8 August 2014 — VTJP
News
International Middle East Media Center
Foreign Journalists Refuse to Meet Netanyahu’s Expectations
IMEMC – Foreign correspondents covering Gaza have rejected Israeli PM Netanyahu’s allegations regarding their reports, which have been described as “unbalanced” and “biased” towards Palestinians due to pressure exerted by Hamas. …
Five Palestinians Killed, At Least 31 Injured, Friday
IMEMC – The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported that Israeli missiles and shells in the Gaza Strip have killed five Palestinians, Friday, while at least 31 have been injured. …
Child Killed, Eleven Injured, In Renewed Israeli Bombardment Of Gaza
IMEMC – The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that a Palestinian child was killed, and at least eleven Palestinians have been injured after the Israeli army continued its bombardment of Gaza on Friday. …
Israel Resumes Gaza Strikes
IMEMC – Israel has once again resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip, following a failed attempt by Cairo negotiators at extending the 72-hour ceasefire beyond the 8am deadline, Friday. …
Demands Israel Has Accepted, And Rejected
IMEMC – The following is a list of Palestinian demands presented to Israel by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, during indirect talks held in Egypt between Israeli and Palestinians teams, as published by al-Watan News: …
Truce Ends, Rockets Fired at Israel
IMEMC – As the 72-hour temporary truce comes to an unsatisfactory end, with Israel failing to meet demands presented by negotiators in Cairo, Palestinian resistance in Gaza has fired a number of rockets into Israel within minutes of the ceasefire’s expiration. …
Al-Qassam: “No Ceasefire Without Adhering To Our Legitimate Demands”
IMEMC – Video – On Thursday August 7: The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, stated in a video published on August 7th, that any ceasefire and truce agreement that does not including accepting the legitimate basic Palestinian demands, including lifting the siege and establishing a port, will not be accepted by all armed resistance factions in the coastal region. …
Reality of Gaza Destruction Haunts Families and Children Amid Ceasefire
IMEMC – UNICEF – JERUSALEM, 7 August 2014 – As the three-day ceasefire in Gaza draws to a close, families are struggling to cope with the aftermath of 28 days of violence and destruction that has left an estimated 65,000 people homeless. …
Palestinians flee homes as truce ends, rockets fired at Israel
8/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (AFP) — All Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip have refused to extend a three-day truce with Israel, Hamas said Friday, as the ceasefire ended.”All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because (Israel) is refusing to accommodate our demands, but negotiations continue in Cairo,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP. A Palestinian official said Hamas and Islamic…. Related: Hamas: No clear Israel response to demands
Child killed as Israel resumes airstrikes across Gaza
8/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli warplanes struck multiple targets across the Gaza Strip on Friday after a 72-hour ceasefire agreement ended at 8 a. m, killing a child and injuring 15 Palestinians. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said Ibrahim Zuheir al-Dawawseh, 10, was killed and five others injured in an Israeli strike on a mosque in the Sheikh al-Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City….
Palestinian child killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City
8/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian child was killed on Friday as Israel targeted a mosque in Gaza City, marking the first casualty since a ceasefire agreement ended at 8 a. m. Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said that Ibrahim Zuheir al-Dawawseh, 10, was killed and five others injured in an Israeli strike on a mosque in the Sheikh al-Radwan neighborhood. [END]
Israeli airstrikes hit homes in eastern Gaza City, al-Zaytoun
8/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israeli airstrikes hit a number of homes in eastern Gaza City and in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City on Friday afternoon. [END]
4 Palestinians injured by live fire in Qalqiliya clashes
8/8/2014 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Four Palestinians were injured with live fire on Friday during clashes with Israeli forces in the Qalqiliya villages of Azzun and Kafr Qaddum. Younis Muhammad Salah Adwan, 19, was shot in the waist in Azzun and critically injured, medics said. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. In Kafr Qaddum, Asaad Shteiwi was shot in the back, Ahmad Aqel….
3 more killed in Gaza despite unofficial ceasefire
8/8/2014 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — Israeli forces launched an airstrike on al-Qarara in the Gaza Strip that killed three Palestinians on Friday afternoon in the middle of an “unofficial” ceasefire that was due to last until 8 p. m. The deaths brought the total Palestinian death toll in the month-long assault to 1,898 with more than 9,825 injured. Sources close to talks in Egypt had told….
7 injured in clashes with Israeli forces in Safa near Ramallah
8/8/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Seven Palestinians were injured on Friday afternoon when Israeli forces opened fire on demonstrators in the village of Safa near Ramallah protesting on the anniversary of the killing of a local youth the week before. The large rally in the central West Bank village began from the local mosque and moved toward the separation wall as it passes through the village…. Related: Israeli forces kill Palestinian during protest near Ramallah
40 injured in clashes with Israeli forces in Hebron
8/8/2014 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — At least 40 Palestinians were injured in central Hebron on Friday afternoon as Israeli forces dispersed hundreds taking part in rallies condemning the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza as well as the Israeli occupation. Sources at the Red Crescent said that 25 Palestinians had been shot with live fire and 15 with rubber-coated steel bullets during the clashes, and the injured….
Another casualty of Israeli war: Palestinian right to education
8/8/2014 – 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 and Samer Abdelnour. Aimee Shalan is the director of the Friends of Birzeit University, a UK-based charity that supports the right to education and its role in the wider development of Palestinian….
Rocket sirens heard in Eshkol
8/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Rocket sirens were heard in Eshkol in southern Israel on Friday afternoon. [END]
Israeli soldier, civilian injured in rocket strike
8/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Israeli military on Friday said that an Israeli soldier and a civilian were injured in a rocket strike on Sdot Negev in southern Israel. The rocket strike came after a 72-hour ceasefire ended at 8 a. m. after Palestinian factions said Israel refused conditions calling for the lifting of the blockade of Gaza for a long-term ceasefire agreement. The…. Related: Gaza rocket hits Sderot home
Gaza rocket hits Sderot home
8/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Israeli military on Friday said that a rocket from Gaza hit a home in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. The military said in a statement that 45 rockets had been fired as of 3:45 p. m. [END]
Palestinians, 2 Israeli soldiers wounded in clashes near Ramallah
8/8/2014 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Six Palestinian were injured with rubber-coated steel bullets and 2 Israeli soldiers were wounded in clashes near Ofer detention center west of Ramallah. A group of Palestinians headed to the detention center in a protest in support of Gaza, and they threw rocks and empty glass bottles, hitting two Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces in turn fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear…. Related: Israeli forces kill Palestinian during protest near Ramallah and 7 injured in clashes with Israeli forces in Safa near Ramallah
Islamic Jihad blames Israel for ceasefire failure
8/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Islamic Jihad’s military wing on Friday blamed Israel for the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement which end on Friday. The al-Quds Brigades said Israel “ended the temporary ceasefire by not accepting Palestinian demands.” [END]
Official: Israel PM orders ‘forceful’ retaliation to Gaza fire
8/8/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to retaliate after rocket attacks by Palestinian fighters followed the end of a three-day truce on Friday, an official said.” The Israeli prime minister and defense minister have ordered the IDF to retaliate forcefully to the Hamas breach of the ceasefire,” an official said in a statement. Islamic Jihad, the PRC, and a Fatah….
Hamas: No clear Israel response to demands
8/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Israel did not provide a clear response to the Palestinian ceasefire conditions, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Friday as truce talks stalled in Cairo. At a news conference in Gaza City, Abu Zuhri said that the lack of response undermined Palestinian demands and that “Israeli stubbornness led to not extending the ceasefire.”A 3-day ceasefire expired Friday morning…. Related: Palestinians flee homes as truce ends, rockets fired at Israel and Negotiator says not leaving Cairo until truce agreed
26 Gaza detainees being held in Ashkelon prison
8/8/2014 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Twenty-six Palestinians who were detained during the Israeli offensive on Gaza are being held for interrogation in Ashkelon prison, a lawyer for the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoner Affairs said on Friday. Dozens were released after being detained for a few days, while others were still being kept for interrogation, the lawyer said. The Israel army previously admitted that 159 Palestinians….
Negotiator says not leaving Cairo until truce agreed
8/8/2014 – CAIRO (Ma’an) — The head of the Palestinian negotiations team in Cairo Azzam al-Ahmad said Friday that the delegation will not leave Cairo until a final agreement is reached. Al-Ahmad said after meeting the Palestinian delegation that “we are not with the escalation and we are willing to continue negotiations through our Egyptian brothers to achieve a final agreement that returns our rights.”He…. Related: Hamas: No clear Israel response to demands
Tens of thousands in Jordan celebrate ‘Gaza victory’
8/8/2014 – AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Jordanians celebrated on Friday the “Gaza victory” in the war against Israel, at a rally organised by the Islamist opposition. Muslim Brotherhood chief Hammam Said said that around half a million people attended the rally in Tabarbur, east of the Jordanian capital, while a security official put the number at more than 100,000. Demonstrators waved Palestinian and Jordanian….
Analysis: Hamas plays dangerous poker game in Cairo
8/8/2014 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Limited skirmishes or a new round of killing? Friday’s resumption of hostilities may see Hamas overplay its hand in a dangerous poker game that could plunge Gaza back into chaos, analysts said. Palestinian militants fired two rockets at Israel in the final hours of a 72-hour truce and followed it up with dozens more as Israel hit back with unrelenting…. Related: Hamas: No clear Israel response to demands
US hopes for new Gaza ceasefire in ‘coming hours’
8/8/2014 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States voiced hope Friday that Israel and Hamas would reach a new truce shortly after Palestinian militants ended a 72-hour ceasefire.” Our hope is that the parties will agree to an extension of the ceasefire in the coming hours,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. [END]
HRW says Jordan deporting Palestinian refugees from Syria
8/8/2014 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Syria to Jordan are being returned against their will to the war-torn country, a new Human Rights Watch report alleges. The report, released on Thursday and entitled “Not Welcome: Jordan’s Treatment of Palestinians Escaping Syria,” said that Jordan has refused entry to Palestinians trying to escape Syria since Jan. 2013, and has “forcibly deported….
Military: Al-Qaeda executes 15 Yemen soldiers
8/8/2014 – ADEN, Yemen (AFP) — Al-Qaeda militants abducted and executed on Friday 15 Yemeni soldiers in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, a military official said. The latest bloodshed comes a day after 11 suspected Al-Qaeda militants and four Yemeni soldiers were killed Thursday in attacks on two army posts in the restive province. The soldiers were in a bus when they were ambushed “by an Al-Qaeda commando….
US strikes IS targets in Iraq with drones and jets
8/8/2014 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — US forces launched a second wave of air strikes against Islamic extremists near Arbil in northern Iraq on Friday, destroying a militant convoy and two mortar teams, the Pentagon said. Shortly after 1400 GMT, US drones destroyed a mortar position and killed a group of militants. Just over an hour later four F/A-18 jets hit a seven-vehicle Islamic State convoy with….
Gaza fighting resumes after ceasefire ends
AlJazeera 8 Aug 2014 – Ten-year-old child killed in Gaza City, while three others died following a drone strike in Khan Younis.
International Solidarity Movement
Returning to Beit Hanoun
8/8/2014 – International Solidarity Movement – Charlie Andreasson, Gaza, Occupied Palestine – We went back to Beit Hanoun almost two weeks after the Israeli military held us captive in the hospital and shelled it for 13 hours. It was the second day of the 72 hours ceasefire, and there was far more traffic on the roads and streets than there had been during the last four weeks, and there were far more….
occupied Palestinian territory: Gaza Crisis: What is happening?
Relief Web 8 Aug 2014 – Source: HelpAge International Country: occupied Palestinian territory The hostilities that erupted in Gaza on 8 July have caused a humanitarian crisis affecting most of the 1.8 million people in Gaza including over 110,000 older women and men. Over 2,000 people…
occupied Palestinian territory: Gaza: People cannot bear one more day of fighting
Relief Web 8 Aug 2014 – Source: Handicap International Country: occupied Palestinian territory The three day ceasefire in Gaza allowed Handicap International and its partners to initiate essential relief operations, but these operations are now compromised by the resumption of the combat. At the end of…
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of): Palestinian children arrive in Venezuela in the coming hours
Relief Web 8 Aug 2014 – Source: Government of Venezuela Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Caracas, 08 Ago. AVN.- Minister for Foreign Affairs, Elias Jaua, envisages that the first Palestinian children victims of Israeli aggression, could be arriving in Venezuela in the coming…
Erdogan covers all voter bases in presidential election
The National 8 Aug 2014 – Turkish prime minister appears to have won support from extremes of political spectrum by appealing to both Kurds and nationalists.
Afghan presidential rivals sign deal on unity government
The National 8 Aug 2014 – Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani agree to form a unity government regardless of who wins election after vote audit.
Ten-year-old among first deaths as truce breaks down in Gaza
The National 8 Aug 2014 – Israel launches airstrikes and rockets fired from Gaza as talks in Cairo fail to extend a 72-hour respite for territory’s battered residents.
US jets strike at Islamic State militants in northern Iraq
The National 8 Aug 2014 – US president authorised military intervention to protect US interests and prevent “genocide” of minorities targeted by Islamists.
Ebola epidemic an international health emergency: WHO
The National 8 Aug 2014 – The Geneva-based United Nations health agency said the possible consequences of further international spread of the outbreak, which has killed almost 1,000 people in four West African countries, are ‘particularly serious’ in view of the virulence of the virus.
Ex-PM Hariri returns to Lebanon after three-year exile
The National 8 Aug 2014 – Former premier Saad Hariri arrived back in Lebanon Friday after three years in self-imposed exile, and went straight into a meeting with current Prime Minister Tammam Salam, his office said.
Parents of India gang rape victim slam fashion shoot that evokes attack
The National 8 Aug 2014 – The series of pictures, The Wrong Turn, showed a young woman in different outfits, fending off a group of young men on a bus. The pictures have been removed from the site.
In pictures: The Ebola crisis
The National 8 Aug 2014 – West Africa’s raging epidemic of Ebola virus is an “extraordinary event” and now constitutes an international health risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.
Rockets fired as Israel-Hamas truce expires
The National 8 Aug 2014 – Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip resumed rocket fire into Israel on Friday after Egyptian-mediated talks in Cairo failed to extend a 72-hour truce in a month-long war.
In pictures: Balloon fiesta in Bristol, England
The National 8 Aug 2014 – Over 120 hot air balloons depart from Aston Court in a mass ascent on the first full day of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on August 8, 2014 in Bristol, England.
Obama authorises limited air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq
The National 8 Aug 2014 – President Barack Obama said on Thursday he had authorised US air strikes to blunt the onslaught of Islamist militants in northern Iraq and began airdrops of supplies to besieged religious minorities to prevent a ‘potential act of genocide’.
Starbucks: We don’t provide financial support to Israel
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Starbucks: We don’t provide financial support to Israel
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Thousand rally for Hamas in Jordan
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
LIVE UPDATES: Palestinians say 5 killed in Gaza; rocket fire on south continues
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
South Africa warns citizens it may prosecute those serving in the IDF
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
22-year-old Palestinian shot dead in West Bank clashes
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Israeli director and producer Menahem Golan dies at 85
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Islamic State reportedly captures hundreds of Yazidi women
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Foreign press: Hamas didn’t censor us in Gaza, they were nowhere to be found
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Foreign press: Hamas didn’t censor us in Gaza, they were nowhere to be found
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
After U.S. strikes, France, Germany call for action in Iraq
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Lana Del Rey postpones Tel Aviv concert amid Gaza fighting
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
U.S. hits Islamic State target in Iraq, in first airstrike since 2011 pullout
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Ten years on, Athens 2004 gives Greece little reason for cheer
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Ebola outbreak is global public health emergency, says WHO
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Haaretz files police complaint about fake article circulated online
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
An insane alliance: Israel and Egypt against Gaza
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Tricycle controversy: Why Jews don’t do boycotts
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
The war that comes after the Gaza war
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Chief military rabbi made strong impact during Gaza war
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Minister demands subsidy back after director classifies film as Palestinian
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
IDF’s special canine unit filled key functions in Gaza
Ha’aretz – 8 Aug 2014
Post-war: Netanyahu is loved by the public, but imprisoned by his coalition
Ha’aretz – 7 Aug 2014
The Israeli military rabbi found an important role in Gaza war
Ha’aretz – 7 Aug 2014
Gaza war gives massive boost to boycott Israel apps
Ha’aretz – 7 Aug 2014
Hacking attempts on Israeli targets increased five-fold during Gaza war
Ha’aretz – 7 Aug 2014
Ex-Shin Bet chief Diskin slams army, government for declaring end to Gaza operation
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – There is growing anger among Israelis in the south over the fact that promises the security situation would improve have gone unmet.
IDF kills Palestinian youth in clashes near Ramallah
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Palestinian reports indicate that a 22-year-old West Bank resident was shot dead by Israeli forces during a protest near Ramallah on Friday.
US ‘very concerned’ about Gaza developments, condemns rocket fire on Israel
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Palestinians continued firing rockets into Israel and the IDF resumed targeting Hamas and other terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip as a cease-fire in the south remained elusive.
Five Palestinians dead, at least 30 hurt as IAF strikes terrorist targets in Gaza
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Netanyahu orders IDF to respond forcefully to Hamas rocket attacks after the organization renews fighting because its demands were not met.
Sderot mayor blasts Ya’alon as ‘resounding failure’ for continued Gaza rocket fire
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – “Hamas doesn’t feel that it has been defeated, and it has no fear of the IDF,” Alon Davidi said. “It also is not deterred by the IDF.”
Lana Del Rey’s Tel Aviv show postponed due to Gaza crisis
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Pop star was scheduled to perform in Israel for the first time at the Trade Fairs and Convention Center on August 20th.
When the skies fell quiet
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – It was only 72 hours, but those three days of cease-fire between Israel and Hamas felt like another world.
US aircraft strikes Islamic State targets in northern Iraq
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery piece near Arbil, the Pentagon said.
Right, left call for strong response to renewed Hamas rocket fire
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Lawmakers from across the political spectrum weigh in on the appropriate response to renewed aggression by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli delegation leaves Egypt; Gazans flee eastern neighborhoods, again
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – Palestinian fear Israeli airstrikes in retaliation as Hamas renews rocket fire on Israel following the end of a 3-day truce.
Hamas renews rocket attacks against Israel as cease-fire ends
Jerusalem Post 8 Aug 2014 – After 72 hours of relative quiet, the bilateral cease-fire ends without an extension deal; rocket fire from Gaza resumes with barrage on southern Israel from Gaza.
MDA urges adherence to safety rules to prevent drowning
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – During Operation Protective Edge, five people drowned throughout the country.
Obama orders strikes against ISIS in Iraq, citing threat of genocide
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – Obama orders military action to protect religious minority under mass threat and US personnel at risk, air drops humanitarian aide.
Reporter: Gazans only want us to show damage, not shooting
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – Christian Stephen, who reported out of Gaza: “Any journalist who professes to observe without bias, feeling or fear is a liar.”
Battalion commander tells ‘Post’ how reservists uncovered tunnels under fire
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – Combat Engineering Battalion went to work, under grueling heat, to track down and destroy Hamas’s tunnels.
US begins airdrop of aid in Iraq as ISIS threatens massacre
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – Cargo planes, fighter jets over Iraq in humanitarian operation to protect religious minorities attempting to flee Sunni Islamists.
Back from Gaza, troops talk of a tougher Hamas and feelings of a job unfinished
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – Something has changed in Gaza since the last time troops were sent there to fight.
Moral myopia
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – While Hamas’s leadership goes underground, the civilian population is not only deprived of bomb shelters, it is purposely exposed to the fighting.
MY WORD: Beating the heat of the summer
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – In Israel, it’s been a summer full of love in the face of hatred.
Another Tack: Some truly hated truths
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – The truth is that the world favors a one-sided war in which Arabs inflict punishment on Israelis but expect none back.
COLUMN ONE: Obama’s new plan for Hamas
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – Obama supports Hamas’s extortionist demands from Israel and Egypt to open Gaza’s borders in order to enable the terror group to resupply and rebuild its terror infrastructure.
Security sources: Israel to respond with force if Hamas resumes rocket fire
Jerusalem Post 7 Aug 2014 – PM, defense minister instruct IDF to prepare for all scenarios as terror group threatens to restart projectile attacks if Israel doesn’t meet Hamas terms before temporary cease-fire expires Friday morning.
Rockets fired from Gaza as ceasefire expires with no deal on extension
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Situation tense as Cairo talks remain deadlocked with Hamas insisting Israeli blockade must end to secure lasting truce At least 10 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel after Hamas refused to extend a 72-hour…
The international criminal court can investigate potential crimes in Gaza
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – The United Nations general assembly’s decision to grant Palestine observer-state status means the ICC has jurisdiction to investigate allegations of crimes In his opinion piece dated 7 August 2014, Joshua Rozenberg criticised the Bar Human Rights…
Isis looms over Gaza sideshow | @guardianletters
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Giles Fraser’s report on Gideon Levy and the enthusiasm of 95% of Israelis for crushing Hamas in Gaza ( Report , 7 August) is not merely “depressing” but truly alarming for Israel’s future not just for its commitment…
Gaza crisis: a closer look at Israeli strikes on UNRWA schools
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – UN-run schools acting as civilian shelters have been hit seven times during Israels Gaza offensive. We catalogue them in detail As the conflict in Gaza deepened, tens of thousands and then hundreds of thousands of Palestinians…
The Guardian view on Gaza and the rise of antisemitism | Editorial
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Attacks on synagogues, Jewish shops and individuals even children are rising. They are inexcusable The board of Londons Tricycle Theatre delivered an ultimatum to the organisers of the UK Jewish Film Festival , which it has hosted…
World in a week: hundreds dead in southwest China earthquake
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – 4-8 August: Catch up with all the development-related news you may have missed this week Raudhatul Jannah , an Indonesian Tsunami survivor who was reunited with her parents after nearly ten years . The 2004 disaster swept the…
Gaza conflict: talks continue in Cairo as rockets fly in both directions
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Five Palestinians have been killed since the 72-hour ceasefire ended on Friday morning Talks are continuing in Cairo in a desperate bid to end renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel resumed air strikes…
Weekly highlights: summer memories, Eisteddfod and young Londoners
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Weve been getting such great contributions from our readers that we want to share them on our blog. Here are some of this weeks highlights Last week marked the start of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with…
Please dont tell me what I should think about Israel | Hadley Freeman
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – To a liberal American Jew in Britain, the Gaza crisis reveals some very unsavoury attitudes among those on the left What a strange, Alice-through-the-looking-glass time it is to be a liberal American Jew in Britain. When…
Gaza conflict: Hamas far from disabled after weeks of fighting
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Even top-end estimates of casualties are but a fraction of the strength of Hamas’ military brigades and other groups Gaza: a close look at Israeli strikes on UNRWA schools The last time Daoud saw his…
Why are the Arab Gulf countries silent on Gaza? | Habiba Hamid
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – Instead of aiming their diplomatic guns at each other, the Gulf states must use their influence to shore up support for Gaza After hopes of a lasting truce fade again today, the intense pressure on Gaza…
The Times refuses to carry ad accusing Hamas of ‘child sacrifice’
The Guardian 8 Aug 2014 – But The Guardian has agreed to run the advert on Monday The Times is under attack for refusing to run an advert about the conflict in Gaza. The paper is accused of being part of a…
Latin America Closes Ranks in Solidarity with the People of Gaza
IPS A Jul. 2 march in Caracas in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Similar protests, with signs reading “We are all Palestine”, have been held in other Latin American capitals since Jul. 8. Credit: Raúl Límaco/IPS By Humberto Márquez CARACAS, Aug 7 2014 (IPS) Latin…
Israel Bites Hand that Feeds, U.S. Feeds Hand that Bites
IPS Samantha Power (left), United States Permanent Representative to the U.N., speaks with Ron Prosor, Permanent Representative of Israel, in the Security Council Chamber after the Council held a midnight emergency session on the conflict in Gaza, Jul. 28. Credit: UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Aug 7 2014 (…
A different Arab-Israeli war but will it end differently?
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 28, 2014 -Despite all the rhetoric about the Palestinian issue, such as it being “the Arab s first cause”; the central, principal, existential and mother of causes; the initiator of revolutions and coups; and the justification for astronomical military…
Syria News – July 27 , 2014
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27 , 2014- By the end of today Sunday, LCC has documented the fall of 41 martyrs including 4 women and 3 children. There were 14 martyrs reported in Aleppo, 8 in Hama, 6 in Damascus and its suburbs, 6…
On the 20th Day of the Israeli Offensive: During Declared Humanitarian Truce, Medical and Defense Crews Have Access to Areas Invaded by Israeli Forces; Israeli Forces Cause Extensive Damage to These Areas; Dozens of Corpses of Palestinian Recovered
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014 – At approximately 08:00 on Saturday, 26 July 2014, a 12-hour humanitarian truce was declared, and was then extended for an additional 4 hours. During the truce, Palestinian civilians rushed to buy foodstuffs and basic needs. Medical…
Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian boys during West Bank protests
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014 – -Israeli forces shot dead a 17-year-old boy on Thursday and a 14-year-old boy on Friday, as thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank marched in solidarity with Gaza. Clashes took place at Qalandia checkpoint when thousands…
The Double Standard That Police Display Toward Protests in Support of Palestinians
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014 – Thousands of people have been demonstrating in support of Palestinians and against Israel s assault on Gaza in major cities across the United States. Police have shown some willingness to facilitate protests, but organizers have also…
Hezbollah chief s nephew killed in border battle
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014 -The nephew of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed Saturday morning in a clash between party members and Syrian rebels on the outskirts of Arsal along the Lebanese-Syrian border…Hezbollah fighters in recent weeks have been locked…
Fallujah Terrorized by Iraqi Army s Use of Barrel Bombs
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – JUly 27, 2014 -In the evenings, the residents of Fallujah wait for the terror of the Iraqi helicopters that have been raining primitive but deadly barrel bombs that Baghdad has resorted to in its bid to recapture the city from…
Here s Why Libya Is Burning-Again
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014- Have you been following events in Libya closely? No, of course you haven t. Since the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi, we ve scarcely discussed Libya except in the context of a predictable partisan effort to affix blame…
Wisam Shuheibar relates how a missile killed his 8-year-old daughter and her cousins while feeding pigeons on the roof
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014 -My wife and I have four children. We live in the same building as my brother Tareq, my father and my sisters. My brothers Yasser, Issam and Muhammad live nearby.On Thursday, 17 July 2014, just after 5:00…
American Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza In Gaza, US Citizens are Paying Israel s Tab
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014 -A riveting letter is making its rounds from Dr. Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor volunteering in Palestine. In it, Dr. Gilbert describes his first-hand account of Israel s boots on the ground in Gaza – the sounds…
Twitter, Gaza, gender, power: Language and the steel of bulldozers
Uruknet 8 Aug 2014 – July 27, 2014- …There are not words capable of characterizing the outrageousness of this latest Israeli assault. There is no language equal to the suffering and devastation being wrought upon the people of Gaza.In describing the victims — as children,…
US official: US launches second round of airstrikes on targets near Irbil, Iraq
Daily Star 8 Aug 2014 US official: US launches second round of airstrikes on targets near Irbil, Iraq.
Al-Qaeda executes 15 Yemen soldiers: military
Daily Star 8 Aug 2014 Al-Qaeda militants abducted and executed on Friday 15 Yemeni soldiers in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, a military official said.
US hopes for new Gaza ceasefire in ‘coming hours’
Daily Star 8 Aug 2014 The United States voiced hope Friday that Israel and Hamas would reach a new truce shortly after Palestinian militants ended a 72-hour ceasefire.
Italy expels imam over anti-Semitic comments
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – Raoudi Albdelbar reported to have said, ‘Oh Allah, count them one by one and kill them to the very last one,’ during sermon at mosque near Venice. ….
US military aircraft hit more Islamic State targets in Iraq
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – ….
Hamas – a wounded animal in Gaza
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – With Hamas’ demands left unanswered in Cairo, the group was forced to launch a fresh round of rocket attacks in an attempt to save face, salvage a semblance of achievement. ….
Hamas’ imaginary victory in Gaza war
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – Op-ed: The military balance in the recent round is so clearly in favor of Israel, that it cannot be concealed by any ‘victory image.’ ….
Fatah senior al-Ahmad: No concessions on seaport, airport
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – ….
Legendary Israeli director, producer Menahem Golan dies at 85
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – ….
Palestinian killed in clashes with IDF in West Bank
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – ….
White House urges parties to reach Gaza ceasefire
YNet News, 8 Aug 2014 – ….
Palestinian Information Center
The sons of mendacity
PIC – The sons of mendacity are Zionist thugs such as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Elie Wiesel, the self-righteous American-Jewish pig who openly advocates Palestinian ethnic cleansing.
Israeli interrogators torture Jordanian citizen to death in Tel Aviv
PIC – A Jordanian citizen working in Tel Aviv was reportedly killed under torture by Israeli interrogators following his detention on allegations of his illegal stay in Israel.
Pro-Gaza rally in Haifa
PIC – A solidarity march has been organized in Haifa on Thursday in protest at Israel’s military aggression against Gaza and its mass killing of Palestinian civilians.
14 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza
PIC – At least 14 Palestinian journalists and news reporters were killed while dozens sustained severe wounds in 30 days of massive Israeli attacks on the densely-populated Gaza Strip.
10-year-old child first casualty of Israel’s resumption of Gaza offensive
PIC – A 10-year-old Palestinian child was killed while 11 others were wounded in a wave of Israeli air strikes on different targets in the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday morning.
Amnesty International: The Israeli army deliberately attacked Gaza hospitals
PIC – Amnesty International stated on Thursday that there is a mounting evidence of deliberate attacks against hospitals and medical personnel in Gaza by the Israeli army.
Hamas denies Israeli claims of firing two rockets at Eshkol
PIC – Israeli sources claimed that two rockets were fired on Eshkol settlement Friday morning as the three-day cease-fire in the Gaza conflict came to an end.
Netanyahu: The fighting in Gaza has not ended
PIC – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened on Thursday to respond with force to the resistance fire from Gaza once the truce ends at 8:00 o’clock on Friday morning.
Al-Aqsa director warns of Israeli control over al-Aqsa gates
PIC – Director of al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani has warned of the serious repercussions to be generated by the closure of the Aqsa Mosque’s gates by the Israeli occupation police.
At War Blog: A Letter to the President, and a Well-Timed Response
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – In June, a Marine Corps veteran who was a judge advocate during the Vietnam War wrote to President Obama, expressing concern that militants’ advances in northern Iraq might prompt the United States to send troops back there. The response he received seemed prescient.
Diplomatic Memo: Iraq Strikes Seen as Giving Putin Pretext in Ukraine
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – If Russia sends forces into Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin can point to the American intervention in Iraq as justification for protecting a population under siege.
U.S. Warplanes Strike Militants in Iraq
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – American jets bombed Sunni militant positions in northern Iraq on Friday, the Pentagon said, confirming the first significant American military operation in the country since 2011.
Cease-Fire in Gaza Expires, and Strikes Resume
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – Hamas fired a barrage of rockets while Israel struck back and said it would not negotiate under fire and the U.N. secretary general expressed disappointment.
A Boy at Play in Gaza, an Israeli Missile, a Mourning Family
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – Hundreds gathered to mourn Ibrahim Dawawsa, 10, the first casualty in the latest chapter of the battle between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Op-Ed Contributors: Israel’s Hard Choice on Hamas
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – To tackle the violence, Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel must defy his right-wing allies.
World Briefing: Lebanon: Militants Begin to Leave Town
New York Times 8 Aug 2014 – Militants from Syria who overran a Lebanese town mostly withdrew across the rugged hills separating the two countries as a cease-fire appeared to hold Thursday.
News Analysis: Obama, With Reluctance, Returns to Action in Iraq
New York Times 7 Aug 2014 – After months of resisting sending Americans to fight ISIS, President Obama on Thursday night found himself exactly where he did not want to be.
Rockets Break Gaza Cease-Fire
New York Times 7 Aug 2014 – Just hours before a 72-hour cease-fire was set to expire early Friday, two rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Obama Allows Limited Airstrikes on ISIS
New York Times 7 Aug 2014 – President Obama announced that he had authorized targeted American airstrikes against militants in Iraq, scrambling to avert the fall of the Kurdish capital. He also said that U.S. aircraft has dropped aid for tens of thousands of Iraqis trapped on a mountain range.
Israeli Procedure Reignites Old Debate
New York Times 7 Aug 2014 – The Israeli military’s “Hannibal procedure” is intended to prevent captors from getting away with their captives, even at the risk of endangering the lives of the captured Israeli soldiers.
Jim Frederick Dies at 42, Journalist Wrote Book About Iraq War Crime
New York Times 7 Aug 2014 – Mr. Fredrick, a former editor and correspondent for Time Inc., explored the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl by four American soldiers and the psychological state of the men involved.
Jihadists Rout Kurds in North and Seize Strategic Iraqi Dam
New York Times 7 Aug 2014 – The dam supplies electricity for a large region of northern Iraq, including the city of Mosul. Its capture has alarmed residents, already fleeing their homes from advancing Sunni extremists.
Gaza 2014 has clarified the international struggle
Mondoweiss – Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who has said, Israel today, Israel tomorrow, Israel forever. Telling the truth Five years ago I attended a conference in Boston entitled “One State for Palestine/Israel.” It was March 2009. Gaza was still smoldering from Operation Cast Lead , in which 1400 Palestinians were killed…
‘Day of rage’ tomorrow: Palestinian resistance ‘starts with the tongue’
Mondoweiss – Predictably, Israel rejected Hamas’ demands “ that Israel agree in principle to end Gaza’s border closure and allow the rebuilding of Gaza” ending a 3 day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that elapsed today at 8 A.M. this morning. Attacks have resumed. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement has…
With friends like these…
Mondoweiss – Obama on his birthday, in the White House meeting with advisers. Photo by Pete Souza of White House Both these stories have been around for days, and most of you know about them, but I wanted to make a record of them, and stick them together:…
American woman abandons liberal Zionist group after hearing Palestinian describe slaughter of six family members
Mondoweiss – Last night at the Judson Memorial Church in New York, Amer Shurrab, a Palestinian studying in the United States, described the murders of his relatives in Gaza by Israeli soldiers. In the video above, he opens by relating the killings of four cousins during Israel’s “Operation…
When the smoke clears in Gaza
Mondoweiss – Smoke billowing from buildings following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. (Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP/Getty Images) “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians” –Nelson Mandela Israel’s illegal, genocidal war on the people of Gaza has the characteristics of…
Despite potential groundswell, Congress reluctant to recognize Palestinian rights
Mondoweiss – Rep. Keith Ellison, left , outside of the briefing room in Rayburn House Office Building. (Photo: Sam Knight) If the polls are to be believed, the days of unconditional US support for Israel are numbered. Younger American voters are increasingly blaming the IDF for the wanton havoc…
How many Israeli civilians have been attacked from the Gaza tunnels? Any?
Mondoweiss – New York Times reporter in tunnel, from her facebook page Here is the latest front in the war of information over Gaza. Israel and its apologists assert that the Gazan tunnels were designed to attack Israel civilians. –This pro-Israel site says that Hamas fighters were planning…
Reviving Our Heroes: Challenging Palestinian dehumanization
Mondoweiss – Screenshot from Humanize Palestine The bodies of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Fraenkel, and Eyal Yifrah, three Israeli settlers, who went missing on June 12th, were found in the West Bank village of Halhoul. The names, ages and pictures of these three Israeli youth quickly circulated all over…
‘Cooking is my politics’: Rawia Bishara’s Middle Eastern food is all about spreading culture
Mondoweiss – Rawia Bishara, owner of Tanoreen and author of Olives, Lemons and Za’atar. (Photo via Institute for Middle East Understanding) When out-of-town friends pop in to Brooklyn for a visit and ask where they should go to eat, I have one answer for them: Tanoreen . The restaurant…
‘A blind evil rage that increased forever, day and night’ –Mads Gilbert on Operation Protective Edge
Mondoweiss – The Israeli war is a war against the spirit of Palestinian resistance. How would Norwegians feel if the occupier had never left in 1945 but had stayed for decades, taking their land and confining the indigenous on lean land, says Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert on returning…
Col. Ofer Winter: Poster Boy for IDF’s New Dirty 200
Tikun Olam – Col. Winter’s genocidal battle plan for Operation Protective Edge After Operation Cast Lead, peace activists prepared a list of 200 IDF officers who played major roles in the sowing the killing fields of Gaza with blood. I’m hoping someone is right now preparing a similar list…
Surgeon Dr Mads Gilbert Gives A Powerful Speech About Gaza After Returning Home To Norway
Sabbah report 8 Aug 2014 – The heart of the Earth beats in Gaza now. It bleeds, but it beats. The post: Surgeon Dr Mads Gilbert Gives A Powerful Speech About Gaza After Returning Home To Norway appeared first on Sabbah Report § Sign up for our FREE newsletter §
UN #GazaUnderAttack Emergency Situation Report as of 8 August 2014
Sabbah report 8 Aug 2014 – Occupied Palestinian Territory: UN Gaza Emergency Situation Report (as of 8 August 2014, 0800 hrs) The post: UN #GazaUnderAttack Emergency Situation Report as of 8 August 2014 appeared first on Sabbah Report § Sign up for our FREE newsletter §
US, UN condemn new Gaza violence
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – The US and UN condemn renewed exchanges between Gaza and Israel after a three-day truce ended on Friday, urging both sides to cease fire.
VIDEO: Gaza air strikes and rocket attacks resume
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – Israel launches air strikes into Gaza after Palestinian rockets are fired at the end of a three-day truce.
The (Overlooked) Man in Ramallah
The Forward Editorial 8 Aug 2014 – EDITORIAL : Both sides are jockeying to spin themselves as winner of the Gaza war. If peace is to have any chance of succeeding, the real victor will have to be Mahmoud Abbas. Click here for the rest of the article…
Glasgow Flies Palestinian Flag for Gaza Solidarity
The Foward Breaking News 8 Aug 2014 – The city council of Glasgow, Scotland, displayed a Palestinian flag on its building in solidarity with casualties in Gaza. Click here for the rest of the article…
Orthodox Educator Elimelech Meisels Sued Over Sex Assault Claim
The Foward Breaking News 8 Aug 2014 – Rabbi Elimelech Meisels, who runs four religious seminaries in Israel for young Orthodox women, is being sued for sexual assault and fraud. Click here for the rest of the article…
Egypt: Sisi to Visit Saudi Arabia, Russia This Week
allAfrica.com 8 Aug 2014 – [Egypt Online]Egyptian President Abdul-Fatah Al Sisi will’ visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday where he will hold talks with Saudi King Abdullah and a number of senior Saudi officials.
Egypt: Spy Chief Briefs Palestinian Delegation On Israeli Response to Demands
allAfrica.com 8 Aug 2014 – [Egypt Online]Egyptian Intelligence Chief General Mohamed Al-Tuhami met Thursday with the Palestinian delegation visiting Cairo for talks on ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Egypt: Egyptian-UAE Humanitarian Aid Allowed Into Gaza
allAfrica.com 8 Aug 2014 – [Egypt Online]Egyptian and UAE humanitarian aid has been entered into the Gaza Strip via Rafah border crossing, an official source said on Thursday.
Israel Soccer Season Delayed by Gaza War
The Foward Breaking News 8 Aug 2014 – The start of the Israeli soccer season was delayed for the second weekend in a row on Friday following the resumption of rocket fire by Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Football Association said. Click here for the rest of the article…
Graphic content: How media differ on use of Gaza images
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – How international media differ on use of Gaza images
Luring Young Boston Jews With ‘Beer Mitzvahs’ and Shabbat in Bars
The Forward New 8 Aug 2014 – Welcome to Riverway Cafe, a program of Temple Israel of Boston to reach out to millennial Jews. The program is an outgrowth of the Riverway Project, which brings Jewish events to unconventional settings, like Shabbat services in bars. Click here for the rest of the article……
150 Eastern Ukraine Jews Flee to Israel
The Foward Breaking News 8 Aug 2014 – At least 150 Jews who fled fighting in eastern Ukraine are expected to land in Israel next month in one of the largest group of arrivals of its kind this year. Click here for the rest of the article…
Despite Gaza Bombings, U.N. Agency Wins Respect From Israel
The Forward New 8 Aug 2014 – Israel bombed shelters run by the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians. Yet the group has won the grudging respect of the Jewish state and even military brass. Click here for the rest of the article…
Gaza conflict: The hundreds who lost their lives
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – The visual story of all the lives lost
On Demonizing the Enemy
The Magnes Zionist 8 Aug 2014 – Do you think that Hamas celebrates death, intends to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible, deliberately fires rockets from populated areas in order to increase Palestinian casualties and to embarrass Israel on the world stage, and forces Gazan civilians to act as human shields? Do…
US steps up air strikes in Iraq
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – The US launches a second round of air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq, and confirms the group has taken the country’s largest dam.
Yemeni soldiers die in bus ambush
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – Suspected al-Qaeda militants abduct and kill at least 14 soldiers returning home from duty in east Yemen, officials and eyewitnesses say.
Beirut: Pro-Palestinian rally near Egyptian embassy fails to draw crowd
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Security forces protect the Egyptian embassy in Beirut before a planned protest. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Security forces protect the Egyptian embassy in Beirut before a planned protest. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) A modest protest was held near the Egyptian embassy in Beirut early evening on…
Iraq conflict: Why Irbil matters
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – US moves to bolster defence of Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital
Israeli forces shoot dead two sheep in southern Lebanon
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Israeli forces opened fire at a shepherd and his flock in south Lebanon Friday afternoon, killing two sheep, state media reported. Lebanon’s National News Agency said that Assad Fares Hamdan and his flock came under fire near Baqqar Pond, in the southern Shebaa area. The incident…
Opposition condemns Bahrain ban on three Muslim clerics
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Bahrain has banned three Muslim clerics from preaching in mosques, accusing them of violating the “ethics and principles of religious discourse,” in what opposition activists said was part of a crackdown on dissent. State news agency BNA said the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs and…
Week in Photos (August 2 – August 8)
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Jennifer Abel of Canada competes to win the gold medal in the Women’s 1m Springboard final diving competition at the Royal Commonwealth Pool during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 1, 2014. (Photo: Andy Buchanan-AFP) Jennifer Abel of Canada competes to win the…
Britain urges citizens to leave Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – The British government told its citizens to leave parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, including the regional capital Erbil, on Friday as the sweeping advance of Islamist militants brought them closer to Kurdish territory. The government said the security situation could deteriorate quickly after fighting in the last…
Iraq refugees need urgent help – UN
BBC 8 Aug 2014 – UN official says emergency aid drops by the US are helping refugees trapped by Islamist militants, but warns that more needs to be done.
Syrian-Kurdish militias fight IS after Peshmerga fighters’ retreat
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Displaced Iraqis from the northern town of Sinjar head towards the autonomous Kurdistan region on August 4, 2014, as they seek refuge after Islamic State (IS) Sunni militants took control of their hometown. (Photo: AFP-STR) Displaced Iraqis from the northern town of Sinjar head towards the…
Erdogan brands a journalist a “shameless woman”
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced new questions on Friday over his attitude to the media and women after he branded a prominent female journalist a “shameless woman” and told her “to know your place.” Just ahead of Sunday’s presidential election which he is clear…
ISIS seizes Iraq’s largest dam: officials
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Jihadists have seized Iraq’s largest dam north of their hub of Mosul, giving them control over the supply of water and electricity for a vast area, officials said Friday. “Mosul dam has been in insurgent hands since last night,” said Holgard Hekmat, spokesman for the Kurdish…
Lebanon: Education minister passes all students in bid to undermine the UCC
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Education Minister Elias Bou Saab being escorted by security during a teacher’s protest demanding higher wages. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Education Minister Elias Bou Saab being escorted by security during a teacher’s protest demanding higher wages. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Will fireworks light up the sky once again…
Critics of Erdogan become victims of smear campaigns
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – Al-Monitor columnist Amberin Zaman became the latest target after she was singled out by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his followers on social media.
Will Egypt’s military intervene to secure Libyan border?
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – As conditions in Libya rapidly deteriorate, some in Egypt call for military intervention to secure the mutual border.
Erdogan’s divisive politics will give him first-round victory
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s fervent ethnic and religious discrimination will enable him to win in the first round of Turkey’s presidential election.
Feeling heat, Maliki warns Sistani against opposing third term
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani hinted at Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s intention to seek a third term, saying that Iraqi officials should not cling to their positions in power.
Iraq’s Sistani blames politicians for ISIS advances
Al-Akhbar News 8 Aug 2014 – Updated at 2:22 pm (GMT +3) Iraq’s top cleric called again on compatriots on Friday to unite against the “big danger” posed by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants. In a weekly Friday sermon delivered through a spokesman in the city of Kerbala, Grand…
Gaza: who benefits from a unified Palestinian delegation?
Al-Akhbar Opinion 8 Aug 2014 – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas looks on as he meets with members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on July 22, 2014 in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after he prayed for the Palestinians who were killed during the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza…
Turkey downplays IS threat, but concerns grow
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – As the Islamic state draws closer to the Turkish border and Ankara struggles to overcome its differences with the Iraqi administration, Turkey may be left to face the jihadist threat on its own.
Moscow sees opportunity in Iraq instability
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – Moscow is continuing arms sales to Iraq and pursuing a policy that may allow it to weaken US influence in the country.
US airstrikes alone will not defeat IS
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – The US militarily intervention in Iraq will be limited, according to President Barack Obama.
Iraqi Turkmens fleeing from Sinjar receive no help from Turkey
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – Kasim Kara, Iraqi Turkmen Front spokesman, says he was not allowed into Turkey at the Habur gate on Aug. 7 because not all members of his family have passports.
Gaza war brings Hamas, Hezbollah closer
Al-Monitor 8 Aug 2014 – The war on Gaza offers an opportunity to renegotiate the strategic relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah, whose relationship has been severed over the past three years, providing major obstacles can be overcome.
Israeli media wakes up to Gaza destruction, criticism
Al-Monitor 7 Aug 2014 – With the war nearing its end, Israeli media features the destruction of Gaza, not only in numbers but in images, exposing the Israeli public to the suffering of the Palestinians and to harsh criticism voiced by European leaders.
Genocide becomes mainstream in Israeli discourse
Al-Akhbar Politics 7 Aug 2014 – A Palestinian youth carries items salvaged from the rubble past destroyed buildings in part of Gaza City’s al-Tufah neighbourhood as the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip entered a second day on August 6, 2014 while Israeli and Palestinian delegations prepared for crunch talks in Cairo…
Lebanon: Islamist militants threaten to reinvade Ersal unless conditions are met
Al-Akhbar Politics 7 Aug 2014 – Lebanese army soldiers drive armoured personnel carriers in the northern Lebanese town of Arsal on the border with Syria on August 6, 2014, as fighting with Islamist jihadists continue. (Photo: AFP-STR) Lebanese army soldiers drive armoured personnel carriers in the northern Lebanese town of Arsal on…
Articles
Experts: Israel is prolonging political stalemate to cover its military defeat
Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 8/8/2014
Palestinian experts interpret Israel’s political intransigence as an attempt to cover up its military defeat before resistance forces in Gaza.
In a report by the Anadolu news agency, Palestinian writer Ibrahim Al-Madhoun said Israel is prolonging negotiations and circumventing Palestinian demands to lift the siege “in order to cover up the military victory achieved by Hamas”. He added that Israel “seeks to exhaust the Palestinians politically, after it failed to defeat them militarily.”
Hamas, however, has been very clear and affirmed it would pull out of negotiations if the demands of Palestinians were not met, he said.
Al-Madhoun added that the speech by Al-Qassam spokesperson Abu Obaida yesterday indicated that the Palestinian people have “authorised the resistance” to fight for their rights.
“Israel believes that prolonging the ceasefire would allow the Palestinian people to witness the scale of the damage caused by Israeli assaults, which would then lead them to give up on the resistance. But this is impossible,” he said.
He added that Hamas realises the purpose of Israel seeking to extend the ceasefire, namely to undermine any achievements by Palestinian factions. Hamas, he says, will not accept a ceasefire extension unless there is unanimous agreement among other Palestinian factions in this regard.
Political science professor in Gaza Dr Hani Al-Bassos reiterated the above, saying that prolonging negotiations will have a negative impact on the Palestinians. more.. e-mail
The Gaza conflict: losers and consequences
Uri Avnery, Redress 8/8/2014
… After 29 days of fighting (until now), who has won?
It is, of course, much too early to draw final conclusions. The ceasefire has blown up. It will take months and years to sum up all the consequences. But Israeli popular wisdom has already drawn its own conclusions: it is a draw.
This conclusion, by itself, is a kind of miracle. For an entire month, Israeli citizens have been bombarded by a barrage of propaganda. Daily, hourly, they were subject to an endless stream of brainwashing.
The political and military leaders dictated a picture of victory. Tanks and troop carriers coming out of the Gaza Strip have been ordered to fly large flags. All photos of troops leaving the Strip showed happily smiling soldiers…
According to the official line, our glorious army has achieved all its goals. Mission accomplished. Hamas has been beaten. As one of the tame “military correspondents” put it: “Hamas is crawling on all fours to the ceasefire!”
It was therefore a great surprise that in the first poll after the first bout of fighting, 51 per cent of the Israeli Jewish public responded that the war had ended in a draw. Only 36 per cent answered that we had won, while 6 per cent believe that it ended in a victory for Hamas.
When a guerrilla organization with at most 10,000 fighters achieves a draw with one of the mightiest armies in the world, equipped with the most ultra-modern weapons, that is by itself a kind of victory.
Hamas has not only shown a lot of courage during the fighting, but also surprising ingenuity in preparing for this campaign. It is still standing upright. more.. e-mail
This is what Palestine needs
Samer Jaber, Al Jazeera 8/7/2014
The Israeli forces should withdraw from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 so the UN can take over.
The current truce has slowed down the war of attrition against Gaza for now, and the parties have started to prepare themselves for the next confrontation.
The framework of the confrontation has not changed and Israel will continue to sustain its occupation. The Palestinian side is defending itself and longing for the end of the occupation and self-determination. The so-called peace process of the last two decades has provided a cover for Israel to maintain the status quo, the occupation and continued Palestinian displacement.
It is important for all Palestinians to start thinking about a new national strategy. This strategy should aim to remove the Palestinian struggle from a political process in which the balance of power is tipped entirely in favour of Israel, the occupying state, thereby giving it the opportunity to impose its policies as fait accompli.
Israel’s interest is in maintaining the status quo to perpetuate the occupation, thereby providing cover for the continued establishment and expansion of colonies in Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank. In addition to this, Israel plans to further isolate the West Bank and maintain control over its resources, as it has done with the Gaza Strip. It leaves the burden and costs of administering daily life under occupation to the Palestinians, making the occupation a profitable project for Israel.
The Palestinians’ national strategy should push for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and for establishing a UN mandate to provide protection for the Palestinian population through a peacekeeping force. more.. e-mail
Gaza: Poetry after Auschwitz
Hamid Dabashi, Al Jazeera 8/8/2014
To write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric.’ Is writing poetry after Gaza also barbaric?
In a memorable and much cited passage in Cultural Criticism and Society (1949), Theodor Adorno, the eminent German philosopher who spent a good portion of his life in the US following the Nazi takeover of his homeland, famously said: “To write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric. And this corrodes even the knowledge of why it has become impossible to write poetry today.”
Later in his thinking, Adorno reconsidered the assessment, but the power and shock of this thinking has endured.
What did Adorno mean, exactly, by that phrase? How could writing poetry after a calamity such as Auschwitz, and by extension a horror like the Holocaust, be something barbaric? Doesn’t poetry console in moments of mourning and despair? And more to the point today: Is writing poetry after Gaza also barbaric? What would that mean?
The preeminent Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darw
ish is no longer alive. But were he alive today, how would he react to the carnage in Gaza? He would have either committed suicide like the magnificent Lebanese poet Khalil Hawi who did so in protest against the brutish Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, or he would respond with his poetry.
So how would we read Adorno’s pronouncement today – after the barbaric slaughter of Palestinians by Israelis in Gaza?
First, let’s put what Adorno said in context. In his essay, Adorno asserts that “the traditional transcendent critique of ideology is obsolete”, meaning “there are no more ideologies in the authentic sense of false consciousness, only advertisements for the world through its duplication and the provocative lie which does not seek belief but commands silence.” more.. e-mail
Community leader, beloved grandfather shot dead by Israelis as he carried white flag
Electronic Intifada: 7 Aug 2014 – During the invasion of Khuzaa village, Israeli soldiers killed civilians as they tried to flee to safety. more..
UN’s Ban Ki-moon is a partner in Israel’s crimes
Electronic Intifada: 8 Aug 2014 – UN Secretary-General makes no distinction between oppressor and victims, say Palestinian and solidarity groups. more..
Surgeon Mads Gilbert Gives a Powerful Speech about Gaza after Returning Home to Norway
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Aug 2014 – In a powerful 25 minute speech on his return home to Tromsø, Norway from 15 days treating the wounded in Gaza, the Norwegian emergency surgeon Dr Mads Gilbert said: “The heart of the Earth beats in Gaza now. It bleeds, but it beats.” He went on to say: “The Palestinian people’s resistance in Gaza today is admirable, it is fair and it is a struggle for all of us. We do not want a world where raw power can be abused, to kill those who struggle for justice.” Below is the first few minutes of the speech transcribed from the video which is subtitled in English. In an appeal to Norwegian citizens, he asks them to imagine what their country would be like today if they had not struggled for its liberation from German occupation. I know you applaud for Gaza. I know you applaud for those who are there,…more
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