8 June 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Gaza Fisherman Shot by Israeli Navy Dies of His Wounds
IMEMC – A Palestinian fisherman who was recently shot and critically injured by the Israeli navy, off the coast of the northwest part of the Gaza Strip, has died of his wounds today, according to media sources. …
Shops Close in Solidarity with Hunger Strikers
IMEMC – Israel approves bill which could complicate future pardons Black-and-white flags flashing slogans such as “Freedom for Prisoners” and “Chains must be broken” flapped in the streets of Ramallah, today, as shops closed in solidarity with nearly 300 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in protest of Israel’s ongoinghttp://www.imemc.org/newswire?search_text=administrative+detention&button=Search+%3E%3Epolicy. …
Foreign Ministry Recalls AU Rep for Offensive Stance on Jerusalem
IMEMC – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recalled the Representative of Australia to Palestine, Thomas Wilson, on Sunday, in protest against remarks made by Attorney-General of Australia, George Brandis, in which he publicly called for disregarding East Jerusalem as an occupied territory. …
Vatican Hosts Cross-Cultural Peace Prayer
IMEMC – Vatican City hosts, today, a joint peace prayer with Pope Francis, Israeli President Shimon Peres and president Mahmoud Abbas, in what is held to be an unprecedented symbolic gesture offered with the intention of creating a bridge of peaceful dialogue across religious borders. …
VIDEO: Palestinians In Silwad Kick Soldiers Out Of Local Home
IMEMC – [Saturday, June 7, 2014] Several residents of Silwad town, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, managed to force Israeli soldiers out of a Palestinian home that the army had broken into, and had held the family in their own home since Friday evening. …
Soldiers Kidnap Elderly Man Near Jenin
IMEMC – [Saturday Evening, June 7, 2014] Israeli soldiers invaded Zabbouba town, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, kidnapped an elderly man and hurled gas bombs, causing several family members to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. …
Gaza fisherman shot by Israel 2 weeks ago succumbs to his wounds
6/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian fisherman shot by the Israeli navy two weeks ago succumbed to his wounds Sunday morning, Gaza medical authorities said. Spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma’an that 52-year-old Imad Shukri Salim was announced dead Sunday morning. Salim was shot in the chest by Israeli navy two weeks ago while he was…. Related:Israel detains 3 fishermen off Gaza coast
5 Palestinians detained in overnight raids in Nablus, Hebron
6/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained five Palestinians across the West Bank in overnight raids Sunday morning in Nablus and near Hebron. Israeli forces carried out two separate predawn raids in the Nablus region in the northern West Bank and detained three young Palestinian men there, Palestinian security sources told Ma’an. The sources said that Israeli troops stormed the old city of….
Partial strike in support of hunger strikers across West Bank
6/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A one-day strike by shops across the West Bank in support of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike was widely observed in Tulkarem and Ramallah Sunday, while shops elsewhere largely went about business as usual. The strike was called for by the Higher Follow-up Committee of Prisoner Affairs to support the hunger strike of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli…. Related:Lawyer: Prisoners in danger after 46 days of hunger strike
Lawyer: Prisoners in danger after 46 days of hunger strike
6/8/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — A number of the Palestinian prisoners who have been on hunger strike in Israeli jails for 46 days are in serious danger, a lawyer said Sunday. Jawad Bolous, chief attorney for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, told Ma’an that thirteen of the hunger-striking prisoners have suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding throughout the past few days. Two of them have undergone…. Related:Partial strike in support of hunger strikers across West Bank
Israel backs law to block Palestinian prisoner releases
6/8/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved changes in a law that could block amnesty for Palestinians imprisoned for killing Israelis. The amendment, which needs to be approved by parliament before passing into law, would give the courts power to prevent Israel’s president from granting clemency or shortening the jail term of anyone imprisoned for murder. Ayelet Shaked of the far-right Jewish….
Pope Francis hosts Israeli-Palestinian peace prayer
6/8/2014 – VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Francis on Sunday hosts an unprecedented joint peace prayer in the Vatican with Israeli President Shimon Peres and president Mahmoud Abbas in a symbolic gesture aimed at fostering dialogue. Abbas said he hoped the event in the Vatican Gardens, which will include Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayers and the planting of an olive tree by all three leaders, would “help Israel….
Iran, US announce surprise nuclear talks
6/8/2014 – TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran will next week hold official direct talks with the United States for the first time in decades, in an unprecedented step toward ending its nuclear standoff with the West. The discussions will take place in Geneva on Monday and Tuesday, Iran’s foreign ministry and the US State Department said in surprise announcements that come after serious concern that progress on….
PA: Netanyahu govt is major supporter of terrorism
6/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority security forces on Sunday accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of supporting terrorism by encouraging Jewish settler attacks on Palestinian civilians and property. The remarks came in response to a speech by Netanyahu during the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, when he said that Hamas was taking control “inside the PA” and called for “international pressure….
Palestinian foreign ministry summons Australia representative
6/8/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday summoned the Australian Representative to Palestine Tom Wilson over recent remarks by Australian Attorney-General George Brandis saying that the country would stop referring to East Jerusalem as “occupied.” In a news conference at his office in Ramallah, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki expressed deep concern about Brandis’ remarks, highlighting that they “contradict….
Israeli official: Annexation of settlements would lead to ‘disaster’
6/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday that he would bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyuhu’s government should the latter attempt to annex Jewish-only West Bank settlements, according to Israeli media.” Extreme right-wing forces are pushing us toward the delusional idea of annexation, which will lead us to the disaster called a bi-national state,” Haaretz quoted Lapid as saying….
Israel joins EU research program despite settlement guidelines
6/8/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel on Sunday signed a key European-funded scientific research program despite guidelines barring funding to settlement-linked projects, officials said. The signing of the Horizon 2020 agreement took place at a ceremony in Jerusalem presided over by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outgoing European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.”Horizon 2020 offers a huge opportunity to enhance the traditionally active cooperation between Israeli and….
Gaza banks still closed as unity govt financial dispute deepens
6/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Banks in the Gaza Strip remained closed Sunday morning as a financial crisis which began Wednesday evening threatened to undermine confidence in the newly-formed Palestinian unity government. Employees of the formerly Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip have insisted that they should receive their salaries from the new reconciliation government, and local police deployed around banks and ATMs again Sunday…. Related:PA forces detain 16 Hamas supporters in West Bank
PA forces detain 16 Hamas supporters in West Bank
6/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority security forces detained 16 Hamas s
upporters and issued summons to seven others across the West Bank, the Islamist movement said Sunday. The arrests came just days after a Palestinian unity government was inaugurated in Ramallah, based on an agreement between Hamas and the PLO. In Nablus, PA forces detained 16-year-old Naji Tabouq, 17-year-old Mahmoud al-Anati, Muhammad…. Related:Gaza banks still closed as unity govt financial dispute deepens
UN envoy meets with new Palestinian ministers in Gaza
6/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process met with four ministers of the new Palestinian government in Gaza on Sunday, the UN said in a statement. Robert Serry held a joint meeting in Gaza City with Minister of Women’s Affairs Haifa al-Agha, Minister of Labor Mamoun Abu Shahla, Minister of Justice Salim al-Saqqa….
Abbas calls for ‘comprehensive and just peace’ with Israel
6/8/2014 – VATICAN CITY (AFP) — President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday called for a “comprehensive and just peace” with Israel at a joint prayer with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Pope Francis.” O Lord, bring comprehensive and just peace to our country and region so that our people and the peoples of the Middle East and the whole world would enjoy the fruit of peace, stability, and coexistence….
Health ministry to deduct wages from strikers’ paychecks
6/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Ministry of Health will deduct a portion of the monthly wages of doctors who have been on strike for several weeks, an official said Sunday.” Employees who do not fully comply with their work schedule lose a portion of their wages equal to the number of days they were absent,” the health ministry’s director-general said. Doctors employed by….
Army boss Sisi sworn in as Egypt president
6/8/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in as president on Sunday following a landslide election almost a year after he deposed Egypt’s first freely elected leader and crushed his Islamist supporters. The retired field marshal took the oath of office at the heavily guarded Constitutional Court and then left to attend a reception with foreign dignitaries. Western countries alarmed by the brutal….
Bomb attacks on Kurds kill 18 as Iraq violence rages
6/8/2014 – BAGHDAD (AFP) — A car bomb attack and a suicide blast Sunday killed 18 people at a Kurdish political party’s office north of Baghdad, as at least nine others died in violence elsewhere in Iraq. Militants have launched major operations in multiple provinces in recent days, killing scores of people and highlighting both their long reach and the weakness of Iraqi security forces. Iraq….
Couple, 4 children killed in Syria air raids, observers say
6/8/2014 – BEIRUT (AFP) — A couple and their four children, the youngest just six months old, were killed Sunday in Syrian army air raids in the northern province of Aleppo, a monitoring group said.”An entire family was killed in air raids in Tal Rifaat in the north of Aleppo province,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.”The parents and their children, aged 10, six, two….
World Cup sponsor pressure over 2022 claims
6/8/2014 – LONDON (AFP) — Major sponsors Adidas and Sony on Sunday demanded that FIFA carry out a thorough investigation of corruption allegations over Qatar’s 2022 World Cup-bid stepping up pressure on football’s governing body to act. The corporate titans urged football’s rulers to probe claims that former Qatari football boss Mohamed bin Hammam paid millions of dollars in bribes to secure….
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Condemns Killing Palestinian Woman on the Ground of Family Honor in Ramallah
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Highlights of Peres’ address at the Vatican.
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Israel denies visa to Palestinian soccer official
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Labor MKs likely to get free vote in presidential election
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
An empty prayer for peace
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Five dead in attack on Karachi Airport
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Netanyahu belittles Lapid’s demand to present his map of Israel’s future borders
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Netanyahu belittles Lapid’s demand to present his map of Israel’s future borders
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Egypt’s al-Sissi vows tough line against Islamists
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Knesset speaker rejects MKs request to postpone presidential election
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Teen from West Bank settlement charged in Abu Ghosh hate crime
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
WATCH: Peres, Abbas pray with Pope Francis
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
‘Death by prescription’ bill gets ministers’ backing
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
‘Death by prescription’ bill gets ministers’ backing
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Livni: I m sick of being politically correct – the settlements are a burden
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Livni: I m sick of being politically correct – the settlements are a burden
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Gay Orthodox NGO says two-thirds of its Haredi contacts are married
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Bennett blasts left, declares ‘end of Oslo era’
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Gay Pride takes center stage on Israel pilgrimages
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Lapid to Netanyahu: Reveal map of Israel’s future borders
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Bowe Bergdahl says Taliban captors tortured him, held him in a cage
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Do Israelis really want a Jewish state?
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
After Israel, African kids start afresh in Uganda
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Cabinet to vote on $29 million plan to attract European Jews to Israel
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Ahead of prayer summit, pope sees chance for peace – but Peres wary of Palestinian unity
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Israeli ministers okay bill to prohibit pardon of terrorists
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Israel must engage with, not withdraw from, peace
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
All bets are off as Israeli presidential race nears finish line
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
‘Israel s national security doctrine needs a serious update’
Ha’aretz – 8 Jun 2014
Government spending relative to GDP has shrunk since 1985, says expert
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Want Israel to be a Jewish state? Then oppose ‘Jewish state’ bill
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Fuad should have been barred from the start
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Ben-Gurion airport to recruit 200 extra staff
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Sharapova edges Halep for 2nd French Open title
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
U.K. removes Legos from Scotland independence campaign
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Cheer up, Thailand! Junta aims to return happiness
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Reality Check: Livni should resign
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – The only thing Livni s continued possession of her cabinet seat brings is a sense of security for Netanyahu as he concentrates on his own political survival.
Jewish Agency to get new competition
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Government looks to establish a new body that will encourage immigration from anti-Semitism plagued Europe.
Think about it: Alon Hassan and the lacuna in public norms
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Hassan s list of alleged misdeeds is long: from running private companies doing business in the port to conducting campaigns of terror against port workers.
Lapid: If even one settlement is annexed, we ll topple the government
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Both the finance minister and Israel’s chief negotiator Tzipi Livni threaten to quit the coalition should parts of the West Bank be annexed; Lapid calls for settlement building freeze.
Pope Francis leads Catholic Church in pro-Jewish direction
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Pope Francis is totally committed to reconciliation between the Church and Israel.
Netanyahu should stick to his guns
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – If there is one thing Netanyahu should have learned by now it is not to take Secretary of State John Kerry at his word.
Iran s strategic threat to Israel
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Nuclear war as genocide in the Middle East.
France’s Marine Le Pen rebukes father in new anti-Semitism row
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – FN leader: For an experienced politican “not to have foreseen how a phrase would be interpreted is a mistake the National Front is (now) paying for.”
European Commission president: Current ‘pause’ in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations ‘untenable’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Barroso says blueprints of peace on the table, and now “political courage on both sides to take decisive steps” is required.
Pope says Israelis, Palestinians must ‘persevere undaunted in dialogue’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – The unprecedented prayer meeting among Jews, Christians and Muslims marks the the first time the two presidents have met in public in over a year.
Transgender love story
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – A guest at this week s LGBT Film Fest in TA, filmmaker Eric Schaeffer describes how he came to write a film about a transgender girl, and how he cast the part.
Fuad s choice
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Even if he is vindicated to the last trifling detail, he was right to bow out of the race.
2 suspects arrested, indicted for massive 2013 Abu Ghosh price-tag attack
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Police: This incident caused a lot of damage between Israeli-Arab relations, on the 28 vandalized vehicles and racist graffiti.
Amidror: US is Israel’s ‘irreplaceable’ ally, but Israel may have to stand alone again
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – National Security Council head lays out the main strategic threats facing Israel in Herzliya Conference speech.
7 researchers under 45 named to Israel Young Academy of Sciences and the Arts
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – According to constitution of the Israel Academy of Sciences and the Arts, it can name up to 10 leading scientists and researchers each year.
Peres to confer Presidential Medal of Distinction on Italian president
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – The medal will be Napolitano’s third Israeli award received for being a friend of Israel and the Jewish People.
Jewish leaders decry French National Front founder’s anti-Semitic remarks
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Jean-Marie Le Pen made a joke about crematoria when asked to comment on a Jewish entertainer.
Livni to lead committee to draft Basic Law: Jewish State
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Levin and Shaked present drastically different idea of what the bill should be than Livni.
Pollard activists to demonstrate before Netanyahu in Australia
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – “Australians for Pollard’s Release” say they support Netanyahu’s efforts to free Pollard, have chapters in Melbourne and Sydney.
Presidential elections to go ahead as planned despite Ben-Eliezer withdrawal
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Edelstein decides not to postpone election; candidates release financial statements and scramble for Labor votes after Ben-Eliezer corruption probe.
Equal representation bill for women approved by ministerial panel
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – In religous councils which provide maintenance of municipal cemeteries, ritual baths, and synagogues, representation of women is low.
Shapiro: Failed peace talks were not a ‘waste of time’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – US envoy to Israel says nine months of negotiations broke new ground, narrowed gaps on key issues and will be helpful when talks resume.
NBA teams looking to recruit Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Blatt led Maccabi to their sixth Euroleague basketball championship last month.
Euthanasia bill passe
s initial vote, but struggles to become law
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Expected opposition from religious and right-wing opponents of euthanasia threaten the bill put forth by Yesh Atid MK Shelah.
Netanyahu to security forces: ‘There’s no knowing how many lives you have saved’
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – PM addresses soldiers, border policemen who thwarted terrorist attacks; says Israel “prays for peace,” but continues to strengthen security forces.
Over 4% of all babies born in Israel are conceived through IVF
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Women are entitled to apply for free IVF treatment as part public health benefits
Beduin police officer describes year undercover running a bar for African migrants
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Operation went public Sunday as police arrested 50 migrants who came to a party the cop advertised at his bar, and were swarmed by officers lying in wait.
Palestinians close up shops in solidarity with hunger strikers in Israeli jails
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – Shops were shuttered in Ramallah in solidarity with nearly 300 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike against Israeli detention without trial.
Two girls return safely to Israel after father kidnaps, takes them to Thailand
Jerusalem Post 8 Jun 2014 – In a rescue mission that included surveillance in Greece, Turkey, Russia Israeli police and Interpol bring kidnapped girls home.
Israel’s soldiers speak out about brutality of Palestinian occupation
The Guardian 8 Jun 2014 – A group called Breaking the Silence has spent 10 years collecting accounts from Israeli soldiers who served in the Palestinian territories. To mark the milestone, 10 hours’ worth of testimony was read to an audience in…
Military Resistance 12F1 Vacancies That Kill
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – On May 20, a court in Alexandria, Egypt, confirmed two-year jail sentences and $7,000 fines each for Mahienour el-Massry, a leading member of the Revolutionary Socialists (RS), and eight others–for the “crime” of holding a protest…
Palestinian cancer patient threatens to go on hunger strike
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – All of the pictures posted on Prisoner Mourad Mailaq s, 35, house-walls bear witness to the agony he has been made to endure behind Israeli bars. As time passed by, his physical traits have been changed…
Silencing the Press, Sixteenth Report Documentation of Israeli Attacks against Media Personnel in the oPt
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 -Israeli force have continued to systematically attack local and international media workers,who are interested in covering the area despite the protection extended to them under international law. These violations are part of the ongoing escalation in war…
Podcast: The Troubling Revolving Door Between the US Government & Human Rights Watch
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – While the prominent human rights organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW), engages in some excellent work, especially on drones and autonomous killer robots, there are agendas pursued by the organization in certain countries that appear to conflict…
The Chilcot Inquiry British Government Blocks Transparency
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – Amidst howls of “whitewash” from media commentators and interested observers of all political hues, it seems the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war are finally to be published by the end of this…
Israeli Extrajudicial Assassinations
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – They re willful, premeditated cold-blooded murder. They re official Israeli policy. Killers get impunity. Investigations rarely happen. Occasional ones are whitewashed. In May 2007, former Israeli Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said: “We decided to carry out…
Force Protection Alpha in Effect
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – On April 15, 2014, when the story broke on the world that the Central Intelligence Agency s covert program of assassination by remotely controlled drones is not distinct from the drone program of the U.S. Air…
Lifton: How and Why the Media Failed on Covering Drone Wars
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – This week Secretary of State John Kerry, a drone war enthusiast, was rightly mocked for telling Edward Snowden to “man up” and return to the US. But it was easy criticism when the implications of death-by-drone…
Israeli soldiers detain 7 and 10-year-old boys in Hebron
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 -This morning in al-Khalil (Hebron) Israeli forces detained two young Palestinian boys, 10-year-old Fares Abu Senene and 7-year-old Haitham Asrawi for one hour.ISM activists spoke to an eyewitness who explained that the boys has been held for…
A Dangerous Method: Syria, Sy Hersh, and the Art of Mass-crime Revisionism
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – ON THE DAY the London Review of Books published a widely circulated article by veteran journalist Seymour Hersh exonerating the Syrian regime for last year s chemical attack, 118 Syrians, including 19 children, died in aerial bombing and artillery fire….
Afghanistan 2016 withdrawal keeps secret Bagram detainees in limbo
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – President Barack Obama s decision to keep American troops in Afghanistan until 2016 is likely to mean two more years behind bars for America s most secret detainee population, according to Pentagon officials.On the outskirts of…
Six Lessons We Can Learn From Assad
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 -It s alright to learn, even from your enemies. After three years of struggle Assad continues to cling to power and has proved the most tenacious of the old Arab breed of dictators. He has burned the…
Soldiers detaining Palestinian schoolgirls for picking cherries is reminiscent of Germany in 30s – Misgav
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – The conversation about Israel s future inside Israel is (yet again) more honest than the one about Israel s future i
n our mainstream media. Last month the Israeli writer Amos Oz said that radical settlers are…
Price-Tag Attacks Against Palestinians
Uruknet 8 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – …”Price-tag” is a polite term for racist terror attacks against Palestinians, committed mainly by Jewish settlers, against Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, their property, and also Muslim and Christian holy sites. These attacks originated in…
Israel renews restrictions on nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014-Despite serving 18 years in prison, including 11 in solitary confinement, Vanunu is forbidden from traveling and speaking to the media. Recently, he was denied a permit to speak before the British Parliament, following an invitation by 54…
Interpol calls for policing aid to Yemen
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Interpol head Ronald K. Noble, on his first visit to Yemen, met President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Sunday and appealed for international aid for Sanaa to combat terrorism and maritime piracy.
Official: 5 killed in attack on Pakistan airport
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 An official in Pakistan says five people have been killed after gunmen attacked a terminal at Karachi’s international airport.
Egypt’s el-Sissi: No reconciliation with Islamists
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Egypt’s newly sworn-in president vowed Sunday that there would be no reconciliation with anyone who had “committed crimes” or “adopted violence” against Egyptians, a thinly veiled reference to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
Peres says making peace in the Middle East is a ‘duty’
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Israeli President Shimon Peres on Sunday said making peace in the Middle East was a “duty” and “holy mission” at a joint prayer with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Pope Francis.
‘No leniency’ for violence, warns Egypt President Sisi
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who ousted Egypt’s elected Islamist leader, warned Sunday there will be “no leniency” for acts of violence, in his first address as the country’s new president.
Pope says Israelis, Palestinians must “persevere undaunted in dialogue”
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Pope Francis on Sunday told the Israeli and Palestinian presidents that they “must respond” to their people’s yearning for peace in the Middle East and find “the strength to persevere undaunted in dialogue”.
Sudan arrests second opposition leader in under a month
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Sudanese authorities on Sunday arrested the head of Sudan’s opposition Congress Party, a party official said, weeks after the arrest of another opposition leader, Sadiq al-Mahdi, sparked violent anti-government protests.
Abbas, Peres begin joint peace prayer with Pope Francis
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas began their joint peace prayer with Pope Francis on Sunday in the Vatican Gardens.
Lebanese might have to pay to watch World Cup games
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Talks between Beirut and Doha to grant Lebanon s state-run TV station Tele Liban the right to broadcast the 2014 World Cup have stalled, the chairman of the state-run television station told The Daily Star Sunday.
Syria becoming warlord-run failed state: former peace envoy
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 Syria is descending into a Somalia-style failed state run by warlords which poses a grave threat to the future of the Middle East, former peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has said.
UN envoy visits Gaza in nod to Palestinian unity
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 A United Nations envoy became the first senior international official Sunday to meet with ministers of the new Palestinian unity government in the formerly Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, assuring them of U.N. support.
Hezbollah to uphold accord with Church over Lasa: official
Daily Star 8 Jun 2014 A senior Hezbollah officials said the party would uphold an agreement over disputed land with the Maronite church in the village of Lasa, saying last week’s controversy was aimed at sowing division between the party and…
Opposing models of a man of peace
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – There is a man of peace built out of weak, failed leadership and inaction, and there is a ‘pursuer of peace.’ What model does Aaron the Priest represent? And what model do the modern people of peace represent? ….
50 years later, National Water Carrier still an inspiration
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – Legacies of carrier are many, with system serving as model for less developed countries at risk of drought, offering possibilities for positive points of contact with Palestinians. ….
Obama was bluffing on Iran
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – Op-ed: The fact that US president is basing his future foreign policy doctrine on his personal aversion to military solutions has reassured Tehran that his military threats have never been credible. ….
Laying low on relations with Egypt’s Sisi
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – In a world where our enemy’s friend is our bitter enemy, Israel must not hurt Egypt’s credibility by forming ties that are too strong with the new regime in Cairo. Simultaneously, Israel must take advantage of the opportunities created by the ‘Arab Spring’ and foster good relations with out neighbors. ….
Code Red siren heard in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – ….
Egypt’s al-Sisi: No reconciliation with Islamists
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – ….
Brahimi: Syria becoming warlord-run failed state
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – ….
UN envoy visits Gaza in nod to Palestinian unity
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – ….
National Security Advisor of Israel: ‘Israel does not spy on US’
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – ….
The double standards of Tel Aviv authorities
YNet News, 8 Jun 2014 – How can the city indulge an impromptu mass street celebration of a sporting win but crack down on a similar public display with a social agenda? ….
Palestinian Information Center
Arab world must respond to Australia’s latest affront
PIC – The Arab world, if indeed there is still an entity as such, must respond in kind to the latest affront coming from Australia.
Obeidat: GMJ proves international rejection of the Judaization of OJ
PIC – Marches in more than 80 cities all over the world proved Muslims and Christians’ rejection of the Israeli Judaization schemes of occupied Jerusalem, Abdullah Obeidat said.
Resheq dubs force-feeding of Palestinian hunger strikers ‚¨ SIsraeli crime‚¨ ù
PIC – Ezzat al-Resheq, member of Hamas political bureau, spoke against Israeli attempts to force-feed the Palestinian hunger-striking detainees, describing them as an ‚¨ SIsraeli crime‚¨ ù.
Palestinian ministers discuss Gaza blockade with Robert Serry
PIC – Ministers of the Palestinian unity government met with Robert Serry, the UN peace envoy to the Middle East, in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and urged him to pressure Israel to end its blockade.
Extremist Rabbi Yehuda Glick storms al-Aqsa Mosque
PIC – A group of Israeli settlers headed by extremist Rabbi Yehuda Glick stormed Sunday al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards from Mughrabi Gate under heavy police protection.
Batesh: The resistance weapon is undebatable
PIC – Senior Islamic Jihad official Khaled Al-Batesh said that any discussions about the weapons of the resistance are unacceptable, affirming that the armed resistance is legitimate.
Sheikh Salah urges Arab masses to stand up for Palestinian hunger strikers
PIC – Sheikh Raed Salah called on the Arab and Muslim masses along with the world‚¨ “!s free people to rally round the Palestinian hunger-striking detainees, ceaselessly targeted by Israeli persecution.
Yarmouk refugees turn down food-aid relief
PIC – Residents of the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees in Damascus have rebuffed food-aid items as a means to protest the blockade imposed on the camp since 11 uninterrupted months.
13 hunger strikers hospitalized after serious health decline
PIC – 13 Palestinian hunger strikers have been transferred to the Israeli hospital Tel Hashomer following a serious decline in their health conditions.
Israeli raids and arrests in Jenin, Nablus
PIC – The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested on Saturday night an elderly man after brutally attacking his son in Zabobeh village in Jenin.
UN Special Coordinator Visits Gaza for the First Time
WAFA – 8 Jun 2014
Foreign Ministry Recalls Australia s Representative for Remarks on Jerusalem
WAFA – 8 Jun 2014
Japan Condemns Israeli New Settlement Plans
WAFA – 8 Jun 2014
West Bank Cities Go on Commercial Strike in Solidarity with Prisoners on Hunger Strike
WAFA – 8 Jun 2014
Abbas Congratulates Ukrainian Counterpart on Winning Elections
WAFA – 8 Jun 2014
Gazan Fisherman Shot by Israeli Navy Dies of His Wounds
WAFA – 8 Jun 2014
Pope Holds Vatican Prayer Summit With Israeli and Palestinian Leaders
New York Times 8 Jun 2014 – Francis called the richly symbolic ceremony with President Shimon Peres of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority a way to mark the beginning of a new journey.
At Swearing-In, Sisi Vows to Lead an Inclusive Egypt
New York Times 8 Jun 2014 – Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who led the military takeover that ousted President Mohamed Morsi, formalized his grip on power but must now overcome economic dysfunction and political polarization.
Egypt s Sisi Sworn In as President
New York Times 8 Jun 2014 – Egypt s former army chief Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi was installed as president for a four-year term, taking the reins of power in a nation roiled since 2011 by deadly unrest and economic woes.
Across Iraq, Insurgents Show Reach in Attacks
New York Times 7 Jun 2014 – Militants stormed the grounds of a university in Ramadi, briefly holding some students hostage, officials said.
Yeah, Mick Jagger speaks Hebrew
Mondoweiss – This is funny. Energetic Israel booster Avi Mayer, reveling in the musical acts that are ignoring boycott calls and playing Israel this summer, picked up a Mick Jagger tweet before the Rolling Stones gig the other day. Fantastic: @ MickJagger tweets a photo from Jerusalem and thanks…
Neocon Brooks tells US to deal with Taliban so what about Hamas?
Mondoweiss – David Brooks Neoconservative David Brooks s column approving Obama s deal with the Taliban to release Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is getting a lot of attention because of its ideological independence. The NYT columnist says Obama was right to free five Taliban leaders in order to gain the freedom…
Leading spiritualist says Israel s great task is to treat neighbors with compassion, not hatred
Mondoweiss – Graham Hancock Graham Hancock is a distinguished British writer and journalist with a large following in new age and spiritual circles. He offers novel, unconventional theories about ancient civilizations and myths, altered states of consciousness and astronomical/astrological data from the past. He has a large following,…
Boston subway ads are shocking and so is the reality on the ground
Mondoweiss – (Photo:Ads Against Apartheid) Bostonians have been checking out the ONE WORD campaign in their subway system, describing Israel s crimes against Palestinians. The ad campaign was launched this week by Ads Against Apartheid (AAA),a local Boston-based nonprofit. (Graphic:Ads Against Apartheid) The ads are currently running in Boston s downtown…
Let it go
Mondoweiss – Palestinians on their way to work in Israel, at the Tarkoumia checkpoint, June 10, 2013, published in Haaretz June 8 A lot of my old Jewish friends are afraid of me, so I try and be chipper, though it s not my mode. I went to a…
Pope urges Mid-East peace ‘courage’
BBC 8 Jun 2014 – Pope Francis hosts a joint prayer meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, urging them to show courage to seek Middle East peace.
Sisi vows fight for Egypt’s security
BBC 8 Jun 2014 – Former army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is sworn in as Egypt’s new president, vowing to tackle “terrorism” and bring security.
Ex-envoy: Syria ‘to be failed state’
BBC 8 Jun 2014 – Syria could become a “failed state” similar to Somalia, former UN envoy to the country Lakhdar Brahimi warns.
Lady Gaga To Play Tel Aviv, BDS Or No
The Foward Breaking News 8 Jun 2014 – American singer and performer Lady Gaga will appear in Tel Aviv as part of her current concert tour. Click here for the rest of the article…
Peres Joins Pope, Abbas for Unprecedented Vatican Peace Prayer
The Foward Breaking News 8 Jun 2014 – Israeli President Shimon Peres arrived in Rome to take part in a call for peace, with Pope Francis and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Click here for the rest of the article…
Tunisia: Office to Open, Shortly, in Syria to Manage Tunisian Expatriates’ Affairs
allAfrica.com8 Jun 2014 – [Tunis Afrique Presse]Tunis, -Tunisia decided to open, shortly, an office in Syria, whose mission is to present administrative and social services to the Tunisian expatriates in Syria, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Mokhtar Chaouachi said, Saturday, to TAP news agency. After having co
-ordinated with the Syrian authorities, the…
Fifa sponsor demands investigation
BBC 8 Jun 2014 – One of Fifa’s main sponsors, Sony, calls for an investigation into the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Taliban five shun media attention
BBC 8 Jun 2014 – Released Taliban detainees shun publicity in Qatar
Liberalizing the rent market: Real estate speculators to evict both tenants and landlords
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – An aerial view of Beirut, Lebanon, taken on February 24, 2014. (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Over 200,000 apartments in Lebanon are vacant. This figure raises legitimate questions about soaring apartment prices, when the population in Lebanon has been more or less stable. In this context, it seems…
From Clinton to Kerry: Washington’s strategic shift in the region
Al-Akhbar Opinion 8 Jun 2014 – US Secretary of State John Kerry takes part in a ceremony on June 7, 2014 in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, western France, in memory of the three US soldiers who died during liberation of the city on August 14, 1944. (Photo: AFP – Jean-Sebastien Evrard) No matter how much…
Gaza fisherman shot by Israeli forces dies of wounds
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – A Palestinian fisherman in the Gaza Strip died on Sunday from Israeli gunshot wounds sustained last month, an official in the outgoing Hamas-run health ministry said. “Fisherman Imad Shukri Salem, 52, died this morning from wounds he sustained two weeks ago,” spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP,…
Yasmine Hamdan: Folk music that is intimate and delicate
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – A photo of Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan. (Photo: Al-Akhbar) Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan returns to Beirut for a concert after the release of her new album Ya Nass which blends old and new music. The promotional parties for the film Only Lovers Left Alive, which features…
Former Kuwaiti MPs receive suspended sentences for “insulting the emir”
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – Kuwait’s supreme court on Sunday handed three former opposition MPs 20-month suspended jail terms for publicly insulting the emir, overturning an acquittal by the appeals court. The court, whose rulings are final, also ordered Falah Al-Sawwagh, Khaled al-Tahus and Bader al-Dahum to pay a bail of…
Vatican to host Palestine-Israel ‘peace prayer’ with Abbas, Peres
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – Pope Francis on Sunday hosts an unprecedented peace prayer meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in a symbolic gesture to foster dialogue but unlikely to have any immediate effect. Tensions are running high between the two sides following the formation…
Sisi sworn in as Egypt’s president
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – An image grab taken from Egyptian state TV shows ex-army chief and newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sitting next to interim president Adly Mansour (unseen), during his swearing in ceremony, on June 7, 2014, in Cairo. (Photo: AFP / EGYPTIAN TV) Updated at 12:40 pm:…
Seventeen dead in Iraq bombings
Al-Akhbar News 8 Jun 2014 – Updated 11:51 am A car bomb explosion followed by a suicide bombing hit the offices of a Kurdish political party and security forces in Iraq on Sunday, killing killed 17 people, police said. The blasts in the town of Jalawla, north of Baghdad, also wounded 50…
Articles
Fatah and Hamas: spontaneous combustion
David Hearst, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)6/7/2014
Barely had the pictures of the Palestinian unity government been published, when skirmishes broke out around ATMs in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah government workers. Under the agreement, the Palestinian Authority agreed to pay the salaries of all its civil servants, both the Fatah ones in Gaza who had been paid for staying at home and the Hamas workers who had filled their jobs.
The men had been on half pay, or less, for over a year after funds from Iran had dried up, not to mention the income from over 1300 tax-producing tunnels, most of which had been destroyed after the Egyptian military coup. So, when the unity government was announced, 50,000 Gazans thought that it was pay day.
It was not. Ramallah claimed the Hamas workers were not registered as government employees. In fury, Hamas stopped Fatah from picking up their pay checks in Gaza. The conflict was only solved when Qatar stepped in to pay Hamas workers’ salaries.
No sooner had one fire been put out, when another one ignited. PA security forces arrested 16 Hamas activists in the West Bank. Adnan al-Demeiri, a spokesperson for the PA security apparatus, told the Turkish Anadolu Agency nobody had been detained on political grounds, meaning that, in Northern Ireland parlance, they were ordinary decent criminals. Hamas will not see it that way.
Five days have passed and Mahmoud Abbas’s real intentions about running a unity government are clear. Its not just the salaries or the arrests. Abbas kept close to him two men whom Hamas vigorously opposed: Riyad al-Maliki as foreign minister and Mahmoud al-Habbash. He was dropped as religious affairs minister but turned up again as the highest religious authority, the Qadi Alqudah, the judge of judges, with the right to issue fatwas.more..e-mail
Good for the Jews?
Uri Avnery, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN)6/6/2014
HOW DOES a football club choose its team?
The simple way is the usual one: each side has a manager, who chooses his team. No problem.
Now the Israeli government has hit on a new way: Our manager appoints both our team and the adversary s team. Simplifies the matter.
I wonder if this method could not be refined. For example: each side s manager chooses only the team of the other side. Could turn out interesting.
Yet another way would be for the betting mafia to choose both teams. This would maximize profits in the spirit of modern market forces.
SERIOUSLY, THE claim by Binyamin Netanyahu that he has a right to pick and choose the Palestinian government is rather astonishing.
All the important Palestinian political parties have agreed on a new government coalition. This is a negative coalition: all the parties agree not to have their own members in the government. The government is composed of non-party technocrats . I hardly know a single one of them.
Netanyahu should be happy. No member of the evil, terroristic, anti-Semitic Hamas is included.
But then, the fertile mind of Netanyahu invented a new gimmick. True, no Hamasniks in the government. But the government is supported by Hamas.more..e-mail
Omar: personification of the Palestinian tragedy
Gilad Atzmon, Redress6/6/2014
Film review by Gilad Atzmon
One of the most important Palestinian feature films ever, Omar is, to date, the deepest expose of the diabolical nature of the Israeli occupation and the inhuman situation imposed on Palestinians by the Jewish state. It also throws light on the tragic and depressing Palestinian struggle against a sophisticated, demonic enemy an ongoing battle that so far has led nowhere.
Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad s latest film centres on Omar (Adam Bakri), a young freedom fighter in an impossible yet common Palestinian dilemma, caught in a devastating triangle between his patriotic commitment, romance and the omnipresent Jewish state. This is a brutal, Orwellian, Big Brother state that sees everything, knows everything, sets people against each other and controls everything through a network of collaborators, even within the resistance.
Once captured by the Israeli army and subjected to horrendous physical and mental torture by Israeli intelligence, Omar is placed in a hellish scenario. He eventually man
ages to buy the Israelis trust by letting them believe that he is willing to cooperate. At that moment Omar pretty much seals his fate. He is destined to lose everything.
Though we, comfortable in our cinema seats, know that Omar never compromised his commitment to his people, one by one the Palestinians around him are led to believe that he is a traitor and turn their backs on him. Losing the love of his life to his friend clearly a collaborator he is ostracized by fellow warriors and their families. Omar, a Palestinian patriot, becomes a pawn in an evil Israeli game. As his situation deteriorates and his tragedy unfolds before our eyes, he remains aware of it all, and we, who witness this emerging tragedy, also can see no way out.more..e-mail
The Story Behind ‘Zaytoun’
Louis Proyect, CounterPunch6/6/2014
A Ravaged Screenplay
If you ve been monitoring Israeli film over the past ten years or so, you will be aware that there is an ongoing effort to promote the reputation of the government through subterfuge. Since the days of outright propaganda are long past, what you see more and more are films that stress reconciliation with the Palestinians in the old-fashioned Hollywood liberal mould found in something like The Defiant Ones , a film that starred Tony Curtis as a southern white racist (a most unlikely role for a Brooklyn Jew) and African-American actor Sidney Poitier, who was so frequently cast as the long-suffering symbol of a race that needed to be integrated into American society.
On February 8, 2014 I posted a brief review of Zaytoun , an Israeli film that despite its resemblance to The Defiant Ones was redeemed by its Palestinian lead character:
Zaytoun is an Israeli film that is the counterpart of Peace Now type liberalism in which Israeli and Palestinian reconciliation is based on anything except an abolition of the existing asymmetric power relationships. Not surprisingly, the film is seemingly inspired by Stanley Kramer s The Defiant Ones that brought together Black and white racist prison escapees who are forced to cooperate even though they would kill each other given the chance. Chained at their wrists, they are one step ahead of the law and an even smaller step ahead of sticking a knife into each other.
In Zaytoun , the shotgun marriage is between Fahed, a young Palestinian boy who lives in the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon, and Yoni, an Israeli pilot whose jet has been shot down in the skies over Beirut during the chaotic civil war of 1982. Fahed dreams of visiting his ancestral village in Israel and eventually decides to help lead Yoni to the Israeli border in exchange for helping him visit his family s long-abandoned house….more..e-mail
Bleeding Syria and other notes
In Gaza: 8 Jun 2014 – After running around all morning, including a fascinating meeting with the affable manager of Syrian TV (I will interview him later) one of the prime news presenters, quite a bit of walking, and catching up with the owner of the Bab Sharqi hotel where I m staying, the bus ride from the old city to city centre is actually a relief. It s largely not crowded when I get on, and while hot from the day s searing heat when moving wafts of less-hot air help. Best, Fairouz is playing the entire 45 minute ride. At the hotel earlier, I ask about the mortars I heard close by the Old City around 10 this morning. Staff at the hotel don t have any news on today s mortars. But H, the hotel owner, tells me about a friend of his killed a few days ago. My friend was martyred by a mortar three days ago….more
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