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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Israel approves East Jerusalem center
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Israel has approved a plan to establish a medical
center in occupied East Jerusalem. The Central District's planning and
building commission approved the new facility in Sheikh Jarrah for ZAKA,
a first responder organization which employs experts in handling the
deceased according to religious custom. The new center near the campus
of Hebrew University will be 6,500 square meters including a 1,200-meter
memorial to victims and a 1,500 square meter morgue to be used in the
event of an emergency of natural disaster.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314253
Aqraba inhabitants facing confiscation of yet more farmland to serve the expansion of an illegal settlement
On Monday 6th September, farmers in Aqraba were forbidden by
the Israeli army to work on a 200 dunam area of land near the village.
The land is currently in the process of being converted, by a
combination of local workers and the Union of Agricultural Work
Committees, from rocky terrain into usable farmland to increase the
productivity of local agriculture. The land in question was bought one
year ago by a businessman from the area as a gift for many local
farmers, and is located next to the main road between Nablus and the
Jordan Valley (southwest of the village, towards Jurish). Three days
ago, the Union of Agricultural Work
Committees received a letter from the Israeli authorities saying that
they must depart the area immediately. They claim that the land is in
Area C, despite papers held by the owner showing otherwise. In one
month, the land would have been ready to be used as farmland in the
winter. The army threatened to confiscate bulldozers, and arrest workers
and union members if work continued.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/09/14394/
Fatah: Settlements deepen occupation
RAMALLAH
(Ma'an)
-- "Settlements deepen the occupation, they steal Palestinian lands and
water; with settlements there is no peace," a statement from the Fatah
Central Committee said Thursday. In an effort to clarify the staunch
stance of Palestinain negotiators around the settlement issue, a
document was released by the committee following a Ramallah meeting
ahead of Eid Al-Fitr, as negotiations will resume on 14 September, a day
after the Eid holiday closes.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314333
Lieberman Vows To Counter Any Settlement Freeze
Israeli
Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, vowed to act against any decision
to freeze settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories,
including in occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59386
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions & Divestment
Israeli Soldiers uses tear gas to suppress anti wall Protests in the West Bank
Bethlehem – PNN – on Friday villagers from Al Walajah, southern West
Bank, and Bil’in, central West Bank organized their weekly anti wall
protests. In other villages who organize weekly nonviolent protest, the
villagers decided to visit their relatives on the Muslim Holiday of Eid
Al-Fitr to promote integrity and to support each other instead of the
direct action for this week.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8759
Palestinian - British Political Artist Shadia Mansour Detained And Stripped Searched At Ben Gurion Airport
By Nancy leigh / London – PNN – on Saturday September 4th British-born
Palestinian Political Hip Hop artist, Shadia Mansour, was held at
gunpoint airport security and intelligence officers. Ms. Mansour was
told to return to her luggage after a usual baggage xray and multiple
searches, when eight agents ran towards her, weapons drawn and pointed,
they aggressively kicked away her bags and surrounded her. The eight
agents had their guns pointed at Ms. Mansour while having her stand in
the same position for one hour in suspicion of a bomb being planted in
her microphone which they had in their possession for ten minutes
already. Ms. Mansour assured the agents the microphone was used for
recording music and was then asked by an officer to sing her lyrics to
him, they screamed at her and asked "who she worked for, who bought the
microphone, what does she sing about" and as the agents and officers
shouted over one another she was also told, "we have found something
planted in the microphone" all this transpiring while airport goers
observed the entire ordeal.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8757&Itemid=56
Shadia Mansour: British Palestinian rapper conducts a 'musical intifada'
The 24-year-old has been on tour in the West Bank, "It's a musical
intifada, a musical uprising," says Shadia Mansour squinting in the
sunshine outside the hip hop workshop she is running in the West Bank
city of Hebron.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11215298
Respect the Palestinian-led picket line
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
warmly salutes the tens of American and British theater, film and TV
artists for their recently published statement supporting the spreading
cultural boycott of Ariel and the rest of Israel's colonial settlements
illegally built on occupied Palestinian territory due to their violation
of international law.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11513.shtml
Boycott leadership: solidarity with French activists
The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee
(BNC), on behalf of its constituent organizations and unions
representing the majority of Palestinian civil society, strongly
condemns the decision taken by French authorities to prosecute people of
conscience for calling for a boycott of Israeli produce.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11514.shtml
ISM is seeking a qualified Media Coordinator to join the Ramallah team
The International Solidarity Movement are currently looking for a Media
Coordinator to join the team in Ramallah, Palestine. We are looking for
someone who has previous media experience and is able to commit a
minimum of 3 months, ideally 6.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/09/14388/
8th Week against the Apartheid Wall, November 9 – 16 2010
September
1st,
2010-- Eight years into the construction of the Apartheid Wall, over
60% has already been built to ghettoize communities, threatening over
260,000 people with displacement and stealing land and water resources.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2361.shtml
Invitation: Join the Palestinian Olive Harvest efforts!
September
4th,
2010-- The Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign and its popular committees
are coordinating collective efforts to safeguard the annual olive
harvest and are calling on volunteers to stand in solidarity with
Palestinian communities and join in the harvest on October 5 until
November 15, 2010.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2362.shtml
The Siege (Gaza & West
Bank)/Humanitarian/Restriction of Movement/Human Rights/Racism
Another Eid under Siege
MEMO - Palestinians in Gaza are preparing for yet another 'Eid al-Fitr
under siege. Preparations have begun for families to make the most out
of what they have for the celebration, which this year coincides with
the new academic school year. Parents and guardians are rushing around
trying to ensure that their children have the best possible in terms of
uniform, school equipment and books.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/1507-another-eid-under-siege
The
United States President Barack Obama approves of the crippling blockade
Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip under the pretext of security
During a Tuesday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
Obama said the regional situation was "unsustainable" and called for a
narrow blockade on the impoverished coastal sliver, the Associated Press
reported. Israel placed Gaza under the all-out siege in mid-June 2007,
claiming it was preventing alleged security hazards posed by the
Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, which had won democratic
elections a year earlier.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/141886.html
A Castle in the Sand - Gaza Two Years After Operation Cast Lead, GRAHAM USHER
September
9th, 2010 Abu Raad's home is built of mud. Hewn from concrete splits,
water and sand, the artifice is necessary because of an Israeli siege
that bars all raw materials into the Gaza Strip. Abu Raad lost six
houses when the Israeli army blitzed northern Gaza in operation Cast
Lead in December 2008.
http://counterpunch.org/usher09092010.html
Israel's Arab Helpers
Egypt police kill Sudanese migrant to Israel
Egyptian
police shot and killed a Sudanese man as he tried to cross the border
illegally into Israel on Friday, a security official told AFP. "Police
ordered him by loudspeaker to stop, but when he did not obey they shot
him," the official said.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/09/10/118967.html
Violence and other Provocations
PCHR Weekly Report: 2 Workers Killed, 2 Wounded, 13 Abducted by Israeli Forces This Week
In
its
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories for the week of 02-07 September 2010, the
Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that Israeli forces killed two
Palestinian workers in an air strike against a tunnel in the southern
Gaza Strip.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59387
Two injured in Israeli air strike on Gaza: Palestinians (AFP)
AFP - Two members of the Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip were
wounded in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, Palestinian witnesses
said late Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100909/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianconflictgazaairstrike
Army Carries Out Five Airstrikes In Gaza
On
Thursday
at night, the Israeli Air Force carried out five airstrikes targeting a
number of areas in different parts of the Gaza Strip inflicting damage a
number of injuries.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59384
CNN report: IDF sexually abused Palestinian children
Damning CNN report cites uncorroborated charges of sexual abuse against
Palestinian children detained by IDF; army says detention of minors
undertaken in line with international law, cannot respond to abuse
charges as no details provided.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3952077,00.html
Joseph Dana: "Price Tag" Reprisals Against Palestinians in Hebron
Since last week's fatal shooting of four settlers from the settlement of
Beit Haggai, Palestinians in the area have been subjected to what the
settlers call "price tag" reprisal attacks and repeated Israeli army
incursions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-dana/price-tag-reprisals-again_b_708720.html
Detainees
Hamas: PA detained 7 affiliates
BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an)
-- Hamas officials in the West Bank accused Palestinain Authority
security forces of detaining sevenof its members and affiliates between
Thursday night and Friday afternoon. Two separate statements from the
party said forces targeted affiliates in Nablus and Hebron on Thursday
night, while a second statement said three affiliates
were targeted, 2 from Hebron and a third from Jenin on Friday morning.
The statement condemned the act as a continuation of a policy of
politically-motivated arrests and detentions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314330
Hamas: Leader transferred from PA prison to hospital
NABLUS
(Ma'an)
-- A Hamas party statement accused PA prison authorities of torturing a
senior leader after he was moved from a government prison to
hospital on Thursday. Hamas leader Nader Sawafta from Tubas was
transferred to from a Palestinain Authority prison to Nablus' Rafidia
hospital in Nablus a statement said. Officials wrote that Sawafta's
health was deteriorating and held the PA responsible for his life.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314348
Jenin: 3 detained for 'violating sanctity of Ramadan'
JENIN
(Ma’an)
-- Police in Jenin detained three residents accused of "violating the
sanctity of Ramadan" by eating in the street Thursday. The three were
detained and taken for interrogation before prosecution, police said.
Eating or smoking during the day is forbidden during Ramadan, although
fasting is rarely enforced by the police. Six people were detained for
smoking during the day in Salfit in August.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314276
Palestinian Violence
Gunman kills one Israeli Arab near Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen killed an Israeli Arab and wounded
another in a shooting near Jerusalem on Thursday, after four Israelis
were killed in similar attacks last week, local emergency service
reported. The attack happened in the region between Jerusalem and the
West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim, where an Israeli Arab was killed
and another Israeli wounded, Magen David Adom, local emergency medical
agency, was quoted by Israeli daily Ha'aretz as saying.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-09/10/c_13487654.htm
Gaza missiles strike Israel, no casualties: military (AFP)
AFP - A mortar shell fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip
hit southern Israel on Thursday evening causing no casualties, the
second such attack of the day, the Israeli military said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100909/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflict
"Peace" Talks/Political Developments
EU's Ashton defends no-show at Mideast peace talks (AFP)
AFP
-
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, under fire for not attending
Israeli-Palestinian talks last week, on Friday said her decision in no
way reflected a priority shift for the 27-nation bloc.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100910/wl_mideast_afp/euisraelpalestinianspeaceashton
Obama, Lieberman to meet in Washington?
After
Palestinians
refer to foreign minister as 'major obstacle to peace,' Ynet learns US
president may join one of his meetings with senior White House officials
in bid to bring him closer to peace talks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3952180,00.html
Peres to Abbas: Netanyahu is a trustworthy partner
Palestinian president calls Israeli counterpart to offer Rosh Hashanah greetings; Peres urges Abbas not to abandon peace talks.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
peres-to-abbas-netanyahu-is-a-trustworthy-partner-1.313092
Islamic Jihad Calls For Unity
As
Muslims
around the world prepare for celebrate the Al Fitir Feast, the Islamic
Jihad Movement in Palestine issued a statement calling on the
Palestinian people, and their factions, to use this occasion as step
towards comprehensive unity among in order to boost their struggle and
steadfastness.
Abbas isolated in Mideast talks
Buttu: Mahmoud Abbas has little support from the Palestinian public for the negotiations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75nCJ2aCZ6E&feature=player_embedded
Other news
Israel Faces Arab Nuclear Pressure At IAEA Meetings
VIENNA (Reuters) - Arab states backed by Iran are poised to target
Israel over its assumed atomic arsenal at U.N. nuclear watchdog meetings
this month, despite U.S. warnings this may hamper broader steps to ban
such weapons in the Middle East.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=228bc751bae605a0841a2c0e53da6f40
Analysis/Opinion/Human
Interest
MiddleEastPizzaTalks
Ali
Abunimah, journalist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, uses a
humorous metaphor to describe the Middle East peace talks, at a
gathering in Olympia, Washington August 31.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgdff7wrWRw&feature=player_embedded
Peace Process Déjà Vu, ANTHONY DiMAGGIO
We’ve been here many times before. The “peace process” through which
the U.S. allegedly seeks to broker a long lasting stability between
Israelis and Palestinians reaches back a number of decades. Many
readers of the American press will no doubt be fed up with the entire
charade. How many negotiations does it take before a real peace
agreement materializes? We’ve seen numerous initiatives in the form of
the Bush I Baker Plan, the 1993 Oslo agreement, the 2000 Camp David
meetings, the 2001 Taba Negotiations, the Bush administration’s “Road
Map,” and now a renewed initiative under the Obama administration – yet
peace has eluded Israelis and Palestinians every step of the way.
http://www.counterpunch.org/dimaggio09092010.html
Carly's Schlep to Israel
Locked in a tight race against California Senator Barbara Boxer,
Republican candidate Carly Fiorina just had a curious getaway in Israel.
Samuel P. Jacobs on the chutzpah of her High Holy Day gamble.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-09-08/carly-fiorina-jets-to-israel-during-campaign/?om_rid=NkUo5e&om_mid=_BMiNX8B8Um8prK
Meeting 3 U.S. officers who are angered by the special relationship, Philip Weiss
I
often look around the political rabbithole I went down a few years ago
and wonder what I’m doing here and whether I’ll ever get out. I think of
all the associations and even interests I had earlier in life that I’ve
cut myself off from. I wonder if I'm not bonkers or if I’ve had a
temperamental breakdown in midlife that unsuited me for the world.
Though generally I end up saying, What the hell, my wife’s ok with it,
I’ve got a good life, you gotta do what you gotta do. In the last
couple days I’ve had conversations with three American military officers
in Jordan that left me feeling good about my choice. In each case it was
the officers who brought up the tremendous strategic liability that
Israel represents for the U.S., and two of them used the words “Jewish
lobby” without prompting.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/09/meeting-3-u-s-officers-who-are-angered-by-the-special-relationship.html
The Photo Before the Storm, RAMZY BAROUD
A picture is not always worth a thousand words. The recently released
photographs of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Washington during
their first direct talks in many months certainly don’t say anything
new. It was the status quo at its best, a mere procession of regional
and US leaders before hungry cameramen. The leaders promised “not to
spare any effort” and praised the undeniable altruism embedded in the
very concept of “peace”. Israeli Prime Minister repeated the martyr-like
emphasis of past Israeli leaders regarding the “painful” compromises and
sacrifices required to defeat the many obstacles standing before them.
Mahmoud Abbas – with his expired presidency over a corrupt Palestinian
Authority - smiled, shook hands and spoke unconvincingly about his hopes
and expectations.
http://www.counterpunch.com/baroud09102010.html
The Silence of the Israeli Intelligentsia, LISA TARAKI
The ongoing buzz in the Israeli media around statements issued by
artists and academics against lecturing or performing in the colony of
Ariel – built on occupied Palestinian land – betrays a stark
contradiction in the positions of the Israeli intelligentsia. While they
are now calling for a boycott of settlements, they have remained
apathetic or even content regarding the far more significant heavy hand
of the military-security-political establishment in society, including
in academia and cultural institutions.
http://www.counterpunch.com/taraki09102010.html
Israel/Palestine: Banquet of Peace, Carlos Latuff
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/latuff100910.html
Lebanon
Israel boosts troop training close to Blue Line
BEIRUT:
Israel
is boosting its military training close to the Blue Line in
anticipation of a fresh conflict with Lebanon's Hizbullah, Israeli
public radio said Thursday. Israeli Army Head of Operations Unit
Brigadier General Sami Turjeman said continuing growth of recruits and
equipment would stand it in good stead should a new war arise.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=119178
Abbas proposes assistance for Lebanon refugees
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- President Mahmud Abbas has ordered the establishment
of a family solidarity charity which will be twinning Palestinian
families in the occupied territories with refugees in Lebanon. Hasan
Al-Ory, the president's legal counsel, was quoted by the official
Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA as saying the initiative would
see Palestinians at home make monthly donations to improve the lives of
Palestinians in Lebanon.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314269
No, the US is not shifting on Hizbullah
In a June 30 article on the Foreign Policy website, Mark Perry argued
that an intelligence unit inside the US Central Command (CENTCOM) known
as the "Red Team" was thinking outside the box about the Middle East and
recommending strategies for Hizbullah and Hamas that are "at odds with
current US policy."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=119165
Iraq
Thursday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 15 Wounded
Iraqis
are
awaiting the sighting of the crescent moon that will mark the end of
Ramadan and the start of Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Although security
forces are concerned this may trigger an increase in violence, so far
attacks have remained light. At least seven Iraqis were killed and 15
more were wounded.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/09/09/thursday-7-iraqis-killed-15-wounded/
Gunmen behead, set alight Sunni cleric in Iraq (Reuters)
Reuters - Gunmen stormed the house of a Sunni cleric on Thursday and cut
his head off before setting him alight in an attack that bore the hallmark of insurgents, a police spokesman said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100909/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence
Imam and policeman's wife beheaded in Iraq attacks (AFP)
AFP
-
The imam of a Sunni mosque and a policeman's wife were both beheaded in
separate incidents in the central Iraqi province of Diyala on Thursday,
police said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100909/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrest
Al Iraqiya member warns of democracy disintegration
Al
Iraqiya
List member Aliya Nassif warned of democracy collapse in Iraq if the
Constitution and elections results are not respected. Al Iraqiya will
not cede its constitutional right, she added.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-54228-
Al-Iraqiya-member-warns-of-democracy-disintegration.html
Massive Cache of Iraq War Docs to Be Published by WikiLeaks
A
massive cache of previously unpublished classified U.S. military
documents from the Iraq War is being readied for publication by
WikiLeaks, a new report has confirmed. The documents constitute the
“biggest leak of military intelligence” that has ever occurred,
according to Iain Overton, editor of the Bureau of Investigative
Journalism, a nonprofit British organization that is working with
WikiLeaks on the documents. The documents are expected to be published
in several weeks.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/iraq-war-docs/#ixzz0z61kbyZF
Iraq to pay $400 million for Saddam's mistreatment of Americans
The
controversial settlement opens the door for the US to pressure the
United Nations to end sanctions imposed during Saddam Hussein's rule,
which were never fully lifted.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/XBL9_uflq04/
Iraq-to-pay-400-million-for-Saddam-s-mistreatment-of-Americans
Deported Iraqi asylum seekers say they were beaten and forced off plane
Violence
allegedly
erupted when refugees refused to leave flight after it touched down in
Baghdad. A group of failed Iraqi asylum seekers who were forcibly
deported to Baghdad this week have claimed they were beaten by British
security staff and Iraqi police. The violence allegedly erupted when
the refugees refused to leave a charter flight after it touched down in
Baghdad on Tuesday morning. Pictures of one those said to have been
injured were released by the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees
(IFIR), a London-based organisation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/09/deported-iraqi-asylum-seekers-beaten-plane-allegations
What America Left Behind in Iraq, It's even uglier than you think, NIR ROSEN
Hundreds of cars waiting in the heat to slowly pass through
one of the dozens of checkpoints and searches they must endure every day. The
constant roar of generators. The smell of fuel, of sewage, of kabobs. Automatic
weapons pointed at your head out of military vehicles, out of SUVs with tinted
windows. Mountains of garbage. Rumors of the latest assassination or explosion.
Welcome to the new Iraq, same as the old Iraq -- even if Barack Obama has
declared George W. Bush's Operation Iraqi Freedom over and announced the
beginning of his own Operation New Dawn, and Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has declared Iraq sovereign and independent.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/09/07/what_america_left_behind_in_iraq
Iraq comedy show under fire
A
new Iraqi comedy show has come under criticism for making jokes about
the dangerous reality of life in the country. The show, "Put him in
Bucca", features fake bombs being planted in celebrities'cars, and
candid camera-style recording of their reactions. But as Al Jazeera's
Rawya Rageh reports from Baghdad, not everyone finds it funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6UCWmeNhPI&feature=youtube_gdata
Iran
China Opposes South Korean Sanctions Against Iran
Chinese
Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Thursday China does not approve of
the unilateral sanctions. She said the Chinese government hopes
countries will instead stick to diplomatic efforts and seek a resolution
through dialogue and negotiations.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/
China-Opposes-South-Korean-Sanctions-Against-Iran-102532964.html
Iranian opposition claims to have found secret nuclear site
Leading
Iranian
opposition members claimed Thursday to have uncovered a secret nuclear
enrichment site buried in the mountains northwest of Tehran, as South
Korea announced late Wednesday it had adopted new unilateral sanctions
designed to pressure Iranian authorities to put a halt to their nuclear
program over fears it might be geared toward a military objective.
Information obtained by the People’s Mujahedeen Organization
of Iran (PMOI) has revealed Iran began building the site in Abyek, about
120 kilometers northwest of Tehran, in 2005, the opposition members
said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=119168
Iran denies claims of building covert uranium enrichment site: atomic chief
TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
(AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi, denied on Friday allegations of a clandestine
underground atomic site near the country's capital of Tehran, the local
satellite Press TV reported. Iranian Paris-based dissident group, the
National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said Thursday in
Washington that it had discovered a secret underground uranium
enrichment site in Abyek, about 120 km (70 miles) northwest of Tehran
which the country started building in 2005.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-09/10/c_13489598.htm
U.S.: Newly revealed 'covert' Iran facility not nuclear
U.S.
backs
Iran's insistence that site 'exposed' by Iranian dissident group
alleging secret uranium enrichment was in fact not a nuclear facility.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-newly-revealed-covert-iran-facility-not-nuclear-1.313154
American to be released by Iran
Iran
will
free Sarah Shourd, one of the three Americans it has held in prison for
more than a year accused of spying on Saturday, a government official
has announced. Shourd, along with Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal,
were arrested in July 2009 after straying into Iranian territory from
Iraq. The three say that they became lost on hike in Iraqi Kurdistan.
US authorities insist that they are innocent and say they should be
released immediately. In a brief text message, the Iranian Ministry of
Culture and Islamic Guidance announced the "freedom of one of the
American detainees on Saturday 20th of (Iranian month of) Shahrivar at
9.00 (0430 GMT) at Hotel Esteghal" in the capital Tehran.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/09/201099165337110265.html
Iran human rights lawyer detained
A prominent human rights lawyer in Iran, Nasrin Sotoudeh, is detained by the authorities on security charges.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-11243683
Ahmadinejad envoys stir trouble at home
Iranian
President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad, under fire for appointing special envoys from his
inner circle, was advised by parliamentarians this week to "follow the
advice'' of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to work with, rather
than bypass, the Foreign Ministry. The turf war exposes the
balancing act between prudent officials and an action-oriented
president.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LI10Ak01.html
Pakistan and Afghanistan
4 Children Among 18 Killed In US Attack In Pakistan
Fourteen
suspected militants and four children were killed when US drones carried out three attacks in North Waziristan on Wednesday.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/
three-drone-strikes-in-waziristan-18-killed-990
Soldiers' families call for pullout from 'unwinnable' war in Afghanistan
Relatives of those who have died or who are serving to present letter to parliament before MPs debate on conflict's future
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/08/families-letter-troop-pullout-afghanistan
Not just fingers: US soldier 'kept Afghan body parts'
Officer charged in conspiracy to murder civilians kept bones and tooth as souvenirs, report says.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/09/2010994272865650.html
Mullah Omar : Taliban Victory 'Imminent,' Demands U.S. Withdraw
In
a
section addressing US citizens, he said: "They have wasted hundreds of
billion(s) of dollars of your tax money in the shape of financial
expenditures and your manpower in Afghanistan and have still been
wasting them. You shall be witness to another economic melt-down."
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/09/2010990391117976.html
Afghan security forces beat angry customers to prevent run on Kabul Bank
Afghanistan's biggest bank, caught in a corruption scandal, closes all its branches bar one just before Muslim holiday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/08/security-forces-kabul-bank-run
Karzai brother’s Kabul Bank villa deal revealed
Karzai,
who owns 7 per cent of the ailing Kabul Bank, said in an interview Monday there was “nothing wrong” with the transaction.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=226404
Guns and Butter: "Why America Cannot Win In Afghanistan": Interview with Pakistani General Hamid Gul
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26333.htm
Afghanistan war: What happens when a war interpreter doesn't know the language
US troops rely on local Afghan interpreters in the mission to win hearts
and minds in the Afghanistan war. But many learn crucial languages on the job, resulting in deadly mishaps.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/L6CIxu_cAIo/Afghanistan-war-
What-happens-when-a-war-interpreter-doesn-t-know-the-language
Inside Story - Rethinking the war in Afghanistan
A
new report by the London-based International Insititute for the
Strategic Studies (IISS) concludes that the threat posed by al-Qaeda and
Taliban is exaggerated and that the strategy in Afghanistan has
"ballooned" out of proportion from the original aim of preventing
attacks by al-Qaeda. With the US due to review its own progress at the
end of the year, how will this impact future strategy in Afghanistan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfg9Zhlhjdk&feature=youtube_gdata
U.S. and Other World News
Former CIA officer accused of abusing suspect now training other operatives
A former CIA officer accused of revving an electric drill near the head
of an imprisoned terror suspect has returned to U.S. intelligence as a
contractor, training CIA operatives after leaving the agency.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/cia-officer-accused-abusing-suspect-training-operatives/
Federal appeals court tosses lawsuit over CIA 'torture' flights
In siding with the Obama administration's executive privilege arguments,
a bitterly divided 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a
lawsuit could not proceed that alleges five former CIA detainees were
transported to foreign countries and subjected to brutal interrogation
tactics.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_16022130?source=email&nclick_check=1
Jordan, Japan sign nuclear cooperation pact
Kingdom's Atomic Energy Commission chief says Japan will assist in construction, operation of local reactor.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3952260,00.html
Mo. man accused of keeping woman as sex slave
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Five Missouri men are accused of taking part in
the sexual torture of a young woman allegedly kept as a sex slave by one
of the men and forced to work as a stripper, prosecutors announced
Thursday. Federal prosecutors describe the woman, now 24, as mentally
deficient and say that she grew up in foster homes. They said one of the
men, Edward Bagley Sr., 43, of Lebanon, invited her to live in his
trailer in southern Missouri starting in 2002 and promised to make her a
model, dancer and a great life.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h4wxmXSUVGZ9xE4S13Xcv-L7fKagD9I4P1S00
Robert Fisk: A place of refuge from fear and guilt
It is a small villa in a shady street, with a sunny courtyard and trees,
and a kitchen tucked away at the end of an alleyway, and there are
cheerful women in scarves to explain Jordanian laws on marriage and
divorce to girls who come to them, frightened, desperate, in fear of
their lives.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/
robert-fisk-a-place-of-refuge-from-fear-and-guilt-2075213.html
Robert Fisk: The truth about 'honour' killings
The
old
Pakistani maulawi laid two currency bills on the table between us, one
for 50 rupees, the other for 100 rupees. "Now tell me," Rahat Gul asked,
"which is the more valuable?" I thought it was a trap – which it was,
in a way – but he lost patience with me and seized the 100 rupee note.
"Now come with me." And he stood up and led me down a narrow corridor
into a small bedroom. There was a camp bed, a military radio and, at the
far end, a giant British-made safe. He fiddled with the combination and
hauled on the iron door. Then he placed the 100 rupee bill inside and
locked the vault. "You see?" he said. "This is like a woman. She must be
protected and looked after, because she is more precious than us."
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/
robert-fisk-the-truth-about-honour-killings-2075317.html
Blair's book hits a nerve in Arab world
The memoirs of former British prime minister Tony Blair have been
blasted by the Arab press for their unapologetic stance towards the Iraq
War and Blair's alliance with former US president George W Bush. With
painful memories of the bad blood, civilian deaths and mayhem unleashed
by the "war on terror", many Arabs would prefer to see Blair complete
his march into history.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LI08Ak02.html
Riz Khan - 9/11's first responders
To
what
extent did toxic dust and debris from the September 11, 2001 attacks at
the World Trade Center contribute to health problems of firefighters
and other first responders who risked their lives to help victims at
Ground Zero? What should be done to help first responders of the 9/11
attacks?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlzVtehG7mk&feature=youtube_gdata
Islam in the West
Most Americans object to planned Islamic center near Ground Zero, poll finds
Most
Americans
say the planned Muslim community center and place of worship should not
be built in Lower Manhattan, with the sensitive locale being their
overwhelming objection, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News
poll.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/08/AR2010090806231_pf.html
Donald Trump Offers To Buy Proposed Park51 Mosque Site
NEW YORK — Donald Trump is offering to buy out one of the major
investors in the real estate partnership that controls the site near
ground zero where a Muslim group wants to build a 13-story Islamic
center and mosque. In a letter released Thursday by Trump's publicist,
the real estate investor tells Hisham Elzanaty he would buy his stake in
the lower Manhattan building for 25 percent more than whatever he paid.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/09/donald-trump-offers-to-bu_n_711142.html
US pastor 'calls off Quran burning'
Planned event to burn copies of Muslim holy book on anniversary of September 11 attacks cancelled amid criticism.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/09/20109921337885578.html
U.S. pastor reconsiders cancelling Koran burning after 'lied to' by N.Y. imam
Florida's Rev. Terry Jones says clerics linked to Ground Zero mosque
promised they would relocate the mosque in exchange for him cancelling
his planned burning of the Muslim holy book.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
u-s-pastor-reconsiders-cancelling-koran-burning-after-lied-to-by-n-y-imam-1.313111
New twists in US pastor's Quran-burning plan
The
Florida
pastor who threatened to burn copies of the Quran has suspended
the plan in the face of condemnation by the US government and
international outrage. Hours later though, Terry Jones, who heads the
Dove World Outreach Centre church, said the plan was only suspended
because he was "lied to" over a deal to call off the event in exchange
for a promise to move a planned Islamic centre away from New York's
Ground Zero, and may still reconsider. The burning had been planned to
coincide with the ninth anniversary on Saturday of the 9/11 attacks on
New York and Washington. But Interpol, the Pentagon and others warned
that such an act would provoke violent acts around the world by outraged
Muslims. Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports from Gainesville on the pastor
who is showing no sign of being unnerved by the global backlash.
[September 10, 2010]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr9zEnwZXIo&feature=youtube_gdata
State Department warns Americans abroad about reaction to planned Koran-burning
The
department issues a worldwide travel alert and cautions that 'the
potential for further protests and demonstrations, which may turn
violent, remains high.' WASHINGTON — The State Department on Thursday
warned Americans abroad that a Florida church's plans to burn Korans on
the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks may set off violent
demonstrations against Americans around the world, as U.S. officials
huddled to consider further precautions.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/yOtpCsVQ9xE/
sc-dc-0910-koran-travel-alert-20100909,0,6740888.story
11 countries speaking out against Koran burning in Florida
More
than 10 countries have now condemned a Florida pastor's plan to burn the
Koran in commemoration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of nine years ago.
As noted in the Monitor article Why the planned Koran burning causes outrage and alarm,
"Muslims see it as the uninterrupted, unchangeable, and eternal word of
God. Burning the Koran is akin to directly burning the word of God." Here is what leaders are saying worldwide.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/Yif8SCveR4E/
11-countries-speaking-out-against-Koran-burning-in-Florida
US religious leaders condemn Islamophobia
Leaders
of
mainstream denominations have denounced "outright bigotry" against
American Muslims surrounding the controversy over the construction of an
Islamic center near New York's ''Ground Zero'' and planned burnings of
the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11. Many fear such actions will fuel
perceptions in the Islamic world that the United States is anti-Islam.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LI09Ak02.html
Can global leaders' outcry minimize fallout from Koran burning plan?
The planned Florida Koran burning has compelled outcry from President
Obama, Pakistani President Zardari, and others. Those messages appear to
be muting wider Muslim reaction to the planned Koran burning.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/jTYOcroHg9U/
Can-global-leaders-outcry-minimize-fallout-from-Koran-burning-plan
Fashionable bigotry, As'ad Abukhalil
Would an American writer be able to keep his/her job if she/he wrote
those words about Judaism and Jews? ""But, frankly, Muslim life is
cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam
Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and
random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder
whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of
the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense
that they will abuse."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/09/fashionable-bigotry.html
Jamal Dajani: The Grinch Who Stole Eid
Today,
1.5
billion Muslims across the globe celebrate Eid al-Fiter, a three-day
holiday marking the end of Ramadan, however; one renegade pastor of a
church, Rev. Terry Jones, with fewer than 50 members has cast a shadow
on their festivities. For the past several weeks, the media have treated
us to live theater of the absurd by amplifying a statement made by an
unknown preacher from Gainesville, Florida proposing to burn Qurans on
the ninth anniversary of 9/11.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/the-grinch-who-stole-eid_b_711880.html
The Koran at Fahrenheit 451, ALEXANDER COCKBURN
By the end of the week, the air was so thick with pieties about the need
for tolerance and respect for all creeds that one yearned for the Rev.
Terry Jones, mutton chop whiskers akimbo, to rescind his last minute
cave-in, stiffen his spine, then toss those Korans into the burn barrels
outside his Gainesville church in Florida and torch them on this year’s
anniversary of 9/11.
http://www.counterpunch.com/cockburn09102010.html |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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