Israel alienating Diaspora Jewry
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – US rabbi says state policies regarding non-Orthodox movements is endangering the unity of the Jewish people.
INSS Conference brings int’l law to world of non-lawyer security-experts
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Most articles on int’l law and security are written in lawyer-speak and are neither marketed nor easily accessible.
Ichilov doctors questioned by police on suspicion of under the table medical tourism deal
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Suspects accused of using hospital facilities to treat “medical tourists” who pay large sums of money under the table to the doctors for treatment.
Beit Jann brothers suffer severe reaction to illegal black henna tattoos
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Brothers from Druse village had tattoos painted on their arms while on vacation in Eilat; while now better, they still suffer from rashes and itching.
High court urges government to link all IDF bases to sewage systems
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Various army bases still lack appropriate sewage treatment facilities, and have been polluting soil with wastewater.
Peres to be asked to push for Pollard’s release
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Pollard’s wife is expected to meet with Israeli president ahead of his Washington trip to urge him to use close ties with Obama to have her husband freed.
Israel extends hand to flood-ravaged Serbia and Bosnia
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Netanyahu speaks with Serbian counterpart Alexander Vu i; says Israel has already sent 1.5 million tons of medical, humanitarian aid to Serbia.
Listening to the Nevermind Generation
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Now we are too busy to think in terms of not being heard because all we hear is noise. But does this noise, this ability to comment and communicate with the world, answer our desire to feel like someone is listening?
Pope shuns using armored car in Israel, Jerusalem Catholics complain of security restrictions
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Members of Latin parish in capital say imposing curfew on streets of Christian Quarter attempt by “occupying power to deny our existence.”
Incitement on Lag Ba’omer: Haredim burn Yair Lapid in effigy
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Tens of thousands celebrate holiday at Meron; revelers in Tiberias torch doll with Finance Minister’s face.
Iran out-maneuvers the West
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Iran s nuclear ambitions are simply the outward manifestation of its wider religio-political aims – regional hegemony appears to be its long-term aspiration.
WATCH: Experiencing Meron on Lag Ba’omer
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Visiting youth join with 500,000 Jews from a variety of backgrounds, travel to Meron, a mountain village a few miles west of Safed.
International Writer s Festival kicks off in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – A who s who of the literary scene in both Israel and abroad will gather at Mishkenot Sha ananim in Jerusalem this week for The International Writer s Festival.
Shaked: Netanyahu never supported Indyk’s involvement in peace talks
Jerusalem Post 18 May 2014 – Bayit Yehudi MK says that the PM agreed to Indyk’s appointment as special envoy to the talks only because Kerry asked.
The mass hunger strike returns: Palestinian prisoners refuse food to protest detention without trial
Uruknet 19 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – It was exactly two years ago when Palestinian prisoners wrested concessions from Israeli prison authorities after a weeks-long hunger strike that brought two men to the brink of death. But last month, a new hunger strike…
Former IRGC leader claims Iran s border to Lebanon s shores
Uruknet 19 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – Yahya Rahim Safavi, the former commander of Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the current military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in May 2014, “[Iran s] real borders are not what…
Selling Sectarianism: Shia Islamist Groups & Maliki s Anbar Offensive
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – As the Iraqi government offensive in Anbar continues to engage Sunni groups which are protesting the government (some have now taken up arms against the government) and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), sectarian…
Israel continues to bar Gazan children from visiting fathers imprisoned in Israel
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – In July 2012, Israel partially reinstated authorization for relatives to visit Palestinians from the Gaza Strip being held in Israel as prisoners or detainees (hereafter: “inmates”). Israel s decision was made in consequence of a hunger…
Tortured as a Child in the Israeli Prison System: One Man s Personal Account
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – “Before I went to prison I was not afraid of anything, but after – I feel like something in me has died.” These are the words of Muayad, who was taken from his home in the…
For Palestinians, home is still where the heart is
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -In his small three room home in Aida refugee camp, Abu Sabri always has his eye on the time. His single bed facing the front door has a view of the street. On a ledge beside it…
The Nakba will end when Palestinian leaders learn from history
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -For almost one hundred years of Palestinian resistance to the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine, various consecutive Palestinian leaderships have placed their trust in diplomacy and have looked with bedazzled eyes at powerful western nations, the international…
I Saw Yafa – Nakba and Somud in Palestine
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -Although conquered, Yafa city and its proud past as a centre of Arab culture stand tall in the collective memory of Palestinians everywhere. When I stood on the borders of Yafa, the line of what is real…
State Department Refuses to Deny Israel Spies on U.S., Feinstein Dubious as Well
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – The Netanyahu government is in a dither over Jeff Stein s series of Newsweek reports about Israeli spying in the U.S. They ve wheeled out big guns like Amos Yadlin who ve called Stein “delusional” and…
Detainees seek court order to preserve newly-discovered videos of force-feeding
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – Hunger-striking detainees in Guant·namo Bay have asked a federal US court not to allow the prison authorities to destroy footage of them being force-fed.The existence of the recordings – captured by the military – emerged during…
Anbar IDPs in Baghdad fear for their safety
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – – Displaced families who have fled the ongoing violence in Iraq s troubled Anbar Province say anti-Anbar hostility is leaving many too scared to register with the authorities, pushing them into the shadows and cutting them…
The Roots of Nigeria s Chaos
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – …And so what we re seeing now manifesting in the country now is a result of several years of misrule, both by politicians and by the military, and right now have been in meetings where the…
Over 66 Years of Ongoing Colonization
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -A combination of Israeli state practices, laws and policies seeks to achieve the displacement and dispossession of the indigenous Palestinian population; exerting complete control through a system of apartheid and occupation. This overall regime aims to colonize…
To define Nakba
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -Nakba; means Catastrophe which refers to the atrocious exodus that the Palestinian people suffered from, to the 531 demolished villages and to the ominous year – 1948.But is that it? Is that what Nakba is all about?…
Rights groups call on Israel to free Druze army refuser
Uruknet 18 M
ay 2014 – May 14, 2014 – Sixteen human rights groups and political parties, including Amnesty International and bodies representing Palestinians in Israel, published a petition yesterday calling on Israel s minister of defense to put an end to the repeated detention of…
On our Nakba to yours A letter from a Palestinian refugee to a Syrian refugee
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – The tent will be rough the first night, and maybe the first year, afterwards, it will become warm and loving like a family member, but careful not to fall in love with it, like we did…..
Making sure Israeli soldiers stay above the law
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – Several weeks ago, Yesh Din attorney Emily Schaeffer received responses from the Military Advocate for Operational Affairs Unit (MAOA) regarding two appeals she submitted years ago on behalf of a Palestinian complainant, Ayman Abd al-Maqtsur Tabieh….
Long-Term Guant·namo Hunger Striker Emad Hassan Describes the Torture of Force-Feeding
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – Yesterday, two disturbing letters from Guant·namo were released by Reprieve US, the US branch of the London-based legal action charity whose lawyers represent 15 of the 154 men still held at the prison, and I m…
Rights groups call on Israel to free Druze army refuser
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – Sixteen human rights groups and political parties, including Amnesty International and bodies representing Palestinians in Israel, published a petition yesterday calling on Israel s minister of defense to put an end to the repeated detention of…
Palestinian Authority threatens to halt security cooperation with Israel
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -The Palestinian Authority (PA) has threatened to halt security cooperation with Israel should the latter not stop its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.This is the first time the PA has waved such a threat in…
Palestinians in Hebron face violent revenge for filming Israeli soldier s violence
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 -Israeli soldiers have raided the office of Youth Against Settlements four times since the organization in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron posted a video to YouTube two weeks ago showing Israeli soldier David Adamov cocking…
Odeh Hamad, shot dead by Israel on his birthday
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014 – One of the most pervasive myths about Israel is that it has withdrawn from Gaza. Attacks on Palestinians near Gaza s boundary with present-day Israel expose the claim as false. Four Palestinian civilians have been killed…
Activists call for global action to demand freedom for Jerusalem and its people
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2014- In recent years, Israel has stepped up its campaign to Judaise the holy city of Jerusalem, attempting to create new facts on the ground in an effort to deny Jerusalem s Palestinian residents any rightful claim to…
66 years of ongoing Nakba – Back to Basics The Right of Return is a national and inalienable right.
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 14, 2013 – On the 66th commemoration of the Nakba, the movement for Palestinian liberation is in disarray. Political parties are divided, the Palestine Liberation Organization is dysfunctional, the Palestinian Authority is dependent on foreign donors with ulterior agendas…
Syria News – May 13 , 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 13 , 2014 – By the end of Tuesday 13 May 2014, The Local Coordination Committees were able to document 55 martyrs in Syria; including 9 children, 5 women, and 8 martyrs under torture: 20 martyrs in Aleppo, 17 in…
FACEBOOK AIDS OBAMA WAR CRIMES COVER-UP
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 13, 2014 – I ve been getting text messages from concerned friends and fans for the last several hours about the official ADAM VS THE MAN Facebook page being down. I logged in, and it turns out that the…
Israeli authorities start forestation in Negev Bedouin village
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 13, 2014 – The Jewish National Fund on Tuesday started tree-planting around the Arab Negev village of Awajan which locals consider a step toward displacing the Bedouin residents.Locals told Ma an that Israeli police detained the head of the…
Palestinians pledge support as hunger strike nears 4th week
Uruknet 18 May 2014 – May 13, 2014 — Mothers, wives, and sisters of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails delivered petitions to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday, calling for the organizations intervention for the lives…
Jewish pilgrimage in Tunisia grows despite debate
Daily Star 18 May 2014 Despite years of security concerns and a harsh debate over Israeli passports, officials said Sunday the number of Jewish pilgrims taking part in an annual rite in Tunisia is up dramatically for the first time in…
Iraq election candidate kidnapped as attacks kill 16
Daily Star 18 May 2014 Militants kidnapped an Iraqi election candidate Sunday as attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq killed 16 people and officials prepared to announce the results of last month’s vote.
Papal visit puts Israel on alert over vandals
Daily Star 18 May 2014 Israel s top police officer vowed Sunday that Jewish extremists would not be allowed to spoil the upcoming visit of Pope Francis by vandalizing holy Christian sites.
Tension against Kurds runs high in Burj Hammoud
Daily Star 18 May 2014 Tensions ran high in Burj Hammoud, north of Beirut, after a catcalling incident spiraled out of control prompting security forces to step in twice over the weekend to contain frictions.
Top aide says Obama ‘madder than hell’ about veterans allegations
Daily Star 18 May 2014 White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said President Barack Obama is “madder than hell” about possible deadly healthcare delays at the Department of Veterans Affairs and is determined to investigate and fix any flaws in…
Iran urges Iraq to extradite exiled dissidents
Daily Star 18 May 2014 Iran’s judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani has called on his Iraqi counterpart to extradite exiled Iranian opposition members so that they could stand a “fair trial” in Tehran, media reported Sunday.
120 Palestinian kids leave Yarmuk siege for exams
Daily Star 18 May 2014 One hundred and twenty Palestinian children in Yarmuk were Sunday allowed out of the besieged refugee camp in southern Damascus to sit public exams, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said.
Army says Israeli bulldozer breached the Blue Line
Daily Star 18 May 2014 The Lebanese Army command announced in a statement that at 9.50 a.m. Sunday, part of an Israeli bulldozer breached the Blue Line at Labbouneh by roughly 1 meter.
Arab aid convoys reach Gaza Strip
Daily Star 18 May 2014 Aid convoys from Algeria and Jordan crossed Sunday from Egypt into Israeli-blockaded Gaza with $2.
Renegade Libyan general says parliament suspended
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – ….
HMO omits female doctor’s picture from booklet
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Pamphlet introducing medical team at Meuhedet Health Services’ clinic in Beit Shemesh includes photos of all doctors except the woman. ….
Netanyahu congratulated Blatt: ‘Israel is lighting bonfires, but you set the court on fire’
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – ….
Information era taking its toll on the truth
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Op-ed: Immediate publication of everything people of authority say has resulted in a new level of hypocrisy and lies. ….
Israelis don’t care about global anti-Semitism
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Op-ed: What’s the point of talking about a ‘Jewish state’ in a country where public opinion has absolutely no interest in world’s attitude towards Jews? ….
MKs propose bill to allow Jewish prayer on Temple Mount
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Labor and Likud members join bid to push controversial legislation to open up Temple Mount compound for Jewish prayer, currently permitted for only for Muslims. ….
10 years, 1,000 lashes for Saudi blogger, but wife vows: ‘I’ll wait for him all my life’
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Saudi blogger Raef Badawi criticized his government’s ‘religious police’ and was sentenced to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes; not giving up hopes, his wife is continuing to fight for his release. ….
Maccabi Tel Aviv takes Euroleague for sixth time
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – From Peres to Netanyahu, Israelis across country celebrate victory of team many considered the underdog; Peres to Maccabi manager: You almost gave me a heart attack. ….
Peres to Maccabi manager: I almost had a heart attack! You’re amazing!
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – ….
Basketball-Maccabi stun Real to win fifth Euroleague title
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – ….
Three suspects remanded in custody in Turkey mine investigation
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – ….
IDF reservists protest against ‘price tag’ attacks
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Reserve soldiers protest against radical settlement which has in past targeted both soldiers and Palestinians through ‘price-tag’ attacks in ‘retribution’ for demolition of illegal settlements. ….
A Nakba for every nation
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Op-ed: World does not commemorate disasters that have befallen other nations, so why are people so quick to embrace a propagandist narrative about Palestinians? ….
US surplus equipment cuts costs for IDF
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Technological and Logistics Directorate’s refurbishment factory helps military save during budget crisis by renovating US-made M-16s, Humvees. ….
Rogue Libyan general’s troops attack parliament
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – In what some are already calling a ‘coup’, Libyan general fighting Islamists attempts to storm parliament; witnesses say building set on fire. ….
Hamas: Palestinian unity government to be unveiled in days
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Palestinian ‘consensus government’ will be announced within days, as PA officials make way to Gaza. ….
Syrian official says head of defense killed in clashes
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Lt. Gen. Hussein Ishaq died in rebel attack on air defense base near town of Mleiha; one of only a few high-ranking officers killed in 3-year-old civil war. ….
Politicians aren’t born corrupt, they grow into it
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Op-ed: Strict rules must be set for elected representatives’ conduct in every given moment of their public life. ….
Report: Iran nuclear talks to resume in June
YNet News, 18 May 2014 – Official state news agency quotes senior negotiator claiming next round of negotiations between Islamic republic and world powers to begin on June 16-20. ….
Syrian army launches new offensive near Israeli border
YNet News, 17 May 2014 – ‘Anti-terrorist operation’ meant to recapture strategic area in south; intense aerial bombardment and hundreds of rockets reported. ….
Lebanese President urges Hezbollah to leave country
YNet News, 17 May 2014 – Just two weeks before the end of his term, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman stresses need for peace and security without Hezbollah. ….
Palestinian Information Center
Ariel: About 600,000 Jewish settlers will be living in West Bank by 2019
PIC – Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel expected an increase in the number of Jewish settlers by as much as 50 percent in the next five years.
DCI: Israel’s solitary confinement of children increased
PIC – The last two years have seen a rise in the number of Palestinian children detained in solitary confinement by Israel, according to defense for children international (DCI).
Euro-Mid calls for int‚¨ “!l emergency meeting on administrative detainees
PIC – Euro-Mid has called on all signatories to the Geneva Conventions to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the conditions of Palestinians held in administrative detention in Israeli jails.
Malaysian events held in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers
PIC – A series of solidarity events were held by several Malaysian human rights organizations and institutions coinciding with the 66th anniversary of al-Nakba.
IOF mass-arrest campaigns, arbitrary settler attacks in West Bank
PIC – Eight Palestinian civilians were arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Sunday morning while six others were summoned for interrogation.
Bahar: The issue of the prisoners is always high on the resistance agenda
PIC – First deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council Ahmed Bahar said that the issue of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would always be a top priority for the Palestinian resistance.
Two aid convoys expected in Gaza on Sunday
PIC – The government committee to break the siege on Gaza has announced that two aid convoys from Jordan and Algeria will arrive in the besieged Strip via Rafah crossing on Sunday.
Qabha slams PA security oppression of prisoner-related events in West Bank
PIC – Palestinian official Wasfi Qabha deplored the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank for launching lately ferocious campaigns against popular events held in solidarity with prisoners.
Hunger strikers on the threshold of death, IPS paying no heed
PIC – The leadership of the Palestinian administrative hunger strike said the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) is turning blind eyes and deaf ears to prisoners‚¨ “! demands and exacerbated health status.
17 olive trees uprooted by Israeli settlers in Jenin
PIC – More than 17 olives trees were completely knocked down on Saturday by a horde of Israeli extremist settlers in Palestinians‚¨ “! native lands in Um al-Rayhan village south-west of Jenin.
EUPOL COPPS: Palestinian Delegation Participate in EU Day in Brussels
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Israeli Police Arrest Elderly from Inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Israeli Forces Demolish Wall, Raze Land in Hebron
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Army Arrests Six in West Bank and Jerusalem
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Israeli Forces Storm School, Settlers Seize Agricultural Pond near Bethlehem
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Israeli Army Seizes Tents near Nablus
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Newspaper Review: Venezuela Fuel Support to Palestine Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Abbas Concludes Official Visit to Venezuela
WAFA – 18 May 2014
Journalists Syndicate: Journalists are Increasingly Targeted by Israeli Forces
WAFA – 17 May 2014
Rising Numbers of Palestinian Children Subjected to Solitary Confinement
WAFA – 17 May 2014
Boars Released by Settlers Attack, Wound Palestinian in Salfit
WAFA – 17 May 2014
Hebron Elderly Dies in Heart Attack as Israeli Forces Raid his Home
WAFA – 17 May 2014
Newspaper Review: Nakba Day Rallies Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 17 May 2014
Abbas Signs Energy and Double Taxation Agreements with Venezuelan Counterpart
WAFA – 17 May 2014
Workers at N.Y.U. s Abu Dhabi Site Faced Harsh Conditions
New York Times 18 May 2014 – Many migrant workers that are building New York University s new campus live in a grim environment despite a statement of labor values issued by the university to improve their treatment.
Sean Penn Joins Sheldon Adelson and Shmuley Boteach for Humanitarian Award Tonight
Tikun Olam – Tonight (5PM), Sean Penn will betray all his values as a humanitarian activist by joining Sheldon Adelson (GOP $100-million Club), Shmuley Boteach ( America s Rabbi ), Michael Steinhardt (Birthright co-foounder), Ron Dermer (Israeli ambassador and Bibi confidant), , Sen. Corey Booker, Gov. Chris Christie (Bridgegate) and Rick Perry (Christian…
On the day two Palestinians are killed, NYT reporter flashes snark
Mondoweiss – Yousef Munayyer Yousef Munayyer at the Palestine Center, a leading American writer on the conflict, has been posting important criticisms of New York Timescoverage. His latest article on Friday faults a story by Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren that appeared in the Times last week about…
Fighting leaves Libya in turmoil
BBC 18 May 2014 – The Libyan government insists that it is in control of the country despite a series of heavy attacks and clashes over the weekend.
VIDEO: Students living under siege in Syria
BBC 18 May 2014 – An agreement has allowed 120 students to leave a besieged refugee camp so they could sit their final exams.
Venezuela to Provide Oil and Diesel Fuel to Palestinian Authority
The Foward Breaking News 18 May 2014 – The Palestinian Authority and Venezuela inked a deal in which the South American nation will provide the P.A. with oil and diesel fuel. Click here for the rest of the article…
Syria’s air defence chief killed
BBC 18 May 2014 – The head of Syria’s air defences dies amid fighting near the capital Damascus, in a blow to the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Israel Sending Aid to Serbia and Bosnia Flood Victims
The Foward Breaking News 18 May 2014 – Israel is sending aid to help rescue efforts in Serbia and Bosnia, where record floods have submerged cities and left more than two dozen dead and thousands homeless. Click here for the rest of the article…
Haredi Rabbi Retracts Statement Encouraging Yeshiva Students to Kill Israeli Politicians
The Foward Breaking News 18 May 2014 – A haredi Orthodox rabbi who encouraged assassination of Israeli politicians in a speech to yeshiva students has retracted his remarks. Click here for the rest of the article…
Iran: Nuclear deal still possible
BBC 18 May 2014 – Iran’s foreign minister says reaching a final nuclear deal with world powers is still within reach, despite little progress in recent talks.
Hundred of Brotherhood supporters sentenced for ‘protest violence’ in Egypt
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced 126 supporters of ousted president Mohammed Mursi to 10 years in prison each over protest violence, judicial sources said. They were found guilty of taking part in riots, attacking security forces and participating in violent clashes on August 16, two…
Militants kidnap Iraqi political candidate
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – Militants kidnapped a political candidate from a small party on Sunday as officials in
Iraq prepared to announce the results of last month’s general election. Rahman Abdulzahra al-Jazairi was near his home in the neighborhood of Jamila in north Baghdad when gunmen opened fire, wounding his…
Syrian court heard 30,000 “terrorism” lawsuits in two years: Al-Watan
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – A Syrian court has brought some 30,000 lawsuits over acts related to “terrorism” in the past two years, a pro-regime newspaper in the war-torn country said Sunday. Among those accused were around 300 citizens of Arab countries other than Syria, said Al-Watan newspaper, which is close…
Israel’s Livni under fire for Abbas meeting
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – Supporters of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign hold placards bearing the picture of Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni during a demonstration in central London on May 15 2014, against her visit to the city. (Photo: AFP – Ben Stansall) Israel’s chief negotiator Tzipi Livni came under attack…
US judge orders end to force-feeding of Guantanamo detainee
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – This photo made during an escorted visit and reviewed by the US military shows the corridor and the cell’s doors of “Camp 5” detention facility at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, April 8, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Mladen Antonov) A US federal judge…
New round of nuclear talks set for June, Iran says
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – Abbas Araghchi, center, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator arrives at the Austria Center Vienna after another rounds of talks between the EU 5+1 on May 16, 2014 in Vienna. (Photo: AFP – Dieter Nagl) The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers will…
Five more MERS patients die in Saudi Arabia
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – An Indian worker wears a mouth and nose mask as he feeds camels at his Saudi employer’s farm on May 12, 2014 outside Riyadh. (Photo: AFP – Fayez Nureldine) Saudi Arabia has reported five new deaths from the MERS respiratory virus, bringing the death toll in…
Bomb wounds four at pro-Sisi rally in Cairo
Al-Akhbar News 18 May 2014 – A bomb explosion wounded four people overnight at a rally in Cairo for presidential election frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egyptian security officials said on Sunday. Two policemen were among those hurt in the attack, the first targeting a rally since campaigning began two weeks ago for…
The Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen supports al-Qaeda against the army
Al-Akhbar Politics 17 May 2014 – Yemeni soldiers brandish their weapons as they take part in an offensive against extremists in the southern province of Shabwa, on May 7, 2014. (Photo: AFP/STR) Yemeni soldiers brandish their weapons as they take part in an offensive against extremists in the southern province of Shabwa,…
Articles
Living inside an invisible cage: Welcome to Nabi Samuel
Moriel Rothman, +972 Magazine5/18/2014
‘To bring in gas we need a permit. To bring in sacks of flour in we need a permit. And when we get a permit, we arrive at the checkpoint and they tell us we have no permit.
There are only 10 homes left in the small Palestinian village of Nabi Samuel, just northwest of Jerusalem. The remaining families are fighting an uphill battle to continue living in their homes.
As its name indicates, Nabi Samuel is home to the proclaimed burial site of the Prophet Samuel. In the 11th century, Christian crusaders built a fortress and church on top of the tomb. When Salah a-Din conquered Palestine in the late 12th century, the church was turned into a mosque and the village of Nabi Samuel was built around it; layers upon layers. Then came the bulldozers.
Eid Barakat was seven years old in 1971 four years after Israel occupied the West Bank and the small village of Nabi Samuel. They came at dawn and loaded us onto trucks. We were young, so we treated it as a game. We didn t understand why our parents were weeping.
Israeli bulldozers destroyed most of the village that day, leaving only 10 homes standing on the edge of village. Today, the area around the tomb and mosque is a popular Israeli tourist site, replete with signs that go into detail about the ancient past but make no mention of the contemporary destruction. The 10 houses on the outskirts of the village make up what remains of Nabi Samuel. And those remains are being threatened as well.
Between Greater Jerusalem and a segregated highway….more..e-mail
The price of a child s life
Yvonne Ridley, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)5/14/2014
When does the life of one child become more precious than another? The answer should be that all children are valued in equal measure unless you use the double standards rule set by Western governments and their allies.
As I write this, British Prime Minister David Cameron has deployed a mixed team of experts, led by the Foreign Office, from the Metropolitan Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for International Development and the ubiquitous intelligence agencies to Nigeria. Their mission is to assist the Nigerian government rescue more than 270 teenage girls who were abducted from their boarding school in the north east of the country by a terror group more than a month ago.
It has certainly been a busy week in Downing Street because as the PM signed off on this mission he was also asked to rubber stamp the granting of temporary diplomatic status to a suspected war criminal visiting Britain. Now I don’t know if Israel’s Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni is indeed a war criminal but some people, including a judge, think that as one of the architects of the war against Gaza in 2008/9 in which 412 Palestinian children died, she is and should be charged as such.
Yesterday, though, Cameron trampled on the memories of those 412 children to block legal moves to issue a warrant for Livni’s arrest. The attempt was led by lawyers from Hickman and Rose, who represent the relatives of a Palestinian killed during the bombing of a Hamas police base on the first day of Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” in December 2008. Working with the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the law firm requested the Crown Prosecution Service to advise police to arrest Livni for suspected war crimes, and to liaise with the attorney general to approve criminal charges.
Raji Sourani, PCHR director, said he was very disappointed at the government’s decision given that a British judge decided way back in December 2009 that there was sufficient evidence to justify Livni’s arrest on charges related to the three-week Israeli military assault on Gaza.more..e-mail
Palestinian prisoners intensify new hunger strike protest
Ben White, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)5/9/2014
Palestinian prisoners went on hunger strike Thursday in solidarity with some 100 Palestinian administrative detainees who began their own, open-ended hunger strike two weeks ago.
Those in administrative detention are held without charge, trial, or access to the evidence being used against them, a practice that has drawn widespread international condemnation.
The large-scale demonstration of prisoner unity and protest is reminiscent of the 2012 hunger strike actions that attracted global attention and forced Israeli occupation authorities to make a deal to reduce the use of administrative detention a deal Palestinians say has been reneged upon by Israel.
On 24 April, dozens of Palestinians being held under administrative detention launched an open-ended hunger strike to protest the systematic, routine use of this policy, as well as demanding that the military-issued order for administrative detention be limited to one period of extension only.
Yesterday, thousands more staged a one-day, solidarity hunger strike, and a few dozen more joined the open-ended hunger strike, in a coordinated show of support. The protest was confirmed by Israeli officials, though its scale disputed.
There are currently 183 Palestinians behind held under administrative detention, including nine members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. They are part of a group of more than 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a number that includes some 200 children. [END]e-mail
Obscuring the Nakba with 1967 rhetoric
Ramona Wadi, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)5/15/2014
Reiterating the right to memory has sustained Palestinian tenacity towards reclaiming their land and the right of return. However, their adamant statements on each Nakba commemoration are threatened by the increasing compromise trajectory echoed by Palestinian leaders who seek to prioritise 1967 over the 1948 imposition of settler-colonialism in Palestine. The latter characterises Israel’s perpetual state terror and gradual destruction of Palestinian freedom.
The adopted stance, which exhibits the now established dependency upon achieving recognition from oppressors as opposed to attaining assertive support from within Palestine, threatens a further division between the leadership and the people in relation to memory. In light of the suspended negotiations and efforts towards implementing the unity government, diplomatic alternatives may prove to be a conspiracy against memory and the Palestinian right of return.
Within the wider framework encompassing the hypothetical two-state solution rhetoric, 1967 has, erroneously, become synonymous with an allegedly permanent solution, despite the associated fragmentation of memory and repudiation of Israel’s settler-colonial plans. The normalisation of atrocities, a common feature of UN propaganda discerned within its multitude of statements and resolutions, may well become incorporated within the discourse of a leadership that trades the remnants of Palestine while seeking legitimacy from the coloniser. In this regard, 1967 paves the way for oblivion that encompasses the ideological origins bequeathing the contemporary violation inflicted upon Palestinians.
The current political framework and its insistence upon the 1967 borders repudiates the importance of memory associated with the 1948-onwards Nakba, rendering Palestinian leadership complicit in dependence through association with imperialist concepts of what should constitute a future Palestinian state. Implicit in the framework is a silent acquiescence to the settler-colonial state’s refusal to recognise the Palestinian right of return, as well as the acceptance of a fabricated state that has perfected its institutional violence against the indigenous population….more..e-mail
On Gaza s Embattled Margins, Farmers Wage a Quiet Struggle to Reclaim the Land
Palestine Chronicle: 18 May 2014 – By Joe Catron Gaza Nestled into the northeastern corner of the Gaza Strip, where the separation barrier Israel built around the Palestinian enclave in 1994 curves from the east to the south, Wael Wahdaan s three fields illustrate the options facing many local farmers. The land, in the Palestinian city of Beit Hanoun, lies within sight of the white houses and red roofs of Sederot, a settlement on the Israeli side of the barrier. Between them stand Israeli observation towers and the fence itself, behind which military vehicles and tanks periodically pass. Wahdaan s family owns two patches of this contentious land: 36 dunums (3.6 hectares) 400 meters away from the barrier, and another four (0.4 hectares), a kilometer to the south, that actually reach it. Wahdaan rents another 100 dunums (10 hectares) that lie 300 meters from the fence. On the Wahdaans 36 dunums, they grow cantaloupes, eggplants, lemons, onions,…more
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