|
Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
|
Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
IOF gives demolition notices to a mosque and houses in Jenin
Jenin, July 31, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces raided
‘Khirbet Irza’ east of Tubas in the West Bank and stormed the houses
there handing owners warrants of demolition including a mosque and a
number of housing units. The head of the village’s council, Mokhlis
Massaeid, said that the demolition notices included a mosque built on an
area of 100 square meters and was finished recently, in addition to four
houses, and handed him a warrant that asks a resident of the village to
surrender himself to an Israeli court claiming that he did an
“illegal” action by building in his own village.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6822
IOF erects 3 new checkpoints in Hebron
Hebron, July 31, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces erected today
morning three new militant checkpoints at three intersections of the
northern province of Hebron in the West Bank. Security sources said
that the Israeli occupation forces erected a checkpoint on the bridge of
‘Halhul’ located at the north of Hebron, and another checkpoint under a
bridge in “Beit Kahil”, in addition to another checkpoint near a fuel
station the. The Israeli soldiers detained three citizens at
checkpoints and abused them while they checked their identity cards.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6821
IOF erects new checkpoint in Nablus
Nablus,
August 2, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces erected today
morning a new militant checkpoint at the main entrance to the village of
‘Salem’ near Nablus, in the northern West Bank. According to
eyewitnesses, Israeli militant Jeep stopped the passing cars on the main
road of the village and seized a number of the youngsters and
strip-searched them. Witnesses said that the Israeli soldiers stopped
the vehicles and forced people out for inspection and checked their
identity cards on a computer without reported arrests.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6837
PFLP leader: Israeli forces destroy pipes, detain 2
Hebron
–
Ma'an – Israeli forces destroyed over 30 dunums of farmland in the
Hebron village of Al-Baq'a and detained two relatives Monday, the
landowner and a Palestinian faction leader said. Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine leader Badran Jabir said Israeli troops
ransacked his home and farm, damaging irrigation networks and seedlings.
He said he and his wife were assaulted as they tried to defend their
property.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304418
Human Rights Watch: Israel: Halt Demolitions of Bedouin Homes in Negev
(Jerusalem)
- The Israeli government should immediately impose a moratorium on
demolishing the homes of Bedouin citizens, Human Rights Watch said
today. The government should also fully compensate those whose homes and
property it has destroyed and allow them to return to their village
pending a final agreement with the displaced that respects their rights
under international law. In a pre-dawn raid on July 27, 2010, Israeli
security forces destroyed all 45 homes, animal pens, and other
structures in the village of al-Araqib, leaving more than 300 people
homeless, about half of them children under 16. Nearly 90,000
Palestinian Arab Bedouins, the indigenous inhabitants of the Negev
(Naqab) region of southern Israel, live in dozens of "unrecognized"
towns. Because the Israeli authorities refuse to recognize their towns
and villages, the Bedouins risk the destruction of their homes at any
time. "Tearing down an entire village and leaving its inhabitants
homeless without exhausting all other options for settling longstanding
land claims is outrageous," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director
at Human Rights Watch. "The attack on these Israeli citizens' property
shows that Israel's discriminatory policies toward Palestinian Arab
Bedouin have not changed."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/567b0c45151b5c88d1e61ff415c39dc5.htm
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
&
Divestment
The weekend in protests
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/13499/
Bil'in were joined by group of rappers from Britain and the US 30 july 2010
Today 30 July 2010 the people of Bil'in were joined by several groups of
internationals, including a group of rappers from Britain and the US. A
large part of the demonstrators managed to approach the soldiers who had
already entered the gate. Two people were detained for a while,
following large amounts of tear gas, eventually forcing the protestors
back towards the village. One Israeli protestor was hit by a tear gas
canister in his leg, causing pain, while another British citizen was
dragged several meters by soldier, causing his back bruising and
bleeding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z29697harl0
Ni'lin honors its martyrs and calls for continued popular resistance
August 1st, 2010-- The weekly protest commemorated the second
anniversary of the martyrdom of Ahmad Musa and Yousef Amira. Ahmad Musa
was killed during a demonstration on July 29th, 2008 from a bullet in
his head and Yusuf Amira was injured fatally the next day, and died a
week later.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2335.shtml
Strong demonstration of international solidarity during Bi’lin’s weekly protest
July
31st,
2010-- The weekly demonstration against the Wall and settlements in the
village of Bi’lin (Ramallah District)honored the second anniversary of
the deaths of Ahmed Musa and Yousef Amira - activists killed in Ni’lin
by Israeli Occupation Forces as they were protesting against the Wall.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2334.shtml
Al-Ma’sara weekly protest demands and end to futile negotiations
July
31st,
2010-- The protest not only included al-Ma’sara villagers, but also the
participation of the Popular Committee of the village Wadi Rahal. The
protest was part of the joint activities put together by the villages of
Al-Ma’sara and Wadi-Rahal and international solidarity activists from
Spain, France and Italy.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2333.shtml
Nabi Saleh: IOF hold a child hostage, wound a British activist
On July 30th, 2010, the Israeli Occupation Forces detained the child
Walid Daifallah (13 years-old) and arrested international solidarity
activist and took him to an unknown destination in the village of Nabi
Saleh (Ramallah District). The Occupation Forces also wounded a British
supporter, 23 years-old, with a tear gas canister fired at her foot
during the Nabi Saleh weekly protest.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2332.shtml
‘Boycott Israel’ protest held Friday in Bil’in village; two injured
Around 200 Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals – including a
group of hip-hop musicians from the US and Britain – joined a protest on
Friday afternoon in the Palestinian village of Bil’in calling on the
international community to boycott Israel in order to end Israeli
apartheid practices.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59217
IOF suppresses weekly march in Beit Amer, 4 injured
Hebron, July 31, (Pal Telegraph) Journalists and citizens were Injured
today in the suppression of the Israeli occupation forces of the path of
the weekly march which started from the northern governorate of Hebron
in the West Bank. The spokesman of the Palestine Solidarity Project,
Mohamed Ayad, said that photojournalist Amer Abdeen was injured when
targeted by three gas grenades directly, leading to his suffocation and
and wounds in his right hand, and photographer Abdul Hafiz Hashlamoun
also suffered from suffocation. Heba Mohamed Abdel-Hamid Abu Maria (20
years) and coordinator of the National Committee Against the Separation
Wall, Ahmed Khalil Abu Hashim (50 years), both suffered from suffoctaion
as a result of gas grenades launched by the Israeli occupation forces .
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6824
Activists work to stop tax-exempt donations to Israeli settlements
As Israel's illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank
continues to be a strain on US-Israel relations, an unflattering light
is being shone on US private donations towards the development of the
settlements that are increasingly encroaching on Palestinian land. Alice
Speri reports for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11434.shtml
In Palestine, Demolitions and Dispossessions, Stephen Lendman
Daily,
Israeli
oppression continues - demolishing homes, dispossessing occupants, and
revoking residency rights, three of its many crimes under
international law, Israel spurning it with impunity. On July 22, the
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) reported mass Jordan
Valley Al Farisyie village demolitions, displacing 107 people,
including 52 children. Targeted were 26 residential tents, 22 animal
shelters, seven taboun clay ovens, eight kitchens, 10 bathrooms, four
water tanks, and an agricultural equipment shed - in all, 74 structures
illegally bulldozed, family homes and belongings destroyed along with
large quantities of food and animal fodder.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16171
Israel Takes Another Step Away from Democracy
According
to
the BNC(Boycott National Committee) Statement published on the 9th of
July “after five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably,
to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with
the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel's occupation,
apartheid, and persistent denial of the UN-sanctioned right of return
for the Palestinian refugees.” With academic and trade Unions (including
UNISON), cultural figures including Dustin Hoffman and Elvis Costello
and large supermarket chains including Marks and Spencers on board, the
BDS campaign is gaining momentum. Furthermore it is beginning to have an
economic impact: settlements have been reporting cuts in production as a
result of the boycotts.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1501
Violence and Aggression
Gaza blast wounds 30 Palestinians
An
explosion
at the house of a senior Hamas commander in the Gaza Strip has wounded
at least 30 people, Hamas and medical workers in the Palestinian
territory have said. The explosion early on Monday wrecked the house of
Alaa al-Danaf, a field commander of the Hamas military wing, in the
Deir el-Balah refugee camp in southern Gaza, Palestinian security
officials said. At least 17 people were rushed to a hospital and
unconfirmed reports say at least two people were killed in the blast.
Palestinian security officials said it was an Israeli air strike
but the Israeli military denied any involvement, saying there was no
other activity in the area.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/20108201539259168.html
Israeli Media Allow Army To Whitewash Another Murder
Another Palestinian life was ended by Israeli gunfire last week. Again
it was dismissed by military spokesmen as a case of mistaken identity,
again it was presented in the Israeli press as a successful security
operation. Written and photographed by Aaron Dearborn.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1500
Detainees
IOF detains a college student in Hebron
Hebron, July 31, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested at
dawn today a college student from the city of Hebron in the West Bank,
after raiding his home. Local sources said that the Israeli occupation
forces arrested Shadi Akram Shaheen (23 years), after raiding his home
in the ‘Hawouz’ village in Hebron city. Same sources added that the
Israeli occupation forces transferred Shadi to an unknown destination,
noting that he is a student at Palestine Polytechnic University and was
previously detained in Israeli jails.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6819
Center says Israeli forces raided prison ward
Bethlehem
–
Ma’an – The Al-Asra Center for Prisoners Studies said Monday that an
Israeli special force unit raided a ward holding several high-ranking
Palestinian leaders. Prisoners told the center that the Dror unit
stormed the ward Sunday, damaging personal property and confiscating
photo albums, books, and letters. The center added that the Israeli
Prison Service sent four prisoners into solitary confinement. They were
identified as Raed Shaf’i, Ayman Al-Far, Ahmad Shamarkha, and Alaa
Al-Aswad. Raafat Hamdouna, the center's director, said the IPS'
escalation has created dire conditions within jails, calling on human
rights groups to shed light on violations against Palestinian detainees.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304381
Palestinian Detainee Abuse during Operation Cast Lead
US,
August 2, (Pal Telegraph – By Stephen Lendman) On July 6, the Public
Committee Against Torture in Israel (PACTI) and Adalah: The Legal Center
for Arab Minority Rights in Israel released a report titled, "Exposed:
The Treatment of Palestinian Detainees During Operation Cast Lead,"
detailing their horrific treatment. Transferred to Israel for
interrogation, detainees related grim details of their ordeal - grave
human rights violations, showing Israel's "contempt for the rule of
law."
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6836
Rocket Attacks
Rockets strike Israel and Jordan
One killed and four injured in Aqaba hours after blast in Gaza refugee camp.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/20108264751402856.html
No decision from Hamas to escalate tension with Israel: official
GAZA,
Aug.
1 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement did not make any decision
to escalate tension with Israel, a Hamas official said on Sunday. "It's
a sheer Israeli escalation," Salah al-Bardawil, a Gaza- based senior
Hamas leader told Xinhua. Al-Bardawil accused Israel of "fabricating"
the story of firing rockets at Israel to justify its crimes against the
Palestinian people and avoid the international criticism for the
blockade it imposed on the Gaza Strip in 2007 when the
Hamas seized it by force.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3927791,00.html
Rocket attacks on Israel: Why Hamas has an interest in keeping Gaza quiet
Rocket
attacks near the Israeli towns of Sderot and Eilat have raised concerns
of escalating Israel-Hamas tensions. But while Hamas could be a
potential spoiler in peace talks, it also has an interest in avoiding a
fresh clash.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/k7I9fmbfoPQ/
Rocket-attacks-on-Israel-Why-Hamas-has-an-interest-in-keeping-Gaza-quiet
Rights group: Silence over airstrikes spurs impunity
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian rights group Al-Mezan warned Monday that
the international community’s silence over Israel’s escalation of
attacks on Gaza encourages Israel to violate international law with
impunity, a statement read. The human rights center conducted field
investigations of the damage caused by the weekend’s airstrikes, which
killed one Palestinian and injured more than 21, and damaged 30 houses
and institutions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304498
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Thirsty? How about an ice-cold glass of sewage-infested water?
On
Saturday
31 July, Amnesty International members will be handing out free samples
of bottled water to people in Dublin, Cork and Galway.The only trouble
is that the water – like 90 percent of water available to Palestinians
in Gaza, is filthy.
http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2010/08/thirsty-how-about-ice-cold-glass-of.html
The rights of the occupied?
Israel
maintains
that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
does not apply to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, although it says that
the treaty does apply to Jewish settlers there, committee member
Christine Chanet said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE66T18I.htm
In Brief: Israel to deport 400 children
TEL
AVIV Monday, August 02, 2010 (IRIN) - Of the 1,200 children of migrant
workers slated for deportation in 2009, the Israeli Cabinet on 1 August
granted legal status to 800 and said 400 would be deported with their
families to their parents’ country of origin within 21 days.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90039
Nativity deportee says family denied entry to Jordan
Gaza
– Ma'an – Israeli authorities on Friday stopped the wife and children of
a Palestinian exiled by Israel following the siege of the Church of
Nativity, the deportee said. Naji Ubayyat said his family was en route
to visit him in Gaza, hoping to travel from Jordan to Egypt and then
over the Rafah crossing. He added that this was the second time his
family had been denied entry to Jordan by Israeli authorities, who he
said did not provide an explanation for their decision.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304600
Israel's Arab Helpers
Erekat to Haaretz: New proposal more generous than deal we offered Olmert
Avi Issacharoff and Yanir Yagna -- "I presented Senator George Mitchell
with a series of official documents," Erekat said, referring to the
special U.S. envoy to the Middle East. "We gave him maps and papers that
clearly state our positions on all the final-status issues: borders,
Jerusalem, refugees, water and security. Thus far we have not received
any answer from the Israeli side."
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
erekat-to-haaretz-new-proposal-more-generous-than-deal-we-offered-olmert-1.305196
Egyptian police blocks off 10 secret tunnels at borders with Gaza
Egyptian
Security
authorities blocked off on Sunday ten openings of secret tunnels at
borders with the Gaza Strip. The ten openings were located in a
residential area north of Rafah crossing, a security source told Xinhua
on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, the Egyptian police seized
huge quantities of ready- for-smuggling to Gaza timber, steel and cement
in Rafah during a crackdown on a warehouse in the border area. The
seized 35-truckloads of building material were confiscated and
transported to a governmental warehouse. Nobody was arrested in
connection with the seized quantities of building material. Since
Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007 and closed
down all commercial crossings with the enclave, the Palestinians dug
hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza- Egypt borders to use them
in smuggling goods from Egypt into the besieged enclave.
http://world.globaltimes.cn/mid-east/2010-08/558497.html
Political/Other Developments
US boosts Israeli missile funding
WASHINGTON
–
US House appropriators have pushed funding for Israeli missile defense
programs to its highest level ever, with $422.7 million now slated for
2011. Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense added
$95.7m. to the original White House funding request for the long-range
Arrow programs and medium-range David’s Sling, according to sources
close to the panel. The lion’s share – $108.8m. – will go to the Arrow 3
system, which the US signed off on after some initial hesitation.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=183229
U.S.: PLO claim of threat to cut PA ties borders on 'absurdity'
Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi says Obama administration threatened
to cut PA ties if direct negotiations with Netanayhu don't resume, Arab
media reports.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-plo-claim-of-threat-to-cut-pa-ties-borders-on-absurdity-1.305123
Abbas resists U.S. pressure for direct talks (Reuters)
Reuters
-
The Palestinian president told a visiting U.S. official Monday that
Israel must commit to clear terms of reference for peace talks before
the start of direct negotiations, Palestinian officials said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100802/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel
Israel's Peres heads to Egypt for talks (AFP)
AFP - Israeli President Shimon Peres left for Cairo early on Sunday
where he was to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the
Middle East peace process, Peres's spokeswoman said
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100801/wl_mideast_afp/mideastdiplomacyusegyptisrael
Damascus: Syria-Saudi ties are none of U.S.'s business
Saudi
King Abdullah visits Syria to hold talks with Assad ahead of joint trip
t Lebanon; Syrian Foreign ministry says U.S. 'has no right to define our ties with other countries.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/damascus-syria-saudi-ties-are-none-of-u-s-s-business-1.304807
Assad warns war prospects rising in Middle East
DAMASCUS:
Syria's
president warned Sunday that the prospects for war in the region were
on the rise as chances for peace dwindled amid increased tensions in the
region. Bashar Assad's comments come after Israel accused Syria of
smuggling Scuds and other types of missiles to Lebanon's Hizbullah.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=117722
Israel's Barak claims new Turkish spy chief is 'supporter of Iran'
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed concern
over Turkey’s appointment of a new spy chief he called a “supporter” of
his country’s archfoe Iran, Army Radio said Sunday. “Turkey is a
friendly country, a strategic ally, but the nomination in recent weeks
of a new chief of the Turkish secret services who is a supporter of Iran
worries us,” he told a meeting of his Labor party. Barak added that the
appointment could result in “the Iranians having access to secret
information,” in a recording of his remarks broadcast by military
radio.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=117719#axzz0vPqXuXXD
Israel agrees to participate in UN probe of Gaza flotilla
Committee investigating May 31 raid will be preceded by review panel
working with conclusions of independent probes held by Israel and
Turkey.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israel-agrees-to-participate-in-un-probe-of-gaza-flotilla-1.305547
Other
News
TIKUN OLAM SUFFERS DOS ATTACK AFTER EXPOSING FORMER IDF TORTURER
The gremlins were very unhappy with Yossi Gurvitz, Itamar Sheltiel and
me yesterday for exposing the identity of Doron Zahavi as the military
intelligence agent alleged to have tortured Mustafa Dirani and
threatened East Jeruslem Palestinians in his new role as Arab affairs
liaison to the Jerusalem police. An Israeli colleague posted a link to
my post at the right-wing Rotter forum last night and at 5:30AM this
morning a sustained DOS attack began on my site. Yossi’s and Itamar’s
blogs were also attacked as well after they joined me in identifying
Zahavi.
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/07/29/israeli-hackers-attack-tikun-olam/
Many Jews unsettled over Harper holiday greetings
When Michelle Kofman found a Rosh Hashanah greeting card from Prime
Minister Stephen Harper in her mailbox last month, she was left with one
puzzling question: How does he know I'm Jewish?
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?
id=198690d9-d9b8-4bbc-983f-d7236a2dfc8e&k=58596&p=1
Democratic congressman fires staffer for 'Jewish money' list
New York congressman Mike McMahon fires his communications director
after his reelection campaign staff released a list of 80 Jews who had
donated to the campaign of McMahon's Republican rival.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/democratic-congressman-fires-staffer-for-jewish-money-list-1.305068
Haniyeh names his grandson Erdogan
Hamas leader in Gaza pays tribute to Turkish prime minister in gratitude for his support for Palestinians.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3928938,00.html
Ramallah building boom symbolizes West Bank growth
Developers
say property prices have risen by 30 percent in the last two years.
Buyers expect prices to go higher, though accurate price surveys do not
exist.
http://www.haaretz.com/business/ramallah-building-boom-symbolizes-west-bank-growth-1.305544
Glass Factories In Hebron: Cultural Identity Faces Threat Of Extinction
Muhannad Al-Adam/PNN/Exclusive - In a small old factory located in
Hebron's old city, Al-Natshah family had practiced handmade glass making
for the past 120 years. But now their historical trade is now
struggling to survive.Hamdi Al-Nashah has a glass exhibit which
documents the traditions of glass-making in Hebron.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8609
Jenin Prepares For Foreign Invasion
After
two
years, hundreds of volunteers and over $1 million, Cinema Jenin is just
a drum roll away from the grand opening. On Thursday August 5, VIPs
will flood into the city for the largest cultural event in its troubled
history. Everyone from Angela Merkel to Roger Waters have played their
part in an extraordinary project. And two years ago it was a barn full
of pigeons.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1499
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Israeli Rabbi Preaches "Slaughter" of Gentile Babies, JONATHAN COOK
A rabbi from one of the most violent settlements in the West Bank was
questioned on suspicion of incitement last week as Israeli police
stepped up their investigation into a book in which he sanctions the
killing of non-Jews, including children and babies. Rabbi Yitzhak
Shapira is one of the leading ideologues of the most extreme wing of the
religious settler movement. He is known to be a champion of the
“price-tag” policy of reprisal attacks on Palestinians, including
punishing them for attempts by officials to enforce Israeli law against
the settlements. So far the policy has chiefly involved violent
harassment of Palestinians, with settlers inflicting beatings, attacking
homes, throwing stones, burning fields, killing livestock and poisoning
wells. It is feared, however, that Shapira’s book The King’s Torah,
published last year, is intended to offer ideological justifications for
widening the scope of such attacks to include killing Palestinians, even
children.
http://www.counterpunch.com/cook08022010.html
Otherwise Occupied / The humming of the zanana
Palestinians have begun using the slang word 'zanana' to refer to Gazans who report to Hamas authorities what people say and do.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/otherwise-occupied-the-humming-of-the-zanana-1.305409
Anti-Defamation League rebuked for opposition to planned mosque at N.Y.'s Ground Zero
ADL press release calls mosque location insensitive to 9/11 victims' families, while other Jewish leaders urge tolerance.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
anti-defamation-league-rebuked-for-opposition-to-planned-mosque-at-n-y-s-ground-zero-1.305185
MJ Rosenberg: Inside Story: Why ADL Is Opposing Ground Zero Mosque
I
don't know why it should be a surprise that the Anti-Defamation League
joined the hate mongers in opposing the mosque at Ground Zero. The fact
is that neither the ADL or its twin, the American Jewish Committee (the
other old, established Jewish anti-discrimination organization) has been
about opposing bigotry or even anti-Semitism for at least a decade.
They now are entirely about defending Israel -- or, at least their
right-wing version of Israel. That is why you are infinitely more likely
to hear Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, or David
Harris, chief of the American Jewish Committee talk about Ahmadedinejad,
the Goldstone report, the Turkish flotilla, or the "campaign to
discredit Israel" than about hate crimes against Americans (which is
what they used to be about).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/inside-story-why-adl-is-o_b_666281.html
Foxman plays Holocaust card, Philip Weiss
Joe Klein says Abe Foxman should be fired now,
and points to Foxman's long disgraceful record, including calling Klein
anti-Semitic for saying that Jewish neocons had pushed the Iraq war (and now Iran war) without disclosing their true concern.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/foxman-plays-holocaust-card.html
Arab Ties with Israel Damage the Palestinian Cause: Prof Gilbert Achcar
Prof. Gilbert Achcar is a renowned Lebanese academician, writer,
socialist and anti-war activist. He left Lebanon in 1983 and taught
international relations and politics at the University of Paris VII for
several years. Since 2007, Achcar has been Professor of Development
Studies and International Relations at the School of Oriental and
African Studies of the University of London. He is a frequent
contributor to Le Monde Diplomatique and ZNet. Prof. Achcar joined me
in an interview to discuss the latest developments related to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel’s attack on the Freedom Flotilla
and the prospect of Israel’s occupation of West Bank and Gaza.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/08/arab-ties-with-israel-damage-the-palestinian-cause-prof-gilbert-achcar/
Robert Fisk: Israel has crept into the EU without anyone noticing
The death of five Israeli servicemen in a helicopter crash in Romania this week raised scarcely a headline.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/
robert-fisk-israel-has-crept-into-the-eu-without-anyone-noticing-2040066.html
MJ Rosenberg: Congress Chooses Bibi Over NATO
Anyone
who
wonders what American foreign policy might look like if it was not so
utterly ridden with partisan political considerations should take a look
at the United Kingdom.This is not to say that politics never intrudes
on foreign policy in the UK. It does, but not in any way comparable to
the way politics overruns policy here.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/congress-chooses-bibi-ove_b_665065.html
A Special Place in Hell / Rethinking Israel boycotts, the ADL and a N.Y. mosque
I want to thank the Olympia Food Co-op Israel boycott. Something extremely valuable is happening there.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/
a-special-place-in-hell-rethinking-israel-boycotts-the-adl-and-a-n-y-mosque-1.305543
From Shatila Camp– What does the right of return mean in 2010?, Ahmed Moor
I’ve been spending more time in the camps recently. Two days a week, I
leave my apartment on my leafy street in my quiet neighborhood and jump
in a taxi heading southwest.
‘Ala mafra’ sou’ Shatila, iza t-reed,’
is what I usually say to the cab driver. He drives west first, past the
open air restaurants and air-conditioned mall where wealthy Beirutis
gambol. The car may or may not meander and idle in the sun for twenty
minutes; traffic here is possessed of neither rhyme nor reason. Either
way, the driver will always manage and he’ll always make a left onto the
autostrade heading south. This is when my scenery begins to evoke life
at the fringes.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/from-shatila-camp-what-does-the-right-of-return-mean-in-2010.html
Israel Classifies its Past as Top Secret: An Analysis, Lawrence Davidson
Israel is a land built on myths. It is, of course, not unique in this.
Indeed in this way Israel is very much like its patron, the United
States. In order to build and maintain a mythical status a nation must
create a picture of itself from its very inception and pass that picture
down generation upon generation. For the U.S. it is the idea that the
nation is a beacon of both democracy and capitalism unto the world and
what it does in terms of foreign policy, and even when at war, is always
done altruistically. For Israel, the myth is that the nation is
democratic and the last bastion of safety for the world’s Jews.
Everything it does, even when that amounts to imperial expansion, is
done defensively.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/07/israel-classifies-its-past-as-top-secret-an-analysis/
Hague Whitewashes Israeli Crimes on the High Seas, Stuart Littlewood – London
'We have to be steeped in the Middle East, way back to historical
matters. Because you can't understand it without the history.' My MP, a
Foreign Office minister in the shiny new coalition government, has
written to me saying he believes the Foreign Secretary was "extremely
fair, tough and statesmanlike" in his reaction to Israel's murderous
assault on the vessel Mavi Marmara and the rest of the Free Gaza
flotilla. So I re-read William Hague's statement to the House of
Commons on 2 June, and it struck me as something the Israeli government
spin doctor Mark Regev might have penned. Here are some extracts:
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16172
An American journalist speaks about How American News Media "works in favor of Israel"
Alison
Weir, an American journalist explains in a series of three videos about
how the news media in the United States works in favor of Israel.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59219
Does Israelo-fascism exist?, James North
Robert
O. Paxton, the distinguished emeritus professor at Columbia University,
is perhaps the world’s leading authority on fascism. His book Vichy France (1972)
has
become a classic, not least in France itself, for telling truths about
the collaborationist regime that the French themselves had been too
ashamed and timid to say. More recently, The Anatomy of Fascism (2004)
is a masterful survey that looks thoroughly and intelligently at
“fascism” instead of just using it as an epithet. Toward
the end of the book, Paxton looks at the possibility of fascism in
“Other Times, Other Places” outside its peak in Europe between the two
World Wars. Among several examples, he says that “. . . one must address
the potential – supreme irony – for fascism in Israel.”
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/does-israelo-fascism-exist.html
Honoring the Turkish sacrifice
What
a
difference a month makes! Just a few weeks ago, on May 31st, the
Israelis intercepted the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, killing at least nine
people while boarding the Turkish ship Mava Marmara in international
waters. That bloody tragedy changed everything, despite desperate
attempts of the Israeli government and US proxies to spin the story. In
fact, the propaganda of the Israelis—posturing themselves as pitiful
victims, and portraying the real victims as terrorists who deserved to
die—was so utterly lacking in remorse and coherence that millions around
the world were shocked and disgusted.
http://www.infocusnews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44392&Itemid=1388
Iraq
Roadside bomb north of Baghdad kills 5 members of family, including 4-year-old girl
Iraq Shi'ite bloc rejects incumbent Maliki as PM (Reuters)
Reuters - One of Iraq's main Shi'ite political blocs has rejected Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki's claim to a second term and halted coalition
talks until his party nominates a new candidate, politicians said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100801/wl_nm/us_iraq_politics_maliki
Saddam's invasion still hurting Iraq-Kuwait ties 20 years on
BAGHDAD:
Wounds
from Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait 20 years ago still run deep
and mar ties between the two neighbors despite efforts to overcome what
has been described as the Iraqi former dictator's worst mistake.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=117711
Saddam's ex-lawyer suing Jordanian daily over book (AFP)
AFP - Saddam Hussein's former attorney is suing a Jordanian daily for
publishing excerpts of his book about the executed Iraqi leader, the
newspaper's lawyer said on Sunday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100801/wl_mideast_afp/iraqsaddambookpressjordan
Gulf War 's shadow lingers after 20 years
Monday marks 20 years since Iraq, led by the late Saddam Hussein,
invaded its southern neighbour Kuwait in the Gulf War, which claimed
hundreds of lives. Diplomatic ties between the two countries have
resumed but the trauma of the war still hangs over their relations. Many
unresolved issues remain between the neighbours, including land and
maritime border disputes, as well as billions of dollars in war
reparations that Kuwait seeks from Iraq. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh
reports from Baghdad. [August 2, 2010]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWUlxQa8SbM&feature=youtube_gdata
Lebanon
Senior Lebanese employee suspected of spying for Israel
Authorities
arrest
manager responsible for outgoing international phone calls in Lebanese
telecom company Ogero. According to Lebanese reports, he confessed to
being in contact with Jewish state.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3928745,00.html
Aoun: Tribunal must resolve issue of false witnesses
BEIRUT:
Free
Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun said Sunday the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) to try suspects of the 2005 assassination of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri cannot issue an indictment
before resolving the issue of false witnesses.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117731
False Witnesses and the Hariri Investigation, Qifa Nabki
For
my part, I can’t help but detect a note of warning in Nasrallah’s
rhetoric and in his constant promises of “more information at a later
date” whenever he discusses the issue of false witnesses. Does the party
possess information about these people that could be embarrassing for
certain sponsors and supporters of the STL? To judge by the flood of
(largely unattributed) information published by al-Akhbar — including
recorded
phone conversations between a discredited STL informant and figures
like Bahiya al-Hariri, Ashraf Rifi, and Detlev Mehlis (which, I imagine,
could only have arrived in its newsroom via a very high-level leak) — I
would not be surprised.
http://qifanabki.com/2010/08/01/hariri-false-witness/
Israel Says STL Goal: Putting Israel’s “Most Ferocious Enemy” in Deep Quagmire
Israeli Media uncovered Saturday more and more details on the delusive
Special Tribunal for Lebanon's verdict. It also revealed the goal that
lies behind the verdict which Israel has sought: To put “Israel’s most
ferocious enemy” in a deep quagmire. Quoting sources in the United
Nations, Israeli Media reported that following the verdict’s issuance,
the UN expects a quake that would shake the country.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148593&language=en
Lebanon better able to catch alleged Israeli spies
A
strengthening Lebanese government is helping the militant group
Hezbollah bust alleged spy cells, sometimes using tools and tradecraft
acquired from Western nations.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-lebanon-intelligence-20100801,0,1293515.story
ISRAEL, LEBANON: Who is winning the intelligence war with Hezbollah?
In October 2009, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, a former
head of military intelligence, all but confirmed that Israel had
intensified spying efforts in Lebanon because of Hezbollah and would
stop when the Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim militant group was disarmed
and Israel's border with Lebanon was peaceful. The intelligence war
continues unabated, as the Los Angeles Times reported in
a
front-page article Sunday, with Israel apparently trying to infiltrate
and Hezbollah, with help from the Lebanese government, trying
to thwart it. "Hezbollah is not a easy target" to infiltrate, said
Ephraim Kam, an Israeli intelligence expert. "The organization is not a
big one. It is very compartmentalized and tough to penetrate. Also, it
is an ideological-religious one, always tougher to penetrate."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/08/
israel-lebanon-draft-who-is-winning-the-intelligence-war-with-hezbollah
Baalbek Airdrop: Another Israeli Failure in July War Booklet
It was the 22nd day of July war in 2006, Israeli occupation forces
wanted to recover its "dignity" which has been thrown away by the
divine victory achieved by the resistance fighters "Mojahedeen". Israeli
forces in that day made an air drop in the eastern Lebanon town of
Baalbek, the operation lasted for six hours and ended up by the arrest
of five Lebanese civilians.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148730&language=en
Iran
Iran: Ready for Nuclear Talks With Vienna Group
Iran's
nuclear
chief says his country is ready to enter negotiations with the United
States, Russia and France on a possible nuclear fuel agreement.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/
Iran-Ready-for-Nuclear-Talks-With-Vienna-Group-99622774.html
China says it disapproves of EU sanctions against Iran
China
said
Friday it opposed tough new sanctions imposed by the European Union on
Iran over its contested nuclear programme, again calling for more talks
to resolve the standoff.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g9B4Wd8XyO9yUuJaV2rrgJaaaAag
Russian oil companies may sell gasoline to Iran
Three Russian state-controlled oil companies, including OAO Rosneft and
OAO Gazprom Neft, may begin delivering gasoline to Iran in a month, said
the head of the Iran Commission of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce
Industry.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/30/MN901ELO34.DTL&type=politics
U.S./World
News
Rioting in Kabul after US embassy car kills four civilians
Angry mob torches vehicles, chants slogans and confronts police, sparking fears 2006 city-wide riots will be repeated.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/30/kabul-riots-us-embassy-crash
Poll: Pakistanis Dislike US, Taliban, and al-Qaeda
The recent WikiLeaks dump of war-related documents has brought little
new to the debate over Washington’s ongoing military involvement in
Afghanistan, but allegations that Pakistan’s intelligence services are
aiding the Taliban has brought renewed attention to U.S. concerns over
its reliance on Islamabad in battling Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in
Afghanistan.
http://original.antiwar.com/eli-clifton/2010/07/30/poll-pakistanis-dislike-us-taliban-and-al-qaeda/
Saudi, Jordanian kings stress need for cooperation
BEIRUT: Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz concluded a two-day visit to
Jordan on Saturday during which he and his counterpart, King Abdullah
II, discussed issues ranging from bilateral ties to regional security,
according to media sources.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=117721
Political detainee sues Saudi government, defying its system
Monday, August 02, 2010, Listen to the Article - Powered by, Paul
Handley, Agence France Presse, RIYADH: More than three years after he
was arrested on vague allegations, Saudi political detainee Suliman
al-Reshoudi who has yet to be tried or even charged with a crime is now
taking on the system., Although his situation is not unusual for
political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, the former judge is suing the
security police and Interior Ministry to either charge him or release
him., It is a remarkable challenge and the first case of its kind in the
kingdom., The lawsuit, filed by activists on his behalf and led by a
lawyer who cannot meet his client, is based on a little-tested legal
code which offers protection to detainees for the first time.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=117710#axzz0vPnQinue
Pentagon: Cluster Bombs ‘Save Lives’
According to the Pentagon’s 2008 policy, cluster munitions are actually
humane weapons. “Because future adversaries will likely use civilian
shields for military targets – for example by locating a military target
on the roof of an occupied building – use of unitary weapons could
result in more civilian casualties and damage than cluster munitions,”
the policy claims. “Blanket elimination of cluster munitions is
therefore unacceptable due not only to negative military consequences
but also due to potential negative consequences for civilians.” In other
words, it’s better to use a cluster bomb on enemies using a building
than to blow up the entire building.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/07/pentagon-cluste/
Army Suicides Reach One a Day; Epidemic Spreads to National Guard and Reserves
Thirty-two soldiers, including 11 in the Guard and Reserve, killed
themselves last month, a rate of suicide not seen since the Vietnam War.
Seven of the suicides took place I Iraq or Afghanistan.
http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/
Army_Suicides_Reach_One_a_Day_Epidemic_Spreads_to_National_Guard_and_Reserves_100729
U.S. Army Clears War of Wrongdoing: U.S. Army
It’s not war; the “risky behavior” of our troops at home drives them to suicide, not War.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/07/30/u-s-army-clears-war-of-wrongdoing/
Informant: Accused Wikileaks Soldier Bradley Manning Had Civilian Help
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — An Army private charged with leaking classified
material to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks had civilian help, a key
figure in the case said Saturday. The development, first reported in
the New York Times, suggests an expansion of the government's
investigation into leaks including more than 76,900 secret Afghanistan
war records posted on WikiLeaks in the past week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/31/informant-accused-wikilea_n_666396.html
Andrew Bacevich on Afghanistan War: "The President Lacks the Guts to Get Out"
Retired
U.S.
army Colonel and historian Andrew Bacevich joins us for his first
interview about his new book, Washington Rules: America’s Path to
Permanent War. "The question demands to be asked: Who is more deserving
of contempt?" Bacevich asks. "The commander-in-chief who sends young
Americans to die for a cause, however misguided, in which he sincerely
believes? Or the commander-in-chief who sends young Americans to die for
a cause in which he manifestly does not believe and yet refuses to
forsake?"
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/2/andrew_bacevich_on_afghanistan_war_the
State Department once warned against a tactic the NYT now blesses in Afghanistan, Philip Weiss
Earlier today we did a post about a New York Times piece
generally approving "targeted killing" as a means of advancing the
project in Afghanistan. Targeted killing "has turned out to work well."
And never was heard a discouraging word. We mentioned a State
Department report on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, from 2004. Our source sent it along to us. The Times ought to have a look at it.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/
state-department-once-warned-against-a-tactic-the-nyt-now-blesses-in-afghanistan.html
‘NYT’ says ‘targeted killings’ are good U.S. tactic, with no mention of civilian deaths, Phil Weiss
This feels very 1969: Helene Cooper and Mark Landler in the Times, approve a new tactic in Afghanistan, better than counterinsurgency.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/nyt-says-targeted-killings-are-good-u-s-tactic-without-gaza-context.html
The Listening Post - Wikileaks' and the media
This
week on the Listening Post, we look at the commotion caused by
Wikileaks' latest leak and we analyse how this leak differs from the
rest. We also have a report on Rupert Murdoch's decision to charge for
Times Online content.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LWRn4LVAxQ&feature=youtube_gdata
Empire - Superclass
A
new breed has emerged; they set the global agenda, ride on Gulfstreams
and manage the credit crunch in their spare time. They are anything but
elected; they are entrepreneurs and entertainers, media moguls and
former politicians - the self-made super rich who are using their money
to lay down a new set of global rules. So where did this new global
aristocracy come from and who is keeping them in check? Is the world
suffering from a global governance gap?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZjr6e0J0Ls&feature=player_embedded
Muslim Schoolgirls and General Bad-Assery
Muslim school girls from St. Maaz high school practise [sic] Chinese
wushu martial arts inside the school compound in the southern Indian
city of Hyderabad, July 8th 2008.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2010/07/muslim-schoolgirls-and-general-bad-assery.html |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
|
|
