|
Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
|
Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Israel demolishes more villages and houses
Jerusalem,
August 3, (Pal Telegraph) A large force of Israeli army supported by
bulldozers and special units raided today several unrecognized villages
in the Negev region south of the occupied territories of 1948, and
proceeded to demolish dozens of homes and the displacement of a large
number of the families who own these homes. Israeli bulldozers began
demolition of unrecognized villages of ‘Dimona’’, ‘Ser’, ‘Abu Salb’ and
‘Hawasheleh’. The Israeli bulldozers are scheduled to keep on invading
many of the unrecognized villages in the Negev throughout the day and
everyday according to sources in the Israeli Ministry of interior
affairs, for the demolition of more houses and removal of the tents.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6848
Army vandalism in Hebron: soldiers destroy family’s well in Wad Lerus
Yesterday
morning (2 August 2010) a group of Israeli soldiers, reportedly drunk,
used two bulldozers to destroy a well that belonged to a family living
in Wad Lerus, Hebron. Several ISM activists went out to talk to members
of the Al Jaabel family in Wad Lerus, close to the Kyriat Arba
settlement in Hebron, yesterday afternoon.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/13525/
40 New Settlement Units Approved For East Jerusalem
Israel,
on
Monday, approved construction of forty new settlement housing units in
the Pisgat Ze’ev settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59224
Israel agrees new settlement homes
New homes to be built in east Jerusalem settlement as push for direct talks continues.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/201082183912359467.html
Israel approves new east Jerusalem apartments (AP)
AP
-
Israeli municipal officials have approved the building of 40 apartments
in a Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem's disputed eastern sector.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
Erekat demands action over Jerusalem settlements
Bethlehem - Ma'an - As international pressure mounts on Palestinians to
resume direct talks, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat appealed for the
same pressure to be applied on Israel to end its "brutal policies." “At
a time when world leaders passionately call for direct talks, I call on
them to exert the same level of passion to preventing Israel from
continuing its colonization process in the occupied Palestinian
territory, particularly in East Jerusalem,” Erekat said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304620
Update from the ‘Tent of Nations’, Ben White
In late May, I wrote a piece
about the Nassar family’s ‘Tent of Nations’ project outside Bethlehem,
and the demolition orders that had been issued by the Israeli occupation
forces. I have just got back from a visit to Palestine and was able to
visit the land, and get an update from Daoud. I’d arrived by myself,
and as I walked up the access track towards the land, I saw that
there were four Israeli soldiers standing next to a tree along the way.
As I neared, they moved across the track and stopped me. They asked for
my passport and what I was ‘doing in Israel’. I told them I was coming
to see my friend, and I walked on.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/update-from-the-tent-of-nations.html
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
&
Divestment
U.S. group launches campaign against West Bank settlement construction
Americans for Peace Now urges U.S. citizens to record short videos in
which they will explain how settlement construction could negatively
Israel's U.S. image.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-group-launches-campaign-against-west-bank-settlement-construction-1.305606
Push begins to send US boat to Gaza, Philip Weiss
On Thursday this week, the group that is planning a US boat to Gaza is having a sunset cruise in New York harbor to raise money. The plans have touched a nerve, and there is a lot of excitement about the boat (the evolved Times ledeblog has covered it) and the cheap seats are almost sold out. Look at the list of people who are behind the US boat.
Phyllis Bennis, Leslie Cagan, the Corries, Russell Banks, Anna Baltzer,
Rashid Khalidi, Donna Nevel, Felice Gelman, Michael Ratner, Michael
Smith, Judy Walker, Alice Walker, Rebecca Vilkomerson, Iara Lee. Good
people.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/push-begins-to-send-us-boat-to-gaza.html
The Only Democracy? summer vacation: enjoy some boycott music
I keep meaning to make a mix tape of the ever growing “cultural
intifada” of artists refusing to perform in Israel, maybe including a
Meg Ryan film clip? In the mean time, here’s where Gorillaz went after refusing to play in Israel. While Syria certainly has its own injustices, it sounds like an inspriing event.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/08/enjoy-some-boycott-music/
Violence and Aggression (also see Lebanon)
Israeli forces fire on Gaza workers, injuring 1
Gaza
–
Ma’an – A young Gaza man was injured by Israeli fire east of Beit
Hanoun on Tuesday, reportedly while he was gathering cement aggregates
from the border area. Medical services coordinator for the de facto
government Adham Abu Salmiyeh identified the man as 22-year-old Bilal
Ibrahim Obeid, saying he was hit in the shoulder and was moderately
injured.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304802
Detainees
Israel Arrests Children Walking Near West Bank Separation Wall
At 12pm on Monday August 2nd, three children who had been walking near
the wall in Bil’in village where arrested by Israeli soldiers. The three
14-year-old friends Moatasem Ali Mansor, Majde Burnat, and Mohamad Abu
Rahmah often take walks near the wall. Today they were detained by
soldiers behind the wall for three hours. While behind the wall their
families tried to negotiate for their release to no avail. They were
then arrested and taken away in an army ambulance. This happened three
hours ago, and no ones knows where they have been taken yet. Soldiers
claim that the boys were throwing stones.
http://josephdana.com/2010/08/israel-arrests-children-walking-near-west-bank-separation-wall/
Israeli forces arrest 11 Palestinians in West Bank
RAMALLAH:
Israeli
forces operating in West Bank cities arrested 11 Palestinians,
according to Israeli and Palestinian security sources. Palestinian
sources said that three Palestinians were arrested in Nablus, one in
Ramallah, six in the Bethlehem area and one in Hebron. They added that
all were arrested after meticulous house search operations. Israeli
security sources told the Army Radio that the detainees were wanted by
the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet and were taken to unknown
locations for questioning.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article94549.ece
Rights group condemns wave of political arrests
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority is waging a campaign of
politically-motivated arrests in the West Bank, the Palestinian Centre
for Human Rights alleged Monday. According to PCHR investigations,
human rights activist Islam Hamed Khadayer, 35, was interrogated for
seven hours at the General Intelligence Service headquarters in Nablus
on Saturday. On his return home, PA Preventative Security Service
officers arrested him. The detainee is the son of a Palestinian
Legislative Council member. The same day, Nasser Hamed Khadayer, 33,
and his brother Ahmed, 28, were summoned to GIS headquarters. Ahmed, a
journalist who also researches prisoners’ affairs, was immediately taken
to Jnaid prison. Nasser has been summoned to GIS headquarters every day
since. A third brother, Hatem Hamed Khdayer, 38, a Sharia judge, has
been summoned to appear at the headquarters on Tuesday, PCHR reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304573
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – July 4 – July 31
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/08/industrial-fuel-%e2%80%93-needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-july-4-july-31/
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – July 4 – July 31
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/08/goods-%e2%80%93-
needs-vs-supply-%e2%80%93-july-4-%e2%80%93-july-31/
In the midst of Gaza's calamity lies an opportunity
Beyond the most obvious hardships brought about by the Gaza blockade,
there is another less commonly discussed environmental calamity in the
making that could have terrible long-term implications. According to the
United Nations Environment Program, the blockade on the Strip is causing
severe water shortages and preventing farmers from tilling their
land, leading to environmental damage that could take decades to repair.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=117762#axzz0vVMVwbcU
UAE Red Crescent takes anticancer drugs to Gaza
WAM GAZA, Aug 02nd, 2010 (WAM) -- Representatives of the Palestinian Red
Crescent Society (PRCS) in Gaza received today medical supplies sent by
the UAE Red Crescent Authority to Gaza hospitals The convoy carrying the
several life saving medicines had started to arrive in Gaza via the
Rafah crossing. The PRCS will distribute ten tons of medical supplies
to various hospitals and healthcare centres in Gaza, according to the
needs of each of them.
http://www.wam.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1278055869011&
pagename=WAM%2FWAM_E_Layout&parent=Query&parentid=1135099399852
War Crimes
Case of 14-year-old used as a human shield submitted to the UN for investigation
[Ramallah,
3 August 2010] - On 3 August 2010, DCI-Palestine submitted a case
involving the use of a child as a human shield to the UN Special
Rapporteur on Torture for further investigation. DCI-Palestine has
received credible evidence that on 16 April 2010, a 14-year-old boy was
used as a human shield by units of the Israeli army whilst conducting
operations in the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory. It is alleged that two soldiers forced the boy to
walk in front of them in an attempt to shield the soldiers from stones
being thrown during clashes with local Palestinian youths. The boy was
subsequently tied, blindfolded and beaten, before being released several
hours later, without charge. Part of the incident was photographed and
reported in Ma'an News.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=1563&CategoryId=1
Rockets
Jordan has 'proof' Aqaba rocket fired from Egypt (AFP)
AFP
- Jordan has proof a Grad-type rocket that struck its port city of Aqaba
killing a taxi driver and wounding five other people was fired from
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a senior official told AFP on Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100803/ts_afp/mideastconflictrocketjordanegyptevidence
US calls rocket attacks on Israel, Jordan 'deplorable' (AFP)
AFP - The United States on Monday called rocket attacks that hit Israel
and Jordan "deplorable," and said the actions seemed designed to
sabotage plans to revive direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100802/pl_afp/mideastconflictrocketjordanisraelus
MESS Report / World Jihad targeting Jordan and Egypt, not just Israel
Concern over possible missile strikes or major terror attacks has
spurred the Jordanians to closer security collaboration with Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/mess-report/
mess-report-world-jihad-targeting-jordan-and-egypt-not-just-israel-1.305616
Netanyahu: Terror groups are trying to thwart Mideast peace
PM's comments to Egypt's Mubarak, Jordan's Abdullah come after rockets land in Eilat, Aqaba, killing one Jordanian citizen.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
netanyahu-terror-groups-are-trying-to-thwart-mideast-peace-1.305592
Political/Other Developments
U.S.: Failure to advance peace talks will have consequences
State Dept. official reiterates Washington denial of reported threat to
cut ties with the PA if Abbas failed to upgrade existing indirect peace
negotiations.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-failure-to-advance-peace-talks-will-have-consequences-1.305596
US insists now is the 'right time' for direct Mideast talks (AFP)
AFP - The United States said Monday now is the right time for
Palestinians and Israelis to resume direct negotiations, warning there
would be consequences if they failed to do so.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100802/pl_afp/mideastdiplomacypalestinianisraelus
PLO: no direct talks before Israel freezes settlement
RAMALLAH,
Aug.
2 (Xinhua) -- The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) ruled out
going for direct talks with Israel before the latter halts settlement
construction and set terms of reference of negotiations, a PLO official
said Monday. "Setting timetable, terms of reference and freezing
settlement activity are the 'sole guarantee' for resuming direct talks
with Israel," Yasser Abed Rabbo, a PLO official, told reporters
following a meeting of the organization's executive committee in
Ramallah.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/02/c_13426932.htm
Israel makes no obligations to U.S. for start of direct talks with Palestinians: PM
JERUSALEM,
Aug.
2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his
cabinet members that he made no obligations to the United States in his
recent meeting with President Barack Obama for possible direct talks
with the Palestinians, sources told Xinhua on Monday. Addressing his
cabinet ministers at a weekly session on Sunday, he estimated that
direct talks with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) could begin
within two weeks.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/02/c_13426930.htm
Mubarak, Netanyahu talk on phone to complete last discussions
CAIRO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday
received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a
continuation of consultations between the two sides last month, Egypt's
official MENA news agency reported. The brief report did not give more
details. On July 18, Mubarak held discussions with Netanyahu, as well
as U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell and Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas respectively, to discuss the peace process in the region
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/03/c_13426970.htm
U.S. heavily involved in organizing U.N. flotilla probe
U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon today announced a new international panel to oversee investigations
into the Gaza flotilla incident, a decision that came after heavy U.S. involvement
and with the support of the Israeli government. The four-member panel will be led by the former prime minister
of New Zealand, Geoffrey Palmer, and
the outgoing president of Colombia, Álvaro
Uribe. Turkey and Israel will each appoint one member in the coming days,
both expected to be high-level diplomats or judicial officials. It will meet on Aug. 10 and issue its first
report in September. U.S. representative to the U.N. Susan Rice issued a statement Monday praising the panel and clearly
defining its limits.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/08/02/us_heavily_involved_in_organizing_un_flotilla_probe
Head of UN panel: Gaza flotilla probe will be 'challenging'
Former New Zealand premier Geoffrey Palmer says issue is very sensitive one; stresses need to maintain a sense of detachment.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
head-of-un-panel-gaza-flotilla-probe-will-be-challenging-1.305607
Turkey summons Israeli envoy over Barak's comments
Ambassador
called in after defense minister expresses concern over appointment of new Turkish spy chief, dubs him 'supporter of Iran'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929575,00.html
Other News
Report: Turkey could host advanced U.S. radar to confront Iran missile threat
American close to agreement that could make Ankara a vital link in a cross-European chain of anti-missile systems.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
report-turkey-could-host-advanced-u-s-radar-to-confront-iran-missile-threat-1.305719
Sentence in Israel rape by deception case delayed (AP)
AP - Israel's Supreme Court has delayed the imprisonment of a Palestinian man convicted of rape by deception.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_rape_by_deception
Gaza flotilla activist: IDF returned my bag, but not my belongings
Swedish author Henning Mankell, one of the passengers on May's
Turkish-sponsored flotilla to Gaza, has finally had the knapsack Israeli
forces confiscated after the raid returned to him - and claims that most
of what was inside it has disappeared. Mankell told Haaretz that last
Friday, he was summoned to the Gothenburg office of the Turkish airline
he flew and
given his bag, which had been sent from Istanbul by IHH, the
organization that sponsored the ships. But most of his own belongings
had disappeared, he claimed, and instead, he found women's clothing
inside.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
gaza-flotilla-activist-idf-returned-my-bag-but-not-my-belongings-1.305628
Haredi press praises kids' deportation
Jewish magazines say 'Israel's Jewish character' endangered by foreign kids granted citizenship.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929021,00.html
IDF refuses to recruit intersexed haredi man
Jerusalem resident who was born with both male, female genitalia files
petition against Defense Ministry claiming that despite his high
motivation to enlist, serve in combat duty army refuses to recruit him.
'I want to fulfill my civic duty,' he says.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929003,00.html
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Kill an Arab, any Arab, is longstanding and unquestioned policy, David Samel
So Israel’s rule of engagement is that any incident of violence directed
at Israel from an Arab community may be answered by a lethal attack on
an official of that community, regardless of whether there is any
suspicion of the official’s personal responsibility for the act against
Israel. The idea is that the leadership of a community is not only
“responsible . . . for maintaining calm” among the entire populace, but
that any random official could pay with his life for a breach of calm
that he neither planned, carried out, or was aware of. Let us imagine
Palestinians employing the same rule. If an IDF soldier, or a settler,
committed a single aggressive act against a Palestinian, even if there
were no resulting injuries, Hamas would be entitled to assassinate any
IDF officer (and perhaps any Israeli official - the Minister of
Transportation, or Education?) for failure to prevent the attack.
Practically, of course, such retaliation is unthinkable, due to the
overwhelming imbalance of power. Palestinians simply do not have the
capability of killing any Israeli target. But the question here is one
of law and morality, and random assassination of an Israeli official or
even IDF officer for a settler’s attack would be indefensible.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/kill-an-arab-any-arab-is-longstanding-and-unquestioned-policy.html
James Zogby: Arabs Don't Care About Palestine? Don't Bet on It
There
are bad polls, and then there are bad interpretations of polls. Putting
them together (i.e. a bad interpretation of a bad poll) can create a mess of misinformation, which is exactly what the New York Times gave us this morning. Prominently featured on the op-ed page was a piece, "The Palestinians, Alone" by Efraim Karsh (an Israeli-born professor at King's College, London).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/arabs-dont-care-about-pal_b_668043.html
Lo, another Israel apologist on the NYT op-ed page!, Philip Weiss
The staying power of neocons is amazing. Here is Efraim Karsh, the man who denied the Nakba, who wrote that Palestinians were "driven" out in 1948 by their own leaders, is on the Op Ed page of the NYT today,
writing that there are no reasonable Palestinians. Koozie
summarizes: "Article states that an online poll of Arabs shows that
70-something percent of them aren’t interested in the
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which the author than uses as a
launching point to argue that Arabs are not, and never really have been,
interested in the Palestinians' plight. It’s an interesting little
trick. One can make the more convincing argument that Arab society
still cares very deeply about the Palestinians and that the Arab society
is perhaps a little better at acknowledging b.s. (and we can all agree
that the Peace Talks have delivered nothing but hot air) than
Americans are and so have decided not to waste another iota of energy or
time on what is in essence a diplomatic diversion. Was it ee Cummings
who wrote the line 'there is some shit I will not eat?'”
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/lo-another-israel-apologist-on-the-nyt-op-ed-page.html
Another Remarkably Stupid NYT Op Ed on the Mideast, Tony Karon
Okay, I don’t have much time here, it’s recycling night — and the New
York Times seems to revel in recycling really tired Israeli PR lines. Today, it’s Ephraim Karsh
trotting out a mish-mash of misrepresentations and tar-balls of wishful
thinking to make the case that the Arab world has abandoned the
Palestinians, and now that they’re on their own, they’re more likely to
surrender to Israel’s terms at the peace table. The evidence for this
claim, first and foremost, is an unscientific survey by an Arab news
organization that found that ” a staggering 71 percent of the Arabic
respondents have no interest in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks”.
Uh, Ephraim, buddy — you may not know this, but the percentage of
Palestinians that have no interest in those peace talks is probably
higher. Nobody outside the Netanyahu-AIPAC echo chamber believes
anything will come of such talks as long as the U.S. declines to force
the issue with Israel. That’s hardly the same thing as
saying the Arabs have tired of the Palestinians; on the contrary, most
surveys of Arab opinion find the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains
their primary foreign policy concern. Arabs tiring of the Palestinians
is wishful thinking.
http://tonykaron.com/2010/08/02/another-remarkably-stupid-nyt-op-ed-on-the-mideast/
Hateful Ground Zero Hypocrisy, Peter Beinart
The
Anti-Defamation League's opposition to building a mosque at the site of
the 9/11 attacks betrays its own founding principles. Peter Beinart on the Jewish group's Muslim double standard.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-08-02/
the-anti-defamation-leagues-ground-zero-mosque-hypocrisy/
Foxman Really Outdoes Himself on Mosque Issue
Whatever diminishing credibility the Anti-Defamation League retains as a
fighter against discrimination and bigotry against minority groups was
shed today with the ADL’s announcement that it opposes the construction
of the proposed Islamic Center two blocks from “Ground Zero” in downtown
Manhattan.
http://www.lobelog.com/foxman-really-outdoes-himself-on-mosque-issue/
South Africa's lessons for Gaza
The Palestinian national movement has overlooked this question: does the
Gaza Strip resemble the racist Bantustans of apartheid South Africa?
During the apartheid era, South Africa's black population was kept in
isolation and without political and civil rights. Is Gaza similar? The
answer is yes and no. Haidar Eid analyzes.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11437.shtml
Book review: Israel and apartheid S. Africa's "Unspoken Alliance"
In The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid
South Africa, historian and Foreign Affairs editor Sasha
Polakow-Suransky explores the rise and fall of the Cold War-era alliance
between Israel and apartheid South Africa. Jimmy Johnson reviews for The
Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11439.shtml
Globalisation – A Palestinian Context, Jamil Salman – Amman
Despite
the
recent surge in studies criticising the effects of globalisation and,
by extension, the World Trade Organisation, Palestinian officials have
remained steadfast in their desire to expose the economy to the effects
of globalisation. To some, membership at the WTO has become the next
integral step in not only ending economic depression, but achieving
Palestinian statehood. This is in part due to the major deficiencies
regarding the shared Customs Union with Israel.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16176
Young Palestinians With Cameras, Shooting Back, DON DUNCAN
Every Friday, the slingshot-wielding boys, or shabab, of the West Bank
village of Ni’lin protest at Israel’s separation wall, which has
deprived the village of 750 acres of farmland. But among the shabab are
other youngsters with a different weapon – video cameras.
For the past three years, Btselem, the Israeli human rights NGO, has
provided cameras and training to young Palestinians as part of its
camera distribution project, to collect video evidence of abuses and
misconduct by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Israeli settlers in
the West Bank. There are 150 such cameras all over the West Bank and
Gaza, and most of the footage captured – 1,500 hours so far – ends on
the floor-to-ceiling archive shelves of the Jerusalem office of Yoav
Gross, who directs the NGO’s video project.
http://www.counterpunch.com/duncan08032010.html
Playing Soccer in Gaza, Andrew Ford
You're
watching
your kid play soccer. It's a chilly weekend morning and you may be
upset at the lost sleep involved in getting up and getting him there.
The grass is green and the net, goal posts, striping are new and
unscarred from previous play; their maintenance secured through a school
district budget that generally passes grudging voter approval every two
years. You see the mix of parents, some of them groggy, some of them
slightly too excited by the impending competition. And it's all
incredibly normal.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16178
Iraq
Monday: 14 Iraqis Killed, 36 Wounded
Despite
indications
of a surge in violence, U.S. President Barack Obama promised to end
U.S. combat operations on schedule this month and shift the Iraq mission
to civilian and diplomatic efforts. Still, at least 14 Iraqis were
killed and 36 more were wounded in new violence. Meanwhile, Kuwait
marked the 20th anniversary of the country's invasion by Iraqi troops
and start of the first Gulf War. Also, Saudi Arabia is welcoming the
opportunity to strengthen relations with Iraq and reign in Iran's
influence in the region.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/08/02/monday-14-iraqis-killed-36-wounded/
Unknown gunmen bomb policeman house
Three people were killed in Fallujah including a woman while three
others were wounded due to the bombing of a policeman’s house. Unknown
gunmen detonated bombs around the house of the policeman in Al Karma
region, eastern Fallujah, killing him, his wife and his two-year old
daughter while his three sons were wounded, a security source told
Alsumaria News. Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a
bomb explosion at a bus station in Al Shorta Al Rabiaa region, police
said. The Presidential Palaces compound at the Green Zone was subject
to missile attack on Sunday night. Helicopters hovered above the
incident site while no casualties were confirmed.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-52542-Unknown-gunmen-bomb-policeman-house.html
Maliki says impasse over Iraqi govt not his fault (Reuters)
Reuters - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday his desire
to serve a second term as prime minister was not holding up the
formation of a new government and asked Iraqis to have patience.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100802/wl_nm/us_iraq_politics
Former Saddam official sentenced to death (AFP)
AFP
-
A senior official in the Baath Party of now-executed dictator Saddam
Hussein was sentenced to death for the draining of the country's
marshlands in the 1990s, the Iraqi court that tried him said on Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100803/wl_mideast_afp/iraqtrialrightsenvironmentmarshes
Iraqi paper sued for one billion dollars over bribes story (AFP)
AFP - An Iraqi newspaper is facing a one billion dollar lawsuit from a
key Kurdish party it alleged had taken kickbacks on oil deals with
neighbouring Iran, a press freedom group said on Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100802/wl_mideast_afp/iraqmediakurdsoil
Iraqi mothers take up arms in county's wild west (AFP)
AFP
-
Sporting a long blue dress and white headscarf, Umm Omar barely blinks
as she whips out a pistol in her garden. For her, the gun is a necessary
evil to protect her young family.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100803/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestwomenqaeda
Kuwait: The class of 1990
On
August
2, 1990, the Iraqi army invaded the emirate of Kuwait, which Saddam
Hussein, the then Iraqi president, had declared Iraq's 19th province. At
the end of the school year of 1990, students in an international school
in Kuwait said their final farewells as they headed
off for the summer holidays. Many of them would never meet again. Twenty
years on, Al Jazeera's Nashwa Nasreldin returns to Kuwait to find
out what happened to her friends and the school during the war that
separated them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO5nX_2qGYs&feature=youtube_gdata
Lebanon
Lebanese, Israeli troops exchange fire at border
Lebanese
and
Israeli Army troops exchanged fire along the Blue Line Tuesday morning
in clashes that injured at least two, security officials said. The
incident erupted in the southern village of Adaysseh, where Lebanese
Army soldiers fired warning shots at a nearby Israeli patrol, who
responded with rocket salvos.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117787
Flash
Al-Akhbar correspondent, `Assaf Bu Rahhal, died from wounds caused by indiscriminate Israeli shelling over South Lebanon.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/08/flash.html
Deaths in Israel-Lebanon clash
At least three Lebanese soldiers and one journalist killed in exchange of gunfire along tense border.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/20108310240207599.html
Report: Israeli soldiers injured in Aadaiseh clashes
Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Several Israeli soldiers were wounded in clashes along the
Lebanon-Israel border following an exchange of fire in the Aadaiseh
village Tuesday, Lebanese security officials said. An unnamed security
official said several Israeli soldiers had been wounded and that Israel
was using loudspeakers urging a ceasefire in order to remove those who
were hurt Agence France-Presse reported. Israel has not confirmed the
number of casualties to its forces.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304886
4 Lebanese Martyred, 1 Israeli Officer Killed in Odeisseh Clashes
03/08/2010 Four Lebanese were martyred on Tuesday and five others were
injured in the Israeli aggression along the Occupied Palestinian-
Lebanese border. Israeli occupation troops exchanged fire on Tuesday
with the Lebanese soldiers along the Odeisseh southern village, sparking
clashes that left three Lebanese army soldiers and one journalist
martyred. The journalist was identified as Assaf Bou Rahhal working for
Al-Akhbar daily. Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoaib was also lightly
injured in the clashes. Al-Manar TV quoted a security official as
saying that a high ranking Israeli officer was killed in the shelling
and the occupation forces were trying to pull him out of the Lebanese
territories. Another occupation soldier was injured and he is in a
critical situation.
"The Israelis fired four shells (from a tank) that fell near a Lebanese
army position on the outskirts of the village of Odeisseh and the
Lebanese army fired back," a security official in the area told AFP,
adding that two houses were damaged by the rockets.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148884&language=en
Lebanese president: Stand up to Israel
Michel Suleiman vows to stand up to Israel 'at any price,' says Israel violated UN resolution.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3929584,00.html
Report: Lebanon army colonel arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel
Latest
in wave of arrests sparks fears in Beirut that Israeli intelligence has
extensively penetrated the country's communications infrastructure.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
report-lebanon-army-colonel-arrested-on-suspicion-of-spying-for-israel-1.305705
Israelis mull war on multiple fronts as STL indictment looms
BEIRUT: The Israeli Security Cabinet discussed Monday the prospects of
an upcoming war on the Lebanese, Syrian and Gaza fronts in anticipation
of tensions on the Lebanese domestic scene, Israeli media reported. The
Israeli reports said an impending indictment by the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon (STL) against Hizbullah members in former Lebanese Premier
Rafik Hariri’s murder could push the group to take action that would
instigate strife in Lebanon, forcing Israel to react to protect its
interests.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117777#axzz0vVMfw8mP
New Israel-Lebanon war likely to be more violent, destructive: ICG
BEIRUT:
A
new Israeli-Lebanon conflict is likely to be far more violent, inflict
greater damage to civilian and government infrastructure and lead to the
direct embroilment of other regional actors, warned a new report
released Monday by the International Crisis Group (ICG), the leading
conflict-resolution think tank. A new conflict will also likely
affect greater parts of the country, especially the Bekaa Valley, and
will not be isolated to the south or the Shiite areas of Beirut which
were systematically targeted in 2006, said the report entitled “Drums of
War: Israel and the ‘Axis of Resistance.’”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117779#axzz0vVMeWbPO
Jumblatt makes amends with Emile Lahoud
BEIRUT:
Progressive
Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblatt attended on Monday a dinner banquet
hosted by former President Emile Lahoud, once Jumblatt’s political foe.
The meeting comes after five years of broken ties and follows
Jumblatt’s centrist political realignment since his withdrawal from the
March 14 alliance after the June 2009 parliamentary elections.
The PSP leader was one of the major figures who opposed Lahoud’s
re-election for a second term in 2004.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=117781#axzz0vVMXwuBP
Baalbek Airdrop: Another Israeli Failure in July War Booklet
02/08/2010
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. An Israeli occupation helicopter dropped
commando forces in Baalbek on the night of Tuesday, August 2. The force
was discovered as it moved towards the hospital of "Dar al-Hikmah" and
gunfights took place in the area for several hours. Another force was
dropped by other helicopter in to extricate the commandos and provide
backup to the occupation troops. While gun battles were taking place,
other force attacked the hospital and inspected the identification of
everyone there. The soldiers arrested five Lebanese civilians. One of
the arrested was named as Hasan Nasrallah whose name is like the name of
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=148730&language=en
Lebanon awaits a verdict
A
special tribunal set up to investigate the assassination of former
Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri in 2005 is expected to reveal its findings
soon amid a widespread belief that "rogue elements" of Hezbollah will be
implicated. The situation is tense, although some people are comforted
by the fact that Hezbollah is just too strong to be undermined. - Ramzy
Baroud
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LH04Ak01.html
Fadlallah
"Lebanese author and academic Dr. As'ad Abu-Khalil
has also argued that commentators have not properly placed Fadlallah in
context, and pointed to the schools and orphanages he founded in Beirut
and southern Lebanon. Amira Al Hussaini of Global Voices quotes
Abu-Khalil's post, saying "His [Fadlallah's] relationship with Hizbullah
is always misunderstood...he broke from Wilayat Al-Faqih...and
developed
a new liberal thinking especially on issues of personal status laws."
He also "urged for a closer relationship between science and religion",
which drew the ire of both Iran and Hizbullah."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/08/fadlallah.html
Afghanistan/Wikileaks
Afghanistan shows signs of cracking
In
fighting
to “win” in Helmand or Kandahar provinces, we are fighting against the
Pashtun people. This, in Galbraith’s view, is hopeless, and he is
probably right. The same goes for regions bordering Pakistan, such
as Paktia and Nangahar.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100731/OPINION01/707319979
270 civilians killed in July in Afghanistan
'Two hundred and seventy civilians were killed in different security
incidents in July across the country which shows a 29 percent increase
in comparison with the previous month,' Xinhua quoted a spokesman for
the interior ministry as saying.
http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/667055/cs/1/
Civilian killed by NATO soldiers in southern Afghanistan
An
Afghan civilian was killed as he was trying to approach a NATO military
base in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said Saturday.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1574584.php
A Civilian Casualty, Up Close, Kevin Sites
I try to imagine the incongruity of it all. You are riding in your car
with your family and in one instant, by being in exactly the wrong place
at the wrong time, your wife is now dead.
http://dispatches.globalpost.com/2010/07/29/a-civilian-casualty-up-close/
MIT graduate admits link in leak case
Says he met, exchanged e-mails with private accused of providing records, but denies role.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/08/01/mit_graduate_admits_link_in_leak_case/
Witness says WikiLeaks investigators sought to limit disclosure
The
computer
expert also said the Army offered him cash to, in his word,
"infiltrate" WikiLeaks. "I turned them down," he said. "I don't want
anything to do with this cloak-and-dagger stuff."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/31/AR2010073103058.html
Daniel Ellsberg's WikiLeaks wish list
Outlook asked Ellsberg for his wish list of documents to be leaked,
declassified or otherwise made public, documents that could
fundamentally alter public understanding of key national security issues
and foreign policy debates. He outlines his selections and calls for
congressional investigations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/30/AR2010073002673_pf.html
The Wikileaks Afghan War Diary, MAXIMILLIAN FORTE
The release of Wikileaks’ acquired records from U.S. forces in Afghanistan on 25 July 2010, and the simultaneous deluge of reports from the three newspapers (Der Spiegel, The Guardian, and The New York Times)
that had the records for a month in advance of their release, is without
a doubt an event of major significance in our time. In this article I
will outline some of the main reasons those opposed to the war
in Afghanistan and to the policies of the U.S. state should celebrate
this event and what it signifies. In the next article, however, I will
discuss some of the very serious problems with these records and the way
that Wikileaks released them, pointing to several issues that the
established news media have failed to raise, and about which Wikileaks
has not yet been questioned.
http://www.counterpunch.com/forte08022010.html
Afghanistan: It’s Even Worse Than You Thought, Haroon Siddiqui
The buckets-full of leaked documents on the war in Afghanistan have elicited three responses, all misguided.
http://www.thestar.com/article/842623--siddiqui-afghanistan-it-s-even-worse-than-you-thought
Obama's Afghan Formula, RALPH NADER
The
war in Afghanistan is nearly nine years old—the longest in American
history. After the U.S. quickly toppled the Taliban regime in October
2001, the Taliban, by all accounts, came back stronger and harsher
enough to control now at least 30 percent of the country. During this
time, U.S. casualties, armaments and expenditures are at record levels.
America’s overseas wars have different outcomes when they have no
constitutional authority, no war tax, no draft, no regular on the ground
press coverage, no Congressional oversight, no spending accountability
and, importantly, no affirmative consent of the governed who are, apart
from the military families, hardly noticing.
http://www.counterpunch.com/nader08022010.html
Do Disclosures of Atrocities Change Anything?, ALEXANDER COCKBURN
The hope of the brave soldier who sent 92,000 secret U.S. documents to
Wikileaks was that their disclosure would prompt public revulsion and
increasing political pressure on Obama to seek with all speed a
diplomatic conclusion to this war.
http://www.counterpunch.com/cockburn07302010.html
U.S. and Other World News
Obama touts withdrawal in Iraq war. Does he sound like Bush? (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - President Obama shifted his focus from
domestic issues to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Monday, marking a
month that will see the end of the US combat role in Iraq.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100802/ts_csm/317514
Ahmadinejad offers Obama debate
Iranian
leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he is willing to meet US President Barack Obama for "face-to-face" talks in front of the media.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-10839986
Cluster bomb ban comes into effect
The United States, the world's largest producer with the biggest
stockpile of 800 million submunitions, has refused to sign the treaty so
far, although it says it will ban the weapon from 2018.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/08/20108161921618518.html
Brazil’s President Offers Asylum to Woman Facing Stoning in Iran
In an about-face, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called on
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to send the woman convicted of adultery to
Brazil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/world/americas/02brazil.html
Iran to reject Brazil offer on stoning case
Iran
is
likely to reject Brazil's offer to give refuge to a woman convicted of
adultery and initially sentenced to death by stoning, officials said
today.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-to-reject-brazil-offer-on-stoning-case-2042014.html
Egypt must drop charges against three activists
Amnesty International has urged the Egyptian authorities to drop all
charges against two human rights activists and a blogger whose trial is
expected to conclude on Saturday. Amnesty International has urged the
Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against two leading human
rights activists and a well-known blogger whose trial is expected to
conclude in Cairo on Saturday. Gamal Eid, Ahmed Seif El-Islam Hamad and
blogger Amr Gharbeia, a staff member at Amnesty International, are
accused of "defamation", "the use of threats" and "misuse of
communication tools". The charges are connected to allegations made by a
judge in 2007 that the two activists tried to extort money from him. Amr
Gharbeia is charged with defaming the same judge on his blog.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/egypt-must-drop-charges-against-three-activists-2010-07-30
Immigrant Maids Flee Lives of Abuse in Kuwait
Hundreds of maids who fled from their employers now sleep in improvised shelters in their countries’ embassies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/world/middleeast/02domestic.html
Defying tradition in Syria to serve as a full-time surrogate mother
Fawzia al-Thiab has left behind the idea of having children of her own
to be a foster mother to orphans – more than 35 of them so far.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/Eg2SdCSauhE/
Defying-tradition-in-Syria-to-serve-as-a-full-time-surrogate-mother
Riz Khan - Policing the world
The
US
has the most powerful military in the world and its forces are
currently involved in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Many
feel the only superpower in the world has an obligation to enforce and
protect global peace and democracy. But critics argue US foreign policy
is driven by its "military industrial complex" that promotes war - not
peace. Does the US have any moral right to police the world?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoNylhGh890&feature=youtube_gdata
Despite Iraq Withdrawal, Greater Mideast Not Looking Good, Jim Lobe, August 03, 2010
While President Barack Obama Monday touted the continuing U.S.
military withdrawal from Iraq as a key marker in the success of his
regional policies, the latest news from the Greater Middle East, as well
as a new public opinion survey, is far less encouraging. Not only was
July the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the
Taliban’s ouster from power in late 2001, but the worst flooding in the
critical frontier region of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan in 80
years threatens to undo what progress the central government in
Islamabad has had over the past year in regaining control of the area
from the Pakistani Taliban and laying the groundwork for a U.S.-backed
development plan.
http://original.antiwar.com/lobe/2010/08/02/mideast-not-looking-good/ |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
|
|
