29 June 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Israel Drops anti-Hamas Lollipops in West Bank
IMEMC – The Israeli state has found it appropriate to drop hundreds of anti-Hamas lollipops in Nablus and Ramallah, in what Ma’an News Agency has deemed “a renewed attempt to incite Palestinian popular opinion against the Islamist political group”. …
Escalating Attacks, Abductions Continue in WB
IMEMC – Four Palestinians, today, including a teenager, were kidnapped by Israeli forces in the West Bank districts of Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus, according to reports by local and security sources. Settler attacks occurred on farmlands near Bethlehem, causing extensive financial loss and property damage. …
African Asylum-Seekers Reject Detention Center
IMEMC – More than 1,000 African asylum seekers in Israel staged a sit-in, Saturday, near the southern border with Egypt, after marching in protest of conditions in the Holot internment camp. …
VIDEO: Shepherd Detained by Israeli Soldiers
IMEMC – On June 27th, Israeli soldiers detained a Palestinian shepherd from the South Hebron Hills village of Saddith Thala. He was accused of throwing stones towards a setter’s car, passing on the Bypass road 317. He was released, as there was no evidence to support the charges. …
Lands Damaged in Preparation for New Settlements
IMEMC – Israeli bulldozers have flattened numerous agricultural lands in the village Kofr al-Deek, east of Salfit. …
PRC Claims Recent Gaza Rocket Fire
IMEMC – Netanyahu warns of possible escalation The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, has claimed responsibility for the launching of rockets in the Gaza Strip towards Eshkol, in southern Israel. …
Hamas: “Israeli Escalation In Gaza, Pushed By Army Failure In West Bank”
IMEMC – The Hamas movement has denounced the latest Israeli military escalation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and said that Israel’s failure in the West Bank is the reason behind its desire for a larger escalation against the Gaza Strip. …
Two Palestinians Injured By Israeli Fire In Southern Gaza
IMEMC – Palestinian medical sources reported, on Saturday evening, that two civilians were injured when the Israeli army fired rounds of live ammunition and shells into a Palestinian area east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. …
1 dead, 3 injured in Israeli airstrike on southern Gaza
6/29/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A Palestinian was killed and three others were injured as Israeli warplanes struck al-Qarara in the southern Gaza Strip late Sunday, a Ma’an reporter and Israel’s army said. Medical sources said the victims had been evacuated from the site of the attack. The Israeli military said in a statement that “aircraft just targeted terrorists in the…. Related: Israel launches airstrikes across Gaza Strip
Aid convoy arrives in Gaza
6/29/2014 – GAZA STRIP (Ma’an) — The “Miles of Smiles 28” aid convoy arrived in Gaza Strip on Sunday through Rafah crossing, a Palestinian official said. Alaa al-Din al-Batta, deputy director of the governmental convoy-welcoming committee, told Ma’an that the convoy included 18 people from European and Arab countries. The convoy will stay in Gaza for 24 hours, and will check on humanitarian projects….
PRC claims responsibility for rockets fired from Gaza
6/29/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, on Sunday claimed responsibility for launching rockets from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel. The group, which has no connection to the local popular resistance committees that exist throughout the West Bank, said in a statement that its fighters fired four rockets toward Eshkol regional council, three rockets…. Related: Israel PM warns Gaza over rising rocket fire
Israel drops anti-Hamas Ramadan lollipops on West Bank cities
6/29/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israel has dropped hundreds of anti-Hamas lollipops in two of the West Bank’s largest cities, in a renewed attempt to incite Palestinian popular opinion against the Islamist political group. Palestinian residents of Nablus and Ramallah noticed on Sunday morning that hundreds of lollipops had been dropped in the streets and alleyways of the city, decorated with the phrase “Ramadan….
Israeli bulldozers ‘level Palestinian land, uproot trees’ near Salfit
6/29/2014 – SALFIT (Ma’an) — Israeli bulldozers on Sunday leveled Palestinian lands in the Salfit district in the central West Bank, locals said. Witnesses said bulldozers uprooted dozens of olive trees and fruit trees in the Thahir Subih neighborhood of Kafr al-Dik. Local researcher Khalid Maali said that an Israeli court had approved confiscation of 3,000 dunams (750 acres) of private Palestinian land, but that the….
Israel tightens grip on East Jerusalem with $90 million plan
6/29/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved a $90 million dollar socio-economic development plan for occupied East Jerusalem which focuses on increased security and police presence in the area, the municipality said.”One of the main goals of the plan that was approved is to bring about a significant decline in violence by means of integrated activity to reduce gaps in infrastructure, employment, education….
Hamas official: Arab Bank rejected money transfer from Qatar
6/29/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Deputy chief of the Hamas politburo Mousa Abu Marzouq said Saturday that Qatar attempted to transfer money to cover the monthly salaries of the civil servants of the former Hamas-run government in Gaza, but the Arab Bank rejected the transfer.”The state of Qatar graciously transferred money to the Arab Bank, but with an extravagant sense of Arab nationalism, the….
Officials deny presence of ISIL fighters in Gaza, Sinai
6/29/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Both Egyptian and Palestinian officials denied on Sunday the presence of any fighters affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Gaza Strip and the neighboring Sinai Peninsula. In Gaza, spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Interior Iyad al-Buzm said that earlier claims by an Egyptian security source that 15 fighters affiliated with the Wahhabi militant….
Israel lifts ban on international travel for Hebron residents
6/29/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel has ended a ban on the international travel of Palestinian residents of Hebron beginning Sunday, the Palestinian general director of crossings and borders said. The ban on Hebron residents using the Allenby Bridge — the only connection to the outside world for West Bank residents under military occupation and banned from using Israel’s nearby Ben Gurion airport — was imposed….
Israel PM warns Gaza over rising rocket fire
6/29/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel is “ready” to expand its operations in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday after the air force struck 12 targets overnight following a surge in militant rocket fire. Speaking to ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting, the Israeli premier said the almost-nightly military strikes on Gaza could be expanded should the need arise. His remarks came after a sharp hike in…. Related: PRC claims responsibility for rockets fired from Gaza
2 Israelis, 1 Egyptian to face trial over ‘spying’
6/29/2014 – CAIRO (AFP) — An Egyptian and two Israelis, including an intelligence officer, will be tried by an Egyptian court for allegedly “spying” for the Israel, judicial sources said on Sunday. The Egyptian is in custody and the two Israeli “fugitives” are to be tried in absentia, the sources said. The date of the trial has yet to be fixed. Five Egyptians, a Jordanian engineer and seven….
Israel allows 1,500 Jordanians to work in Eilat
6/29/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — The Israeli government Sunday authorized 1,500 more Jordanians to come and work in its Red Sea resort of Eilat to combat a labor shortage, the tourism ministry said. It said the decision was taken because of the “serious crisis” caused by not enough hotel workers. The Jordanians would enter Israel to work and go back across the border to Jordan at night once….
3 Palestinian families living in desert at Iraq-Jordan border
6/29/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Three Palestinian families have been living in the open on the border between Iraq and Jordan for the last seven days after fleeing a refugee camp near Syria, a member of the group told Ma’an. Speaking to Ma’an via telephone Saturday afternoon, Salih Ahmad appealed to Palestinian authorities to help his and two other families who have….
Man accidentally runs over daughter, son in backyard
6/29/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — A man mistakenly ran over two of his own children in Yatta south of Hebron in the southern West Bank on Sunday morning, injuring them seriously, the Palestinian police said. In a statement, Hebron police said that a man from Yatta was driving his car in reverse in his backyard and unwittingly hit his own son and daughter, who were aged….
NGO: ISIL crucifies 8 rebels in Syria’s Aleppo
6/29/2014 – BEIRUT (AFP) — A Wahhabi militant group in Syria has publicly executed and crucified eight rebels fighting both President Bashar Assad’s regime and the Wahhabis, a monitor said on Sunday. The report comes amid fierce clashes on the outskirts of Damascus between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which is spearheading a major offensive in Iraq, and rebels, the Syrian Observatory for….
Wahhabis fighting in Syria, Iraq declare ‘caliphate’
6/29/2014 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Wahhabi militants fighting in Syria and Iraq announced Sunday the establishment of an “caliphate,” referring to the system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottomans. In an audio recording distributed online, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declared its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “the caliph and “leader for Muslims everywhere.”[END]
Kuwait to send urgent aid to displaced Iraqis
6/29/2014 – KUWAIT CITY (AFP) — Kuwait said on Sunday it is sending urgent humanitarian aid to thousands of Iraqis who have been displaced by ongoing fighting in the neighboring Arab country.”The council of ministers decided to send urgent humanitarian aid to Iraqis who have been displaced as a result of deteriorating security situation,” the cabinet said in a statement. The statement said the aid would be….
Israeli air strikes hit targets in Gaza
AlJazeera 29 Jun 2014 – Army says 12 locations in Gaza hit, including “concealed” rocket launchers and weapons manufacturing sites.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Forcible Feeding Constitutes Torture Crime; PCHR Warns of Israeli Efforts to Legitimize Forcible Feeding against Palesti…
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
International Solidarity Movement
Interview with 15-year-old Awne Shamsiyeh: ‘the camera is like a weapon, so I can resist non-violently’
6/29/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Khalil Team, Tel Rumeida, Occupied Palestine – In Al-Khalil (Hebron) in the Tel Rumeida area, 15-year old Awne Shamsiyeh lives with his family. After the Hebron Agreement (1997), the city was divided into two areas, H1 (supposedly under full Palestinian Authority civil and security control) and H2, (under full Israeli military civil and security control). Since 1974, many illegal settlements occupied land in the area now know as H2. Awne….
VIDEO: Palestinian shepherd detained by Israeli soldiers
6/29/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Operation Dove, Saddith Thala, Occupied Palestine – On June 27th, Israeli soldiers detained a Palestinian shepherd from the South Hebron Hills village of Saddith Thala. He was accused of throwing stones towards a setter’s car, passing on the Bypass road 317. He was released, as there was no evidence to support the charges. A Palestinian shepherd and a group of children were drawing water….
occupied Palestinian territory: Forcible Feeding Constitutes Torture Crime; PCHR Warns of Israeli Efforts to Legitimize Forcible Feeding against Palestinian Detainees and Calls upon the International Community to Immediately Intervene
Relief Web 29 Jun 2014 – Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) warns of the serious implications of Israeli efforts to pass a law granting powers to the Israeli prison authorities to forcibly feed Palestinian…
South Sudan: Six underfunded ICRC operations
Relief Web 28 Jun 2014 – Source: International Committee of the Red Cross Country: Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan A few of the contexts where we could use more cash JUNE 26, 2014 BY ANNA NELSON You might be surprised to learn…
occupied Palestinian territory: Declaration on behalf of the European Union on the latest developments following the abduction of three Israeli students
Relief Web 28 Jun 2014 – Source: European Union Country: occupied Palestinian territory The EU reiterates its condemnation of the recent abduction of three Israeli students in the West Bank and calls once again for their immediate release and safe return to their families. Such acts…
Dark days ahead as Iraq edges closer to division
The National 29 Jun 2014 – It appears that Iraq is moving towards a de facto partition, breaking up into three warring enclaves – a nightmare scenario for everyone, writes Youssef Hamza.
Iraq receives first batch of Russian fighter jets
The National 29 Jun 2014 – The Su-25 ground attack jets are expected to be pressed into service as soon as possible in the counter-offensive to the ISIL, but who will fly them?
Saudi’s King Abdullah slams extremism in address marking start of Ramadan
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Islam is ‘religion of unity, fraternity and mutual support’ but some people ‘lured in by false calls … are confusing reform with terrorism,’ the king said.
Israeli prime minister warns Gaza over rocket attacks
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Retaliatory operations could be expanded if militants continue to target Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu tells cabinet.
African migrants protest Israeli treatment, seek UN help
The National 29 Jun 2014 – The Eritrean and Sudanese migrants say Israel has not processed their claims for asylum – they claim to be fleeing persecution and danger, while Israel says they are looking for employment.
At least 22 killed in Tamil Nadu building collapses
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Police in southern India detained two construction company directors Sunday as rescuers using gas cutters and shovels searched for workers believed buried in the rubble of a building that collapsed during monsoon rains.
ISIL executes rivals in Syria: rights group
The National 29 Jun 2014 – ISIL executed eight men in Deir Hafer in the east of Aleppo province’ on Saturday because they belonged to a rival group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Saudi king fires deputy defence minister
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz, appointed on May 14, was removed from his position on Saturday at the request of the defence minister.
In pictures: African asylum-seekers march out of Israeli detention facility
The National 29 Jun 2014 – About 1,000 African migrants have marched out of an Israeli detention centre in protest at their treatment and are camped out by the border after Israel’s army prevented them from crossing into Egypt.
Trafficking in women will be hard to curb
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Enormous efforts should be made to tackle women trafficking, particularly in areas where gender imbalance results from human interference
Prosecution of Benghazi suspect is new test for Obama
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Ahmed Abu Khattala pleaded not guilty during a brief court appearance on Saturday – a case that represents a high-profile test for the Obama administration as it seeks to prosecute terror suspects in civilian courts.
In pictures: rescue efforts under way as India buildings collapse
The National 29 Jun 2014 – Two separate buildings in India collapsed on Saturday, killing at least 20 people – one was in New Delhi where a 50-year-old building toppled, another was a building under construction in the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Pakistan ‘love marriage’ couple murdered by girl’s family
The National 29 Jun 2014 – A 17-year-old girl and her husband were killed by her family for marrying without its consent, while another young woman was burnt alive by a man for refusing his proposal in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, police said Sunday.
As Nato troops leave Afghanistan, violence mounts in Paktia
The National 28 Jun 2014 – Shootings in broad daylight becoming commonplace, but locals say not only Taliban is to blame.
JNF gets 60-day extension to contest move making it more accountable
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Cabinet approves 1,500 Jordanian workers for Israeli resort city Eilat
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Poll: Palestinians overwhelmingly reject two-state solution, want Palestine ‘from river to sea’
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Education Ministry backpedals; will foot bill for summer camps
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
TA restaurateurs caught smuggling 100 kg goose liver, seafood
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Shas head’s anti-education message for women judged unlikely to stop growing trend
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
How Shimon Peres and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef became fashionable hipsters
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Former IDB head Nochi Dankner to be indicted for securities fraud
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Leviathan partners sign preliminary deal to export gas to Egypt
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
In Sabbath store-hour law, another loss for secular Israelis
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
The Reform Jewish movement is the key to change in Israel
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Winning Palestinian hearts and minds
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Western arrogance leads to Arabian slights
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Destroyed Sderot paint factory owner determined to reopen
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
The Israeli army’s polite raid on a Palestinian graphic-design business
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
State rejects calls for public transportation on Saturdays
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Judy Maltz wins B’nai B’rith prize for Diaspora journalism
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
U.S. eatery fires Vietnam vet, 73, after he gives needy man a free muffin
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Israel’s High Court voids rabbinical ruling ordering woman to circumcise son
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Israel’s High Court voids rabbinical ruling ordering woman to circumcise son
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Palestinians: One dead, three wounded in Israeli strike on Gaza Strip
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
IDF intercepts two rockets over Negev fired from Gaza Strip
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Study: Israel, Jordan lead world in child well-being, family stability
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for kidnapped Israeli teens
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Minister nixes bylaw that would let Tel Aviv businesses open on Sabbath
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Israeli police evict African asylum seekers camped near Egyptian border
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
India probes plot to attack Israeli, U.S. consulates
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Jordanians ‘disappointed’ with response to killing of judge at Israeli border
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Israeli army handing out Ramadan candies with anti-Hamas slogans, Palestinians say
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Mideast peace impossible without international action
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Cabinet approves plan to tighten Israeli control over East Jerusalem
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
To Rivlin and Shafran: No, Judaism never stands still
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
German FM commemorates Nazi victims of small Italian hill town
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Israel spending $29m / year on open-air prison for African asylum seekers
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Iran general hints at plans to offer Iraq similar aid as Syria
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Lieberman: Only full occupation of Gaza will stop rockets
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Israel’s prerequisite for peace
Ha’aretz – 29 Jun 2014
Boycott in the air
Ha’aretz – 28 Jun 2014
Shimon Peres and the struggle for freedom? Let’s not get carried away
Ha’aretz – 28 Jun 2014
Improving police hotlines: too little, too late
Ha’aretz – 28 Jun 2014
Netanyahu calls for Kurdish independence from Iraq
Ha’aretz – 28 Jun 2014
Russia accuses U.S. of fueling Ukrainian crisis
Ha’aretz – 28 Jun 2014
Sufis accuse Cavalli of ‘exploiting’ sacred symbol
Ha’aretz – 28 Jun 2014
A-G orders end to gender inequality in buses, eulogies
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – A committee Weinstein appointed has jumped directly into several different manifestations of discrimination against women.
FDA approves Israel’s ReWalk device enabling paraplegics to walk
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – In the US, the ReWalk system is currently used in rehabilitation clinics, but now that it has received FDA clearance, marketing there may begin.
Israel should ensure West ‘keeps eyes open’ on Iran
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Rouhani ‘cleverly adapting’ nuclear program to Islamic Republic’s economic needs, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Farkash tells ‘Post’; Iran is four to six months from nuclear breakout from the moment it decides to do so, Farkash warns.
Peres to UN: ‘It’s your responsibility to cry out on behalf of kidnapped boys’
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – He spoke in New York as thousands rallied with the families in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv.
African migrants prefer persecution over detention
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Protesters prefer to take their chances and enter Egypt despite risk of torture and holding for ransom of Eritrean migrants by Beduin smugglers in Sinai.
Hoenlein looking for official apology from African Union
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – The Jewish faction left the conference’s opening ceremony early after Egyptian and South African delegates refused to enter hall while “Israelis” were present.
PM wages intensive media campaign in P5+1 countries against ‘bad nuclear deal’ with Iran
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Netanyahu’s media blitz coincides with intensive lobbying efforts under way in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and Beijing.
Over 1,159 died over the past 10 years as result of preventable accidents
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Arab children are three times more liable to die in falling accidents than their Jewish counterparts.
Netanyahu: I support Kurdish independence
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Israel must prepare for ISIS infiltration into Jordan by building security barrier from Eilat to Golan Heights, says PM.
In Gaza, sewage stains beaches and piles of garbage mount on streets
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Egyptian blockade forces Gaza to imported expensive fuel from Israel, prices force shut-down of water treatment facility.
Fines loom as US deadline for reporting foreign bank accounts hits
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Increasing numbers of ex-pats renounce citizenship as law forcing foreign banks to disclose Americans’ accounts to the IRS comes into effect.
Peres’s Washington performance
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – One old reality that the parents of Naftali, Gilad and Eyal are not permitted to forget is that whenever Peres and his ilk express their dreams of peace, the rest of us in Israel should grab our children and run for cover.
THINK ABOUT IT: Poverty and health, a tale of two committees
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – It is said that the camel was created by a committee that had been asked to design a horse.
Terra incognita: A century without dreams or ideas
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Part of the malaise is the feeling that every great thing has been explored. No more space to go to, no more atoms to split.
Momentum for peace can still be achieved
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Creation of a Palestinian state will ultimately take strong leadership. It will mean saying things that are right, even if they might not be popular.
A message for the future
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Abraham was chosen by Hashem to be mankind’s supreme role model, by whom the world would be blessed.
Umm el-Fahm protest
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – A none-too-fine line separates legitimate dissent from incendiary incitement and alignment with the implacable enemy.
IAF strikes terrorists ready to fire
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Iron Dome intercepts two rockets from Gaza over Netivot; four rockets land in open areas in southern Israel on Sunday evening.
ISIS al-Qaida splinter group declares Islamic ‘Caliphate’
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Expert: Impact of announcement global as al-Qaida affiliates and jihadist groups must choose to support and join the Islamic State or to oppose it.
Hamas rockets, Gaza terror, and future Israeli defenses against Iran
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Considered together with improved nuclear deterrence and cyber-defense, Israel’s oft-tested shorter-range active defenses represent an indispensable component of the country’s national security doctrine.
Tuvia, what took you so long?
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Veteran actor and comedian Tuvia Tsafir performs in Yiddish for the first time in the Yiddishspiel production of ‘Yidl Mitn Fidl.’
Jerusalem police implement security measures for month of Ramadan
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Tens of thousands of Muslims expected to converge on Old City for Friday prayers at al-Aksa Mosque.
Minister C’tee increases comptroller power to protect whistleblowers
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Data says that 77% of whistleblowers suits for retaliatory firing are rejected.
Tens of thousands rally in solidarity with the kidnapped teens’ families
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Rachel Fraenkel and president-elect speak, thousands of Israelis attend rally from across society to show support for the teens and their families.
Dispute between Environment Ministry, Water Authority stalls Kishon River project
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – The Environment Ministry expressly blamed Water Authority Commissioner Alexander Kushnir for delaying the project.
Gov’t approves NIS 295m to strengthen east Jerusalem’s foundering infrastructure
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Budget to be spent over next five years to improve law enforcement, educational and welfare standards.
High Court takes circumcision decision away from rabbinical courts
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – The case involved the question of who should decide whether a baby gets a circumcision when divorcing parents disagree on the issue.
Bill could revoke IDF exemptions from women who lie about being religious
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Bill means to “plug the gap through which girls evade enlistment by falsely declaring they’re religious.”
Actor Shia LaBeouf charged with disorderly conduct, harassment
Jerusalem Post 29 Jun 2014 – Jewish actor allegedly disturbed a performance of the musical “Cabaret” on Broadway, used obscene language and became belligerent.
U.S.: What Is the Greatest Threat of Them All?
IPS By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Jun 28 2014 (IPS) This month’s stunning campaign by Sunni insurgents led by the radical Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL) against the mainly Shi’a government of Iraqi President Nouri Al-Maliki is stoking a growing debate here about the hierarchy of threats facing the…
OP-ED: Surging Violence Against Women in Iraq
IPS Iraq’s latest surge in sectarian violence threatens to unleash a wave of new violence against women. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Sgt. Jason W. Fudge By Zahra Radwan and Zoe Blumenfeld SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 27 2014 (IPS) Shortly after their conquest of Mosul, young men armed with assault rifles…
The Siege on Hebron
Uruknet 30 Jun 2014 – June 22, 2014 – As the lockdown on Hebron enters its tenth day, the atmosphere in the city is tense and restless, with people living under a state of erratic checkpoints and military closure for the past week. On the…
Iran s predicament with ISIS
Uruknet 30 Jun 2014 – June 22, 2014 – …In Iraq there was a sectarian quota-based regime that was imposed by virtue of a US-Iranian understanding and an Iraqi political class that rose to power in accordance with this understanding and within the framework of…
Endorsing settler-colonialism at the UN
Uruknet 30 Jun 2014 – June 22, 2014 -Following the previous lobbying for Israel s inclusion in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG), the settler colonial state s alleged isolation has been rectified by the granting of another concession. On June 18, 2014 Mordehai…
Syria News – June 21 , 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21 , 2014 – By the end of Satuday the Coordination Committees were able to document 65 martyrs in Syria including : 4 Women, 12 Children and 8 martyrs under torture : 21 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 18…
The lies Obama tells about Syria
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – When Obama dismisses the notion that a moderate opposition force could be armed quickly because it s made up mostly of “famers and dentists,” he shows the depths he is willing to do to avoid addressing…
Israel: Stop threatening witness to killings
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – Israeli security forces ordered a Palestinian man to take down security cameras that captured the shooting deaths of two Palestinian boys in May, Human Rights Watch and Defense for Children International – Palestine said today. Footage…
Testimony from al-Bireh
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 -When I first heard shouting that night, I thought it was because a goal was scored for some World Cup game. Here in al-Bireh, we are surrounded by cafes and large apartment buildings. People here often honk…
IT and Internet Offer Possibilities of Overcoming Blockade in Gaza
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – “After graduating, I joined the thousands of other graduates on the list of the unemployed. Then I read about a project that offers a technology incubator for youth projects, applied, was accepted and now I m…
News organizations seek secret videos of Guantánamo force-feeding
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – More than a dozen news organizations have filed court papers calling on a federal court judge to unseal videos depicting a Guantánamo Bay detainee being forcibly removed from his cell and force-fed. The motion – backed…
Stung: Government Disappears Stingray Spying Records
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – We ve heard variations on the phrase “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear” from the government for quite some time. It appears this may be true, at least if you are…
Time to Act: End Sexual Violence as War Weapon and End Impunity to Indian Armed Forces in Kashmir
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – … The Kashmiri people are calling for more international pressure on the Government of India to end sexual violence in Kashmir and the launch of an independent international investigation. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court…
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) held an urgent session to discuss about the current crisis unfolding in Iraq
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 -On June 19, 2014, Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) in collaboration with several other organisations held an urgent session to discuss about the current crisis unfolding in Iraq.The panel agreed that the brutal sanctions, unjustified war…
Is Obama s new Iraq strategy just a cover for expanding his secret war?
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – Just look at the one concrete model Obama cited in questions after delivering his five-point Iraq plan on Thursday: Yemen. We have been able to help to develop [the Yemeni government s] capacities without putting large…
Information Operations, PSYOPs, and the Weaponization of Information in Iraq
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – Iraqis are once again being made irrelevant in a war of spin as the Western media manipulates fact and narrative to support US action in Iraq. Debates have been raging over what the US should do…
The Iraqi Revolution and the specter of jihadist extremism
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 -The best way to know what is really going on in Iraq is to listen to the Iraqis themselves. The last statement of the Military Council of the Revolution (No 21 of June 14, 2014) is clear…
Mustafa Barghouti: Israel continues its campaign of collective punishment on the Palestinian people
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – The Israeli army is continuing its campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinian people in retribution for the disappearance of three Israeli teens, Mustafa Barghouti told Palestine Monitor on Satuday in an exclusive statement to the…
3 Palestinians killed in 24 hours as Israel s West Bank crackdown continues
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – Three Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours as a result of raids carried out by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Mahmoud Jihad Muhammed Dudin, 14, was fatally shot five times in the…
After the celebration: Kidnapping and assaulting an entire nation
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – The victory for divestment in the Presbyterian biannual convention last night is being widely heralded and rightly so. The work of many Christians – and Jews – over the years is finally coming to fruition. So…
In turning-point vote, Presbyterians divest from occupation-linked corporations
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014- Nearly 30 years after it divested from corporations complicit in South African apartheid, the Presbyterian Church voted 310-303 to divest from three corporations involved with the Israeli military and its occupation. The vote means that $21 million…
Iraqis Are Not Abstractions
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – When I saw the Washington Post s banner headline, “U.S. sees risk in Iraq airstrikes,” I thought, “doesn t that say it all.” The Post apparently didn t deem it newsworthy to publish a story headlined: “…
For the 9th Consecutive Day, Israeli Forces Continue to Attack the West Bank and Launch Airstrikes on the Gaza Strip Palestinian Child Killed, Old Man Dies Due to Heart Attack, 6 Civilians, including a Child, Wounded and 320 Palestinian Civilians Arrested
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 – For the 9th consecutive day, Israeli forces continued to practice a policy of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), especially in the West Bank. This campaign included large-scale incursions into Palestinian…
Gaza Will Live
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 -Gaza reaches seven years of occupation the situation continues to deteriorate, causing enormous and unnecessary civilian suffering to a population whose main sin is to want to remain alive and proper in their own land.As a result…
U.S. Funds “Terror Studies” to Dissect and Neutralize Social Movements
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 -The U.S. Department of Defense is immersed in studies about…people like you. The Pentagon wants to know why folks who don t themselves engage in violence to overthrow the prevailing order become, what the military calls, “supporters…
What evidence is there that teens were abducted?
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 –A great deal of misinformation has been spread about the missing Israeli teens in the West Bank. I did it myself in denying there was a campaign in support of kidnapping settlers- when there is. Jeffrey Goldberg…
Israeli minister lists three goals for the military operation in the West Bank
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 21, 2014 -Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid said that the military operation in the West Bank has three goals, namely returning kidnapped settlers, destroying Hamas, and dismantling the Palestinian unity government.In an interview with the Israeli Channel 2 Friday,…
Syria News – June 20 , 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 20 , 2014 – By the end of Friday the Coordination Committees were able to document 53 martyrs in Syria including : 4 Women, 6 Children and 11 martyrs under torture : 17 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 14…
Antagonizing Palestinians, Australia s linguistic Blunder Snowballs
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 20, 2014 -Reacting to antagonized Palestinian snowballing protests to her government s decision on June 5 to reverse a 47-year old bipartisan consensus on describing eastern Jerusalem as “occupied,” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on June 13 denied any “change…
Palestinian Thinker Raja Shehadeh: The Real Eruption is Coming
Uruknet 29 Jun 2014 – June 20, 2014 -Sitting on a leather armchair that oversizes his fragile build, in his Ramallah law office, located on one of the main streets of this bustling city, Raja Shehadeh speaks softly and calmly about turbulent decades of life…
Israeli air raid kills Palestinian in Gaza: security
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 An Israeli drone strike Sunday killed a Palestinian militant in Gaza, Palestinian security officials said, in the latest air raid on the coastal enclave.
Egypt’s Sisi approves revised budget with deficit at 10 pct of GDP: statement
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved a revised budget for the 2014/15 fiscal year with a deficit of 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the Finance Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Two Tunisians abducted in Libya freed: embassy
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 A Tunisian diplomat and a fellow embassy staffer abducted in Libya earlier this year were freed by their abductors on Sunday after months in captivity, an embassy source said.
Pakistan girl burned alive for rejecting marriage proposal
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 A teenage girl died in Pakistan after being doused in petrol and set alight by a man who wanted to marry her but whose proposal had been rejected, police said Sunday.
Klink defends Assad support following alleged meeting
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 The media celebrity who has made no secret of her love for Assad, did not reveal details of the alleged meeting, which could not be independently verified, nor did she return calls for comment.
Netanyahu calls for supporting Kurdish independence
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Kurdish statehood on Sunday, citing the Kurds’ political stability in contrast to the sectarian break-up of Iraq.
Jihadists fighting in Syria, Iraq declare ‘caliphate’
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 A powerful jihadist announces the establishment of a “caliphate,” or Islamist state, stretching from Syria’s Aleppo to Diyala in Iraq.
Syria activists: 7,000 killed in rebel infighting
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 Up to 7,000 people, mostly rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad, have been killed in infighting among rival Islamic groups in Syria across opposition-held territory in the north, an activist group said in a report…
Iran, Qatar to cooperate against ‘terror’
Daily Star 29 Jun 2014 The leaders of Shiite Iran and Sunni Qatar vowed Sunday to cooperate to fight “terrorism in the region”, President Hassan Rouhani’s office reported as Iraqi forces counter a militant onslaught.
Iranian bomb directed at Arab world
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – Analysis: After getting global sanctions off their back, Iranian will continue building nuclear facilities, mainly against Arab countries. ….
ISIS crisis has more chaos to spare
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – ISIS appears ready to continue its conquests. How far can the militants reach and what will they leave behind in their wake? ….
Jailed African asylum seekers announce hunger strike from Saharonim Prison
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – ….
2 mortars from Gaza land in Israel, no damage or injuries reported
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – ….
Police begin evacuations and arrests of asylum seekers protesting near Sinai
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – ….
ISIS crucifies eight rival fighters, says monitoring group
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – ….
Egypt moves to restrict Ramadan sermons
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – ….
Instead of scaring us, Netanyahu should tell us what he plans to do
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – Op-ed: PM was not elected to describe threats and dangers Israel is facing, but to act as a captain navigating the ship to a safe harbor. ….
Rabbinate to boost kosher milk imports
YNet News, 29 Jun 2014 – Chief Rabbi David Lau says Israel’s religious authority working to recognize foreign kashrut bodies in bid to increase competition and prevent price hikes in dairy products market. ….
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas says PA’s persecution of Palestinian fighters “shameful act”
PIC – Hamas denounced the Palestinian Authority for declaring its intention to help the Israelis hunt for two Palestinian young men accused of being involved in the kidnapped of three Jewish settlers.
25 Palestinians kidnapped by IOF at dawn in W. Bank
PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Sunday abducted 25 Palestinian citizens from different areas of the occupied West Bank.
Salahuddin Brigades claim responsibility for rocket attack on Sderot
PIC – Salahuddin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that hit Sderot settlement and set a factory ablaze.
Youth activist slams PA for its indifference to suffering of its citizens
PIC – Coordinator of Youth against Settlement coalition Issa Amro strongly denounced the passivity of the Palestinian Authority towards the daily suffering of its citizens in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israel escalates its violations against Palestinian worshipers in al-Aqsa
PIC – Al-Aqsa Foundation for the Maintenance of Holy Sites revealed in a report the physical assaults on Palestinian detainees held in the Israeli detention centers in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
Three civilians wounded in renewed Israeli aerial aggression against Gaza
PIC – Three Palestinian civilians suffered injuries at dawn Sunday in a renewed wave of Israeli aerial attacks on different areas of the Gaza Strip.
Soldiers Detain Palestinian Under Sun for an Hour for Alleged Rock Throwing
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Israeli Forces Arrest Four, including Teen, in West Bank
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Israel Extends Detention of Ex- Hunger Striker Issawi
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Hamdallah Briefs Head of IMF on Latest Developments
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Israel Re-Opens Allenby Crossing for ‘Hebron’ Passengers
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Settlers Destroy Palestinian-Owned Crops West of Bethlehem
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Israeli Tear Gas Canisters Cause Chicken Farm to Catch Fire
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Israeli Settler Grazes His Cattle on Palestinians’ Crops near Hebron
WAFA – 29 Jun 2014
Netanyahu Says Security Control Is Vital in Any Accord
New York Times 29 Jun 2014 – Pointing to the rise of Islamic extremism, the Israeli prime minister appeared to toughen his requirements, further dimming the prospects for renewed talks.
In Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Mothers Cope With Loss of Sons
New York Times 29 Jun 2014 – Israel’s security crackdown has raised questions about the asymmetry of the violence and the value of lives on both sides.
One Son Missing, Another Dead, and 2 Mothers Across a Divide
New York Times 29 Jun 2014 – The mothers, one Israeli and the other Palestinian, have taken on conspicuous roles in their communities because of their losses.
Flawed Saudi Response Fueled Outbreak of MERS, Middle East Virus
New York Times 29 Jun 2014 – Cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome have more than tripled, leading health experts to cite grave flaws in the way Saudi health officials have handled the crisis.
Op-Ed Contributor: In the Shadow of Lebanon
New York Times 29 Jun 2014 – The lesson Iraq should learn from 15 years of war in Lebanon is that sectarian slaughter resolves almost nothing.
Russian Jets And Experts Sent to Iraq To Aid Army
New York Times 29 Jun 2014 – The experts’ arrival was seen as an implicit rebuke to the United States, where concerns in Congress about the political viability of Iraq’s government have stalled aircraft sales to Iraq.
Opinion: In Iraq and Syria, ISIS Militants Are Flush With Funds
New York Times 28 Jun 2014 – They’re making money off trade, taxes and charity, and we’re not keeping up.
The cost of fear: a night on the West Bank
Mondoweiss – Poster for an Israeli rally on behalf of the settler teens missing in the West Bank Alice Rothchild shared this diary entry with friends from American Jews for a Just Peace and allowed us to run it. We will be publishing other observations from Rothchild in…
Glib, simplistic, and extreme — the world according to Richard Landes
Mondoweiss – Richard Landes Richard A. Landes is an associate professor of history at Boston University. He is an expert on millennial movements and honor-shame culture. He is also a conspiracy theorist who believes that the killing of Mohammad Al-Durrah was staged by Palestinians and sold to a…
Reporters talk about Sykes-Picot of 1916 (and ignore the Balfour Declaration of 1917)
Mondoweiss – Brooke Gladstone, by David Waitz With the blurring of the border between Syria and Iraq by the Sunni militant group ISIS, American journalists have been talking a lot about the Sykes Picot treaty, the secret agreement during World War I between the French and the British…
Shai Piron Apologizes for Saying Same-Sex Couples Not a Family
The Foward Breaking News 29 Jun 2014 – Israeli Education Minister Shai Piron apologized for saying that same-sex couples are not a family. Click here for the rest of the article…
Isis rebels declare ‘caliphate’
BBC 29 Jun 2014 – Islamist militant group Isis declares the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.
Netanyahu Voices Support for Kurdish Independence
The Foward Breaking News 29 Jun 2014 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Kurdish statehood on Sunday, taking a position that appeared to clash with the U.S. preference to keep sectarian war-torn Iraq united. Click here for the rest of the article…
Parents of Kidnapped Teens Visit Site of Abduction
The Foward Breaking News 29 Jun 2014 – The parents of the three kidnapped Israeli teens visited the West Bank junction from where their sons were abducted. Click here for the rest of the article…
Presbyterians Delete Sale of ‘Zionism Unsettled’ From Website
The Foward Breaking News 29 Jun 2014 – The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) removed the sale of an anti-Zionist tract from its website. Click here for the rest of the article…
Algeria coach angry at Ramadan focus
BBC 29 Jun 2014 – Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic refuses to name which of his Muslim players are observing Ramadan during the World Cup.
VIDEO: The Iraqi Christians who refuse to flee
BBC 29 Jun 2014 – As thousands of Iraqi Christians flee the advance of Isis rebels, the BBC’s Quentin Sommerville reports from one town where Christians are refusing to leave.
Turkish secular opposition back little-known presidential candidate
Al-Akhbar News 29 Jun 2014 – Turkey’s Presidential candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, left, speaks with Turkish women at the Haci Bayram mosque after the Friday prayer in Ankara on June 27, 2014. (Photo: AFP – Adem Altan) Turkey’s two main secular opposition parties on Sunday formally backed a little-known presidential candidate to challenge…
Libyan national pleads not guilty in US embassy attack case
Al-Akhbar News 29 Jun 2014 – An alleged Libyan militia leader pleaded not guilty in a US federal court on Saturday to a terrorism charge in the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi that killed four Americans. Ahmad Abu Khatallah was transferred to the US District Court in Washington…
Russia’s military bid in Iraq
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – Moscow is unlikely to do much more than provide arms to Baghdad.
The Syria disconnect in US Iraq policy
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – Iraq welcomes Syrian airstrikes on ISIS; Aleppo’s water crisis.
Rouhani underlines need for greater judicial transparency
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – Iran’s president wages an uphill battle against an anticapitalist ideology which dominated the post-revolutionary era in Iran.
Iran ready to help Iraq fight ISIS militants, general says
Al-Akhbar News 29 Jun 2014 – Iran is ready to help Iraq fight an armed revolt using the same methods it deployed against opposition forces in Syria, an Iranian general said, suggesting Tehran is offering to take a larger role in battling militias threatening Baghdad. Iranian leaders to date have said they…
Israel launches 12 overnight air raids on Gaza Strip, injuring two
Al-Akhbar News 29 Jun 2014 – Israeli air raids hit the Gaza Strip 12 times overnight, wounding two people after rockets fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday hit an industrial zone in in southern Occupied Palestine, setting a building on fire but without causing casualties, police said. The strikes late on…
Jordan manages high debt burden
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – Jordan has been able to maintain economic security in light of a high public debt due in part to foreign assistance from friendly states and international institutions.
Accused kidnappers are rogue Hamas branch
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – The Hebron-based Qawasmeh family may not be under the direct control of Hamas, but its actions have placed Hamas in Israel’s sights with regard to the kidnapping of three Israeli students.
ISIS’s political Islam the latest Arab tragedy
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – After the failure of Arabism, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is starting a new era of strife in the Arab world.
Tunisia should look to sub-Saharan Africa to expand growth
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – In light of the economic and technological boom in many sub-Saharan African countries, Tunisia should expand its trade with this region to achieve growth.
Syrian women refugees suffer in Jordan
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – The violence and abuse suffered by Syrian refugee women in Jordan exacerbates the wider problem of violence against women in the country.
Brahimi: I warned Sistani religious war in Iraq could last 30 years
Al-Monitor 29 Jun 2014 – In the final installment of a three-part interview with Al-Hayat, former UN and Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi addresses the current situation in Iraq and warns of the continuation of regional strife if all parties do not come to an agreement.
Articles
Is search for missing Israeli settlers just a smokescreen?
Asa Winstanley, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 6/27/2014
Two weeks ago, three Israeli settler youths went missing while hitch-hiking in the occupied West Bank. Israel has officially blamed Hamas, Palestine’s Islamic resistance movement. But government officials have offered no evidence of this claim – and Hamas has denied it.
As a rule, Hamas makes a point of declaring responsibility for any involvement in armed activity against Israel. Aside from some dubious anonymous statements by unknown groups, there have been no claims of responsibility.
A military gag order on the Israeli press, published by Mondoweiss this week, means that concrete details about the affair are few and far between. The press is banned from talking a lot about it.
What is well known is that Israel has used the apparent kidnapping to its advantage. Reportedly utilising a plan drawn up well in advance, the Israeli army has for the past fortnight indulged in a
brutal and systematic campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinian civilian population of the West Bank.
At least five Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli army thugs in the course of this campaign. Around 500 Palestinians have been arrested, many detained in “administrative detention” – interned with no prospect of charge or trial, or any solid release date.
Israeli military correspondent Amos Harel admitted last week that “only a small minority” are even suspected by the army of involvement of armed activity. more.. e-mail
’I don’t want my kids to experience a third intifada’
Leanne Gale, +972 Magazine 6/28/2014
The kidnapping of three Israeli teens started a chain of events that has affected people of all stripes, Jewish and Palestinian, and in different places. A reflective diary of the kidnappings, as they touch others.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014, 2:00 p.m.
“I’m parked in front of the market.”
I have no idea what Manal is talking about.
“Do you mean, on the way to Kufr Aqab?”
“No, I live in Kufr Aqab. I am parked in front of the market.”
Alright then. Manal is waiting for me in front of some market somewhere. I hazard a guess that it is indeed on the way to Kufr Aqab, and start walking in the direction of Ramallah from Qalandia checkpoint. We stay on the phone as I describe my surroundings.
“Now I’m passing a café. There are only men inside. There is a gas station on the other side of the road. It looks closed. Wait, no, it’s open.”
Soon enough, I run into a parked car with a woman on her cell phone, smiling in my direction.
“Ahlan! So sorry I was confused!”
“Not to worry, not to worry. Today, you are my guest.”
I shake Manal’s hand and hop into her car, chuckling a bit to myself. I thought I was coming for work. Now I am certain that I will be invited to dinner. What did I expect? more.. e-mail
’Forward’ editor: Compare Israel only to Mideast states
Ami Kaufman, +972 Magazine 6/26/2014
Just because Sisi and Assad are close by doesn’t mean their disgusting policies seep through the border and infiltrate the Israeli system, poisoning our minds. Why not compare ourselves to countries we actually want to be more like? I gotta tell you, I’m really tired of this.
I’m tired of Jewish right wingers in Israel and the U.S. who say things along the lines of, “Christians have it bad here? You should see what goes on next door in Syria and Egypt,” or things like, “you want to talk to me about human rights? Look at how Assad is butchering his own people, then come talk to me.”
Jane Eisner, editor in chief of the Jewish Daily Forward, did just that:
“Channeling Netanyahu (something not easy for me to do) I could understand how the Presbyterian decision could seem biased, hypocritical and, yes, anti-Semitic. Why should Israel be singled out for its treatment of the Palestinians when Christians elsewhere in the region are fleeing for their lives? At the very least, shouldn’t Syria and Iraq and Egypt be boycotted, too?”
First of all – yes. But my question to Eisner and others who use this weak argument is this: why do you always compare Israeli policies to those in its nearby vicinity? If a country is in a certain region, it gets a green light to act in a certain way?
If one can only compare Israeli society to Egypt and Syria, does that mean one can only compare U.S. society to Canada and Mexico? Can one compare French democracy to Australian democracy, or is that way too far? Can British and American societies be compared, even though the Atlantic separates them? more.. e-mail
Photos of the week: Asylum seekers march for freedom in Europe and Israel
Activestills.org, +972 Magazine 6/27/2014
This week: activists in Europe and in Israel’s Holot detention center mark International Refugee Day with marches for asylum seekers’ rights.
Activists carry a banner during the final day of the March for Freedom of migrants, Brussels, Belgium, June 20, 2014. The 500-kilometer protest march held by migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and supporters started in Strasbourg, France, five weeks ago and ended in Brussels for a week of action. The march across Europe demands radical changes in European asylum policy and the rights for all people to move freely. Since 2000, more than 20,000 migrants have died while attempting to reach Europe. (Activestills.org)
An activist shouts slogans during the final day of the March for Freedom of migrants, Brussels, Belgium, June 20, 2014. (Activestills.org)
Activists carry “global passports” during the final day of the March for Freedom of migrants, Brussels, Belgium, June 20, 2014. (Activestills.org)
African asylum seekers jailed in the Holot detention center protest against their detention and mark International Refugee Day, June 20, 2014. (Activestills.org)
Activists carry a banner during a protest in front of the immigration
office (CGRA) in Brussels, Belgium, June 25, 2014. The protest is part of a whole week of activities organized by hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers who established a protest camp in a park in the center of Brussels. (Activestills.org) — See also: Photo diary: Inside ‘Holot’ detention center for asylum seekers more.. e-mail
In photos: Generations of Palestinian exile
Electronic Intifada: 27 Jun 2014 – Photo series depicts a Palestinian refugee child with a grandparent, a first-generation refugee. more..
“freedom”
In Gaza: 24 Jun 2014 – This is a conversation I had with a Homs man earlier in June. Homs, dubbed by the corporate media the “heart of the ‘revolution’…” hear what he says about freedom and the terrorist-rebels: You call for ‘freedom’, so my choice is Bashar al-Assad. This is my choice. ‘No, we must kill you for this choice, because you don’t know….you must die for this choice.’ Filed under: Syriamore
Haj Sami Sadeq and the struggle for Al Aqaba
Palestine Monitor: 28 Jan 2013 – Al Aqaba is a small Palestinian village located in the northern Jordan Valley, home to around 300 residents. Since 1999 Haj Sami Sadeq has been the mayor of this town, facing a constant struggle…more
Elbit: Exporting Oppression from Palestine to Latin America
Dissident Voice: 27 Jun 2014 – Surveillance. It’s in the headlines and on the tips of tongues. As technology offers new possibilities for connection, it also offers new means to keep tabs on people. Surveillance has become seemingly ubiquitous, from the NSA reading emails to drones in the skies. As a nation that has for 66 years been ruling over an indigenous population by force, one of the main countries practicing surveillance is Israel. And it is the Israeli defense industry that has been reaping the profits off of the oppression and surveillance of the Palestinian people. One of the top occupation profiteers in Israel is the defense firm Elbit Systems. The largest non-governmental defense company in the country, its revenue stood at $2.83 billion in 2010. Using knowledge and expertise gained from assisting in the occupation of Palestine, Elbit has made millions exporting surveillance and defense materiel worldwide – and increasingly so to Latin America….more
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel – www.vtjp.org
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The New Dark Age 