Jerusalem man forced to demolish home extension Jerusalem
–
Ma’an – Faced with the prospect of paying thousands of dollars in fines
to the Israeli municipality that administers occupied East Jerusalem, a
Palestinian homeowner has demolished part of his own house. Nayef
Kasteru, a father of three living in the Aqbat As-Saraya neighborhood of
Jerusalem's Old City, on Sunday finished dismantling a 49-meter
addition he had installed several years earlier without the blessing of
Israeli zoning authorities. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296815
Israel extends detention of Jerusalem lawmaker
Jerusalem – Ma’an – An Israeli court has extended the detention period
of Palestinian lawmaker Mohammad Abu Teir upon the advice of its
attorney general, who is considering an arrangement alternative to
expulsion. Defense attorney Fadi Qawasmi said the court's decision came
after a request was presented to the Israeli interior minister to review
a ruling taken last week that stripped the lawmaker of his residency
rights. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296832
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
and
Divestment End
the
siege of Gaza! End all U.S. aid to Israel! Demonstrations to take
place as Netanyahu meets with Pres. Obama
San Francisco, Calif. Where: Israeli Consulate (456 Montgomery St.) When:
4:30
p.m. Email: answer@... Phone: 415-821-6545
Israeli
courts criminalize protest: Adeeb Abu Rahma sentenced to two years Israeli
repression
of Palestinian non-violent resistance against the Wall and the
Occupation takes a distubring turn: Adeeb Abu Rahma, from Bil’in
Village, sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. On 30 June 2010,
grassroots activist Adeeb Abu Rahma, member of the Bil’in Popular
Committee against the Wall and Settlements, was sentenced by Israeli
military court to two years’ imprisonment, after being arrested on 10
July 2009 during a weekly demonstration in Bil’in, and after spending 11
months of detention in the Ofer military complex in the Occupied
Territories. http://palsolidarity.org/2010/07/12843/
The Battle of Nabi Saleh: Soldiers vs. Kids, Max
Blumenthal When Israeli soldiers entered the embattled
Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh on July 2, they were immediately
confronted by over a dozen small children. While the IDF is accustomed
to firing teargas canisters, percussion grenades, rubber bullets and
even live .22 caliber ammunition at adolescent boys, members of the
Nahal unit and Kfir border police brigade tasked with suppressing the
weekly Nabi Saleh demonstration were frustrated by the children who
surrounded and taunted them. At one point, the division commander became
so upset he barked into his radio, “I need backup!” http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/07/the-battle-of-nabi-saleh-soldiers-vs-kids/
Soldiers,
Settlers,
Attack A Protest near Hebron Israeli soldiers and a
group of armed Jewish settlers attacked on Saturday nonviolent
Palestinian and international protestors who held their weekly protest
against settlements in Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank
city of Hebron. http://www.imemc.org/article/59060
Army
Attacks
Nonviolent Weekly Protest In Bil’in
As local residents accompanied by international peace activists held
their nonviolent weekly protest against the Annexation Wall in Bil’in
village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers
fired gas bombs at them leading to dozens of injuries. http://www.imemc.org/article/59052
Another IDF Lie Exposed: Army Attacked Activists,
Not The Other Way Around
The IDF claimed Yonathan Shapira and Matan
Cohen "attacked" a soldier. It is a blatant lie discredited by video
evidence. On July 2, at the weekly demonstration in the Palestinian
village of Nabi Saleh, Israeli army troops violently arrested Israeli
activists Yonatan Shapira and Matan Cohen. I witnessed the incident that
led to the arrests and filmed them as they took place. As a group of
soldiers pursued children up a small hill, then began firing teargas
shells and percussion grenades at them, presumably in response to a few
stones the children had thrown, Cohen and Shapira mocked the soldiers.
“Shooting at
children! You are so brave!” Cohen exclaimed. http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/07/another-idf-lie-exposed-army-attacked-activists-not-the-other-way-around/
More IDF Lies about Israeli Activists in the West
Bank
During the weekly protest yesterday in the West Bank village of Nabi
Salih, two Israeli demonstrators were violently arrested by IDF
soliders. These activists, Matan Cohen and Yonathan Shapria, were
standing among a group of children and other Palestinian and Israeli
demonstrators when the army made a brash decision to arrest them. After
the arrest, the IDF Spokesman’s unit tweeted,
“2 arrested rioters in Nabi Salih who attacked an IDF soldier now in
Israeli Police custody, the soldier is uninjured” http://josephdana.com/2010/07/more-idf-lies-about-israeli-activities-in-the-west-bank/
How to end a conversation in a Tel Aviv Bar
It is hard to say the protest began as normal because there were only
six or so Palestinians protesting but the protest began as normal in the
West Bank city of Beit Jala yesterday. Palestinians have been holding
weekly Sunday afternoon protests against the construction of the Israeli
separation wall which will cut their city in half and annex large parts
of their land to Israel. Recent protests have seen in escalation of
violence by Israeli soldiers which now routinely fire tear gas into the
densely populated city irregardless of women, children and other
bystanders. Today was no different. http://josephdana.com/2010/07/how-to-end-a-conversation-in-a-tel-aviv-bar/
Emily Henochowicz, "Ni'lin" (Art) Emily
Henochowicz is a young Jewish American artist and activist. While
demonstrating in Jerusalem against the Israeli massacre of activists on
the Mavi Marmara, Henochowicz lost her left eye to one of the tear gas
canisters fired by Israeli border police. She says about her art:
"[W]hat you can take personally from this work, I can't know -- art is
an interpretive force. Perhaps emotion can lead to reason." http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/henochowicz020710.html
Violence and Aggression Gaza fisherman reported injured by Israeli fire
Gaza – Ma'an – Israel's navy opened fire toward the coast of the Gaza
Strip on Monday morning injuring a fisherman, a medical official said.
Alam Ghanem Baker, in his 20s, was treated for a bullet wound sustained
while fishing off the northern coast near Gaza City, Gaza Health
Ministry director of emergency and ambulance services Muawiya Hassanein
said. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296972
Standoff at Hebron mosque
Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces surrounded a mosque in the occupied West
Bank late Sunday, opening fire and ordering it evacuated. It was not
immediately clear what provoked the standoff at the Ar-Rihiya Mosque
south of Hebron, where two Palestinians were detained. Local residents
told Ma'an that Israeli forces ordered elderly residents to evacuate the
facility, but they refused. Soldiers used several Palestinians as human
shields while surrounding the mosque, onlookers said, during
confrontations between local youth and soldiers who opened fire with
tear-gas canisters, rubber-coated bullets, and live ammunition. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296846
Nameless
Palestinian Detainees: over 650,000 detained
since 1967 and counting... Ahmad Sa'adat: A Palestinian Prisoner of Conscience,
Stephen Lendman
He's the 1967-founded Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's
(PFLP) General Secretary, one of thousands of Palestinian political
prisoners, sentenced in 2002 to 30 years in prison "for a range of
'security-related' political offenses,' " including his prominence in a
prohibited organization, a 1993 document stating that:"The strategic aim
of the PFLP's struggle alongside the other forces of the Palestinian
revolution is to liberate Palestine from Zionist colonial occupation.
The PFLP aims for the establishment of a democratic state on the entire
Palestinian land, with its capital in Jerusalem. This state would
guarantee legal rights and equality of opportunity to all citizens,
without discrimination on the grounds of religion, sex, belief or color.
It would oppose Zionism and imperialism and be oriented towards
democratic unity with other Arab countries." http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16108
Israel's Arab Helpers Egypt says 400 tunnels destroyed this year Rafah
–
Ma’an – Egyptian authorities said Sunday that 400 smuggling tunnels
have been destroyed since the beginning of the year. The announcement
came after nine tunnels on the border with Gaza were taken over and a
smuggler was detained. The detainee, identified only by his initials RR,
was among the most wanted, intelligence sources said. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296791
Egypt: Explosives smuggling into Gaza thwarted Al-Arish
–
Ma'an – Egyptian security forces thwarted a weapons-smuggling operation
into the Gaza Strip on Monday, a security source said. Forces
along the border city of Rafah received information that explosives
prepared for smuggling through the tunnel complex were being stored in a
warehouse 120 meters from the border in the Al-Ahrash neighborhood, the
source said. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296915
Report: Lebanon detains suspected Palestinian spy
Beirut – Ma'an – Palestinian refugee was detained in the south of
Lebanon, suspected of spying for Israel since 2005, the Lebanese
Internal Security Forces director told the London-based Al-Hayat
newspaper Sunday. General Ashraf Rifi reportedly said the 45-year-old
suspect, known only by his initials AK, was detained during an ISF
ambush where he was found in possession of communications equipment and
developed encryption programs. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296904
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights Israeli boy campaigns against border mines
More than 2,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli landmines in
the past 40 years. This is no surprise considering that more than a
million mines remain active. They are scattered along Israel's borders
with Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. Israel has always refused to
remove them, but now an 11-year-old Israeli boy is campaigning to have
them cleared. Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports. [July 4, 2010] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgYIsnjEaFw&feature=youtube_gdata
OPT: Thousands missing out on education in Gaza
Thousands of Palestinian refugee children in the Gaza Strip are unable
to receive adequate education, according to the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). About 39,000 child refugees in Gaza will
not attend UNRWA schools this year, since the agency is unable to build
or re-build schools due to the Israeli blockade, damage sustained during
the 23-day Israeli offensive (27 December 2008 -
18 January 2009) and population growth, UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness
said in Jerusalem. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/bbbe23c7e149bb9fc50006c5f6994735.htm
Gaza ministry says PA rejecting passport applications
Gaza – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority is refusing most passport
applications for residents of the Gaza Strip, officials said Monday.
The Gaza-based Ministry of the Interior said in a statement that a
shortfall of 100,000 passports had created a crisis for prospective
travelers. The ministry accused the Fatah-run government in Ramallah of
providing passports to only the movement's affiliates, and alleged that
PA intelligence services were preventing the entry of most passports
into the Strip. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297060
RIGA, July 5 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said
on Monday his country has no intention of meeting Turkey's demand for
an apology over a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish aid ship bound for
Gaza. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6640YP.htm
Fayyad-Barak meeting 'not over negotiations' Ramallah
–
Ma'an – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud
Barak will sit at 1:30 pm Monday for discussions unrelated to peace
negotiations, a spokesman said. Speaking with Voice of Palestine Radio,
director of the state information center Ghassan Khatib, said the
leaders would discuss ways to end the siege on Gaza, address Palestinian
Authority concerns over continued Israeli overnight raids in the West
Bank, and ways to enable a greater scope of movement for PA forces so
they can operate in areas A, B and C. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296885
Yediot: Hebron Brigade commander cancels UK study
trip for fear of arrest
The IDF was forced to cancel the departure of the outgoing Hebron
Brigade commander, Col. Udi Ben-Moha, to study in the UK. Yedioth
Ahronoth has learned that the army feared that Ben Moha would be
arrested upon landing due to suspicion of involvement in war crimes in
the territories. Col. Ben Moha began his military service in the Naval
Commando. After
doing the officers’ course, he went to the Golani Brigade, then he was
the deputy commander of the Egoz unit, after that he commanded the
Netzarim sector in Gush Katif as the Shimshon Battalion commander, after
which he served as the commander of a reservist brigade and formed the
Sagi Brigade that operates on the Israel-Egypt border. http://coteret.com/2010/07/04/yediot-hebron-brigade-commander-cancels-uk-study-trip-for-fear-of-arrest/
Analysis/Opinion Jordan is not Palestine, Lamis Andoni
In fact, Israel's early leaders saw the Hashemite entity as both a
buffer between Israel and the rest of the Arab world, and a state that
could absorb those Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during
the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and the Six Day war in 1967. But it is
precisely the fact that Israeli leaders intentionally turned Jordan into
the absorber of the largest Palestinian refugee population that is now
being used to justify transforming it into a substitute homeland for the
Palestinians and forcibly sending more. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/2010/07/2010748131864654.html
US questions its unwavering support for Israel
Consensus forming in Washington that Israeli government is abusing
support with policies seen to be risking US lives. There are questions
that rarely get asked in Washington. For years, the mantra that
America's intimate alliance with Israel was as good for the US as it was
the Jewish state went largely unchallenged by politicians aware of the
cost of anything but unwavering support. But swirling in the background
when Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, arrives in
Washington tomorrow to patch up relations with the White House will be a
question rarely voiced until recently: is Israel ‑ or, at the very
least, its current government ‑ endangering US security and American
troops? http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/05/us-israel-support
Time to Muzzle Israel, Gulamhusein A. Abba The
bloody
and dastardly attack, by Israeli forces, in international waters, under
cover of darkness, on a peaceful and unarmed flotilla, carrying nothing
but humanitarian aid to a besieged people experiencing a
humanitarian crisis, was strongly denounced by people and governments
from all over the world. Deservedly so. Israel, instead of apologizing,
or at least being contrite, immediately launched a brazen and aggressive
campaign to justify its actions and paint the aid-bearers as the
villains of the piece! http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16102
Israel: A Failing Colonial Project, M. Shahid Alam
Increasingly, despite its early military and political successes, it
appears unlikely that Israel can endure for long as a colonial project.
In order to firmly secure its existence – as firmly as that is possible
for any state – a settler state has to overcome three challenges. It has
to solve the native problem; break away from its mother country; and
gain the recognition of neighboring states and peoples. It can be shown
that Israel has not met any of these conditions. http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16104
Iraq Sunday: 19 Iraqis Killed, 57 Wounded
As U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with the two leading contenders for
prime minister, several suicide bombers put a damper on the attempt to
reconcile the politicians' efforts to hasten the formation of the next
government. At least 19 Iraqis were killed and 57 more were wounded
across the country. Also, two U.S. soldiers were wounded when their
convoy came across a roadside bomb.
Iraqis suffer under political vacuum While
a
political vacuum continues to hold Iraq in its grip, the lives of
ordinary citizens are unsurprisingly in limbo. Living conditions are
worsening by the day in some neighbourhoods in the capital Baghdad, with
overflowing sewers, regular power cuts and a shortage of clean drinking
water. Al Jazeera's Omar Al-Saleh reports from Baghdad on how the lack
of basic services is making life much harder for many. [July 4, 2010] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm3UrqgjRQU&feature=youtube_gdata
Inside Iraq - Iraq's lack of electricity During
the
past weeks riots have been breaking out all over Iraq over electricity
cuts. Angry demonstrators clashed with security forces and demanded the
resignation of the electricity minister. Why have successive governments
failed to solve the electricity issue when Saddam
Hussein succeeded in reviving electricity in a record time in 1991? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNseLqT0XuY&feature=youtube_gdata
No information yet on 52,000 Iraqis who went missing
in first Gulf War Iraqi authorities have not heard about the
fate of 52,000 soldiers who were reported missing in the 1980-1988 Gulf
War with Iran, a cabinet minister said. Human Rights Minister Wujdan
Michael said she was working on a memorandum with the Iranian
authorities for help on their whereabouts or at least the return of
their remains if they were killed in action. “Last year we received the
remains of 200 of our soldiers from Iraq. We handed back the remains of
400 of their own soldiers,” she said. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2010-07-02\kurd.htm
Iraq's nostalgia for Saddam
It's almost insulting that US Vice President Joe Biden chose the 4th of
July to visit one of Saddam Hussein's old palaces in Iraq and later
press Iraqi leaders to end a power struggle that has gripped the country
since its general elections four months ago. July 4, after all,
celebrates those Americans who in 1776 freed themselves of their British
occupiers by declaring their nation's independence. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=116702
Lebanon mourns death of Shia "spiritual leader"
Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, a founding figure and
one-time spiritual leader of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia political
party, has passed away at 75 in a hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. Fadlallah
was admitted to the hospital last month suffering from diabetes and high
blood pressure. Thousands across the world are mourning the death of
one of Shia Islam's most influential scholars. Al Jazeer's Rula Amin
reports from Beirut. [July 4. 2010] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gau2O6FPW6A&feature=youtube_gdata
Sayyed Fadlullah… A True Supporter of Resistance and
Unity
04/07/2010 Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohamad Hussein Fadlullah was not only
a Muslim reference and authority but rather one of the most prominent
contemporary religious authorities in the Islamic World. His great
experience in teaching jurisprudence as well as his constant monitoring
of the latest trends and literature of the major religious schools have
enabled him to launch his own school and to be followed by thousands of
Muslim believers in Lebanon and the region. But Sayyed Fadlullah was
not only remarkable for his religious position and status. His eminence
was in fact a remarkable intellectual who was described as the spiritual
leader of the Resistance in Lebanon and the region. The Arab-Israeli
conflict, the Palestinian cause, the US hegemony, patriotism and the S http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=144910&language=en
Sayyed Fadlullah’s Contributions to the Civil
Society and the Downtrodden
04/07/2010 “We have to improve our education and gain more scientific
knowledge. If we do not make the best of our time now, we will not be
able to build our future or develop in the Future…” With these words
Sayyed Muhammed Hussein Fadlullah used to address people, especially the
youths, to benefit from every single minute of their lives. For that
reason, his eminence opened many religious and social institutions that
were mainly founded with the contributions of many Muslim benefactors.
In 1966 Sayyed Fadlalluh received an invitation from a group of
believers who had established a society called “Usrat Ataakhi” (The
family of Fraternity) to live with them in the Nabba’a neighborhood in
Eastern Beirut. There, he started organizing cultural seminars and
delivering religious speeches that tackled various topics. http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=144909&language=en
Iran 'has proof' scientist abducted Iranian
authorities
have said that they have handed over evidence proving that US agents
abducted an Iranian nuclear scientist. The purported evidence
was handed to the Swiss embassy in Tehran on Saturday, according to the
website of state-run English language channel Press TV. The
Swiss embassy manages US interests in Iran since Tehran and Washington
have no diplomatic ties. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/20107473335675940.html
U.S.
and other
World News Report: Israel concerned over Saudi-US defense deal
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israel is trying to thwart a defense deal
between the US and Saudi Arabia for the purchase of new F15 fighter jets
and upgrades to the Saudi air force, Israeli media reported Sunday.
According to a senior defense force source, the US is interested in
developing the Saudi air force to deter Iran, the Israeli daily Haaretz
reported. However, Israel wants Saudi Arabia to receive fewer upgrades
because "[t]oday these planes are against Iran, tomorrow they might turn
against us." http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=296619
Syrian prisoners 'disappeared'
At least 52 prisoners have disappeared from a Syrian jail following
disturbances in 2008 that left 22 people dead, human rights groups have
said. Families of the missing men say they have not been heard of since
violence broke out at the Saydnaya Military Prison on July 5, 2008. On
the second anniversary of the violence, 18 of the missing prisoners now
meet the international legal criteria of having been victims of
"enforced disappearance", according to human rights groups, and
questions remain over the fate of dozens more. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/07/20107465823578458.html
