25 May 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
VIDEO: Crops Set on Fire in South Hebron Hills
IMEMC – Palestinian farmers from the village of Qawawis in the South Hebron Hills discovered Thursday morning that about 3 tons of wheat they had recently harvested were set on fire in what they suspect may have been an attack by settlers from a nearby outpost. …
Bennett Proposes to Demolish Wall and Annex Area C
IMEMC – Israeli newspaper Hayom, according to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), reports that Naftali Bennett, Israeli Minister of Economy and head of the Jewish Home Party, has suggested in an article he wrote for the Wall Street Journal to demolish a portion of thehttp://imemc.org/newswire?search_text=wall&button=Search+%3E%3Ein a move to annex Area C to the state of Israel, as well as giving its residents full Israeli citizenship. …
Two Teens Kidnapped North of Hebron
IMEMC – Israeli forces, on Sunday, kidnapped two Palestinian teenagers from Beit Ummar, to the north of Hebron, according to reports by a local activist. …
Pope Meets with Abbas
IMEMC – In an official reception with President Mahmoud Abbas, Pope Francis I of the Roman Catholic Church voiced hopes that peace in the Middle East could soon surface, so as to reach an end to the internationally recognized suffering of thousands of people as a direct result of over half a century of internalized conflicts within the region. …
Abbas Calls on Francis to Recognize Palestinian Crisis
IMEMC – In a speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presented to Pope Francis the need to support the work of Palestinians in ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent, free Palestinian state: …
Bethlehem Welcomes Pope Francis
IMEMC – His Holiness Pope Francis arrived in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the occupied State of Palestine. …
Israeli forces level land, issue confiscation notices in Salfit
5/25/2014 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Israel bulldozers leveled Palestinian land in the central West Bank on Sunday, while soldiers issued notices to residents announcing the confiscation of their lands, a local popular committee member said. Jamal Tawfiq told Ma’an that as Israeli forces leveled lands in the Thahr Sabha area of Kafr al-Dif village in the Salfit district, locals were informed that some 3,000….
PPS: 47 Palestinian prisoners join hunger strike
5/25/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Forty-seven Palestinian prisoners joined an ongoing hunger strike in Israeli jails on Sunday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said. The prisoners are refusing meals in solidarity with over 150 other prisoners, many of whom have been on hunger strike since April 24. Hunger strikers are demanding Israel stop imprisoning Palestinians without charge or trial in a policy known as “administrative detention….
Pope Francis in Bethlehem: How the day unfolded
5/25/2014 – 16:40 – Here ends our live report of the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Bethlehem. Francis travels next to occupied Jerusalem, where he will meet Israeli officials and Christian leaders. 16:39 – His Holiness has departed Bethlehem after an intensive day in the southern West Bank city on his first official visit to the Holy Land as pope. In the morning, Pope Francis….
Bethlehem families to meet Pope Francis
5/25/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Among the many people planning to meet with Pope Francis during his Sunday visit to Bethlehem are a number of families, chosen by a special committee to give His Holiness a sense of the diversity of Palestinians’ experiences. The families represent a wide variety of the concerns and issues facing Palestinian Christians today, including the occupation, land confiscation, and the….
Pope Francis arrives in Bethlehem
5/25/2014 – BETHLEHEM (AFP) — Pope Francis arrives in Bethlehem Sunday to begin the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. After beginning his trip in Jordan on Saturday with an urgent appeal to end the bloodshed in Syria, the head of the world’s 1. 2 billion Catholics was to take his….
Watch: Live coverage of pope’s Mideast trip
5/25/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — As His Holiness Pope Francis makes his way through Bethlehem during his first official visit to the Holy Land on Sunday, a live feed of the visit will be featured on Ma’an. The Pope gave an open-air mass in Bethlehem’s historic Manger Square and proceeded to lunch with a number of Palestinian families, before meeting with children….
Our presence in Jerusalem is a legacy since the resurrection
5/25/2014 – The following is a letter sent on Friday by a number of Christian Palestinian organizations to Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I on the occasion of his visit to occupied East Jerusalem. The Patriarch will meet Catholic Pope Francis on Monday, marking 50 years since the historic encounter and reconciliation between the leaders of two of the world’s largest religious denominations, Pope Paul VI…. Related:Pope, Orthodox patriarch in historic unity meet in Jerusalem
Pope to Abbas: You are known as a man of peace
5/25/2014 – The following is the official translation of the full text of Pope Francis’ speech at the Palestinian president palace beside Mahmoud Abbas Sunday morning. – Mr President, Dear Friends, I thank President Mahmoud Abbas for his kind welcome and I offer cordial greetings to the representatives of the government and the entire Palestinian people. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be here with….
Abbas calls on pope to support Palestinian struggle
5/25/2014 – The following is a translation of President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at a press conference upon Pope Francis’ arrival in Bethlehem early Sunday. It’s a great honor to welcome Your Holiness to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus (peace be upon him), the holy blessed land. Welcome, Your Holiness. You are a dear guest to our people in the cities of Bethlehem and….
Israel police arrest 26 Jewish extremists at pope visit site
5/25/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Jerusalem police arrested 26 Jewish extremists protesting Sunday at a holy site on Mount Zion outside the Old City that will be visited by Pope Francis, a spokesman said. The arrests took place just hours before Francis’ arrival in Jerusalem.”Demonstrators at King David’s Tomb threw stones and bottles at the security forces, lightly injuring two police,” spokesman Micky Rosenfeld….
Nativity Church deportees send appeal to pope
5/25/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Palestinian activists who were were deported from Bethlehem to the Gaza Strip in 2002 published a letter Sunday addressing Pope Francis and urging him to do something about their suffering. The letter described the suffering of 39 Palestinian activists from the Bethlehem area who were deported in 2002 after hiding out at the Nativity Church for 40 days. Thirteen were….
In photos: Pope Francis holds open-air mass in Bethlehem
5/25/2014 – Over 9,000 Palestinians and foreign pilgrims gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Sunday to attend an open air mass held by Pope Francis. Thousands of people waved flags from Argentina, Colombia, Poland, Angola, and Mexico, among others, as crowds sang hymns while awaiting the Pope’s arrival. Earlier, Francis disembarked from his motorcade en-route to Manger Square and prayed by Israel’….
Reports: PLO accepts papal invite to Vatican talks with Israel
5/25/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A senior Palestinian official told US media on Sunday that the PLO had accepted an invitation to attend talks with an Israeli delegation at the Vatican. A member of the PLO executive committee was quoted by CNN and The Associated Press as agreeing to the request, which came as Pope Francis visited the occupied West Bank. Francis extended the invitation at….
Pope Francis lands in Israel
5/25/2014 – TEL AVIV (AFP) — Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday to formally launch the final leg of his three-day Middle East tour. He flew in by helicopter from the West Bank town of Bethlehem, landing at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv where he was to be welcomed by Israeli President Shimon Peres. [END]
Pope Francis arrives in Jerusalem
5/25/2014 – TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma’an) — Pope Francis arrived in Jerusalem on Sunday evening after spending most of the day in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, where he delivered a mass in front of thousands of Palestinians. Francis was greeted by Israel’s Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat and other dignitaries, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. He then held a private meeting with Ecumenical….
Full text: Netanyahu welcomes pope to Israel
5/25/2014 – The following is a translation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at a news conference welcoming Pope Francis to Israel on Sunday evening. Your Holiness, Pope Francis, Welcome to our land, the Land of Israel, the Holy Land. You bring with you the spirit of reconciliation, faith, and peace of millions of Christians worldwide, and also of many who are not Christian….
Full text: Peres greets Francis in Jerusalem
5/25/2014 – The following is a translation of President Shimon Peres’ speech at a press conference upon Pope Francis’ arrival in Jerusalem late Sunday. Your Holiness Pope Francis,On behalf of the Jewish people and in the name of all the people of Israel, I welcome you with the age old words from the Book of Psalms: “Welcome in the name of the Lord.”Your….
Pope, Orthodox patriarch in historic unity meet in Jerusalem
5/25/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Pope Francis joined with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I for a historic unity service Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, Christianity’s holiest site. They met at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher inside the walled Old City after signing a landmark pledge to work together to further unity between the eastern and western branches of Christianity, estranged for…. Related:Our presence in Jerusalem is a legacy since the resurrection
Leader of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group ‘shot dead’ in North Sinai
5/25/2014 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — A leader in the al-Qaeda-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group has been killed in Sheikh Zuweid city in North Sinai Peninsula, high-profile Egyptian security sources said on Sunday. The sources told Ma’an that Salamah Atallah Abu Dan had been killed by a group of gunmen affiliated to Bedouin families in Sinai. The sources said that Abu Dan masterminded and partook…. Related:Egyptian group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis denies ‘leader’ slain
Egyptian group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis denies ‘leader’ slain
5/25/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis denied Sunday that its leader has been killed, after security sources said the group’s commander Shadi al-Menei had been shot dead in an ambush. The group also denied Menei was its leader, in a statement published on Islamist militant Internet forums accompanied by a picture of him reading a report about his “death” on a…. Related:Leader of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group ‘shot dead’ in North Sinai
Sisi poised to win Egypt presidency
5/25/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptians vote this week in a presidential election which former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who ousted the elected Islamist leader, is expected to easily win amid calls for stability. The election on Monday and Tuesday caps more than three years of political turmoil that has seen two presidents ousted following mass protests, thousands killed in clashes and militant attacks, and an economy….
Obama lands in Afghanistan on surprise visit
5/25/2014 – BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFP) — US president Barack Obama landed in Afghanistan late Sunday on a surprise visit to salute the sacrifices of US troops in America’s longest war. Obama slipped out of the White House after dark on Saturday and flew in secret across the globe, landing at Bagram air base outside Kabul in late evening. [END]
Pope prays for peace at separation wall
AlJazeera 25 May 2014 – Pope makes symbolic, unscheduled stop in Bethlehem, and invites Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the Vatican.
International Solidarity Movement
6 beds, ink and one story
5/25/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Mariam Barghouti, Occupied Palestine – Since 1967, Israel hasdetained around 20% of the Palestinian population and approximately 40% of Palestinian males. The majority of those arrested are transferred into Israel, where they are held and if charged will most likely serve their sentence. Although this is a clear violation of Article 76 in the Geneva Convention which states “all protected persons accused of an offense must….
Joint statement: solidarity groups call on Israel to stop administrative detention
5/25/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – International Women’s Peace Service, Christian Peacemakers Team, International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine – In support of Palestinian “administrative detainees” on open-end hunger strike – Over one hundred and twenty five Palestinian prisoners (ninety of whom are administrative detainees) have entered the fifth week of an open-end hunger strike to protest Israel’s practice of administrative detention, a procedure under which a person is detained….
Photo story: Al-Fwar refugee camp shows support for the political prisoners on hunger strike
5/25/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Khalil team, Al-Fwar, Occupied Palestine – On the 24th of May, approximately 40 protesters gathered at Al-Fwar refugee camp. The protest was to support the 5,000 political prisoners of whom more than a 180, are on their 30th day of hunger strike. An Israeli soldier is about to throw a tear gas granade at the feet of the protesters, to stop them from going further (photo….
occupied Palestinian territory: Report on the Human Rights Situation in the oPt – 1st Quarter of 2014
Relief Web 25 May 2014 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory For the First time, PCHR Issues Quarterly Report on Human Rights Situation in oPt The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has issued a quarterly report, which is the first…
It’s official: Spanish town ‘Camp Kill the Jews’ to change its name
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Pro-western billionaire projected to win Ukraine election
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Far-right projected to top EU elections in France
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Police arrest 26 after violence flares at King David s Tomb protest in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Exit polls: Billionaire Poroshenko wins Ukraine presidential elections
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Communist-era Polish leader Jaruzelski dies at 90
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Obama in snap visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Belgian police release video of Brussels shooting
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Pro-Israel students trounce BDS resolution at Seattle university
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Pro-Russian separatists surround Donetsk home of Ukraine’s richest man
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Netanyahu wants to outlaw the northern branch of the Islamic Movement
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Grandfather of Santa Barbara shooter was renowned Holocaust-era photographer
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Brazil’s ex-president tells Haaretz: Nothing justifies exorbitant World Cup spending
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Israel uses photo of Korean missiles in scare tweet about Hezbollah threat
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Netanyahu offers to aid Belgium probe of Jewish Museum attack
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
One killed and three injured in gas canister blast in Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Two men attacked leaving synagogue outside Paris, hours after Brussels attack
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Ukraine goes to the polls, in vote seen as key for restoring order
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Word of the Day / Mishkan: The biblical portable temple’s modern legacy
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Egyptian media fall into line behind Sissi on eve of presidential election
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Pope Francis visits the Holy Land
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
FIFA chief to hear Palestinian call for Israel’s expulsion
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Netanyahu blasts European ‘hypocrisy’ in not condemning Brussels attack
Ha’aretz – 25 May 2014
Lapid rebuffs army demand for more funding
Ha’aretz – 24 May 2014
Fearing hate crime, Arab villagers attack three Haredi men
Ha’aretz – 24 May 2014
For Galilee Catholics, soccer scores higher than the pope’s visit
Ha’aretz – 24 May 2014
Presidential race to have record six candidates
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Nobel laureate Dan Shechtman and former Supreme Court judge Dalia Dorner will join Dalia Itzik, and MKs Rivlin, Ben-Eliezer, and Sheetrit.
Renewed Israeli-Turkish ties in the new Middle East: American retreat offers Israel fresh choices
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Prior to events on the Mavi Marmara four years ago, Jerusalem and Ankara had developed a political and military partnership.
As Belgians hunt a killer, Jewish groups call for crackdown on anti-Semitism
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Belgian authorities say shooter likely acted alone; security tightened around Jewish centers in France after attack outside synagogue.
Tragedy in Brussels
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Apparently, the attacker or attackers whose sole objective was to kill Jews because they are Jews took advantage of the lax security arrangements.
Repatriating Spain s Jews: Revisited
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Recently, Spain created great excitement in the Jewish community with an offer of citizenship to Jews who can prove Sephardic roots.
Bayit Yehudi denies ‘boycott’ of pope
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Fewer than 10 ministers greeted Pope Francis, much fewer than US president Barack Obama in 2013; Bayit Yehudi had no representative at the greeting ceremony, insists there was not planned boycott of the pope.
All dressed up with nowhere to go
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Justice Minister Tzipi Livni is losing her grip.
Think about it: The crisis in Israel-American Jewry relations
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Growing up in Israel, American visitors were frequent, but today hardly anyone ever comes.
MK Katz proposes to outlaw the Israeli Islamic Movement s northern branch
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – New ministerial committee headed by PM Netanyahu and chaired by Yaakov Peri for the non-Jewish sector was formed on Sunday, following a ministerial vote.
Ukraine’s Poroshenko claims presidency, vows European course
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – New president says his first priority was to travel to the east of the country to end “war and chaos” caused by pro-Russian separatist rebels.
Jordan s ticking time bomb
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Situated between viral conflicts in Syria and Iraq, Jordan s relative anonymity may be drawing to a close.
Terra incognita: Holding Lebanon hostage (again)
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – What has happened in Lebanon is that the vacuum left by the withdrawal over the years of foreign powers (Syria, Israel and briefly a US-backed multi-national force) has resulted in Hezbollah dominating the country s politics.
Holy Fashion: The pope’s closet comes to Israel
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Fashion expert Ella Manor speaks to one of Israel’s biggest fashion bloggers to get the low-down on what to expect from Pope Francis’ sacred wardrobe.
Pope concludes first day in Israel with visit to Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Pope prays at Church of Holy Sepulchre after meeting with Israeli dignitaries; says Palestinians deserve sovereign homeland, Israelis deserve peace.
High Court throws out monthly stipend for 10,000 non-working haredim
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – The subsidies were part of a gov’t policy to get around a previous court ruling invalidating the stipends as unfair discrimination and favoritism.
Extreme Left high school teacher Adam Verta fired from ORT High School
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Verta was threatened with dismissal following a student complaint that he expressed incitement against the IDF earlier this year.
Bezalel, int’l architects to redesign ‘Gesher’ compound at Jordan River Peace Park
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Since 2006, regional environmental organization Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) has been working with the area’s stakeholders on creating a transboundary Jordan River Peace Park.
Cabinet approves haredi affirmative action for public jobs
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Bennett says the plan proved the governments commitment to integrating the ultra-Orthodox community into the labor market.
Better ICA information is reducing Israeli risk of melanoma
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Israel Cancer Association says Israeli prevalence rates of skin cancer are stable.
Cabinet okays establishment of state-hospital authority
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – The cabinet major Health Ministry proposal to establish a separate authority that will bring about the ministry s multiple and conflicting roles of running and supervising the state-owned general hospitals.
Abbas briefs pope on ‘obstacles’ facing peace process, settlements
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Following Abbas’s meeting with Pope Francis in Bethlehem, Abbas called on the Israeli gov’t to completely halt all actions that violate international law.
Peres, Abbas accept papal invitation to pray for peace at Vatican
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Pontiff extends invitation to Israeli, Palestinian Authority presidents a month after negotiations break down.
Contrary to reports,
Beirut synagogue not planned to reopen
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Lawyer for Jewish community in Lebanon says despite renovations, Magen Abraham Synagogue is not set to open doors again.
MK calls for Vatican archives to be opened
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Comments come after media reports suggest Pope Francis may speed up release of Holocaust-era documents.
Two Jews attacked outside Paris synagogue
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – The attack outside the suburban Paris synagogue comes just hours after the deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Belgium; French interior minister condemns attack.
Tel Aviv couple killed in Brussels shooting named as Emanuel and Miriam Riva
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Couple in their 50s were among four victims in fatal shooting Saturday at Brussels Jewish Museum.
Netanyahu: Pope visiting only Mideast state to offer true freedom of religion
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – PM says he appreciates pontiff’s stance against anti-Semitism, especially in light of rising Jew hatred as was seen in Brussels attack.
‘The message of Christ is still alive in Bethlehem’
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – Christians from around Israel arrive in Bethlehem for an invitation-only mass service lead by the pope.
Pope Francis: A good man
Jerusalem Post 25 May 2014 – All that we read and hear about Pope Francis attests to his humanity, his humility, his spirituality.
Pope Francis offers prayers at Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem
The Guardian 25 May 2014 – Stop rouses controversy as pontiff invites Peres and Abbas to Rome in unprecedented papal intervention in peace process It is an image that will define Pope Francis’s first official visit to the Holy Land. Head bowed…
Pope Francis prays at the separation wall during West Bank visit video
The Guardian 25 May 2014 – Pope Francis arrives in the West Bank on day two of his three-day visit to the Middle East. The pontiff meets with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and makes a controversial and dramatic gesture by praying at…
Pope Francis visits the Middle East – in pictures
The Guardian 25 May 2014 – Pope Francis is on a three-day visit to the Middle East, including Jordan, the West Bank and Israel. His first few steps in Bethlehem are likely to rouse controversy after saying prayers by the security wall,…
Pope Francis calls Israeli-Palestinian stalemate unacceptable
The Guardian 25 May 2014 – Pope also chose to arrive in West Bank from Jordan rather than via Israel in a symbolic nod towards Palestinian statehood Pope Francis has called the stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians unacceptable, as he landed…
Night of the Hunter: Family Values in American Foreign Policy
Uruknet 25 May 2014 – May 19, 2014 – …America policy in Ukraine – securing control of eastern Ukraine by the Kyiv regime, and, if possible, the rollback of Russia s annexation of the Crimea – has now become directly tied to the personal family…
WATCH: Confronting an Israeli minister for flouting int l law
Uruknet 25 May 2014 – May 19, 2014 -Sadiq al-Sadiq was returned to Israel earlier this month after finding himself being sent – against his will – back to Sudan, from where he fled persecution and genocide. Sadiq is just one of hundreds or thousands…
Iran hangs first of four men over bank scandal
Daily Star 25 May 2014 Iran has hanged the first of four men sentenced to death for a massive financial scam that tainted the government of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, local media reported on Sunday.
Nasrallah urges swift presidential election
Daily Star 25 May 2014 Hezbollah Chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Sunday urges rival groups to resolve the presidential deadlock in the shortest time possible, adding that his group sought a president who would back rather than abandon the resistance.
Qaradawi: It would be a sin to vote for Sisi
Daily Star 25 May 2014 The influential Qatar-based Muslim cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi Sunday calls on Egyptians to boycott presidential elections and shun front-runner Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, saying the former army chief had “disobeyed God”.
Sisi has two paths open to him: Fotouh
Daily Star 25 May 2014 A former Muslim Brotherhood leader warns that government oppression in Egypt is fanning militancy that will pose a threat abroad unless the army-backed authorities start respecting freedom and human rights.
Lebanon’s patriarch meets Abbas in Holy Land
Daily Star 25 May 2014 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Sunday with Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in the Holy Land during the prelate’s visit there
Yemen forces kill five militants amid Al Qaeda war
Daily Star 25 May 2014 Yemen’s security forces kill five Al Qaeda members and capture a four in a raid north of the capital Sanaa Sunday, a government official says, escalating a campaign against militants responsible for a wave of attacks…
Pakistan frees Indian fishermen in goodwill gesture
Daily Star 25 May 2014 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Sunday orders the release of 151 Indian prisoners ahead of his historic visit to New Delhi to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in as premier.
Lebanon village takes Clooney engagement in stride
Daily Star 25 May 2014 The Alamuddin family is among the founding families of the Chouf village of Baakline, but local residents are unfazed by Amal Alamuddin’s decision to break tradition by marrying an American movie star.
Settlers burn lands in Hebron, and Israeli forces bulldozed lands in Salfit.
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign 9EDJ’* *,1JA *BHE (G’ BH’* ‘D’-*D’D AJ EF7B) ‘D,(D ‘D’21B – 1’A’* – 3DAJ* 22 5 2014, ‘Avi Gal’ and ‘Mitzpe Yair’ settlements settlers burned wheat and barley farms, that belong to the citizen Khaled Moussa al-Najjar, in Aqoyues area east of Yatta, south of…
EU bans poultry exports from illegal Israeli settlements
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign don’t buy israeli occupation Palestinian civil society has today welcomed reports that the EU will no longer allow poultry and eggs from illegal Israeli settlements to enter the EU, in what amounts to the first EU ban on any Israeli products. The EU has informed…
Continues Demolishing in the Jordan Valley
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign Abu Ajaj – Jordan Valley 1 Today, 21 May 2014, the houses and animal barracks of 13 families (including 71 people) were demolished in Abu Al Jaj Refugee Camp which is located in the middle of the Jordan Valley Area C (Under complete control of…
Occupation demolished 6 houses and sheep barracks in Jeftlek
Stop The Wall – Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign G/E – .1() ‘D7HJD This morning, occupation forces began a series of demolitions in Abu Ajaj camp in Jeftlek east of Jericho, on the pretext of being very close to “Ntsuwah” settlement that was built on citizens’ lands. Jamal Juma, the coordinator of Stop the…
The industry of lies in action
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – Op-ed: A video segment showing a crying Palestinian child makes ‘progressive’ journalists write that Israelis are Nazis; a bonfire near an orchard turns into a pogrom against Palestinians. ….
Haredim urge pope to stop missionary activity in Israel
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – Yad L’Achim organization calls on Pope Francis to issue clear statement during Holy Land visit forbidding Christians to spread their faith among members of other religions. ….
Far right, Euroskeptics make big gains in EU vote
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – ….
Paris: Hundreds protest anti-Semitism in Europe
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – ….
Lebanese cardinal makes rare visit to Jerusalem despite controversy
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – ….
Jerusalem, the city joined apart
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – Op-ed: After pope’s visit ends, Jerusalem Day celebrations will begin, but gaps between west and east will remain huge. ….
Ukraine’s Poroshenko calls for parliamentary election this year
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – ….
Poll: ‘Chocolate King’ Poroshenko wins Ukraine presidency
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – ….
2 men attacked leaving synagogue outside Paris
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – Police still searching for two assaulters who fled the scene after beating up two brothers in traditional Jewish clothes. ….
Pope’s Mideast visit filled with precedents
YNet News, 25 May 2014 – Analysis: By visiting Bethlehem before Jerusalem, Francis is giving PA the status of an actual state. Yet unlike his predecessors, he will visit Herzl’s grave in show of support for Zionism. ….
Egypt’s el-Sissi to seek better ties with US
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Set to win in next week’s presidential election, el-Sissi vows to work for greater ties with the US, however, he faces no small amount of challenges. ….
Jewish and world leaders slam Brussels shooting, urge greater security
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Belgium leaders decry attack, announce increased security for country’s Jewish centers, as Jewish bodies slam rising anti-Semitic sentiment and urge more action. ….
Rabbis: Medical marijuana kosher on shmita year
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Religious Zionism leaders say patients can continue consuming cannabis during year in which land in Israel must lie fallow. ….
Three killed in shooting outside Jewish Museum in Brussels
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Gunman kills three in central Brussels shooting spree near Jewish Museum; Belgium interior minister, who was at scene, claims: ‘It is likely that this is an anti-Semitic attack’; one suspect arrested. ….
Iran: UN report proves nuclear ambitions are peaceful
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Iran welcomes new report which claims nuclear activity decreasing, however past reports claimed Islamic republic growing better at hiding nuclear activities. ….
Lebanon enters presidential vacuum as Suleiman finishes term
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Hezbollah boycotts Lebanese president’s farwell speech, in which he said terrorist group must stop its role in Syrian conflict. ….
DePaul students vote in favor of divestment against Israel
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Non-binding vote passes with 54.2% in favor of university withdrawing investments in companies that do business with the IDF, corporations operating in Palestinian territories. ….
Pope begins Middle East ‘pilgrimage’ in Jordan
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Francis tells pilgrims in Rome main reason for Holy Land visit is to ‘pray for peace in that land, which has suffered so much.’ ….
Syria video shows chlorine gas floating in streets
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – Rebel-filmed video from Kfar Zeita shows green-yellow gas in a street; 70 people were wounded in attack. ….
Hezbollah working with the Lebanese army leads to calm in Beirut
YNet News, 24 May 2014 – The flames are no longer creeping up on Nasrallah: A year after the chief of staff’s prophecy that Hezbollah would come to ruin and drag Lebanon down with it, calm has been restored to Beirut. While the terror organization’s budget has been significantly cut, Hezbollah continues reaping successes both in Lebanon and outside of it. ….
Palestinian Information Center
Dear Libyans: Don‚¨ “!t allow CIA dogs to reinstate tyranny
PIC – It is amply clear that the US and some key European countries are making frantic efforts to reinstate dictatorial rule in Arab countries that have experienced the so-called ‚¨ SArab Spring.”
50 Raymond prisoners join the solidarity hunger strike, IPS paying no heed
PIC – 50 Palestinian detainees, including 7 Jerusalemites, held in Nafha prison have initiated a hunger strike on Sunday in solidarity with the administrative prisoners.
Jewish graffiti insult Prophets Muhammad and Jesus in Lod
PIC – Fanatic Jewish settlers thought to be from the price tag gang on Sunday morning spray-painted blasphemous remarks against Prophets Muhammad and Jesus on public property in the Arab city of Al-Lod.
IOF soldiers beat up, arrest two children
PIC – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested two Palestinian minors from Beit Ummar village, north of al-Khalil, on Sunday morning after claiming they were trying to enter a settlement.
Israeli festive events next Wednesday to celebrate occupation of east J’lem
PIC – The Israeli municipal council in occupied Jerusalem in cooperation with Jewish groups prepared a festive program to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the occupation of east Jerusalem.
Haneyya: Palestinian resistance will hold out until liberation sees the day
PIC – Ismail Haneyya revealed Hamas‚¨ “!s commitment to resistance in its capacity as a strategic choice to liberate Palestine, uphold the national constants, and boost the reconciliation process.
Lebanese security arrests eight Palestinian refugees at Beirut airport
PIC – The Lebanese security authorities on Saturday arrested eight Palestinian asylum seekers, while the renewed armed violence in Yarmouk refugee camp led to a halt of food aid distribution.
Shallah: Resistance prevented transforming Palestine into another Andalusia
PIC – Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad Movement Ramadan Abdullah Shallah said on Sunday ‚¨ SPalestine could‚¨ “!ve been turned into a second Andalusia if the Palestinian resistance has not been on the ball.‚¨ ù
Three killed, one badly injured in gun attack on Jewish museum in Brussels
PIC – Three people were killed and another was seriously wounded on Saturday evening in a shooting incident inside the Jewish museum of Belgium in Brussels, according to Belgian security officials.
Administrative detainee Hamdan transferred to hospital
PIC – Palestinian administrative detainee Daoud Hamdan was transferred to hospital after he suffered a stroke on Saturday amid a remarkable upsurge of solidarity moves within Israeli lock-ups.
Pope Endorses State of Palestine in West Bank Visit
New York Times 25 May 2014 – Francis Holy Land trip has been billed by the Vatican as a religious pilgrimage, but for the Palestinians and for Israel, its political dimensions are inescapable.
Egypt s New Strongman, Sisi Knows Best
New York Times 25 May 2014 – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi s cunning path to power and his paternalistic conviction that the people must be prepared to suffer are illuminated in interviews and leaked recordings.
The Pope in Palestine
Mondoweiss – Pope Francis at the Separation Wall in Bethlehem. (Photo: Twitter) Decade after Int’l Court of Justice condemned the wall as illegal, @Pontifex prayer provides iconic images worth 1000s of advisory opinions. Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) May 25, 2014 (Photo via BBC)
Watch Palestinian-Americans discuss how Israel discriminates against U.S. travelers
Mondoweiss – Last week, a day aftera Senator pulled a bill from consideration thatgives Israel a path into the visa-waiver program with the U.S., activists and experts gathered on Capitol Hill to discuss the legislation. The bill, long an Israel lobby priority, would allow Israel entry into a…
Notice who is welcoming the Pope, and who is outraged
Mondoweiss – Pope at the wall today Three days ago, Jodi Rudoren and Isabel Kershner had a longish piece about the Pope s upcoming visit to Palestine (via Jordan) and then day trip in Israel: Seeking Balance on Mideast Visit, Pope Pleases Few. The piece tries to establish that,…
Pope, pray for Gaza video appeal
Mondoweiss –
Netanyahu scoffs at Obama s 2009 summons and threat to stop all settlements
Mondoweiss – Obama and Netanyahu in 2011 (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Noam Sheizaf has an important piece up at +972 showing whatIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu really thinks of President Obama. Netanyahu recently met with Likud supporters, and mocked Washington s demands: Responding to a question from the audience, Netanyahu said: I…
A Papal confession to the Palestinian people
Mondoweiss – Pope Francis with Israeli leaders Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu, from the latter s twitter feed This is part of Marc H. Ellis s Exile and the Prophetic feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page. As my German lecture tour continues and I…
Israel: a Gun Unto the Nations
Tikun Olam – IDF soldier sporting Tavor semi-automatic rifle Classical Zionism posited that the future State it envisioned would be a light unto the nations. The vision behind this statement was that most of the nations of the world had made a mess of things. War and hate was…
IDF Tweets About Hezbollah Missile Threat Using Photo of North Korean Scuds
Tikun Olam – In the annals of IDF lies this, perhaps, isn t the worst or most insensitive. It doesn t falsely claim a Palestinian murdered in cold blood actually died from Palestinian fire. But it does expose the banality of the deceit the IDF perpetrates on Israel and the world….
Genesis Prize: Flattering Oligarchs and Laundering Their Ill-Gotten Gains
Tikun Olam – Mikhail Fridman undoubtedly contemplating the fate of the Jewish people or his asset portfolio. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty) A group of Russian oligarchs has pumped buckets of their ill-gotten cash into creating an award, the Genesis Prize , that flatters their egos and those of their fellow fat cats…
EU Ambassador to Israel Appeases Zionist Aggressors, Blames Palestinian Victims
Sabbah report 25 May 2014 – Trying to appease his Israeli audience, European Union (EU) ambassador to Israel Faaborg Andersen demanded that Hamas recognize Israel, give up resistance to the brutal Israeli military occupation and accept vague and controversial agreements signed between Israel and the PLO. Anderson totally ignored the fact that…
Terrorizing Palestinian Children
Sabbah report 25 May 2014 – Since 2,000, over 9,000 Palestinian children under age 18 were detained, isolated, brutally interrogated, forced to confess and tried in military kangaroo tribunals. Guilt by accusation is official Israeli policy. Continue reading í! The post: Terrorizing Palestinian Children appeared first on Sabbah Report ß Sign up…
UN Monthly Report occupied Palestinian territories
Sabbah report 25 May 2014 – Increased shortages of essential items in the Gaza Strip; extensive areas in the Bethlehem governorate seized by the Israeli authorities for settlement expansion and increased concern over the potential forcible transfer of Bedouin communities. Continue reading í! The post: UN Monthly Report occupied Palestinian territories…
Israel Declares War On Palestinian Banks
Sabbah report 25 May 2014 – Late April, Israel took many punitive measures to punish Palestinians. It would no longer allow Palestinian banks to transport their surplus Israeli currency to the Israeli Central Bank, an act that is unheard of in the world of banking. Israel is refusing to serve its own…
Pope Francis prays at Bethlehem wall
BBC 25 May 2014 – Pope prays at Israel’s West Bank separation barrier after urging an end to the “increasingly unacceptable” Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Belgium boosts security after attack
BBC 25 May 2014 – Security is stepped up at Jewish sites across Belgium after a gunman kills three people, two of them Israeli, at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.
VIDEO: Egyptian poverty ‘key’ election issue
BBC 25 May 2014 – One of the major challenges facing Egypt’s new president will be addressing the economic problems facing the country.
VIDEO: Pope Francis urges Syria resolution
BBC 24 May 2014 – Pope Francis has called for an “urgent” solution to the Syrian conflict at the start of a three-day visit to the Middle East.
Nasrallah: The pro-Israeli project against the Resistance is crumbling
Al-Akhbar News 25 May 2014 – Lebanese supporters of the Hezbollah movement gather in the southern town of Bint Jbeil to watch a televised address by Hassan Nasrallah, center, the movement’s chief, to mark the 14th anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon. (Photo: AFP – Mahmoud Zayyat) The axis of…
Yemeni forces kill three Al-Qaeda militants in Arhab
Al-Akhbar News 25 May 2014 – Yemeni troops launched a ground assault Sunday against Al-Qaeda suspects who fled an army offensive in the south to a district near the capital, killing three jihadis, sources said. “Yemen’s anti-terrorism forces carried out a military operation in Arhab,” 35 kilometers (20 miles) from Sanaa, “killing…
Iran convicts newpaper editor, writer of “insulting Islam”
Al-Akhbar News 25 May 2014 – An Iranian court convicted on Sunday the editor and a contributor of a banned newspaper over a series of charges, including lying about Islam and spreading anti-government propaganda, reports said. The media watchdog banned the reformist Bahar daily in October 2013 after it published an article…
Pope Francis calls for two-state solution, stops at Israeli apartheid wall
Al-Akhbar News 25 May 2014 – A handout picture released by the Vatican press office shows Pope Francis praying at Israel’s separation barrier on May 25, 2014 after he made an unscheduled stop at the security wall drawing attention to the towering eight-meter high concrete wall topped by a guard tower. (Photo:…
Egyptian jihadi group denies leader’s killing
Al-Akhbar News 25 May 2014 – Egyptian jihadi group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis denied Sunday that its leader has been killed, after security sources said the group’s commander Shadi al-Menei had been shot dead in an ambush. The group also denied Menei was its leader, in a statement published on Islamist militant Internet…
Articles
Netanyahu explains how he stood up to the U.S., kept building settlements
Noam Sheizaf, +972 Magazine5/25/2014
Peace talks? What peace talks, the Israeli prime minister jokes with supporters from his party.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of his settlement building achievements in a recent meeting with young Likud supporters. Responding to a question from the audience, Netanyahu said: I was threatened in Washington: not one brick [of settlement construction] & after five years, we built a little more than one brick&
Asked about peace talks with the Palestinians, Netanyahu reportedly replied, about the what? to which the audience responded by breaking out into laughter.
Last year was a record year in settlement construction in the West Bank. According to figures released by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), there were construction starts on 2,534 housing units last year, not including East Jerusalem an increase of 123 percent from 2012, and more than any other year since the CBS began compiling data.
Netanyahu s quotes were posted online by Akiva Lamm, a Likud member from Kiryat Arba, a settlement near Hebron. Lamm himself posed a question to Netanyahu on the lack of new construction in his home settlement, and on Israel s prisoner releases during the American-led negotiations with the Palestinians. This was Netanyahu s reply (my translation):
“When I entered the Prime Minister s Office for my second term, I was summoned to Washington. Not one brick, they told me (referring to settlement construction in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem). I was threatened specifically: Not one brick. The pressure from the international community and the Americans was enormous. I don t think anyone in Israel was under such pressure. And still, after five years on the job, we built a little more than one brick. But the important thing is to do it in a smart way, in a quiet way, without inflammatory statements….”more..e-mail
Israel declares war on Palestinian banks
Sam Bahour, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN)5/25/2014
Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip use the Israeli currency, the New Israeli Shekel, for their daily business. However, as the peace negotiation efforts of Secretary John Kerry stumbled (many would say failed) in late April, Israel took many punitive measures to punish Palestinians for not accepting full political submission. One such measure is that Israel informed the Palestinian side that it would no longer allow Palestinian banks to transport their surplus Israeli currency to the Israeli Central Bank, an act that is unheard of in the world of banking. Israel is refusing to serve its own currency. In effect, Israel is declaring war on the Palestinian economy, risking the collapse of the thriving Palestinian banking sector, and disrupting the flow of basic goods such as electricity, petroleum, and natural gas into Palestine.
Given the Palestinian economy is an extension of the Israeli one, due to the prolonged state of military occupation, Palestinians import over 85 percent of their goods and services from Israel and sell over 80 percent of their exports to Israel. From a purely economic perspective, given Palestine is still a state in the making and, as such, lacks its own currency, using the Israeli currency is expected.
The Palestinian economy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was purposely made structurally dependent on Israel ever since the Israel military occupied the area in 1967. This Israeli-crafted structural dependency took many shapes and forms, starting with Israel creating a captive Palestinian consumer base for its products and services by militarily controlling all the borders between the occupied territory and the outside world, all the way to installing the Israeli currency, the Israeli Shekel, as the daily currency among Palestinians. Before the Oslo Peace Accords, within the Accords itself, and all the way through today, this forced dependency has been maintained.more..e-mail
On why the Pope must join the struggle to liberate Jerusalem
Dr Sarah Marusek, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)5/25/2014
Expectations are high as Pope Francis begins his tour of the Holy Land. While he is known for his outspoken support for the poor and oppressed, the Vatican has insisted that the purpose of the Pope’s visit is primarily religious and “absolutely not political”.
And yet, according to the Pope’s itinerary, while in Jerusalem he is scheduled to lay a wreath at the grave of Theodore Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement – a racist political ideology that privileges one particular group over all others and which has involved the ethnic cleansing of an indigenous people from their homeland.
But that is not the only problem. Many Palestinians view any visit to Jerusalem, a city whose people are living under a brutal military occupation, as an act of normalisation. In other words, any such visit reifies the status quo by giving recognition or even legitimacy to the Israeli occupiers, which in turn sanctions their acts of mass violence and oppression.
This perspective should not be new to Pope Francis, who is from Argentina. Many of his co-religionists in Latin America have long argued for an understanding of Christianity as a living theology that must include a response to the contemporary social and political structures of oppression that create centres of privilege and peripheries of suffering.
Here theology is not just faith, but a living expression of that faith a historicised faith because it is a direct response to the questions of those who are born into this world already marginalised as a result of present day social and political structures not of their own making. Failing to respond to this oppression is not an option for the faithful. As Peruvian priest Gustavo GutiÈrrez, one of the founders of Latin American Christian liberation theology, elaborates: “If faith is a commitment to God and human beings, it is not possible to live in today’s world without a commitment to the process of liberation.”more..e-mail
Pope s visit to the Holy Land stirs sectarian tensions
Jessica Purkiss, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)5/22/2014
As the Holy Land prepares to welcome Pope Francis on Sunday, growing concerns over the rising anti-Christian attacks are darkening the occasion for Israel’s Christian community.
On March 9th, church officials of a Romanian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem discovered “Price tag, King David is for the Jews, Jesus is garbage,” written on nearby walls, while “Death to Arabs and Christians and all those who hate Israel” was daubed in Hebrew on the Office of the Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame Center, Jerusalem.
A few days later hundreds of ultra-orthodox Jews calling for the Pope to “stay in Rome” descended on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, protesting against the Pope’s plans to hold mass at a nearby contentious religious site during his visit- the first floor of which is believed by Jews to house the tomb of King David, while the second floor is held sacred by Christians as the site of the Last Supper. His visit is fuelling fears that an agreement will be made giving the Vatican control over the second floor.
“The wave of fanaticism and intimidation against Christians continues,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem posted on its website, referring to the recent attacks as “price tag” incidents. According to the Jerusalem Inter- Church Center similar attacks against Christian organisations, churches and properties across Palestine and Israel have almost doubled since 2012.
Non Jewish sites such as mosques, churches, Christian and Muslim graveyards, as well as Palestinian property and land in both in the occupied territories and Israel are routinely targeted, damaged and defaced, often bearing the hallmark of “price tag.” “Price tag” refers to vandalism and other hate crimes carried out by right wing Jewish extremists usually in retaliation for government policies against the settler movement.more..e-mail
Israel Declares War on Palestinian Banks
Palestine Chronicle: 25 May 2014 – By Sam Bahour Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip use the Israeli currency, the New Israeli Shekel, for their daily business. However, as the peace negotiation efforts of Secretary John Kerry stumbled (many would say failed) in late April, Israel took many punitive measures to punish Palestinians for not accepting full political submission. One such measure is that Israel informed the Palestinian side that it would no longer allow Palestinian banks to transport their surplus Israeli currency to the Israeli Central Bank, an act that is unheard of in the world of banking. Israel is refusing to serve its own currency. In effect, Israel is declaring war on the Palestinian economy, risking the collapse of the thriving Palestinian banking sector, and disrupting the flow of basic goods such as electricity, petroleum, and natural gas into Palestine. Given the Palestinian economy is…more
You Came to Create Change
Palestine Chronicle: 25 May 2014 – By Mats Svensson You come to Palestine as a diplomat, as a development worker. You come to create change. To make something better. Not for yourself but for people living on a small plot of land between the Jordan River and a wall. You are well educated, have a Master s degree or you might even have a PhD in political sciences, economics or social sciences. You can also speak fairly good Arabic if not Hebrew. You have a lot of useful experiences and have bee
n to many countries in Africa, Asia or Latin America. Palestine is normally not your first country. You are supposed to create change, a real change. That s your challenge. When you leave two, three, four or five years from now, change has been created. Land has been stolen, houses have been demolished, people have been killed. Settlers have moved onto stolen land protected by the Israeli…more
Which Israel will be Greeting the Pope?
Palestine Chronicle: 25 May 2014 – By Jamal Kanj Is it the official diplomatic fanfare and PR machine parading Israel s religious tourism, or the unofficial welcome decorating Palestinian churches in Jerusalem with slogans like Jesus is garbage and Mary is a cow ? Would it be the apartheid highways and byways dedicated exclusively to Israelis, or the high separation wall cordoning original Christian and Muslim Palestinians inside the city that cuddled and protected the baby more than 2000 years ago? It is highly unlikely Pope Francis, like other Christian tourists, would face the same military barriers that recently blocked the descendants of the first Christians and Western diplomats from performing religious services at the Church in Jerusalem. Robert Serry along with several European diplomats and hundreds of Palestinian Christians were almost crushed against an Israeli military barricade on their way to attend last month s Easter services. When Serry identified himself as UN Secretary General s special envoy to…more
The Revolutionary Face of the Syrian Conflict
Palestine Chronicle: 25 May 2014 – By Nicola Nasser A media blackout of the war crimes committed by Syrian insurgents has allowed them to act with impunity, with all scrutiny falling on Damascus As the conflict in Syria enters its fourth year, international press reports focus on the human rights violations of President Bashar al-Assad s government. However, the war crimes of the insurgent forces have been kept away from the spotlight, mainly for political reasons. Since the Obama administration imposed sanctions on 29 April 2011 on some Syrian officials reportedly accused of using violence against civilians, the US, European and regional sponsors of a regime change in the country have so far held the Syrian government as the only party responsible for violence against civilians. Consequently, the UN and Western international human-rights organizations have followed suit. This concealment of the insurgents responsibility serves a purpose it ensured their sponsors impunity they could continue to…more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel –www.vtjp.org
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