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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Two homes demolished in Sour Baher and Ras al-Amoud
Two
Palestinian homes were demolished in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods
of Sour Baher and Ras al-Amoud yesterday. The demolitions were carried
out by Jerusalem Municipality officers accompanied by a large force of
Israeli soldiers and police. Further details to follow.
http://silwanic.net/?p=9154
IOA razes Jerusalemite home, endorses construction of 24 Jewish housing units
The Israeli occupation authority bulldozed a Palestinian home in Ras
Al-Amoud suburb in occupied Jerusalem, near Silwn town, on Tuesday at
the usual pretext of lack of permit.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6
U.N. says IDF is demolishing water cisterns of Bedouin community near Hebron settlement
The latest report from the U.N. on house demolitions includes the
following information: The Jerusalem Municipality this morning carried
out two demolitions in East Jerusalem, both of houses under
construction. In Ras al Ahmud (on the old Betlehem road), the
Municipality demolished a Palestinian house of around 300 SF. The house
belongs to a family of 7 people, including 5 children. In Sur Baher,
the
Municipality demolished a one-floor Palestinian house of around 1800 SF.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/u-n-says-
idf-is-demolishing-water-cisterns-of-bedouin-community-near-hebron-settlement.html
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
On Adeeb Abu Rahmah’s release, Rebecca Vilkomerson
On
a personal note, I remember very clearly the weekend that Adeeb was
arrested. I was still living in Israel, and a friend from Anarchists Against the Wall
was arrested with him. This friend was detained for over 24 hours,
blindfolded, etc. This was fairly harsh treatment for a Jewish
Israeli,
and he told me all about it on our way to visit Tristan Anderson.
It’s still amazing to me to think that Adeeb spent a year and a half in
jail for doing EXACTLY what an Israeli spent 24 hours in jail for. It’s
so thrilling to see him at home, but so infuriating that he was there
at all….
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/12/on-adeeb-abu-rahmahs-release/
‘Hey AIPAC leave Iran alone!’ –Flashmob strikes AIPAC event in Oakland– 7 arrests
We don't need AIPAC control... Hey AIPAC, Leave Iran alone! Hey AIPAC,
Leave Congress alone! One of the arrested is Rae Abileah, who heckled
Netanyahu in New Orleans... Note the frankly realist poster: Put US
Interests First!
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/
hey-aipac-leave-iran-alone-flashmob-strikes-aipac-event-in-oakland.html
86-year-old
Holocaust survivor joins flashmob at Best Buy in St. Louis: ‘We don’t want your dirty [Motorola] phones’, Philip Weiss
More
than 40 pro-Palestinian activists hit a Best Buy in St. Louis 10 days
ago in a flashmob song-n-dance about boycotting Motorola. Video is just
out. Truly inspired, lovely, funny, Christmas spirit. Hedy Epstein, 86, is
at
3:10 or so. Says Anna Baltzer, another member of the troupe, "One of
the participants got arrested at the end. Call the police in North St
Louis and you're lucky if someone shows up, but disrupt 3 minutes of
Christmas shopping and you are busted!"
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/86-year-old-holocaust-survivor-
joins-flashmob-at-best-buy-in-st-louis-we-dont-want-your-dirty-motorola-phones.html
#BDS: CODEPINK Boston singing Ahava boycott carols at Lord & Taylor
This
past
Saturday, CODEPINK Boston sang Ahava boycott carols outside Lord &
Taylor. You can check out the Stolen Beauty web site for a description
of how to organize your own holiday caroling protest. You can download
a song sheet and watch a video of a sample carol performed by the staff
of Global Exchange. In response to the planned Ahava protest the
American Jewish Committee of Boston organized an Ahava buycott, and
claim to have "cleaned out the shelves" in Lord & Taylor. Way to
go, AJC, in supporting occupation profiteering and the subsidy of two
illegal settlements in the West Bank.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-codepink-boston-singing-ahava.html
Activists protest Israeli army sergeant's campus propaganda visit
On 2 December, the Western Massachusetts Coalition for Palestine
organized a protest of an event entitled "Overcoming Terror: A True
Story" which took place on the University of Massachusetts campus in
Amherst.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11674.shtml
Former EU leaders call to sanction and boycott IsraelAccording
to
letter: Israel, “like any other state,” should answer for “the
consequences” and “a price tag” for construction of housing in West
Bank.
Twenty-six
former European Union leaders, including the EU’s former top diplomat,
Javier Solana, issued a letter last week calling for boycotts and
sanctions targeting Israel due to settlement construction.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=199012
Israel boycotts now official NSW Greens policy
GREENS Senator-elect Lee Rhiannon has helped push through a policy to
prevent trade between Australia and Israel, and stop Israeli
sportspeople and performers coming to Australia. At its state
conference last weekend – held in the run-up to the NSW election in
March – the NSW Greens passed a proposal by consensus for Australians
and the Australian Government to “boycott Israeli goods, trading and
military arrangements, and sporting, cultural and academic events as a
contribution to the struggle to end Israel’s occupation and
colonisation
of Palestinian territory, the siege of Gaza and imprisonment of 1.5
million people and Israel’s institution of a system of apartheid”.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-httpwwwjewishnewsnetauisrael.html
#BDS: Arab actor: Boycott Israeli cinema
Director of 'Jenin, Jenin' Mohammad Bakri tells Turkish daily he's being
persecuted in Israel over his political opinions; says Ankara's response to deadly flotilla raid was not harsh enough.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-arab-actor-boycott-israeli-cinema.html
Freedom Flotilla 2 To Sail To Gaza Next Spring
Freedom
Flotilla 2 solidarity ships will be sailing to the Gaza Strip next
spring in order to challenge Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip by
delivering much needed humanitarian and medical supplies.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60162
BDS Update: “Besiege Your Siege!”
Last
month
Canada’s controversial Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper
continued his campaign to support Israel through thick and thin at an
international conference hosted by the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition
to Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA), where he solemnly warned participants,
“History shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israel mob tells us all
too well, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people
are
in the longer term a threat to all of us.”
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/12/bds-update-%e2%80%98besiege-your-siege%e2%80%99/
Why Academic Boycott?
Last week I thoroughly dealt with the not-so-scholarly and o-so-fallacious Nobel Laureates’ statement on BDS. In almost pure cosmic irony I just got a link from a friend to a Prime Minister’s Office “non-tender”: Request for information about improving Israel’s image on U.S.A campuses. Now that those talkback-esque arguments are out of the way, let’s get
into the direct cynical use the Israeli government makes of the academia, in order to further its propaganda.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/12/15/why-academic-boycott/
Anti
US credit card companies
"Visa,
Mastercard
and PayPal all enable donations to be made to US-registered groups
funding illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in defiance
of international law. It appears at least one of the major credit
cards also enables donations to an extremist Jewish group that has
placed a bounty on the lives of Palestinians. All three have in the
last week ceased enabling donations to WikiLeaks. Neither Mastercard
nor Visa have explained the basis for their decision to do so." "At
this stage WikiLeaks has breached no international law and no laws of
any country, but Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have all blacklisted it.
Yet all three continue to enable the support of settlements that are in
breach of international law, in some cases of Israeli law, and in
defiance of US policy on settlements under successive Republican and
Democrat administrations."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/us-credit-card-companies.html
#BDS: Strauss reposts IDF-support commitment on website
The Strauss Group,
one of the country’s foremost food and beverage companies, has returned
its website banner in support of the IDF after it was removed following
pressure and boycott threats in the US.
Three weeks ago the Post reported that the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement in Philadelphia had initiated a campaign against Sabra and Tribe humous, produced by Strauss under its American logo, the Sabra Dipping Company, purportedly in protest of the company’s public support for the IDF. BDS activists held demonstrations in supermarkets and called on them to stop selling Strauss’s products.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/12/bds-strauss-reposts-idf-support.html
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Living conditions of Palestinian refugees worse than believed - study
BEIRUT: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are two times more likely to
live in poverty than other Lebanese people, preliminary report findings
released Tuesday have shown. The "Socio-Economic Survey of Palestine
Refugees in Lebanon" is the first comprehensive evaluation of its kind.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=122554
Lebanon Storms Crush Palestinian Settlement
After months of drought, storms pounded Lebanon during the weekend,
destroying or damaging most of the 60 homes in Jal al-Bahr, one of
Lebanon's poorest communities of Palestinian refugees. On the shores
of
the Mediterranean in southern Lebanon, water laps onto the walls of the
tin and concrete houses still standing in this tiny Palestinian
community. Residents say waves, between six- and nine-meters high,
crushed or permanently damaged most of the homes in this community.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-8C5REW?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Civil rights for Palestinian refugees
As
the Palestine Civil Rights Movement launches 'Round Two' of the
struggle to secure civil rights for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,
international community involvement is essential, beginning with
education among the European Union countries of the squalid conditions
in Lebanon's camps and EU solidarity with encouraging Lebanon's
parliament to fulfill its obligations and avoid a growing demand for
international sanctions against Lebanon. Among actions being organized
is the pending lawsuit in Washington DC to cut off all US aid to
Lebanon
as required under the 1961 US Foreign Assistance Act to countries, such
as Lebanon, who engage in a pattern of denying civil rights to refugees.
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/12/15/civil-rights-for-palestinian-refugees/
Gulf delegation led by Saudi prince arrives in Gaza [Saudi post Wiki PR]
A
gulf delegation led by Saudi prince Turki Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz
arrives in Gaza Strip on Wednesday accompanying two plane-loads of
relief material to the Palestinian people in the Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bc
Israel Now Builds Separation Wall With Africa
CAIRO,
Dec
15, 2010 (IPS) - After the separation barrier against Palestinian
territories, Israel has begun to build a new wall, this one to keep
migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian
border, and with Egyptian support.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53868
Wishing Qalandiya Away, Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
My
eight-year old summed up her three "genie wishes" the other day in a
way that made me want to cry and laugh all at once. The first wish, she
said, was to have her grandfather cancer-free "forever". The second
wish, she said, was that the "checkpoint" – she was referring to the
Qalandiya crossing between Ramallah and Jerusalem - would disappear,
again "forever". Eight year olds tend to speak in absolute terms where
"forever" is basically as long as she is around to remember it. The
third wish was the only one with any hint of childish desires. "I wish
we would all grow wings," she said very matter of fact. Satisfied, she
looked at her older brother, who only had one very specific wish. "I
wish I had loads of money."
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22926&CategoryId=13
Inside the moral corruption of Israeli society, Joseph Dana
After
being arrested in a Palestinian demonstration near Hebron some time
ago, I was handcuffed and blindfolded then sat in the direct sun along
with another Israeli activist. After some time, an IDF commander
arrived
on the scene and asked one of his soldiers, “why are those two in the
sun?” The soldier reported that he just put us next to some
Palestinians
that were arrested in the same demonstration. The commander, clearly
upset with his young soldier, ordered that we be moved to the shade
because ‘they are Jews.” Then he personally inspected the zip-tie
handcuffs of the Palestinians, making sure that they were as
excruciatingly tight as possible. This was one of my first concrete
experiences in the West Bank in which I was able to see just how
soldiers viewed Palestinians. It was as if they were not fully human or
at least, not as human as Jews.
http://josephdana.com/2010/12/inside-the-moral-corruption-of-israeli-society/
What does occupation mean?
What does occupation mean for the daily lives of Palestinians?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7TQxHBa3Zw&feature=player_embedded
Racism and Discrimination
Poll: 55% back rabbis' anti-Arab ruling
Survey
shows 41% of secular Israelis support municipal religious leaders' call
not to rent apartments to non-Jews, as do 64% and 88% of Israel's traditional and haredi Jews, respectively.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3998010,00.html
Arab lawmakers: Rabbis' letter originated in Knesset
Knesset
discusses
rabbis' petition calling not to rent apartments to Arab residents.
'Publish photos of these anti-Semite racists around world, they are no
better than Bin Laden,' says MK El-Sana.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999700,00.html
Law to Keep Jews and Arabs Apart, Jonathan Cook
The
pretty two-storey home with a red-tiled roof built by Adel and Iman
Kaadan looks no different from the rows of other houses in Katzir, a
small hilltop community in northern Israel close to the West Bank.
But,
unlike the other residents of Katzir, the Kaadans moved into their
dream home this month only after a 12-year battle through the Israeli
courts. The small victory for the Kaadans, who belong to Israel’s
Palestinian Arab minority, dealt a big blow to a state policy that for
decades has reserved most of the country’s land for Jews.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/12/law-to-keep-jews-and-arabs-apart/
Repatriated Sudanese kids didn't get chance to say goodbye
Advocates worry about 150 asylum seekers sent back; children's school principal fails to understand why secrecy was necessary.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/
repatriated-sudanese-kids-didn-t-get-chance-to-say-goodbye-1.330740
Violence/Aggression
Two Palestinian workers wounded in IOF shooting
Two Palestinian citizens were wounded in northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday
morning when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened machinegun fire at
them.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
IOF troops storm house of MP Halaika
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the house of MP Samira
Al-Halaika in Shuyukh town, Al-Khalil district, at noon Tuesday, the MP
said.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcO
Israeli MKs call for assassinating Bishara, expelling Arab MKs from Knesset
Deputies
in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) have called for assassinating former Arab MP Azmi Bishara, describing him as "terrorist".
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%
Detainees (held by Israelis and the PA)
Israeli army detains 7 Palestinians in WB
West
Bank, December 15, (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF)
detained Wednesday seven Palestinians from different cities in the West
Bank. Local sources reported that huge forces of the Israeli army
raided Hebron, Tolkarem, Jenin and Ramallah where they broke into
number
of houses and detained seven citizens who were transferred to unknown
place. In addition to, IOF erected military checkpoints at the
entrance
of Bait Fjar town and other near Al-Khader town in south of Bethlehem,
the sources said. Israeli forces roamed Takoua town, no detention
reported there, the sources added.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7723
Seven Arrested in Overnight West Bank Raids; Troops Photograph Mosque
Ramallah
–
PNN - In a series of Israeli military raids in and near the cities of
Tulkarm, Tubas, Jenin, and Ramallah, seven Palestinians were arrested
before Wednesday morning. In the village of Tamoun, near the northern
West Bank city of Tubas, 22-year-old Abdul Sitar Khaled Nebi Awda was
taken away after his home was searched and military checkpoints were
set
up outside his village.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9272&Itemid=64
Hamas: PA security detained 23 supporters
BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an) -- Hamas officials in the West Bank accused the Palestinian
Authority of detaining 23 of its supporters from areas across the West
Bank, a statement said on Wednesday. The alleged arrests, which could
not be confirmed by Ma'an, were carried out in the northern districts
of
Nablus, Salfit, and Qalqiliya as well as southern districts of Hebron
and Bethlehem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=342159
Prisoner Khalifa exposed to torture by PA interrogators
Islamic Jihad said that prisoner Faisal Khalifa is being exposed to
excruciating torture at the hands of interrogators from the Palestinian
authority in Tulkarem city.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
IOA isolates prisoner for persisting in hunger strike
The
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said that the
Israeli occupation authorities had isolated prisoner Linan Abu Ghulma
in
Hasharon jail.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2
Family committee: The six hungers strikers may die any moment
The
family committee of Palestinian detainees in West Bank jails said that
the six hunger strikers in PA jails could die any moment after their
critical health conditions reached a deadly level.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?x
War/Occupation Crimes
What’s really wrong with the Goldstone Report, Jerome Slater
The usual rightwing “pro-Israel” circles are gleeful over the reported
resignation of Christian Tomuschat, a German jurist who has been
heading
the UN committee charged with implementing the Goldstone Report. For
example, B’nai B’rith International welcomed the resignation,
commenting
that it would further undermine the credibility of the “odious claim”
that Israel deliberately attacked civilians in its attack on Gaza
(“Operation Cast Lead”) two years ago. Similarly, Jennifer Rubin of the
Washington Post chortles (quoting “a friend”) that “the biased UN probe
now has no leader, and is in disarray.”
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/whats-really-wrong-with-the-goldstone-report.html
The Corrie Trial in Israel: Seeking Answers And Accountability
Transparent. Credible. Thorough. These were the words used by Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2003 when setting forth the terms under
which the investigation into the killing of Rachel Corrie would be
conducted to George W. Bush, one day after Rachel was crushed to death
by an Israeli military bulldozer. Both the scene at the courtroom in
Haifa, where the Corrie family's civil case is proceeding against the
state of Israel, and the testimony of the bulldozer driver who killed
Rachel, expose the hollowness of those words.
http://www.wrmea.org/component/content/article/362/10206-
the-corrie-trial-in-israel-seeking-answers-and-accountability.html
Political Developments
Hamas holds massive Gaza rally
Resistance group throws 23rd anniversary rally, as tight Israeli siege makes Gaza's Hamas rulers increasingly unpopular.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/20101214135412759764.html
Fatah members, in their own divided words
An excerpt from an online study shows supporters of Abbas’s faction to be ambivalent, at best, about peace.
http://www.jpost.com/Features/FrontLines/Article.aspx?ID=199332&R=R1
Poll: 69% Support Signing Peace Treaty with Israel
Ramallah
–
PNN - The results of a recent poll conducted by Near East Consulting
show a rise in the popularity of Fatah, a corresponding fall in the
popularity of Hamas, and that a majority 69% of Palestinians support
signing a peace treaty. The poll was conducted between December 5 and
7, with 850 Palestinian respondents from around the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip, and Jerusalem. The margin of error was 3.4%. The results are
largely the same as they were in November 2010 (68%) and higher than
during July (59%). Sixty-two percent support a change in Hamas’
position to allow Israel to exist, while 38% support holding that
position.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9269
Palestinians to Mitchell: U.S. must demand talks based on 1967 borders
U.S. envoy meets with Abbas, who says Palestinians have already
submitted their stance on core issues and that the U.S. must now turn
to
Netanyahu with demands.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
palestinians-to-mitchell-u-s-must-demand-talks-based-on-1967-borders-1.330623
Report: Mitchell presented Abbas with offers
Al-Hayat says US envoy offered Palestinians a debate on Jerusalem, but no return to 1967 borders.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999404,00.html
Netanyahu agrees to discuss core issues in indirect talks with Palestinians
UN Mideast envoy: Credibility of countries sponsoring Israeli-Palestinian peace process is at stake.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
netanyahu-agrees-to-discuss-core-issues-in-indirect-talks-with-palestinians-1.330698
US Congress Warns PA on Revived Peace Negotiations
The
US
Congress mounted pressure on the Palestinian Authority to resume peace
talks, warning against a unilateral declaration of statehood, media
sources reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60167
Report: Dennis Ross in Israel for secret talks
TEL
AVIV,
Israel (Ma’an) -- Veteran US diplomat Dennis Ross arrived in Israel
Tuesday evening and is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli security
officials, Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported
Wednesday. Ross, a prominent US policy maker, was allegedly sent by US
president Barak Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to
check out what security coordination would be necessary if a final
peace
agreement was reached in the region.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=342200
Israel redefines the definition of Chutzpah, Joseph Dana
After
failing to take an incentive package from the United States in exchange
for a freeze on settlement activity, Israel is asking for the incentive
package anyway. Israel was reportedly offered 20 advanced war planes
from the United States in exchange for a settlement freeze which would
lead the way to renewed peace talks. However, Israel refused the idea
of
freezing settlement construction and Bloomberg is reporting today that
Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, is still expecting to receive the war
planes.
http://josephdana.com/2010/12/israel-redefines-the-definition-of-chutzpah/
Other News
Hamas launches a public relations offensive
Many
people
say Hamas's transition into a political party has reduced its appeal.
Now the group has also taken its image campaign into the streets
and classrooms. Nicole Johnston reports now on Hamas's efforts to
bolster its image.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e59WRSEqrow&feature=youtube_gdata
A farmer named Suha Arafat?
WikiLeaks
documents reveal American diplomats were puzzled by request for
Tunisian citizenship made by former Palestinian Authority chairman's
widow in 2006. One of benefits – owning agricultural land – did not
seem
very attractive as 'Mrs. Arafat is not known to be an aspiring farmer'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999405,00.html
Jordan will not receive deported Palestinians: official
The
Jordanian government refused Monday receiving any Palestinians deported
by Israel from the Occupied Territories under the pretext that they do
not have legal residence permits. A top Jordanian official stressed
that Jordan neither received nor will receive Palestinians deported
from Palestinian lands occupied by Israel,
according to the Jordanian independent newspaper al-Arab al-Yawm.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/12/14/129593.html
Fire scandal: Israel dismissed firefighting aircraft
Massive firefighting plane was offered to Israel on blaze's first day but rejected, company rep says
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999198,00.html
Picasso to Ramallah
A
joint initiative between Ramallah's International Art Academy Palestine
and the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is trying to bring an
original masterpiece by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso to Ramallah to
be placed at the academy, for public viewing.
http://www.imemc.org/article/60178
Analysis/Op-ed
Josh Ruebner: Settlement Reversal Threatens Obama's Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts
The United States missed a major opportunity to reassess its
unrealistic
strategy to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace when Hillary Clinton
addressed the invitation-only crowd assembled at the Brookings
Institution last Friday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-ruebner/settlement-reversal-threa_b_795890.html
A long Palestinian struggle has ended Partition, maybe?, Philip Weiss
I keep wanting to do a big post on how the Palestinians have won and
Partition is over. I need to collect my string first, I might be wrong.
Hillary Clinton would say that the Palestinians are big losers if
Partition is over, Tom Friedman also says that the Palestinians need
Partition; but who is he to speak for the Palestinians, a man who was
lecturing his classmates in high school on the greatness of the Israeli
victory of '67? But if you look at this issue with historical sweep,
the
Palestinians did not want Zionism, didn't want immigration, didn't want
a Jewish state, didn't want the armistice line, and have been resisting
these facts forever, etc. People in the west call this attitude
rejectionist, but really would we have done any differently? Would
anyone?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/a-long-palestinian-struggle-has-ended-partition-maybe.html
Instead of befriending neo-fascists, Israel should make peace
True, the scope of settlement construction was four times larger during
the premiership of Ehud Barak; but remember, that's also why
negotiations with the Palestinians ended.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/
instead-of-befriending-neo-fascists-israel-should-make-peace-1.330495
New language for Middle East peace
The
recent
passage by Israel's Knesset of a law requiring either a two-thirds
Knesset majority or approval by an unprecedented national referendum
before Israel can "cede" any land in expanded East Jerusalem to a
Palestinian state has been widely recognized as making any "two-state
solution" even more inconceivable than before.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122548
Israel, Obama and the Bomb, CONN HALLINAN
This past July, a nuclear-armed nation, in violation of an
international
treaty, clandestinely agreed to supply uranium to a known proliferator
of nuclear weapons. China and North Korea? No, the United States and
Israel. In a July 8 article entitled “Report: Secret Document Affirms
U.S. Israeli Nuclear Partnership,” the Israeli daily Haaretz revealed
that the Obama Administration will begin transferring nuclear fuel to
Israel in order to build up Tel Aviv’s nuclear stockpile. There is
profound irony in the fact that while the U.S. and some of its allies
are threatening military action against Iran for enriching uranium,
Washington is bypassing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
while
aiding Israel’s nuclear weapons program, the only country in the world
that has actually helped another nation construct and test a nuclear
device.
http://www.counterpunch.com/hallinan12152010.html
Bidding Farewell to the Two-State Solution, Rania Zabaneh
As the US administration abandons its efforts to persuade Israel
reinstate a partial settlement freeze in the occupied Palestinian
territory, the ailing Middle East peace process suffers another
setback. Israel made its choice clear, Palestinians say -- in spite of
a
generous
incentives package from Washington, the Netanyahu government chose
settlements over resurrecting the peace process based on the two-state
solution.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rania-zabaneh/bidding-farewell-to-the-t_b_796672.html
Restructure the mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Sam Bahour
Now that Palestinian-Israeli talks appear to be stalled, the United
States is at a crossroads in its mediation of Middle East peace talks
between Israelis and Palestinians. The Obama administration can no
longer walk on the Israeli side of the line - which is exactly where
the
US has been since Israel's creation - while continuing to pay lip
service to the illusion of walking on the thin line.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=122538
If Yaffa saw me–really saw me–wouldn’t it at least love me a little?, Tala Abu Rahmeh
“Habibi don’t see me” --Suheir Hammad. I
went to Yaffa on Friday night. I have a permit that expires next month,
so my friends are taking me all over the place to milk it before I
become illegal. It’s almost funny that my ability to drive 20 minutes
outside of Ramallah in the direction of Jerusalem will actually expire
on a specific date. I have always avoided Yaffa, I never had a
relationship with the city aside from my family’s stories of being
uprooted from their homes and the smell of the sea, but every time I go
there I feel incredibly rejected, like nothing I will ever be or say
will ever make me worthy of this city. It is obviously an unhealthy
relationship. After we approached a row of stunning lights shining
from Ben Gurion Airport, our car slowly began sinking into Yaffa’s
streets that were dimmed in anticipation of Saturday. There was
something incredibly sad about such an ordinary ritual, like a child
being forced to sleep and go to a terrible school in the morning.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/if-yaffa-saw-me-really-saw-me-wouldnt-it-at-least-love-me-a-little.html
Schnabel says ‘Miral’ was delayed because ‘the world’ isn’t ready for its message, Philip Weiss
Last night at Alwan for the Arts
in New York they staged a cultural event that might even be historic it
was so important in subtle/oozing ways. Julian Schnabel read passages from the novel Miral, by the Palestinian-Italian journalist Rula Jebreal,
and
the two answered questions, Jebreal about her childhood in occupied
East Jerusalem and Schnabel aobut his film based on Jebreal’s book. The
importance of the evening was literal and symbolic. A leading Jew in
the arts and an Arab stood together in an Arab-American space, to give
life to the Palestinian story. They did so in ways that punctured the
Israeli story (Deir Yassin, ethnic cleansing, Gaza onslaught were all
touchstones) but also actually honored a Jewish cultural understanding.
There was a sense that Jebreal could only tell her Arab woman’s story
outside the Middle East, and that in the U.S. a Jewish artist could
help
in facilitating its expression.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/schnabel-says-
miral-was-delayed-because-the-world-isnt-ready-for-its-message.html
Fear and loathing in Long Island
Tonight the UJA-Federation of New York will be hosting a Jewish community-wide event in a Nassau County (Long Island) suburb.
In
this season of peace and goodwill, what might this event have as its
focus? One might think it would center around learning about and
assisting those who are spiritually and/or financially needy. Others
might think that the community might get together to learn more about
Judaism, the real meaning of Hanukkah, and the concept of being a true
"light among nations". Maybe some might believe that they would learn
about the state of religious pluralism in Israel. Unfortunately, all of
these assumptions would be wrong.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/fear-and-loathing-in-long-island.html
Listening to Palestinians, Nancy Kanwisher
Now that the Obama administration's efforts to reach an agreement
between Israel and Palestine are finally moribund, it is worth stepping
back to ask what is really going on in this troubled part of the world.
Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires not only a
grasp
of cold facts and statistics, but an understanding of the daily
experience of the real people who live on each side. American news
media
heavily emphasize Israeli perspectives, but provide few opportunities
to hear directly from Palestinians. To help counter this imbalance, I
am
posting video clips of some of the Palestinians I spoke with on a
recent trip.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-kanwisher/listening-to-palestinians_b_796630.html
Book review: Humanity and warmth in "Letters from Palestine"
Western
publishers have too often neglected the perspective of Palestinians and
other Arabs when it comes to books on Israel and the Palestinians.
Letters from Palestine, a new collection of Palestinian writing edited
by Kenneth Ring and Ghassan Abdullah, is thus a welcome initiative.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11675.shtml
Aslan: Everything they are saying about Muslims they said about Jews and Catholics before them
Get ready for the diverse future or get out of the way. Arnie Cooper of Miller-McCune talks to Reza Aslan:
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/12/aslan-
everything-they-are-saying-about-muslims-they-said-about-jews-and-catholics-before-them.html
Hussein Ibish Troubled With Anti-Israel Activism By Students
Hussein Ibish
sounds deeply troubled by authentic pro-Palestine activism on US
campuses. He is admonishing pro-Palestine students to not be
“anti-Israel.” He may now start reaching out and cooperating with
Daniel Pipes and Campus Watch. “You’ve got both models out there — confrontation and cooperation,” said Hussein Ibish,
a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, a Washington-based organization that favors two states for two peoples. “It’s crucial for pro-Palestinian activists to be pro-Palestinian rather than anti-Israel,”
http://ikhras.com/2010/12/hussein-ibish-troubled-with-anti-israel-activism-by-students/
Ziad Asali Praising The “Servant of the Two Holy Mosques”
The
relationship between members of the “Arab Lobby” in Washington and
pro-US tyrannical regimes in the Arab world remains strong. Ziad
Asali,
the President of The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), the
public relations firm for Israeli-sponsored, Western-funded,
American-supervised, collaborationist authority in occupied Ramallah,
was interviewed by one of the Saudi family newspapers. The paper
described this empty black-tie-tuxedo who signs his name to articles
Hussein Ibish writes for him as someone “with a strong presence on the
political scene.”
http://ikhras.com/2010/12/ziad-asali-praising-the-servant-of-the-two-holy-mosques/
Lebanon
Israel spies on Lebanon telecom network
Along the Lebanese southern border one comes across a large number of transmission poles.
Some
officials
and experts say they have been set up by Israel for the purpose of
infiltrating Lebanon's telecommunications system and spying on the
movement of civilians and even of the united nations interim forces
stationed there. They further say such poles enable Israeli
intelligence officers to communicate with agents they have in southern
Lebanon, the stronghold of Israel's arch rival, Hezbollah.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155489.html
Michel Sulayman is implicated--yes
"Almost as damaging, Murr’s testimony directly implicates the Lebanese
president Michel Sleiman. In March 2008, at the time of the
conversation, the Lebanese president was army chief of staff. And Murr
told his American friends that he had already instructed Sleiman that
the Lebanese army should not get involved 'when Israel comes.’
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/michel-sulayman-is-implicated-yes.html
Israel: Next Lebanon strike will eclipse 2006
BEIRUT: Israel has warned it will strike Lebanon with "10 times" the
force of its 2006 onslaught in the event of provocation by Hizbullah.
In
an interview which was published Tuesday by Israeli newspaper Yedioth
Ahronot, an unidentified senior Israeli Army northern command officer
also alleged that Hizbullah had continued to receive "all kinds of
rockets" from neighboring Syria.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=122563
I find Cohen to be least unreasonable of the New York Times' crowd
"Dahiye,
the Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut suburb flattened by Israel in
2006, now bustles with construction and commerce, including
state-of-the-art juice bars and risqué lingerie stores. It feels about
as threatening as New York’s Canal Street."
I
notice that not a single white journalist who passes through Lebanon,
does not get invited for a meal with Walid Jumblat. That guy really--I
mean, really--loves the company of the White Man--even if it was
Jeffrey Feltman, for potato's sake. Of course, I don't attack Jumblat
just because he called me "crazy" in a published interview. I did not
like him during his "progressive" phase, and I liked him less during
this "imperialist" phase. And I like him now even less during his
detour.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-find-cohen-to-be-least-unreasonable.html
More on the reporting of Ruthie Ackerman from her "fixer" in Lebanon
I told Moe Ali Nayel (whose fed-up letter I posted under the headline
of
an angry Arab fixer) that many Western journalists go to Lebanon
claiming that they want to study potatoes when they really want to
write
about other matters. He wrote me this: "To tell you the truth now
that you pointed out the fact that some come to Lebanon pretending they
are doing fluff stories like she tried to do, I remember that when I
first met her she started asking about HA and how they use the internet
to mobilize people and then later in the conversation when I was
explaining that people use internet cafes a lot in Lebanon, she asked
me
if we could go to HA areas, villages etc and talk to people in internet
cafes, I refused. Another day when we met she said that she heard HA
has many hackers and would it be possible to talk to them. I was
surprised and said it's impossible to do such things. I had a weird
feeling about her after she kept insisting on doing things in HA areas,
that’s the term she kept using, and I decided that I was going to keep
her away from doing any story about HA. She kept insisting until I
finally gave her the number for...Honestly, sometimes I meet
journalists
who come to Lebanon and are only interested in HA, and their insistence
makes me suspicious and I might be wrong but I just avoid them and let
them go. [continued]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/12/more-on-reporting-of-ruthie-ackerman.html
Iraq
Iran/Iraq refugees die in Australia boat tragedy (AFP)
AFP
-
At least 27 refugees, believed to be from Iraq and Iran, died Wednesday
after their wooden boat shattered in violent seas off Australia before
horrified witnesses, with fears as many as 50 could have perished.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101215/wl_mideast_afp/australiaimmigrationaccident
Tuesday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 69 Wounded
At first, it seemed the religious holiday of Ashuraa would result in
fewer reports of violence, but several large attacks have occurred in
the last few days, today included. At least seven Iraqis were killed
and
69 more were killed across the country in the latest brutalities. The
holiday culminates on Thursday and, incidentally, highlights the schism
between Sunnis and the Shi'ites who are marking the martyrdom of
Hussein
ibn Ali. Shi'ite processions and trips to Karbala make these pilgrims
easy targets for violence.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/12/14/tuesday-7-iraqis-killed-69-wounded/
Iraqi forces face key security test over Ashura ceremonies
KARBALA,
Iraq: Iraqi forces will provide security for Ashura ceremonies this
week in Karbala with no active support from US forces, in a key test of
their capabilities ahead of an American pullout in a year.Heavy
security
is being deployed in the Shiite Muslim shrine city for Ashura, which
marks the slaying of the revered Imam Hussein by the armies of the
Caliph Yazid in 680.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122542
Shiites pour into Iraqi shrine city for Ashura (AFP)
AFP
- Shiites in their hundreds of thousands were descending on Iraq's holy
city of Karbala on Wednesday ahead of the climax of Ashura ceremonies, surrounded by heavy security over fears of attacks.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101215/wl_mideast_afp/iraqreligionshiiteashura
Iraq seizes Iranian truck bomb
An
Iranian
truck carrying explosives was found in the parking lot of Basra
International Fair which is due to open in a few days hosting a number
of foreign companies, Basra Police Command said. 5 suspects involved
in
this incident were arrested including two Iranians thought to have
taken turns in driving the truck through, the Police Command said. The
truck arrived on Tuesday to Basra from Iran through Al Shalamja border
passage, Basra Police Chief Brigadier Adel Dham told Alsumaria News. A
box filled with explosives was found inside the truck, he added. First
reports say that the truck was going to be used to bomb Basra
International Fair.
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-57627-Iraq-seizes-Iranian-truck-bomb.html
Sunni-backed politician to join Iraqi government (AP)
AP
-
The head of a Sunni-backed political party will join the Shiite-led
government being assembled by his top rival, a spokeswoman said
Tuesday,
clearing a final hurdle to end months of tortuous, postelection
dealmaking.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
The dirty footprints of Chalabi via Wikileaks
The role of Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi has fascinated me for years. The corporate press used him as a key source over Iraq’s alleged WMDs. Oops.
http://antonyloewenstein.com/2010/12/15/the-dirty-footprints-of-chalabi-via-wikileaks/
FEATURE-Iraq business elite flourish in Jordan safe haven
ZARQA,
Jordan
(Reuters) - In the luxury of his smart office in a Jordanian duty free
zone, Iraqi entrepreneur Sahib Al-Haddad takes orders for his new milk
powder factory from merchants in Baghdad. Visitors are met by a
painting of Iraq's once mighty Tigris river and lush palm trees,
hundreds of miles from Al-Haddad's factory in the dusty Jordanian
re-export zone.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/feature-iraq-business-elite-flourish-in-jordan-safe-haven
Iraqi shoe thrower signs his first book in Beirut (AP)
AP - The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former President
George
W. Bush said Tuesday he is suing Iraq's prime minister for his
detention and alleged torture during the nine months he spent in
custody.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_shoe_thrower
Is free Iraq becoming a more Islamic state? (Reuters)
Reuters
-
A group of men recently ordered Siham al-Zubaidi to close down her
Baghdad hair salon for two months for Shi'ite religious festivities.
She
had no idea who they were but complied because she feared for her life.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101215/wl_nm/us_iraq_crackdown
Wikileaks/U.S. and other world news
WikiLeaks founder bail challenged
Swedish prosecutors have opted to appeal a British court's decision to grant WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange bail.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2010/12/20101214152619154294.html
Jailed Assange awaits Sweden appeal
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spends at least one more night in jail while Swedish authorities challenge his bail.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/2010121513186654405.html
Swedish Prosecutor Raises Possible Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder to U.S.
The Swedish prosecutor who asked British authorities to detain Mr.
Assange and send him to Sweden for questioning about possible sex
crimes, discussed the possibility of sending him to the United States
in
a statement posted on the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s Web site on
Tuesday.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/
swedish-prosecutor-raises-possible-extradition-of-wikileaks-founder-to-u-s/
Attorney: Swedish Case is a "Holding Charge" to Get Julian Assange Extradited to U.S.
WikiLeaks
founder
Julian Assange remains in a London prison after Swedish authorities
challenged the court’s decision to release him on bail with conditions.
Assange’s attorney Mark Stephens joins us to discuss his possible
extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sexual crimes amidst
rumors the Obama administration has convened a grand jury to indict
Assange in the United States.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/15/lawyer_alleged_swedish_sex_crime_is
John Pilger: Global Support for WikiLeaks is "Rebellion" Against U.S. Militarism, Secrecy
The
award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker John
Pilger is one of many high-profile public supporters of Julian Assange
and his organization WikiLeaks. Pilger has attended Assange’s court
proceedings in London and has offered to contribute funds for his more
than $300,000 bail. Pilger’s latest film, The War You Don’t See,
includes interviews with Assange. Pilger says that WikiLeaks is
revolutionizing journalism and galvanizing public opinion to stand up
to
global elites.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/15/john_pilger_journalists_must_support_julian
Gillard may get me killed: Assange
WIKILEAKS
founder
Julian Assange says Prime Minister Julia Gillard has put his life and
freedom at risk by publicly pre-judging his actions as “criminal”.
http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/12/12/WikiLeaks-julian-assange-gillard/
We Support WikiLeaks
Stand with Daniel Ellsberg, Barbara Ehrenreich, Arundhati Roy, Noam
Chomsky and others-- add your name at the bottom of the page!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/592/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5343
WikiLeaks Protests: Julian Assange Supporters Demonstrate Outside London Courthouse
Dozens of demonstrators descended
upon the City of Westminster Magistrate's Court in London Tuesday,
jostling for room as they protested in support of WikiLeaks founder
Julian Assange, who currently faces sexual assault charges. As the BBC
is reporting,
about
100 supporters took over the sidewalk outside of the courtroom,
carrying banners which read "Justice for Julian," and "show trial," a
reference to a statement reportedly used by Assange's attorney to
describe the direction he felt legal proceedings were taking. Others
chanted statements like, "free Julian now!" and "don't shoot the
messenger."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/wikileaks-protests-suppor_n_796708.html
Video: Sydney Wikileaks Protest
http://wikileaksfan.com/video/sydney-wikileaks-fans-protest
USAF blocks media sites over Leaks
United States Air Force has barred access to news websites containing material from WikiLeaks' disclosure of US files.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/12/2010121512126390761.html
Restored WikiLeaks.org Hosted by US Web Host
The newly restored WikiLeaks.org site does not contain any of the
controversial leaked cables or content that it previously had prior to
being shut down.
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/121410_
Restored_WikiLeaksorg_Hosted_by_US_Web_Host_Silicon_Valley_Web_Hosting
WikiLeaks Exposes Pakistan's Rhetoric
The
cables
show that contrary to what was said in public the military leadership,
including General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, approved drone strikes against
Al Qaeda targets and approved US Special Forces being embedded within
the Pakistani army fighting in the north-west.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aparna-pande/wikileaks-exposes-pakista_b_796290.html
CNN: Is Julian Assange a ‘journalist or terrorist’?
It's one thing to maintain neutrality while reporting on a
controversial
topic. It's another to adopt over-the-top rhetoric as if it's serious
or real. In its coverage of the so-called "Cablegate" scandal, CNN
appears to be attempting both. During a Dec. 12 broadcast, the network
compared Assange and his supporters to old-west bank robbers Bonnie and
Clyde, among others, suggesting the outcry over the WikiLeaks founder's
imprisonment is much like the flurry of support for other famous
criminals. "[Julian Assange] may be the Robin Hood of data or
information," Greg McCrary, an FBI profiler, told the network.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/julian-assange-journalist-terrorist-cnn-wonders/
Maher Arar: Enough Hypocrisy: WikiLeaks Is Filling a Vacuum
Instead of blaming WikiLeaks, governments should blame themselves. The
solution is more transparency on their party. Only then will WikiLeaks
be deprived of its audience.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maher-arar/enough-hypocrisy-wikileak_b_796238.html
Inside Story - Policing online content
WikiLeaks
and
its founder Julian Assange continue to be under fire.Who controls the
flow of information on the internet? Who sets the rules and under what
terms?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh_XQkU3Z9A&feature=youtube_gdata
US Kills 4 People In Pakistan
Four persons were killed in a US drone attack on a vehicle in Miranshah tehsil in North Waziristan Agency on Tuesday.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/pt/detail.php?newsId=17253
U.S. intelligence reports cast doubt on war progress in Afghanistan
The
assessments contradict defense officials' optimistic outlook. They
contend that large swaths of the country remain at risk of falling to
the Taliban and that Pakistan is still supporting militants, officials
say. Two new assessments by the U.S. intelligence community present a
gloomy picture of the Afghanistan war, contradicting a more upbeat view
expressed by military officials as the White House prepares to release
a
progress report on the 9-year-old conflict.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/dDJ7LIjvXZE/
la-fg-afghan-review-20101215,0,6765262.story
Deadly bomb attack on Iran city
A
bomb
attack in the south-eastern Iranian city of Chabahar kills at least 38
people and injures many more, Iranian news sources say.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-11997679
Mideast deal would free Arabs to focus on Iran: Rudd
An
Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would free up the Arab world to
"exclusively focus" on the problem of Iran's nuclear program,
Australia's top diplomat said in remarks published on Wednesday.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/12/15/129688.html
Terrorist by Association: The Justice Department targets nonviolent solidarity activists
September
24 began like any other Friday for Joe Iosbaker and Stephanie Weiner.
Then, at 7 a.m., FBI agents knocked on the door of the Chicago couple's
house in the city's North Side. Armed with a search warrant, more than
20 agents examined the couple's home, photographing every room and
combing through notebooks, family videos and books, even their
children's drawings. Some items were connected to their decades of
anti-war and international solidarity activism, but others were not.
"Folders were opened, letters were pulled out of envelopes," says
Weiner, an adult education professor at Wilbur Wright College. "They
had
rubber gloves and they went through every aspect of our home." (See
video interview with Weiner and Iosbaker below.)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/main/print/6745/
Berkeley School SUED By U.S. After Denying Teacher Unpaid Leave For Muslim Pilgrimage
WASHINGTON — The federal government sued a suburban Chicago school
district Monday for denying a Muslim middle school teacher unpaid leave
to make a pilgrimage to Mecca that is a central part of her religion.
In a civil rights case, the department said the school district in
Berkeley, Ill., denied the request of Safoorah Khan on grounds that her
requested leave was unrelated to her professional duties and was not
set
forth in the contract between the school district and the teachers
union. In doing so the school district violated the Civil Rights Act of
1964 by failing to reasonably accommodate her religious practices, the
government said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/berkeley-school-sued-by-u_n_796578.html
1 small town's battle for tolerance
SIDNEY CENTER, N.Y. – The cemetery lies beneath a grove of maples on a
hill overlooking the farm. On a crisp November day in 2009, it received
its first guest — a 28-year old stonemason killed in a car accident two
days earlier. Somberly, his Sufi Muslim brethren carried his coffin up
the hill, their colorful turbans and baggy tunics a striking contrast
to
the rolling hills all around. Beneath a vibrant green headstone — the
color of the Osmanli Naksibendi Hakkani order, which runs a 50-acre
farm
and mosque here — the shrouded body of Amir Celoski was lowered into
the ground. Mourners bowed their heads and prayed: May he rest in
peace. But that was not to be. Instead of peace, Celoski's burial
ignited a war — one that would erupt nine months later, hurling Sidney
into the national spotlight, bitterly dividing some residents while
transforming others who say their lives and their town will never be
the
same.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101213/ap_on_re_us/us_turbans_on_the_hill
Sweden's far-right wants Islamist debate
STOCKHOLM: The far-right Sweden Democrats demanded a debate in
parliament on Islamic extremism Tuesday following the weekend's twin
blasts in Stockholm, probably designed to wreak carnage among Christmas
shoppers. "The Sweden Democrats demand a current debate in parliament
about violence-prone Islamic extremism.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122552
Hundreds of refugees held captive in Egypt, report reveals
Smugglers
imprison asylum seekers in steel containers, raping and torturing them
while the relatives of the refugees are made to listen, until they pay
thousands of dollars in ransom.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
hundreds-of-refugees-held-captive-in-egypt-report-reveals-1.330771
Sudan arrests women at rally against police whipping
KHARTOUM: Sudanese authorities arrested about 30 women who tried to
hold
a protest in Khartoum Tuesday against the brutal police whipping of a
young woman shown in a video posted on YouTube and charged them with
disrupting public order.An AFP journalist said the arrests took place
in
central Khartoum near the Justice Ministry where the demonstrators
wanted to deliver a protest letter.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122544
Media watchdogs condemn Kuwait for closing Al-Jazeera
KUWAIT CITY: International media watchdogs condemned Tuesday the
Kuwaiti
government's closure of Al-Jazeera satellite television's office in the
emirate for covering police use of force at a public gathering.
"Reporters Without Borders (RSF) firmly condemns the government's
closure of the Kuwait City bureau of the Doha-based satellite TV
station
Al-Jazeera.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=122545
Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy: Limits of Being Helpful
It was Saudi Arabian intelligence which helped prevent the explosion of
bombs hidden in printer cartridges on aircraft in Britain and Dubai.
Riyadh has recently been politically active in a number of conflicts in
the wider Middle East, but will decline suggestions it should become a
pivotal power in the region.
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/twt/archive/view/-/id/2095/ |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
|
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