7 June 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
VIDEO: One Month for Schoolchildren in Hebron: Stun Grenades, Tear Gas, and Detentions
IMEMC – For children in al-Khalil (Hebron), the journey to school can be filled with fear, fear of Israeli soldiers, of military weapons, detentions, and arrests. The violence is all too real in this city, and it is unfortunately not an uncommon experience for children, some as young as four-years-old. …
UN Chief Raises Concerns Over Hunger Strike
IMEMC – UN chief Ban Ki-moon has recently expressed concern in regard to the deteriorating health conditions of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. He has called on Israel to either charge or release them without further delay. …
Gaza: Global March to Jerusalem Launched
IMEMC – Hundreds in the Gaza Strip recently took part in the launching of the annual Global March to Jerusalem. …
Governor of Hebron Detained by Israeli Forces
IMEMC – Israeli forces briefly detained the Governor of Hebron, Kamel Hmaid, in Hebron, on Saturday. …
Girls Drown Near Gaza Border
IMEMC – Three girls drowned in the northern Gaza Strip, yesterday, in an area that is designated off limits for civil defense forces due to imposed Israeli restrictions, according to officials. …
Ministry: Hunger-striking prisoners subjected to ‘barbarity’
6/7/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Lawyers for the Ministry of Prisoner Affairs on Friday accused Israeli prison services of treating around 125 hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners with “barbarity” as they entered their 45th day without food in protest against their detention with trial. The lawyers said that the Palestinian prisoners who have been on strike one month and a half are being sent to Israeli hospitals constantly….
Palestinian wedding interrupted by Israeli stun grenades, 1 hurt
6/7/2014 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian man was injured late Friday after being hit by an Israeli stun grenade during a wedding in East Jerusalem, a local popular committee spokesman said. Muhammad Abu al-Hummus told Ma’an that Israeli forces unexpectedly raided the village of al-Issawiya and fired stun grenades while crowds of Palestinians were participating in a traditional wedding march. One man was….
3 girls drown near border in Gaza
6/7/2014 – GAZA STRIP (Ma’an) — Three girls drowned in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday in an area where civil defense forces are barred from working due to Israeli restrictions, officials said. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra identified the victims as 13-year-old Riham Jumaa Rmeilat, 20-year-old Sabah Saber Rmeilat, and Jihad Jumaa Rmeilat. Two of the girls were taken to Kamal Adwan….
UN chief presses Israel over hunger-striking Palestinians
6/7/2014 – UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Friday about the deteriorating health of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, calling on Israel to charge or release them without delay. Around 125 Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger strike for more than six weeks, most of them administrative detainees protesting against being held indefinitely without trial.”The secretary general is concerned about reports….
Palestine urging Arab states to review ties with Australia
6/7/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian officials say they will ask Arab and Muslim-majority countries to re-evaluate relations with Australia after Canberra dropped the term “occupied” when referring to East Jerusalem. In a letter to Julie Bishop, Australia’s foreign minister, the PLO’s chief negotiator blasted that decision and said Palestine would respond by asking two regional Arab and Muslim state blocs to….
Egypt ‘willing’ to re-open Rafah crossing permanently
6/7/2014 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — A top Egyptian official said Saturday that Egypt was willing to permanently open the Rafah crossing under the condition that it would be supervised by the national unity government. The official said that Egypt would request that President Mahmoud Abbas re-open the presidential headquarters in the Gaza Strip. According to the official, who spoke to Ma’an on condition of….
Economic conference in Gaza to encourage investment
6/7/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — An economic conference is slated to be held in the Gaza Strip in November, one of the conference’s organizers said Friday. Palestinian businessman Munib al-Masri told Ma’an that the main goal of the conference would be to encourage entrepreneurs from Palestine and other Arab countries to invest in projects in the Gaza Strip. The conference’s….
Jordanian diplomat tapped to be new UN rights chief
6/7/2014 – UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Jordan’s ambassador to the United Nations has been nominated as UN high commissioner for human rights to replace South Africa’s outgoing Navi Pillay, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday. Prince Zeid al-Hussein, who has a PhD from Cambridge University, has twice been Jordanian ambassador at the United Nations and is also the desert kingdom’s former ambassador….
86,000 students take high school exams in West Bank, Gaza
6/7/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Approximately 86,000 Palestinian students sat for the first session of their high school exams seeking to obtain the General Secondary Certificate, or Tawjihi, across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. Spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Education Abdul-Hakim Abu Jamous told Ma’an that in the first session Saturday, students will take the Islamic education exam….
Khan Younis man drowns to death
6/7/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A man drowned to death off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, an official said. Ashraf al-Qidra, Gaza’s health ministry spokesman, identified the victim as 25-year-old Eyhab Salim al-Ghalban from Khan Younis refugee camp. Al-Ghalban’s body was taken to Nasser Medical center in Khan Younis. [END]
Wary US unlikely to restore full Egypt aid soon
6/7/2014 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — As Egypt prepares to swear in its fourth leader since 2011, a huge slice of $1. 5 billion in US aid remains in deep-freeze amid fears the nation is sliding back into authoritarianism. Former general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be crowned as the next president on Sunday after three years of political turmoil since the ousting of long-time iron-fisted leader Hosni Mubarak. But….
Heavy clashes, suicide bombings kill 36 in north Iraq
6/7/2014 – MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Heavy fighting between security forces and militants and twin suicide bombings killed 36 people in north Iraq Friday, as deadly violence shook other parts of the country. The United Nations said, meanwhile, that nearly 480,000 people have fled their homes in Anbar province, where security forces have been battling anti-government fighters for over five months. Clashes between security forces and militants broke….
Verdict postponed for Egypt Islamist chief over inciting violence
6/7/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — An Egyptian court Saturday postponed to July 5 the verdict in the trial of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 37 others for inciting violence that killed two people last summer. But it sentenced to death 10 defendants who are on the run, and a final ruling on their cases is expected the same day once they are reviewed. After the army ousted….
Hunger-striking Palestinian inmates worry UN
AlJazeera 7 Jun 2014 – Ban Ki-moon calls on Israel to charge or release without delay prisoners refusing food for more than six weeks.
International Solidarity Movement
Prisoner solidarity in Hebron
6/7/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Khalil team, Hebron, Occupied Palestine – Since the Palestinian prisoners began their hunger strike, there has been a protest each week in al-Khalil (Hebron). The majority of these demonstrations have been in the H1 area (under Palestinian Authority civil and security control), not directly against the Israeli military. However, On Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th this last week, there were two actions against the Israeli forcesinal-Khalil….
The Roman tree
6/7/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Khalil team, Hebron, Occupied Palestine – At approximately 1:00 pm on June 4th, a burning olive tree was located in the vicinity of Tel Rumeida, al-Khalil (Hebron). The Palestinian firefighters extinguished the fire with no assistance from the occupying Israeli military. As an occupying state, Israel is legally responsible for providing adequate services and aid for those living in the occupied territories, however this responsibility….
Days before World Cup, many Brazilians just not in the mood
The National 7 Jun 2014 – Anger at the costs of hosting the World Cup overshadows excitement in a country passionate about “the beautiful game”.
Iran and US to meet this week for talks
The National 7 Jun 2014 – The meeting comes after the most recent round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six powers in Vienna last month ran into difficulties
Dozens dead in day of mass violence in Iraq
The National 7 Jun 2014 – Horror throughout the country as bombings and violence kill dozens and university students briefly taken hostage by an Al Qaeda-splinter group
British veteran back at care home after D-Day Great Escape
The National 7 Jun 2014 – Former Royal Navy officer, 89, says he has no regrets after giving his carers the slip to travel to Normandy for 70th anniversary of Allied forces landing in Europe.
New Ukraine president promises dialogue for peace
The National 7 Jun 2014 – In his inaugural address after being sworn in, Petro Poroshenko calls on armed groups in the east to lay down arms and insists Crimea “was, is and will be Ukrainian”.
70 killed in Afghanistan flash floods
The National 7 Jun 2014 – The floods in the remote mountainous district of Baghlan province came a month after a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried a village and killed 300 people in a nearby region.
11 crew kidnapped in 2010 by Somali pirates freed
The National 7 Jun 2014 – The ship was sailing from the UAE to Kenya when it was attacked by Somali pirates who held crew member hostage for more than three years
Voices on Afghanistan: This all depends on peace
The National 7 Jun 2014 – Alishah Farhang dreams of an Afghanistan at peace, with a leader that will protect its sovereignty and plenty of foreign tourists.
Lawlessness in this Indian state allowed rapes to occur
The National 7 Jun 2014 – Crime in Uttar Pradesh is high and security lax, creating an atmosphere that led to the rape and lynching of two young girls
Israel s unwavering reply to every question: more settlements
The National 7 Jun 2014 – Israel’s relentless pursuit of its settlement expansion policy is being met by diplomatic response from the Palestinians, but for how much longer?
Dalit Camera gives a voice to India s long-abused lower castes
The National 7 Jun 2014 – As a Dalit student at a University in Hyderabad, in southern India, Bathram Ravichandran was abused and taunted mercilessly. The experience triggered the idea to give the lower castes a voice and he founded Dalit Camera, where he and like-minded friends upload videos on YouTube of Dalits giving first-hand accounts of their lives.
Ministry pushing for law to curb use of plastic bags in Israel
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
A move away from democracy
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Peres to forgo state-funded office when he retires in July
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Goering’s car to be auctioned on eBay
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Civil Administration officials refuse to punish Palestinians for unity government
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Horrors of the occupation go way beyond the settlements
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Break-in at Israeli army base a major embarrassment
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Israel must engage, not withdraw, from peace
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Did Auschwitz trip lead to Palestinian professor’s resignation?
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Knesset speaker Edelstein mulls postponing presidential vote
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Why Labor’s presidential candidate quit the race
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Israeli MK Ben-Eliezer drops presidency bid over graft probe
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Egypt bans unauthorized preachers, mosques to be policed
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama among speakers at Maya Angelou’s memorial
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
CIA joins Twitter – allegedly
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
U.S., Iran to meet in attempt to break nuclear impasse
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Lizard feet teach American soldiers how to climb walls
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Ukraine’s new president: Crimea was, is and will be Ukrainian
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
World’s largest union for academics to investigate education in Gaza
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
West must insist Abbas not let Hamas get upper hand, New York Times says
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Hillary Clinton: Demand for settlement freeze was ‘tactical mistake’
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Q&A: Who is Ukraine’s next president?
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
Vodafone reveals 6 countries use its network to spy on clients
Ha’aretz – 7 Jun 2014
North Korea arrests an American tourist
Ha’aretz – 6 Jun 2014
Asylum seeker thrown out of detention center after stroke
Ha’aretz – 6 Jun 2014
Top presidential candidate Ben-Eliezer suspected of illegally receiving funds
Ha’aretz – 6 Jun 2014
Salah s effrontery
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – If Israel outlawed Rabbi Meir Kahane s Kach movement, there is no plausible excuse for not doing the same regarding an organization that openly pledges to destroy Israel.
Progressive students fighting BDS in Britain claim victory
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – People who disagree with the boycott of Israel are not merely confined to the traditional image or ardent orthodox Zionists and can come in many forms with many valid arguments.
Will corruption undo Israel?
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Unless the laggard Israeli economy is reformed soon its problems, including its morally debilitating corruption, may threaten its future.
King David s festival
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Neither Shavuot nor King David would be possible without the Oral Torah.
Tickling the funny bone
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Los Angeles-based comic Avi Liberman has been regularly bringing funny friends to Israel for Comedy for Koby since 2002.
Ben-Eliezer drops out of presidential race after police probe
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Candidate calls last-minute investigation “targeted assassination,” was plagued with scandals in recent weeks.
Germany grants enlarged pensions to Jewish ghetto laborers
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Amendment to German law enables around 40,000 Jews who labored in Nazi ghettos to receive back payments dating to 1997.
Qatar vows to help resolve Palestinian unity gov’t dispute over Gaza salaries
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Senior Hamas official announces that Gulf state has pledged to cover wages of public servants in the Gaza Strip to help resolve strain between Palestinian factions.
Egypt bans unlicensed preachers, tightens grip on mosques
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Decree issued by interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour’s office marks further step in official efforts to curb Islamist influence.
US, Iranian delegates to meet in Geneva for nuclear talks
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Washington decides to hold meeting with Iranian official on Monday, Tuesday in apparent bid to break deadlock in wider nuclear negotiations.
Jordan rejects Australian gov’t decision not to recognize east Jerusalem as ‘occupied’
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Gov’t spokesman states lands gained by Israel in Six Day War considered “occupied territory” by international law, opposes Australian policy shift.
Ukraine’s Poroshenko is sworn in as president
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – New president says: “Crimea was, is, and will remain Ukrainian,” calls on separatists to lay down arms.
Iranian president visiting Turkey, will sign agreements strengthening ties
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Ankara, Tehran look to increase economic cooperation with first Iranian presidential visit to Turkey in 18 years.
In final act, interim president ‘decrees’ sexual harassment a crime in Egypt
Jerusalem Post 7 Jun 2014 – Announcement comes as Egyptian interim gov’t prepares to officially inaugurate Sisi as president on Sunday.
Politics: Presidential visions
Jerusalem Post 6 Jun 2014 – The leading candidates in this week’s upcoming elections presented to ‘The Jerusalem Post’ their vision of what the President s Office will be like under their leadership.
Ban Ki-moon: Reports of Palestinian hunger strikers concerning
Jerusalem Post 6 Jun 2014 – UN Secretary-General reiterates position that detainees in Israel’s prisons should be charged or released without delay.
Jordanian UN ambassador to head human rights council
Jerusalem Post 6 Jun 2014 – Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein set to replace Navi Pillay at recommendation of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Nasrallah: Assad must be part of any future peace accord in Syria
Jerusalem Post 6 Jun 2014 – Assad is struggling to end a more than three-year revolt which started as peaceful anti-government demonstrations that descended into civil war.
WATCH: Saudi Arabia to test camels for deadly Middle Eastern virus
Jerusalem Post 6 Jun 2014 – There have been 691 confirmed cases of MERS, including 284 deaths, in Saudi Arabia since it was identified two years ago.
Despite suspension in talks, Peres gets okay to join Abbas, pope for prayer at Vatican
Jerusalem Post 6 Jun 2014 – Peres will head an interfaith delegation and will call upon leaders of all faiths to work together towards inter-religious dialogue.
Hejira
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014- National Iraqi News Agency reports, “A military force arrested on Sunday one of the leaders of the popular movement, his father and two brothers in Nineveh.” Sunnis are targeted by Nouri Al-Maliki . They re arrested without warrants,…
The lady and her daughter in law Palestinian exhibition
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 -The Palestinian village, represented by its elderly ladies whose faces bear the marks of all sorts of stories and anecdotes, has been featured in an exhibition by artist Rawan Sarhan at the P21 Gallery in central London….
Israel denies entry of Gaza ministers to Ramallah for inauguration of unity government
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – The Israeli government has officially informed the Palestinian Authority that it will not allow three ministers from the Gaza Strip to enter Ramallah on Monday to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the national unity government….
On Israeli racism and fascism and how to resist it
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – June 1, 2014 – The institutional and popular Zionist racism has become rampant all over Palestine and torturing the Palestinians living in Palestine has become an acceptable and even welcomed matter by the various sections of the Israeli community. The…
Syria News – May 31 , 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – By the end of Saturday, the coordination committees were able to document 48 martyrs, among them 2 women, 4 children, and 7 martyrs under torture: 20 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 12 martyrs in Damascus and…
Military Resistance 12E15 the Old Mole Visits Abkhazia
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – The government of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia was plunged into disarray on Wednesday after protesters stormed the presidential administration building demanding the resignation of the region s leader in what he called a coup…
Sa adat: Strikers lives are at risk – action needed to end administrative detention
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 -Ahmad Sa adat, the imprisoned Palestinian leader and General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issued a press statement on May 27, urging “urgent and effective action” to save the hunger striking prisoners…
The Case of Rachel Corrie
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 -JERUSALEM, Israel – Over a decade after Rachel Corrie was crushed under the blades of an Israeli bulldozer in Rafah, her parents Craig and Cindy Corrie found themselves in the halls of the Supreme Court of Israel….
Former Counterterrorism Czar Richard Clarke: Bush Committed War Crimes
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 -In a Democracy Now! exclusive, the nation s former top counterterrorism official has said he believes President George W. Bush is guilty of war crimes for launching the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Richard Clarke served as national…
Committee: Palestinians will never forget Mavi Maramara martyrs
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 — The People s Committee to Lift the Siege launched a rally at the Maramara Memorial in the Gaza to mark the 4th anniversary of the Israeli naval attack on Turkish aid vessel Mavi Marmara.Head of the…
Om Ahmad campaign breathes life into Acre struggle
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – Overlooking the Mediterranean sea, off a neat side street and with a shaded, grassy garden, the house of Om Ahmad is as beautiful as any in old Acre. The 60-year-old has lived in the home for…
Iran and the Ikhwan: The ideological roots of a partnership
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – …Khamenei had led the way by speaking of the “Islamic Awakening” in Egypt and the creation of a special secretariat, headed by one of his longest-serving advisers, Ali Akbar Velayati, to help Islamists win power in…
Commander s death in Syria points to Iranian role in civil war
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – A prominent Iranian military figure has been killed while fighting in Syria, according to both Syrian opposition and Iranian government sources, adding to mounting evidence of Tehran s military assistance to Syrian President Bashar Assad. Abdollah…
Guant·namo Force-Feeding: The Re-Sanctioning of Torture
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – A recent federal court decision re-sanctions the force-feeding of hunger strikers at the Guant·namo prison. According to the UN and other international bodies, such practice inflicts pain, suffering and long-term injuries and constitutes torture. Forced cell…
Modern Language Association resolution criticizing Israel sparks raging debate
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 -In January, a resolution criticizing Israel s border policies towards academics passed during the Modern Language Association s (MLA) convention in Chicago. But that was only the beginning of what has turned into an intense, often vitriolic,…
Like Bernie Madoff telling a bum to get an honest job After Running from his Anti-War Past, Kerry Tells Snowden to Man Up and Face Trial
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 -Our prissy Secretary of State John Kerry, hair carefully coiffed for his interview, told NBC s Brian Williams last week that fugitive National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden should “man up” and return to the US to “…
The Israeli Army s Policy of Intimidation
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 -During the Nabka Day protests last May 15, two Palestinian youths, Muhammad Abu Thahr, 15, and Nadim Nuwara, 17, were shot in the chest in the town of Beitunia near Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. Both…
Guantanamo: A Perverse Incentive to Keep Troops in Afghanistan
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – Once a war ends, prisoners of war must be released. That s the straightforward logic cited by lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees, who insist that once the Afghanistan war ends, there will be no justification for…
Iraq: Post-election scramble continues
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – …Turning to Nourial-Maliki s War Crimes, he continues bombing the residential neighborhoods of Falluja. Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) reports, “Separately, mortar shelling on several neighborhoods in Fallujah wounded seven people and damaged several houses, a medical source…
Destroyed Palestinian village outfitted with 1,000 JNF trees memorializing Denver couple s dead dogs
Uruknet 7 Jun 2014 – May 31, 2014 – When Ron Werner, head of the board for the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Mountain States region, turned 50 this week he wanted to celebrate by planting 1,000 trees in Israel to commemorate his late dogs -…
Lebanese protest Rai’s defense of ‘agents’
Daily Star 7 Jun 2014 Dozens of Lebanese gathered in Downtown Beirut to protest Rai s visit to Israel and his meeting with former militiamen, who were allied with the Jewish state and fled in 2000.
Beirut protest over ‘apostate’ Sudanese woman
Daily Star 7 Jun 2014 A group of protesters gather outside the Sudanese Embassy in Beirut Saturday, calling for the immediate release of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishaq.
Army arrests four suspects in Beirut suburbs
Daily Star 7 Jun 2014 The Lebanese Army says Saturday that it has arrested four wanted suspects in Beirut’s southern suburbs on shooting charges.
Senior U.S., Iranian officials to meet June 9-10
Daily Star 7 Jun 2014 American and Iranian officials will meet Monday and Tuesday for talks before the next round of negotiations between Iran and six world powers on Iran’s nuclear program.
Army: 900 people detained in May in Lebanon
Daily Star 7 Jun 2014 The Lebanese Army says Saturday that it detained 900 people of various nationalities in the month of May.
Army tool to reinforce security in region: Italian FM
Daily Star 7 Jun 2014 The Rome conference next week aims to display international support for the Lebanese Army – a needed tool to reinforce security in Lebanon and the region, the Italian FM says.
Baghdad car bombs kill 60; militants storm Ramadi university
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – ….
US reassembles key officials for Iran nuke talks
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – ….
Abbas’ diplomatic victory
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – Op-ed: While Israel dismisses PA president, he’s schooling us all. He formed a unity government with Hamas and was still able to get closer to international recognition than any other Palestinian leader before him. ….
Jews and Palestinians: A little history remembered
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – Op-ed: Reality turns out to be much more complex than the simple picture often posited of the history of the Palestinians. ….
Interior minister: Postponing presidential elections harms Israeli democracy
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – ….
Egypt, UAE choose army-linked company to build wheat silos
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – ….
Jewish fans to connect at World Cup
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – Soccer-loving Argentinean Jewish couple organizing activities for Jewish visitors from around world to biggest global soccer tournament in Brazil. ….
Hundreds demonstrate in Tel Aviv to mark ’47 years of occupation’
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – ….
Gov’t okays emergency plan to encourage aliyah from Europe
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – Amid the rise of anti-Semitism, Israel decides to allocate NIS 100 million to aid new immigrants, especially from Ukraine. ….
Europe is still sleeping
YNet News, 7 Jun 2014 – Op-ed: Catherine Ashton and others find it difficult to understand that Israel is not global jihad’s target. The target is the free world. ….
Netanyahu’s opponents, allies sense weakness on Palestinian unity
YNet News, 6 Jun 2014 – Analysis: The PM has reached a new low in influence on world leaders who welcomed the new Palestinian government, while his cabinet attacks him for ‘walking on eggshells’; meanwhile, Labor’s Herzog has a plan of his own. ….
Spain approves Sephardic Jew citizenship plan
YNet News, 6 Jun 2014 – The reform will allow descendants of Jews forced into exile centuries ago the right to dual citizenship, aiming to fix what Spanish government calls a ‘historic mistake’. ….
Palestinian Information Center
PA and Jordan slam Australian decision not to refer to east J’lem as occupied
PIC – The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan strongly denounced the Australian government for deciding to stop considering east Jerusalem an occupied city.
Palestinian officials: Jerusalem is steadfast despite 47 years of occupation
PIC – Jerusalemite religious figures said that the occupied city of Jerusalem is steadfast despite 47 years of occupation, affirming that Israel’s demise is imminent.
Attalla Hanna: We will face all Judaization schemes in OJ
PIC – Archbishop of the Sebastian Greek Orthodox Church Attalla Hanna said that the 5th of June represents a very sad and dramatic moment as it marks the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.
Netanyahu congratulates Sisi for his election victory
PIC – In a phone conversation, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday for his victory in Egyptian presidential elections.
Hamas condemns PA forces’ attack on prisoners’ families in Tulkarem
PIC – Hamas Movement strongly condemned PA forces’ attack on Palestinian prisoners’ mothers, sisters, and wives during their participation in a solidarity march in Tulkarem on Friday evening.
Palestinian paramedic hit with a sound bomb in his face
PIC – A 21-year-old Palestinian paramedic was hit with an Israeli sound bomb in his face during confrontations in Issawiye village to the north east of occupied Jerusalem on Friday night.
Several protestors injured yesterday in clashes with Israeli troops in W. Bank
PIC – A number of Palestinian and foreign activists suffered injuries when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) attacked their peaceful marches on Friday in different West Bank areas.
Tunisian MPs launch Action Network for Jerusalem
PIC – A number of Tunisian MPs declared Friday morning the establishment of an action network for Jerusalem under the title “Parliamentarians for Jerusalem.”
Palestinian Prisoners on Hunger Strike for 45 Days, Prisoners’ Families plea for Intervention to Save Them
WAFA – 7 Jun 2014
Norway Disburses $13.3 Million in General Budget Support to Palestinian Authority
WAFA – 7 Jun 2014
Ramallah Governor Makes Solidarity Visit to Threatened Palestinian
WAFA – 7 Jun 2014
Israeli Forces Briefly Detain Governor of Hebron
WAFA – 7 Jun 2014
Fan Removed from Game in US for Carrying Palestinian Flag, says Group
WAFA – 7 Jun 2014
Newspaper Review: Protests marking 47th anniversary of Naksa Focus of Dailies
WAFA – 7 Jun 2014
Urged to Multiply, Iranian Couples Are Dubious
New York Times 7 Jun 2014 – The country s leadership is offering incentives to begin and enlarge families, but experts say little will change while economic prospects are grim.
Sunni Attacks Across Iraq Signal an Insurgency Growing in Strength and Reach
New York Times 7 Jun 2014 – Militants stormed the grounds of a university in Ramadi, briefly holding some students hostage, officials said.
With Nuclear Talks Sputtering, U.S. and Iran Plan Meeting
New York Times 7 Jun 2014 – A session with American and Iranian delegations in Geneva this week is intended to breathe life into multilateral negotiations over Iran s nuclear program.
Egyptian Election Law Helps to Block Opposition
New York Times 6 Jun 2014 – The new law allows authorities to bar the candidacy of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that dominated Egypt s free elections after the 2011 uprising.
The most interesting journalist in the world
Mondoweiss – Who is the man on the right? Our publisher Scott Roth was in Cuba this week. He tweeted this photo from the wall of a Havana synagogue. He asks: Who is the third person to the right of Fidel Castro in this pic? Ÿ›y›e y›çsu” ….
Hillary Clinton s flipflop: We were wrong to take hard line against settlements
Mondoweiss – AP photo of Clinton and Netanyahu, 2010 In her forthcoming memoir , Hillary Clinton generally aligns herself with President Obama but distances herself at the margins: She had a different take on Syria and the Bowe Bergdahl deal, she says. But in at least one respect the…
Israeli forces crack down on Palestinian press
Mondoweiss – Hamde Abu Rahme, by Allison Deger Disturbing reports from Palestine: Israeli forces raid a Palestinian television studio in East Jerusalem and break up the airing of the Good Morning Jerusalem program because it is inciting against the Israeli occupation. They detain a guest and two employees;…
Israeli soldiers injure at least four Palestinians during Naksa protests marking 1967 occupation
Mondoweiss – #450168162 /gettyimages.comPalestinians protesters gather to mark Naksa Day , the 47th anniversary of the 1967 Six Day War, at the Damascus Gate in Arab east Jerusalem on June 6, 2014. (Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images) Israeli soldiers disperse Naksa protests across West Bank BETHLEHEM (Ma an) 5 June…
Israeli Poll of Iranians Hides Participation of Israeli Intelligence Agency
Tikun Olam – Isabel Kershner has published yet another of those odd articles the NYT publishes quite regularly from its Israel bureau. This one profiles a survey of Iranian public opinion carried out by Israel s leading private university, the Inter-Disciplinary Center (IDC). Dr. Alex Mintz, director of the IDC s…
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer Quits Israel President Race Under Cloud
The Foward Breaking News 7 Jun 2014 – Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, one of two leading candidates to succeed Shimon Peres as Israel s next head of state, withdrew from the race on Saturday, a day after police questioned him under caution over a loan he had received. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt court voids tear-gas verdicts
BBC 7 Jun 2014 – An appeals court in Egypt overturns the convictions of four policemen in the case of 37 detainees who died when tear gas was fired into their van.
Iran to hold rare talks with US
BBC 7 Jun 2014 – Senior US and Iranian officials are to meet for two days ahead of wider negotiations between world powers and Tehran on its nuclear programme.
Sudan: Saudi Arabia Expresses Surprise At Remarks By Sudan FM
allAfrica.com7 Jun 2014 – [Sudan Tribune]Khartoum -A Saudi Arabian official this week expressed surprise at statements made by Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti relating to a military offer extended by Iran.
Egypt: Israeli President and Premier Congratulate Sisi On Presidency
allAfrica.com7 Jun 2014 – [Aswat Masriya]Cairo -President-elect Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received on Friday two phone calls from Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu congratulating him
on winning the presidential election, Sisi’s electoral campaign said.
Fifa sponsor demands ‘investigation’
BBC 7 Jun 2014 – One of Fifa’s main sponsors, Sony, calls for an investigation into the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Turkish soldiers shoot dead Kurdish protester
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jun 2014 – A Kurdish protester has died of gunshot wounds sustained during fierce clashes with Turkish soldiers in the country’s southeast on Saturday. Twenty-four-year-old Ramazan Baran died in hospital after the clashes between soldiers and Kurdish protesters angry at government plans to build military barracks in the Lice…
Egypt overturns conviction of cop behind tear gas prison massacre
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jun 2014 – An Egyptian appeals court on Saturday overturned the conviction of a policeman who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the deaths of 37 prisoners from tear gas. It also overturned suspended one-year sentences handed to three other officers over the August deaths of the…
Iran, US announce unprecedented talks
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jun 2014 – Iran and the United States will on Monday and Tuesday hold their first direct talks in decades, in an unprecedented move toward securing a comprehensive nuclear deal between Tehran and the West. The discussions will take place in Geneva, with the US delegation led by Deputy…
Dozens killed by Baghdad bombings
BBC 7 Jun 2014 – A series of bombings across the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, leaves more than 50 people dead hours after militants raid a university in Anbar.
Rogue general divides Libyans
BBC 7 Jun 2014 – How rogue general’s anti-Islamist campaign divides Libyans
Liberman: Arabs ‘must come out of the closet’
Al-Monitor 7 Jun 2014 – Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman outlines his vision for a regional arrangement with Arab Gulf states.
ISIS storms Iraq university, Baghdad blasts kill more than 60
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jun 2014 – Iraqis wait for relatives hospitalised in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on June 6, 2014, following two suicide bombings in the Shabak village of Al-Muwaffaqiyah, east of Nineveh provincial capital Mosul. The twin suicide bombings targeting Iraq’s Shabak minority and…
Egypt postpones Brotherhood leader’s verdict
Al-Akhbar News 7 Jun 2014 – Egyptian police detain an alleged member of the Muslim Brotherhood and student of al-Azhar University in Cairo following clashes with security forces on May 21, 2014. (Photo: AFP) Egyptian police detain an alleged member of the Muslim Brotherhood and student of al-Azhar University in Cairo following…
VIDEO: BBC searches for freed ‘Taliban five’
BBC 7 Jun 2014 – The BBC’s Mark Lobel goes in search of the five Guantanamo Bay detainees who have been sent to Qatar after a American soldier was freed from the Taliban.
Palestinian unity government discrimination causes skirmishes in Gaza banks
Al-Akhbar Politics 6 Jun 2014 – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (R) chairs the first meeting of the new Palestinian unity government in the presence of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (L) in the West Bank city of Ramallah June 2, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Majdi Mohammed) Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (R) chairs the first meeting…
Articles
How the Israel Lobby Works
Philip Giraldi, 6/3/2014
Pressuring Candidates Even Before They Are Nominated
The major organizations that comprise the Israel Lobby are well known: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and Christians United For Israel (CUFI). All are well known, benefiting from large budgets and staffs. They are extremely effective, having excellent access to politicians and the media to promote their points of view, and are, as a group, regular visitors to the White House. AIPAC is without doubt the most powerful lobby in the United States that is focused on a foreign policy issue.
The institutional Israel boosters are in turn backed by a cluster of think tanks and institutes that spout a relentlessly pro-Likud line. They include Foundation for Defense of Democracies, The Emergency Committee for Israel, The American Enterprise Institute, The Hudson Institute, Brookings and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. A recent op-ed at The National Interest (formerly the Nixon Center) Why Israel Fears Containment of a Nuclear Iran, written by two Israelis with government ties, illustrates to what extent spokesmen for Tel Aviv have access to the media across the political spectrum to make their points while contrary views rarely surface. It would be difficult to imagine a similar piece appearing advancing Iranian views on Israel, for example, and one might well question whose National Interest is being promoted by providing a platform to current or former foreign government officials.
And backing the think tanks up are the enablers in the media who suppress stories critical of Israel and consistently editorialize supporting policies favored by Tel Aviv. Israeli Ambassadors, uniquely, regularly write op-eds for publications like the Washington Post and The New York Times. Prominent among the consistently pro-Israel media are the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch publications in general and….more..e-mail
From our Facebook balconies, the dark heart of Yarmouk
Ahmad Diab, Al-Shabaka, Ma an News Agency6/6/2014
Al-Shabaka is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and foster public debate on Palestinian human rights and self-determination within the framework of international law. This policy brief is authored by Ahmad Diab, a Palestinian writer and Fulbright scholar currently working on his PhD at New York University. His interests lie in the intersection between literature, film, and power structures.
If Joseph Conrad was right when he said that we live as we dream, alone, then an inverse of that statement might carry some truth as well. Unlike life and dreams, death and nightmares can be communal, as Syrian Palestinians have discovered.
The fortunate among them can now look from their Facebook balconies into the heart of darkness that they barely escaped. If they look long enough, they might just catch a glimpse of the horror of those stuck behind. The fragmentation of the Palestinian people has meant that their suffering, while ultimately collective, remains unique to the context in which it is experienced.
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I used to dream of having a homeland and now I dream of the camp
I used to dream of having a bigger house, and now I dream of a cheap room to rent.
I used to dream of taking a relaxing vacation, and now I wish I could simply be reunited with my children and family.
I used to have my own business, and now I pointlessly look for a job.
I used to dream of the future, and now I yearn for one day of the past….more..e-mail
The Story of 68 Palestinian Families in Lebanon
Franklin Lamb, CounterPunch6/6/2014
A Hard Won Victory
Masnaa border crossing (Syria/Lebanon)
Predictions about the likely course of events in this region, including occasional ones by this observer, have a way of not panning out as expected. But one prediction I offered recently to Palestinian friends in Syria namely that Lebanon s media would fail to inform the world about an important Palestinian victory achieved in late May has so far turned out to be accurate.
The confrontation which took place recently in a small office at Lebanon s General Security (GS) Information Branch headquarters was for the most part civil in tone an over-the-hill American in handcuffs refusing to answer questions from a fat
guy in uniform, who kept making a racket by striking his desk with a small metal rod, this as the Yankee began a hunger strike: it has been kept quiet. No coverage in the media. And frankly, that s fine, because arguably it wasn t that newsworthy in any event. But the problem which had given rise to the incident surely was.
It evolved around critically important Baccalaureate exams, whose dates, between the first and seventeenth of June, were fixed months ago by the Syrian Ministry of Education. More than 364,000 students in Syria, including thousands of Palestinian refugees, are scheduled to take the exams, required for the General Secondary Certificate for 2014. Some 28,000 additional students will be taking the Technical Secondary Certificate exams. Graduating seniors in Syria must pass these exams before receiving their diplomas and enrolling in university.
The saga, briefly told, has to do with the fact that the war in Syria over the past 33 months has forced into Lebanon between 1.2 million and 2 million Syrian refugees, including approximately 80,000 Palestinians, from Yarmouk refugee camp and elsewhere….more..e-mail
The Bankrupt War on Syria
Paul Larudee, CounterPunch6/6/2014
Syrian Election Reveals Huge Population Loss in Rebel Areas
The Syrian election has indirectly exposed or confirmed a surprising statistic that shows how badly the anti-Assad fighters are losing and how hopeless their cause is.
It is of course no surprise at all that Assad won big in the first open and contested Syrian presidential election in memory, winning 88% of the total.? Whether you believe that the vote was rigged or that the Syrian people ?overwhelmingly love their president, the margin was almost embarrassing. ? During the days before the election, the Syrian street began joking that the votes of the challengers might need to be padded.
The surprise was the total number of votes cast. According to the Syrian National Presidential Commission, a total of 15.84 million Syrians age 18 or older were eligible to vote in the election. Of these, 11.63 million equal to 73.7% actually did.
That s an enviable turnout anywhere?, but astonishing under the current conditions in Syria. The Syrian obsession to vote is a great story. Syrian expatriates and refugees besieged their embassies when they could and returned to Syria sometimes across ten time zones when they couldn t. But that also is not the surprise.
The surprise is not who voted or how many, but rather who did not. They are the 4.2 million difference between the numbers of eligible and actual voters. Who are they?
Many are living in other countries. Some are refugees, for whom the lowest accepted estimate is 2.5 million. If we add another conservative number of dual national Syrian expatriates, it rises to 3.1 million. Even with the incredible voting efforts of this population, however, that figure shrinks by only 200,000, to 2.9 million.more..e-mail
Anecdotes from the return drive to Syria
In Gaza: 7 Jun 2014 – In April, 2014, I joined a delegation of over 40 people from around the world, visiting Syria in solidarity with their just struggle against an unjust, criminal, war from outside being waged on Syria. The premeditated nature of this war on freedom, war on human rights, is amply-documented (if you just step away from the chorus of the corporate media and larger human rights NGOs. Also well-documented is the fact that the vast majority of Syrians in Syria (and those outside) do not support this faux revolution nor the means by which the insurgents rebel . This vast majority flooded voting stations in Syria and embassies world-wide to voice their vote. [see also: The Real Farce: Media Distortions on the Syrian Elections, Jun 3, 2014, Counter Punch and Elections in Syria: The People Say No to Foreign Intervention, Jun 4, 2014, Ajamu Baraka, Oriental Review ] Even today, three days…more
Obama’s Legacy: Don’t Do Stupid Stuff
Palestine Chronicle: 7 Jun 2014 – By Richard Falk So the United States is and remains the one indispensable nation. That has been true for the century past, and it will be for the century to come& .The question we face..is not whether America will lead but how we will lead, not just to secure our peace and prosperity but also to extend peace and prosperity around the globe. President Barack Obama s Commencement Address, West Point, May 22, 2014 I make the poem of evil also, I commemorate that part also, I am myself just as evil as good, and my nation is& Walt Whitman Cautioning against militarism at West Point President on May 22nd Obama in a speech mostly notable for its reassertion of what might be best understood as imperial nationalism of global scope declared the following: Just because we have the best hammer [that is, military dominance] does not mean that every…more
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The New Dark Age 