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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing
Netanyahu: “Settlement
Activities To Resume By The End Of September”
Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that he will not renew the so-called
settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank after it expires at the end
of September.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59098
Netanyahu hints he won't extend temporary
settlement freeze
Speaking at Council of Foreign Relations in New York, PM says 'I'm
prepared to take risks.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
netanyahu-hints-he-won-t-extend-temporary-settlement-freeze-1.300831
Palestinians face being walled by Israeli security
barrier
Al Walaja in the West Bank turned into an enclave
despite residents' protests.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/08/palestinians-israeli-security-barrier
Call to end settlement tax breaks
The Palestinian Authority calls on President Obama to end tax breaks on
American donations to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/world/middle_east/10560688.stm
Exposed: The Truth About Israel's Land Grab In The
West Bank
Jewish settlers, who claim a divine right to the whole of Israel, now
control more than 42 per cent of the occupied West Bank, representing a
powerful obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state, a new report
has revealed.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
exposed-the-truth-about-israels-land-grab-in-the-west-bank-2020110.html
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
and
Divestment
Anti-fence
protestor:
Palestinians' rights ignored
Weekly rallies in West Bank
villages mark sixth anniversary of Hague court ruling which stated
separation fence illegal.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3917505,00.html
Palestinian activist detained for daring to appeal
his arrest.
Approximately a week ago, Adeeb Abu-Rahme was convicted in the military
court for “incitement” and more. Yesterday, July 7, the military court
sentenced Adeeb for a year in prison, and a year on parole. As already
in custody for a year – he was supposed to be released yesterday. The
military prosecution appealed against the “lenience” of the sentence and
asked to keep Adeeb in custody till the appeal is over. The military
appeals court accepted today, July 8, the prosecution’s request – Adeeb
will remain in custody.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/07/palestinian-activist-detained-for-daring-to-appeal-his-arrest/
Israeli Government Officials Rebuffed At ILWU Local 10
In San Francisco
A delegation of representatives and supporters of Israel on July 6, 2010
including the Deputy Israeli Consul for the Pacifica Northwest Gideon
Lustig failed in their efforts to pressure San Francisco ILWU Local 10
to reject their positions in protest of the attack on the Gaza aid
flotilla, against the blockade of Gaza and the apartheid wall that
Israel has constructed placing the Palestinians in a ghetto. The
Israeli government and its supporters around the world have been shaken
at the growing support for a labor blockade of Israel. Dockers in South
Africa, Sweden and India have taken direct labor action to stop the
movement of Israeli ships and cargo. The Palestinian General Federation
of Trade Unions PGFTU had initially called for the world labor boycott
of Israeli’s apartheid and criminal policies in an appeal to
international labor.
http://www.labournet.net/docks2/1007/oakland2.html
IKEA
furnishing
the occupation
Swedish Radio reported on June 23 that home
furnishings retail giant IKEA in Israel discriminately ships to Israel's
illegal settlements but not Palestinian cities in the occupied West
Bank.
http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=World&article=3184
Investigation: Who was aboard the Mavi Marmara?
Two Turkish-speaking Israelis who were asked to interpret after the
Israeli naval assault at sea on the Freedom Flotilla on 31 May, and the
subsequent processing of some 700 passengers and crew in Ashdod port and
beyond, wrote about their experience and their views of who was on board
in a piece published on Zeek.Forward.com.
http://un-truth.com/israel/investigation-who-was-aboard-the-mavi-marmara
Presbyterian
Peace
Fellowship To Partner With "Jewish-Ship-To-Gaza"
Washington – PNN – this week it was announced that the Presbyterian
Peace Fellowship would partner with a number of European Jewish groups
who are planning to sail to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade. The
vessels are scheduled to launch within the next few weeks from an
undisclosed location. A press release issued by the Presbyterian Peace
Fellowship detailed that the ship would be carrying “medicines, baby
food, children’s clothing, outboard motors for fishermen, school
supplies, art supplies, and musical instruments.”
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8477
Gaddafi
charity to send Gaza aid boat
Ma'an/Agencies - A charity
headed by the son of Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi is sending an aid boat
from Greece to Gaza to break Israel's blockaded of the coastal enclave,
organizers told Agence France-Presse on Friday., The cargo ship Hope
will depart from Lavrio, 60 kilometers southeast of Athens, the Libyan
embassy reportedly said. "This is a humanitarian mission expected to
sail later on Friday," an embassy official told AFP.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=298041
Violence and
Aggression
Israeli
Injustice
System: Case against soldier who fired shots in Silwan closed
After
13
witnesses subpoenaed, State Prosecutor's Office decides not to try
haredi Nahal soldier who wounded two Palestinians in east Jerusalem.
Left-wing organizations petition ruling, say 'it was point-blank
shooting at unarmed civilians'.Witnesses: Israeli forces raid Jericho
Jericho
–
Ma’an – An Israeli army patrol launched a series of raids in Jericho at
noon Thursday, onlookers said. Four military vehicles entered the West
Bank city and patrolled the central vegetable market, the city center
and the Ein As-Sultan refugee camp, witnesses said. Palestinian
Authority commander Khalid Abu Kamel condemned the incursion, which he
said was a provocative measure that showed the Israeli army does not
respect the agreements signed with the PA. A spokesman for the Israeli
military said he was not familiar with the incident.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297924
Palestinian
liaison
office raided near Erez
Gaza – Ma'an – The Gaza crossings
and coordination office near the northern Erez terminal was raided by a
group of unknown assailants on Friday, officials said. Liaison chief
Maher Abu Al-Auf said the office, which specializes in coordinating the
travel of patients and Gaza residents in and out of the
Strip, was broken into at dawn. "All documents and all the contents of
the rooms were stolen. This act obstructs the interests of Palestinians,
including the coordination of patients, Gaza residents, and
international parties," the official added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=298030
Detainees
Israel arrests 2 fishermen off Gaza shore
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested two fishermen off Gaza's shore
Thursday, witnesses said. Tamer Mohammad Zayed, 17, and Ammar As'ad
As-Sultan, 18, were detained by Israeli naval forces while they were
fishing off the coast of Beit Lahia, onlookers said. An Israeli
military spokesman said the boat was operating beyond the permitted
area, and Israeli forces ordered the boat to stop before detaining the
teenagers, who were taken to Ashdod for southern Israel for questioning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297962
Israeli
Troops
Arrest Seven Civilians From The West Bank
Bethlehem -
PNN - Seven Palestinians civilians were arrested by Israeli soldiers on
Thursday during morning invasions targeting a number of West Bank
communities. Local sources reported army raids and home searches in the
city of Bethlehem, southern West Bank, and nearby villages. In addition
troops searched and ransacked homes in the city of Nablus, northern West
Bank, and nearby refugee camps. The Israeli army radio announced that
all seven men were moved to detention camps for questioning, the army
gave no reason for the arrests.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8183&Itemid=64
Hamas:
PA forces detain 15 affiliated students
Jerusalem – Ma’an –
Hamas accused Palestinian Authority forces of detaining 15 students last
week, as well as four party members over the past two days, a statement
read Friday. The Islamist movement said the students were enrolled in
the An-Najah University in Nablus and were detained by PA Preventative
Security forces during separate campaigns. A Qalqiliya student was also
detained, the Hamas statement read, adding that the four party members
were detained in Nablus as well as Qalqiliya.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=298021
Women's
Organization
for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
There are, at present, 34 women political prisoners in the Israeli
jails: 18 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), 15 in Damoon Prison (Carmel
Mountain), one in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle).
http://www.wofpp.org/english/july10.html
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights
PCHR Weekly Report: 7
civilians injured, including 2 children, by Israeli troops this week
In
its
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory for the week of 01-06 July 2010, seven civilians,
including two children and a journalist, were injured.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59097
Palestinian
healthcare
paralysed by separation wall
Palestinians in the
West Bank are not allowed into Israel for treatment unless they have a
permit. The process of getting one is lengthy and complex. With males
often denied permits on security grounds. The UN office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Health Organisation
has issued a report expressing grave concern about Palestinians' access
to healthcare due to the barrier. Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from the
West bank on the healthcare implications of the wall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XSWQU8JCII&feature=player_embedded
Transport ministry: No cars entering Gaza
Gaza – Ma’an – Gaza’s transport ministry has denied recent speculation
that Israel will allow cars into Gaza. The ministry’s Hassen U’kasha
said in a statement Thursday that despite rumors to the contrary, he had
no information to suggest Israel would be allowing cars into the Strip.
He added that the rumors, sparked by media reports of an ease to
Israel’s siege on Gaza, have caused car prices to drop significantly as
sellers fear prices will collapse if cars, and car parts, are allowed to
enter. U’kasha explained that if and when vehicles can enter Gaza,
entry will be controlled to guarantee the stability of the local car
industry.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297935
48
New
Cars Make It Into Gaza Via Special Tunnel
Egyptian smugglers managed to smuggle nearly 48 new cars into the Gaza
Strip via a tunnel specially made for smuggling vehicles.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59096
Greek, Sudanese delegations Gaza via Rafah
Gaza – Ma’an – Delegations from Greece and Sudan arrived in Gaza via the
Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border Thursday. Crossings officials
said that six people were due to enter the Strip with the Greek
delegation, headed by George Kalmetros, but Egyptian authorities only
allowed in two, and sent back four others. The delegation brought
medicine for a health care society in Gaza. Meanwhile two Sudanese
doctors arrived in Gaza via the same crossing, bringing a truckload of
medicine and medical equipment for eyes.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297975
Cherries, lychees sell for NIS 25 a kilo in Gaza
Gaza fruit dealers have given their Israeli suppliers a long list of
goods they want now the blockade has been eased. It includes expensive
specialty fruits as cherries and lychees., Gaza fruit dealers told
representatives of the Israel Fruit Growers Association that they have
many well-off customers willing to pay the NIS 20-NIS 25 per kilo that
such luxury items go for. They also asked for larger quantities of
summer fruits such as peaches, nectarines and plums. The Israeli farmers
said they would have a problem meeting demand due to a sharp drop in
crop yields as a result from a warmer than usual winter.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/cherries-lychees-sell-for-nis-25-a-kilo-in-gaza-1.300869
Flotilla Fallout
Riz Khan - How do allies become enemies?
A
look at the state of US-Turkish-Israeli relations in the wake of the
flotilla raid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKnJ31fW010&feature=youtube_gdata
Turkey 'entitled' to act over flotilla raid
LONDON: Turkey would be entitled to take any measure to protect its
citizens' rights if Israel fails to apologize or accept an international
inquiry into its raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkey's foreign
minister said on Thursday. “If Israel wants to improve relations
with us, then they should accept their accountability and do all the
necessary actions to prevent deterioration of our relations,” Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference in London.
Behind
Turkey and Israel's Not-So-Secret Meeting, RANNIE AMIRI
Recriminatory words exchanged between Turkey and Israel over the
latter’s May 31 assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla have given
way to the pragmatism of national self-interest. On June 30, ministers
from the two countries “secretly” met in Brussels to attempt to smooth
over differences and repair bilateral ties marred in the wake of the
attack.
http://www.counterpunch.com/amiri07092010.html
Political
Developments/American Support of Apartheid
Erekat: Time to reverse damage caused by wall
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said “It is time
for the international community to assist in reversing the damage caused
by the Wall and its regime,” as he marked the sixth anniversary of an
advisory opinion on the wall's illegality on Friday. The International
Court of Justice opinion issued six years ago held that Israel "cannot
oppress the rights of Palestinian people in order to satisfy its own
interests," Erekat said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=298001
Hamas official denies Egypt ban on traveling via Rafah
Gaza
–
Ma'an – Cairo has not banned Hamas officials from traveling through the
Rafah crossing, senior party leader Salah Al-Bardawil said Thursday.
Rebuffing reports on the travel ban, Al-Bardawil said such a move "would
not serve conciliation nor push [Hamas] to change their stance on the
Egyptian proposal," a statement read. The senior official
said that while "Egyptian authorities deal with Palestinians traveling
through Rafah with discrimination, even with patients, it is not an
official stance from Cairo targeting Hamas," but added that Hamas
affiliated patients have been prevented from crossing into Egypt.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=298017
Palestinians brace for US pressure after Netanyahu's
White House visit
After Netanyahu's visit to Washington on Tuesday, the US may pressure
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to drop his precondition for
face-to-face talks with the Israelis: a permanent settlement freeze.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/xeULN59mKW4/
Palestinians-brace-for-US-pressure-after-Netanyahu-s-White-House-visit
Arab League chief: no progress in indirect talks
(AP)
AP - The head of the Arab League says indirect talks between Israel and
the Palestinians are failing and sees no chance for a shift to direct
negotiations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100708/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_mideast_peace_talks
US, Jordan hopeful for Mideast talks soon (AFP)
AFP
-
The United States and Jordan voiced hope Thursday that Israelis and
Palestinians would start direct negotiations soon, but Amman warned
against any "provocations" to slow the momentum.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100708/pl_afp/mideastusjordandiplomacy
While ignoring Hamas Netanyahu says he needs a peace partner: Netanyahu: I'll confound critics and make peace (AP)
AP - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say he intends to
confound critics and skeptics and make peace with the Palestinians — but
he says he needs a partner.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100709/ap_on_re_us/us_us_israel_netanyahu
Obama: Israelis suspicious of me because my middle
name is Hussein
U.S. president tells Channel 2 Israel is unlikely to attack Iran without
coordinating with the U.S.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
obama-israelis-suspicious-of-me-because-my-middle-name-is-hussein-1.300793
Other
News
Dancing soldiers to make educational sequel
Speaking
to
Israeli daily Haaretz, former soldier and founder of Israeli
organization Breaking The Silence Yehuda Shaul said of the video, "I see
it mainly as a reflection of your loss of sensitivity as a soldier, of
boredom, of the nothingness in which you find yourself. It's an
entertaining way of reducing the boredom. But what mainly drives me
crazy is that it's causing such an uproar in the media. "In Hebron
there are Palestinian families who have to climb a ladder in order to
leave the house, because their street has been defined as a sterile
street, and the story we see is soldiers dancing in the street for a
video clip. Mainly it seems absurd to me."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=297740
Leftists 'assaulted' on way to Shalit rally
According to Wolf, the officer grabbed his hand firmly,
twisted it and then pushed him. "They told us it was their right to
search, take our cell phones and interrogate us. I asked them 'Why are
you arresting me,' and they replied 'because we hate Arabs, but
we hate people like you even more'."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3917299,00.html
City cancels Shalit rally, fearing 'slander of PM'
Or Yehuda Municipality cancels local activist's event because of
suspected political subtext.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3917266,00.html
Haredim push trash bin onto highway, 2 bikers hurt
East Jerusalem motorcyclists crash into trash bin pushed onto
Highway 1 by haredim. Paramedics say rioters disrupted efforts to treat
wounded men.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3916796,00.html
Israelis arrest Greenpeace activists at sea
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM:
Israeli police Thursday briefly detained three activists who
boarded a cargo ship transporting coal to a power station in southern
Israel."Three Greenpeace activists illegally boarded a South African
boat at sea which was bringing coal to Israel," Israeli police spokesman
Mickey Rosenfeld said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=116865
Analysis/Opinion/Human
Interest
'Mediterranean
Intifada' Helping Hamas, Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa Al-Omrani
CAIRO,
Jul
9, 2010 (IPS) - Israel's deadly assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla
last month has led to mounting international pressure to end the ongoing
Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip. The incident, say
local analysts, has also served to bolster the position of
Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which has governed the strip since
2007.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52100
The
Arabs
and Turkey
What Arabs who look admiringly to Ankara do not understand is that
Turkey's leaders act in concordance with Turkish public sentiment, not
to save Arab dignity, writes Azmi Bishara
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1006/op11.htm
King for a day
After 18 wasted months during which Obama was the president who exerted
pressure, he has become the president who embraces. Obama is embracing
the State of Israel and the prime minister of Israel. What happened?
Three
things
have happened. On one level, Netanyahu waged a struggle. And the
statesman who is depicted as susceptible to pressure did not succumb to
the American pressure of this past spring. He fought back. The price for
what Netanyahu did was felt by Obama in Chicago. The Israeli leader
applied hidden pressure to the American leader, which made it perfectly
clear to him: No more...
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/haaretz-says-
obama-caved-because-netanyahu-applied-hidden-pressure-in-chicago.html
An excellent meeting, Gideon Levy
Two statesmen met in Washington on Tuesday who are looking smaller and
smaller, who are taking smaller and smaller steps.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/an-excellent-meeting-1.300686
Peace bullish or 'bullshit', Marwan Bishara
The good news: "Netanyahu to give peace process a 'robust push". The bad
news, any rational person privy to the ideology and makeup of the
Israeli government knows this not serious. And yet, after their
meeting, Barak Obama, the US president, has publically supported his
Israeli interlocutor, saying he believed Binyamin Netanyahu would take
"risks for peace" and praised the Israeli prime minister for easing the
blockade on the Gaza Strip. Obama also called for "direct talks"
between Israelis and Palestinians irrespective of the continued illegal
settlements. All of which begs two questions: How does a defunct and
discredited diplomatic process continue to masquerade as a success
despite its utter
failures? And why the US and its Western allies continue to finance and
pamper it when it creates more instability and conflict than peace and
progress? The short answer is bullshit.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/imperium/2010/07/08/peace-bullish-or-bullshit
Israel’s Nukes Harm US National Interests, John
Mearsheimer
What I want to do was ask four questions, and
then answer them. The first is, "why did Israel develop nuclear weapons
to begin within the 1950s and 1960s?" Second, "does it make sense today
for Israel to have a nuclear deterrent?" Third, "does opacity make
good strategic sense for Israel?" "Does it matter for the United
States?" And four, "is it in America’s interest for Israel to have
nuclear weapons?" Those are the four questions I want to answer. You
want to remember, when I answer those first two questions about why
Israel developed nuclear weapons I’m going to approach it from Israel’s
point of view. This will become clear as I go along, but Israel and the
United States are separate countries. And sometimes what’s good for
Israel is not good for the United States.
http://original.antiwar.com/john-mearsheimer/2010/07/08/israels-nukes-harm-us-national-interests/
Ex-CIA
chief: Secrecy after attack on Syrian nuclear plant unjustified
Hayden's
comments,
published in a journal on intelligence published by the CIA, reflect a
view different from that of Israel, which has not commented on
the attack, widely attributed to its air force. The secrecy surrounding
the attack on the nuclear plant in eastern Syria in September 2007 was
justified only for the period immediately after the operation, according
to the CIA head at the time, Gen. Michael Hayden. That secrecy had been
meant to save President Bashar Assad from embarrassment that could have
provoked him to retaliate.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ex-cia-chief-secrecy-after-attack-on-syrian-nuclear-plant-unjustified-1.300844
MJ Rosenbert: Netanyahu & AIPAC: Still
Reigning Champs!
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it best at his joint
press conference with President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Speaking of the
urgency of beginning talks with the Palestinians, he said "we need to
begin negotiations in order to end them." One has to wonder if
it will even get that far. After Tuesday's meeting of the
Obama-Netanyahu Mutual Admiration Society, it does not appear that the
Israeli leader is under any pressure to begin serious negotiations
anytime soon. Or freeze settlements. Or do much of anything except
express dedication to the concept of peace.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/netanyahu-aipac-still-rei_b_639334.html
Canard alert: Obama “propelled” to Senate by Jews?,
Adam Horowitz
Here's a thought experiment: What would the
reaction be if a journalist (or god forbid a
CNN editor!) were to say that Barack Obama was elected to the Senate
or White House because of his closeness to Jews? Anyone care to ask
Helen Thomas?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/canard-alert-obama-propelled-to-senate-by-jews.html
NYT can’t find a Palestinian for forum on US-Israel
relationship, Philip Weiss
The New
York Times has a forum on the question, "Do U.S. Donors Drive
Israeli Politics?" following the investigation of tax deductions for the
settler enterprise that it
published yesterday. Sadly none of the 8 experts is a Palestinian.
Two are Israeli. Looks like most are Jews. One contributor, Benjamin
Schiff, calls for divestment! One commenter asks, Where are Walt and
Mearsheimer?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/nyt-cant-find-a-palestinian-for-forum-on-us-israel-relationship.html
Norman Finkelstein: Results, Not Rhetoric
Barack
Obama
and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussing their
countries' foreign relations resembles two lovers discussing their
future together.
http://www.freespeech.org/video/grittv-norman-finkelstein-results-not-rhetoric
U.S.
ignorance
about Palestinian conditions is very, very dangerous, Philip Weiss
The
other day I was talking to an Arab-American friend who is incensed by
Israel's conduct and I said that the fact that half of greater Israel's
population is not politically represented (the Palestinians) means that
there could be a civil war in that place; and he nodded and said, Right,
as if it were a good thing. The comment resonates in my mind because
it demonstrates how volatile are the political materials that Israel and
the lobby and the U.S. are playing with. If you study history, you
recognize that the injustice being perpetrated in Israel/Palestine is of
such a profound character as to be
of the type that people historically have made violent revolutions over.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/u-s-ignorance-about-palestinian-conditions-is-very-very-dangerous.html
[Video] Birthright group visits (Jewish Settlement
of) Hebron?!
The “Hebron” account at WeJew.com
(a kind of Jewish YouTube wannabe) has just (July 5 2010) uploaded a video
purportedly documenting a visit this month of an Australian Birthright
group to the Cave
of the Patriarchs in Hebron. This site is the stated raison d’être of
the extremist
Jewish Settlement in the the West Bank city and its cultural center.
Watch the video (if it’s been taken down, I’ve embedded a recording of
the video playing on WeJew at the bottom of this post): At 01:46,
“Daniel”, the apparent trip leader, is interviewed. He seems to know
exactly what he’s doing.
http://coteret.com/2010/07/05/birthright-group-visits-jewish-settlement-of-hebron/
“Today they expel you, tomorrow they’ll expel us!”
“Today they expel Hamas members, tomorrow they’ll expel Fatah people,
then they’ll expel all the Arabs from East Jerusalem, and in the end
they’ll revoke the citizenship of Israeli peace activists and expel us
too,” Uri Avnery said today (July 7, 2010) in a meeting with members of
the Palestinian Parliament who have found refuge in the International
Red Cross building in East Jerusalem. Avnery came with a delegation of
“Gush Shalom”, “Anarchists Against the Wall” and other Israeli peace
organizations, who came to protests against the attempt to expel from
East Jerusalem four Palestinian members of parliament from Hamas, whose
only sin is that they were elected in democratic elections monitored by
ex-President Jimmy Carter and his team. The four have been released from
prison only a few weeks ago.
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1278614518
Christian
Zionism
in the UK, Christians must love and defend Israelis, preaches church
mission, Stuart Littlewood
Ever heard of the CMJ (the
Church’s Ministry among Jewish People)? Neither had I until I saw a
parish magazine recently announcing a talk by the CMJ’s Director of
Advocacy to a local Church of England study group about “God’s purpose
for the Jewish people and Great Britain’s involvement in the formation
of modern Israel”.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/07/christian-zionism-in-the-uk/
Gaza-Strophic, The
Day After
http://www.gaza-strophe.com/eng/lefilm.htm
Learn About Israeli Terrorism in this Video
Breaking YOU – a common saying which can be heard when somebody attacks a
defenseless person. “Breaking YOU” were the only words uttered by dozens
of defenseless women who were crying and screaming in their homes
in Hebron, when dozens of IDF soldiers terrorized them in their houses.
The inhuman scene was followed by the sound of bombs exploding. Then,
the smoke was rising and citizens running. This was a simple ethnic
cleansing operation of the IDF soldiers, who went to the Al Baqa'a
Valley and terrorized people, most of them were women and children. The
IDF continued firing bombs.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/07/08/learn-about-israeli-terrorism-in-this-video/
Defenseless minister
by Yossi Sarid -
Haaretz "But Ehud Barak is a bad defense minister - a defenseless
minister. He is avoiding any serious investigative committee because he
is protecting our soldiers with his own body. But that`s too
transparent: He knows only how to protect himself. "
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/defenseless-minister-1.300881
Hard Facts
About Israeli/Palestinian Peace Peace Possibilities, JFFERSON CHASE
Now that all the accusations and insults about the Gaza Flotilla and
Helen Thomas incidents have been hurled from both sides, it is time to
look at the often-ignored facts underlying the Israel-Palestine
conflict. Because while it is very hard to believe in the present
atmosphere, peace and justice for both Palestinians and Jews is possible
– extremely difficult to achieve to be sure, but possible nevertheless.
http://www.counterpunch.com/chase07092010.html
Israel: a
Failing Colonial Project?, M. SHAHID ALAM
Increasingly, despite its early military and political successes, Israel
cannot for long endure as a colonial project. It must choose between
wars – and destruction – or transition to a state for all its peoples.
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://www.counterpunch.com/shahid07092010.html
Twilight
Zone
/ One World Cup for two peoples
Germany-Argentina in
Ramallah; Spain-Paraguay in Tel Aviv. A diary of two soccer games in two
cities.
http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/friday-supplement/twilight-zone-one-world-cup-for-two-peoples-1.300980
Cluster
Bombs and Civilian Lives, RAMZY BAROUD
Cluster bombs are in the news again, thanks to a recent report from
Amnesty International. The human rights agency has confirmed that 35
women and children were killed following the latest US attacks on an
alleged al-Qaeda hideout in Yemen. Initially, there were attempts to
bury the story, and Yemen officially denied that civilians were killed
as a result of the December 17 attack on al-Majala in southern Yemen.
However, it has been simply impossible to conceal what is now considered
the largest loss of life in one single US attack in the country.
http://www.counterpunch.com/baroud07092010.html
Iraq
Iraq:
Suicide
bomber kills 6 in Baghdad (AP)
AP - A suicide bomber
drove an explosives-laden car into an Iraqi army check point in western
Baghdad, killing six people and injuring 20 on Friday morning, officials
said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100709/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Thursday: 33 Iraqis Killed, 119 Wounded
Solemn observances at the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad culminated
today. Although pilgrims began to return to their homes, they remain
vulnerable to attacks. At least 33 Iraqis were killed and 119 more were
wounded, mostly in the capital. Due to the nature of these reports an
exact count is difficult at best: The confusion of numerous or larger
attacks can lead to wildly conflicting numbers and vague locations.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Parliament is to meet next Tuesday, just ahead of a
constitutional deadline.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/07/08/thursday-33-iraqis-killed-119-wounded/
Hezbollah
Condemns
Criminal Attacks on Holy Sites in Baghdad
09/07/2010 Hezbollah condemned the attacks that targeted the pilgrims
visiting the Holy Shrine of Imam Kazim (a.s.) in Baghdad, considering
its executors as heartless and inhumane criminals who seek to sabotage
Iraq, targeting its security and stability. In a statement it released,
Hezbollah emphasized that such acts are in service of the US occupation
and its devilish schemes as Iraq had turned into a scene of genocides
since the US soldiers set foot in the country, targeting those
believers, the holy shrines and the mosques. Hezbollah concluded its
statement by expressing its sincere feelings of sympathy and support to
the families of the victims, calling upon the sons of Iraq to uncover
the murderers and sanctioning them.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=145648&language=en
Iraq parliament to reconvene July 13: FM (AFP)
AFP - Iraq's parliament will reconvene on July 13, the last day before a
constitutional deadline, the country's foreign minister said on
Thursday, in a rare sign of forward political momentum.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100708/wl_mideast_afp/iraqpolitics
Lebanon
Lebanese Army to boost troop numbers in south
BEIRUT: Lebanon will send 3,000 to 5,000 army soldiers to boost its
forces in south Lebanon after two incidents pitted peacekeeping forces
against residents, a well-informed source told The Daily Star. The
source said Defense Minister Elias Murr informed the Cabinet of his
decision during Thursday's session at Baabda Presidential palace.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=116895
Sfeir: Lebanon 'small and weak,' Israeli enemy
'huge'
BEIRUT: Lebanon is a small and weak state compared to Israeli military
capabilities, said Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on
Thursday. Speaking to members of the media working from the
patriarchate's summer residence in the village of Diman, Sfeir called
for overcoming recent clashes between the United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and southerners.
MESS Report / Has the enemy's technology become hard
for Israeli spies to surmount?
Recent reports indicate that a large-scale espionage ring, one of whose
members was a senior Lebanese telephone company official, has been
exposed.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/mess-report/
mess-report-has-the-enemy-s-technology-become-hard-for-israeli-spies-to-surmount-1.300851
In Memory of Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, 1935-2010 by
Carlos Latuff
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/latuff090710.html
Hezbollah denounces sacking of CNN Mideast editor
(AFP)
AFP - Hezbollah denounced CNN on Thursday for forcing out senior Middle
East editor Octavia Nasr after she sent a Twitter message praising the
late Shiite cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100708/wl_mideast_afp/usmideastlebanonmediatelevisioncnnnasr
Octavia Nasr's firing and what the liberal media
allows, Glenn Greenwald
What makes Nasr's summary firing even more astonishing is that Nasr
herself was an unremarkable journalist who rarely if ever provoked
controversy, had no history of anti-Israel or pro-Terrorist sentiments,
and blended perfectly into the American corporate media woodwork.
Indeed, Middle East expert
and neocon critic Nir Rosen ironically noted yesterday that -- as
almost happened to Michael Steele -- "Octavia Nasr got fired for the one
smart thing she ever said."
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/08/media
CNN’s Objectivity Questioned in Sacking of Mideast
Reporter
CNN’s firing of Octavia Nasr, the editor responsible for the network’s
Middle East coverage, over a Twitter post in which she expressed her
sadness over the death of a Lebanese cleric has set off a firestorm of
debate about what the decision says about CNN’s fairness in reporting on
the region.
http://original.antiwar.com/eli-clifton/2010/07/08/cnns-objectivity-questioned-in-sacking-of-mideast-reporter/
UK removes blog post praising late Lebanese cleric (AP)
AP
- Britain's ambassador to Beirut angered Israelis and embarrassed
officials in London after writing a blog post praising the late Grand
Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's top Shiite cleric, who
supported Hezbollah's and other militants' attacks on Israel.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100709/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_lebanon_fadlallah
Nasr firing is yet another shameful capitulation to
the lobby, Scott McConnell
In the summer heat, America’s demonstrations of subservience to the
Israel lobby are bidding to reach the parody level. First we have General
David Petraeus writing panicked emails to neocon war promoter Max
Boot to explain that he didn’t actually say that Israel-Palestine
conflict caused strategic difficulties for the United States, and then
adding, in an grovel so abject as to cause wonder how the guy got to be a
general, would it help to know that he’s recently had the Elie Wiesels
over as dinner guests. (Boot calmly replied that the grovel wasn’t
necessary, the worry wasn’t over “anti-semitism” but the lobby’s
concern, boiled down to its essence, that Petraeus might not be
absolutely and completely willing to recognize that America’s national
interest and Israel’s are identical.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/nasr-firing-is-yet-another-shameful-capitulation-to-the-lobby.html
Iran
Iran buys gasoline from Turkey, Chinese sellers
Iran is buying around half of its gasoline imports from Turkey and the
rest from Chinese sellers, oil traders said on Thursday, as most other
suppliers have stopped selling due to U.S. sanctions.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6671UA20100708?r
pc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=governmentFilingsNews
Iran's president: US a global 'dictatorship'
Ahmadinejad
made
the comments Wednesday night during a speech at the Iranian Embassy in
Abuja, Nigeria's capital. He is in Nigeria for a summit of an
organization known as the D-8, or the Developing Eight nations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100707/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_iran
Making friends
Iranian diplomatic successes help avoid isolation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/world/middle_east/10560628.stm
Tensions between the UAE and Iran
The United Arab Emirates says reports it would be willing to back
military action against Iran are "inaccurate". Its ambassador in the
U.S. said earlier this week that the Emirates would support military
action against Iran. And as Dan Nolan reports, those remarks are
heightening tensions over three disputed islands in the Gulf.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwU0Fb5YwVo&feature=youtube_gdata
Iran
mulls
cancelling tours to UAE over "humiliation": report
TEHRAN, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran is mulling to cancel tours to the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) due to its "humiliating behavior" towards Iranian
tourists, local satellite Press TV reported on Thursday.
Representatives from the ministries of interior, foreign affairs and
health as well as the Iranian police are scheduled to hold a meeting to
discuss cancelling tours to the UAE, Reza Mousavi, an official of Iran's
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, was quoted as saying.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-07/09/c_13390974.htm
Iran Sanctions May Target Iran’s Middle Class
Although the United States and its allies insist that the latest round
of U.N. sanctions against Iran targets high-level government officials
rather than the general population, interviews with a number of
analysts, activists and journalists in Tehran reveal a growing concern
over the impact on the country’s middle class.
http://original.antiwar.com/memarian/2010/07/08/iran-sanctions-may-target-irans-middle-class/
U.S.
and other
World News
New CENTCOM commander once called shooting Arab men
‘a hell of a lot of fun’
The naming of Mattis was unlikely to skirt the issue, however, with
Gates having to immediately defend an on-camera 2005 interview in which
the general said: "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a
hell of a hoot. "You go into Afghanistan; you've got guys who slap
around women for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know,
guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway, so it's a hell of
a lot of fun to shoot them." Gates dismissed the criticism, however,
maintaining that appropriate action was taken at the time and that he
thought the "subsequent five years have demonstrated that the lesson was
learned."
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0708/general-hired-oversee-iraq-occupation-its-hell-lot-fun-shoot-arab-men/
The War On Terror's Forgotten Victim Speaks
In
March
2009, he was awarded £60,000 in compensation after an admission by the
UK's anti-terrorist police that they subjected him to 'grave abuse,
tantamount to torture' during his first arrest in December 2003.
Corresponding via email from a secure isolation unit at Long Lartin
prison, he calls on the Government to charge him or release him
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/
six-years-in-jail-no-charge-war-on-terrors-forgotten-victim-speaks-2021138.html
42 percent: U.S. safer without Saddam
One-third,
33
percent, say the seven-year war in Iraq has been a success, 36 percent
say it is a failure and 31 percent are unsure.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/07/07/42-percent-US-safer-without-Saddam/UPI-70621278533558/
Alleged U.S.-Russia spy swap completed, as planes depart Austria
airport
Planes parked nose-to-tail at a remote section on the
Vienna tarmac, spending about an hour and a half there before quickly
departing.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
alleged-u-s-russia-spy-swap-completed-as-planes-depart-austria-airport-1.300946
East
Afghanistan Sees Taliban as ‘Morally Superior’ to Karzai
According
to
a just-departed U.S. commander in charge of a big chunk of the area,
locals in four critical provinces believe that the Taliban have greater
religious legitimacy and a stronger commitment to justice than Hamid
Karzai’s government.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/in-afghanistans-east-taliban-seen-as-morally-superior-to-karzai/
Tunisia 'dangerous' for journalists - watchdog
from The Daily Star > News Feed by Agence France Presse (AFP)
VIENNA:
Media
watchdog IPI denounced Thursday Tunisia's treatment of journalists
saying reporters were harassed or jailed if they exposed corruption.
"The environment for all critical journalists, including those reporting
on corruption, in Tunisia is oppressive and dangerous," IPI director
David Dadge said in a statement.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=116862
Photos: Egypt: No to Torture, No to Police
Brutality!, Hossam el-Hamalawy
Protest against torture and police brutality, galvanized by the murder
of Khaled Said, Lazoghly Square, Cairo, Egypt, 13 June 2010.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/hamalawy080710.html
Arab art sweeps into Liverpool
Arabicity,
a new show at the city's Bluecoat gallery, sees contemporary Egyptian,
Palestinian and Lebanese artists explore the Middle East's cultural and
political heritage.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jul/08/arab-art-liverpool-bluecoat-gallery
Cuba's reported political prisoner release lauded
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has welcomed the news of
Cuba's possible release of 52 political prisoners a day after the
country's Catholic Church made the announcement. The Cuban government
has not made an official statement on the reported move but jailed Cuban
dissident Guillermo Farinas, who demanded the release of dozens of
political prisoners, ended his 135-day hunger strike on Thursday
following the church's announcement. And Spain, which brokered the
reported release agreement, is now asking the European Union to rethink
its position on Cuba. Human rights activists, however, are questioning
whether there has been any improvement in the communist state's rights
record. Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports. (July 09, 2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37clilRJaiI&feature=youtube_gdata |
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