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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing
Harassment
and crop destruction in Hebron
The Israeli army conducted a
night raid the on the mosque Othman Ibn Afan in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, 14
June 2010. At 9.30 pm local residents and mosque visitors witnessed
approximately 14 heavily armed soldiers waiting outside the mosque,
ultimately for the purpose of detaining several men. The men were taken
individually to the other side of the street and were stripped of their
belongings, photographed and identified. A group of international
activists arrived around 11 pm, and shortly thereafter the soldiers
packed up and left the mosque. According to local residents none of the
detained men were arrested or hurt. The Israeli soldiers outside the
mosque called the night venture “an intelligence operation”.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/06/12751/
Israel
approves
1, 600 new settlement units in east Jerusalem
The Israeli
interior ministry’s planning and building committee approved the
plan to build 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo settlement, east
of occupied Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Amnesty International: Israeli authorities must stop
demolitions of Palestinian homes
A new Amnesty International briefing reveals how Israeli forces are
destroying homes and other structures in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, claiming they have been built illegally.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/
israeli-authorities-must-stop-demolitions-palestinian-homes-2010-06-16
Jerusalem: Not as free for Palestinians as Israel
Claims
Despite the fact East Jerusalem remains, under international law, an
occupied city, many Israeli officials, including West Jerusalem's Jewish
Mayor Nir Barakat, profess that Jerusalem is a city open for all to live
in and move around freely within, including Arabs. Israel claims even
Palestinian residents of the city (who endure
systematic discrimination, home evictions, demolitions, land
confiscation and other forms of state and non-state duress and
oppression) are free to live where ever they please.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/15/jerusalem-not-free-palestinians-israel-claims
Israel's
easing
of West Bank closures uneven: UN (AFP)
AFP - Israel has
reduced the number of West Bank roadblocks by 20 percent in the last
year but the improved access is mostly concentrated in a central
corridor, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100616/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictwestbankun
Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
and
Divestment
Lebanese women to send aid ship to Gaza: organisers
(AFP)
AFP - An aid ship transporting medical supplies to Gaza is to leave
Lebanon in the coming days with dozens of women activists on board, one
of the organisers told AFP on Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100615/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictgazalebanonwomen
Wife
of former Lebanese general plans to send aid ship to Gaza
Samar
al
Hajj told the German Press Agency dpa that the cargo ship Mariam will
carry 30 Lebanese and 20 foreign women - a mix of Muslims and
Christians, including several European nationals - who plan to deliver
medical supplies, mostly for cancer patients, to the enclave.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1563490.php
Transatlantic
Jewish
coalition set to break the siege of Gaza, Susan Landau
Within
days
after the attack on the Mavi Marmara, European activists
announced a
Jewish Boat to sail in July from an undisclosed location in the
Mediterranean, attempting to break the siege imposed by Israel in 2006.
The boat is sponsored by a coalition of international Jewish
organizations dedicated to peace with justice in Israel/Palestine,
including the ''Jüdische Stimme'' (‘Jewish Voice’ for a Just Peace in
the Near East), along with European Jews for a Just Peace in the Near
East (EJJP) and Jews for Justice For Palestinians (UK). American Jews
for a Just Peace (AJJP) will serve as the U.S. Coordinator, creating a
transatlantic partnership. The small boat’s cargo will include school
books, medicines and medical equipment.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/transatlantic-jewish-coalition-set-to-break-the-siege-of-gaza.html
Second
Iranian
ship to set sail this weekend
Iranian Red Crescent says ship
carrying humanitarian aid, toys for Gaza Strip to set sail 'at
start of next week'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3906136,00.html
Israel
says
Gaza-bound ships from Iran, Lebanon are "hostile"
Wednesday
issued a stern warning to Iranian and Lebanese organizers who plan to
send three more aid ships to Gaza later this week. Attempts by the
Iranians and Lebanese to break Israel's blockade of Gaza would be seen
not just as a provocation and a breach of law, but as a 'hostile' act
because the ships and their cargo are from enemy states, said Israeli
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1563714.php
San
Francisco Labor Council Resolution regarding the attack on the Gaza Aid
Flotilla, calling for an independent international investigation, and
opening of the Gaza border - PASSED 6.14.10
Tension
in
S.F. over anti-Israel resolution
It attempts to localize the
attack that took place a half a world away by noting San Francisco's
"recognition and understanding of our population's unique relationship
to international struggles and the overall principle that human life,
whether here or abroad, has value and
dignity."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/15/BAIT1DVRTH.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
Citizen
Voices
from 26 Countries in Europe Express Outrage Over Israel's Actions
The
Israeli Defence Force responded to signs of peace
with acts of war. It attacked a flotilla of boats in international
waters that carried people and humanitarian goods. It destroyed precious
lives. Brutality has not stopped there. Ordinary Palestinians awaiting
much needed help have been victimized yet again. We, as individuals who
are not members of activist peace organizations but simply cherish the
ideals of peace and justice, are deeply disturbed by what the Israeli
government and its military have done and by the disinformation it and
its supporters have spread in trying to legitimize acts of crime.
http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/56-news/1229-
citizen-voices-from-26-countries-in-europe-express-outrage-over-israels-actions
Al-Awda-New York, "Don't Let Enemies of Freedom
Suppress the Truth about Israel's Attack on a Humanitarian Aid Ship!"
On
Thursday,
June 17, two eyewitnesses to this horror, U.S. filmmaker Iara
Lee and British political organizer Kevin Ovenden, and Ahmet Unsal, a
former Member of Turkey's Parliament, have been invited to tell their
views and stories at a public forum at Brooklyn's historic House of the
Lord Church. The meeting is cosponsored by dozens of organizations. They
come with nothing but words. But words of truth strike fear into the
hearts of certain hate-filled New York politicians who have voted time
and again to turn U.S. taxpayers' dollars into missiles and bombs for
Israel's war machine. On June 14, City Council speaker Christine Quinn,
Reps. Jerry Nadler, Anthony Weiner, Carolyn Mahoney, Charles Rangel, and
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer gathered in Times Square at
the behest of the so-called "Jewish Community Relations Council." They
shamelessly demanded that the State Department investigate the invited
speakers for "ties to terrorism." They want to prevent or delay their
entry the United States.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/awda150610.html
The Murder of Ziad al-Jilani
Israeli Media Report That
Officers Shot Palestinian Lying On Ground
The official
Israeli version of an incident last Friday, in which a Palestinian
motorist from East Jerusalem was killed by Israeli border officers after
a motor vehicle accident, has been challenged by a new report released
today by the Israeli paper Haaretz.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58940
Israel’s investigation of Ziad Julani’s death means
raiding his house
Israeli security services Monday summoned for questioning the widow and
three young daughters of the Palestinian man killed last Friday by
Israeli Border Police at a “flying checkpoint” they had set up in Wadi
Joz. Frightened and distraught, the bereaved family instead went to the
American Consulate in East Jerusalem, where they were told they must
cooperate with the investigation — but advised to do it with legal
assistance. The widow and her daughters are all American citizens.
(Ziad al-Julani, who was killed, may have had a U.S. “green card”, but
was not a U.S. citizen.) Today, Israeli investigators were in the
family home, searching the house for evidence… but of what? UPDATE:
Moira Julani, Ziad’s wife, reported Tuesday evening that the
investigators did not do one of those rough searchs of the entire family
house, but instead only took away a laptop that she told them belonged
to both her and her late husband.
http://un-truth.com/israel/israels-investigation-of-ziad-julanis-death-means-raiding-his-house
Three American girls are left fatherless by
Jerusalem killing
These are the three American daughters of Ziad al-Jilani, who was killed
Friday night in Jerusalem after praying, when he came too close to a
"flying checkpoint" maintained by the Israelis, who shot him. The
al-Jilani family has said that he lost control of his car amid
rock-throwing; they have called for a full investigation of his
killing.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/three-american-girls-are-left-fatherless-by-jerusalem-killing.html
Other Violence and Aggression
Medics:
Teenager shot near Gaza crossing
Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli
forces shot a teenage boy in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon.
Wa’el Al-Kafarna, 16, was moderately injured by a gunshot wound to the
right leg, medics told Ma'an. Al-Kafarna was walking near the Erez
crossing when a soldier opened fire, medics at Kamal Udwan Hospital
said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=29245
Violent confrontations between IOF soldiers and
Jerusalemites
Violent confrontations erupted in Shufat refugee camp in occupied
Jerusalem on Tuesday between invading Israeli occupation forces (IOF)
and inhabitants of the camp.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
War Criminals
'Mother
shouted,
then they shot her too'
On January 4, 2009 Hajaj family
flees Gaza home due to shelling. Hours later, family forced to flee to
new hideout. Youssef, whose mother, sister were killed in incident that
may lead to indictment against IDF soldier, says, 'We were
waving white sheets'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3905961,00.html
Israel
and
the U.S. ruling on war crimes
A recent ruling effectively
revokes immunity for foreign officials living in the United States for
crimes committed in their home countries. It could put Israelis in the
dock.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-and-the-u-s-ruling-on-war-crimes-1.296563
Detainees
IOF
detains
2 in Hebron, hands interrogation warrant to a child
Hebron,
June 16, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli occupation forces arrested early today
two young men from the town of “Beit Amer”, north of Hebron, and a 7
year old boy was given a warrant to be present at the Israeli
intelligence center for interrogation. Ayad Awad, spokesperson of the
Palestinian Solidarity Draft in the town, said that the Israeli
occupation forces raided the town at dawn today, amid firing sound bombs
and tear gas storming several houses, and arrested Alaa Mahmoud Salibi
(20 years), Mohamed Samir Mohannad Abu Maria (22 years).
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/6413-
iof-detains-2-in-hebron-hands-interrogation-warrant-to-a-child
Palestinian family in Hebron appeals for their son's protection
Hebron,
June
16, (Pal Telegraph) A Palestinian family is expressing it’s fears for
the safety and well being of their son Dawood Rajabi (19 years)
believing that the Israeli soldiers will kill him, after they took him
into custody and transported him to an unknown destination and assaulted
him severely.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/6414-
palestinian-family-in-hebron-appeals-for-their-sons-protection
Inside Gaza's Ansar prison for women
Gaza
– Ma'an – "Ethical issues, thefts, crimes, and checks without balance"
are some of the charges against the women in the Ansar Central Woman's
Prison, officials explained ahead of an unprecedented press visit to the
facility.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=291164
Siege/Human
Rights/Humanitarian Issues/Restriction of Movement
Palestinian
political
factions condemn Abbas' statement
DAMASCUS, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian political factions based in
Syria condemned on Tuesday the statement issued by Mahmoud Abbas, the
Palestinian President, over the siege of Gaza, the Syrian news web
Champress reported on Wednesday. The Palestinian parties said in a
comment issued on Tuesday, Abbas' statements point to "Ramallah
authority" collusion and coordination with Israeli government to
dissolve the international isolation on Tel-Aviv.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-06/16/c_13353349.htm
In a side room at the airport
It is hard to convince the Jewish public in Israel that what happens at
Ben-Gurion International Airport is a systematic injustice, if not
worse. The ethnocentric panic undermines the principle of civil
equality.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/in-a-side-room-at-the-airport-1.296459
UN to distribute flotilla aid to Gaza
The United Nations says it will distribute 10,000 tonnes of aid bound
for Gaza that was seized by Israel in a bloody raid on the Freedom
Flotilla that tried to break its siege on the Palestinian territory last
month. Israel has agreed to release all of the seized goods - including
construction and building materials -- and the UN is to supervise its
delivery and distribution in Gaza, although a delivery date has not been
set. Al Jazeera's Cath Turner reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A882GtohRcc&feature=youtube_gdata
Israel
delays
Gaza embargo decision
Security cabinet adjourns meeting on
allowing construction materials and other goods into Gaza.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/06/2010616133259580447.html
As Rafah remains open, 1,759 Palestinians turned away
Gaza
–
Ma'an – The Gaza crossings authority called on Egyptian authorities to
allow the unhindered passage of Palestinians on Tuesday, as the Rafah
crossing remained open for two weeks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292294
OCHA’s Special Focus on Occupied Palestine, Stephen
Lendman
On June 9, McClatchy and other publications revealed some of what’s
rarely, if ever, acknowledged in the press — that Israel’s blockade of
Gaza is “economic warfare,” not for security as most commonly reported,
based on an Israeli document the Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of
Movement’s lawsuit obtained.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/06/ochas-special-focus-on-occupied-palestine/
Industrial
Fuel
– Needs Vs. Supply – May 16 – June 12
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/06/industrial-fuel-needs-vs-supply-may-16-june-12/
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – May 16 – June 12
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/06/goods-needs-vs-supply-may-16-june-12/
Who
Turned
Out the Lights in Gaza?
For the past several months, Gaza
Gateway has reported on the declining amounts of industrial diesel,
necessary for electricity generation, entering Gaza. These amounts fall
far below the needs of Gaza residents and are even lower than the “minimal
amount” set by Israel before the High Court, as part of its policy
of supply restrictions to Gaza. Last week, for example, the power
station received just 1,200,000 liters of diesel – 35% of what is
needed for operation at its current maximum capacity. The result is
power outages of 8-12 hours per day, interfering with the operations of
humanitarian infrastructure and ordinary life. In today’s post, we call
attention to a new
position
paper by Gisha explaining the reasons for the decline and calling
for accountability among the relevant parties, especially Israel, the
Palestinian Authority, and the Hamas regime.
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/06/who-turned-out-the-lights-in-gaza/
UN
ordered to compensate Gaza companies
London – Ma’an – A
private international arbitration commission in London has ruled that
the UN should compensate three Gaza construction companies who could not
complete UN projects because of the siege. Muhammad Abu Sa’da, a
solicitor representing the Al-Hajjar Brothers, Thiqar, and Al-Ghad
Al-Jadid companies, told journalists Thursday that the arbitration
commission decided they were entitled to financial compensation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292439
Summer
camps
in Gaza (11 pictures)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2010/jun/16/gaza-middleeast?picture=363768025
New Irish short film on life in Gaza
Gaza: Post Operation Cast Lead: This short documentary by Dearbhla Glynn
brings us to the Gaza Strip following Operation Cast Lead in late 2008/
early 2009. It offers a personal insight into the day-to-day living
conditions faced by the Gaza Strip’s 1.5 million conflict-stricken
inhabitants. 2010 ICCL Human Rights Film Awards Shortlistee.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/06/15/new-irish-short-film-on-life-in-gaza/
Israel
lets
in housing appliances into Gaza
Gaza, June 16, (Pal
Telegraph) Chairman of the goods entry into the Gaza Strip Committee,
Raed Fattouh, said today that the Israeli occupation authorities will
allow the entry of housing appliances to the Palestinian merchants in
Gaza after they have filed complaints against Israel in Israeli courts
about it, saying that they pay big amount of money for these appliances
and then Israel prevent it from entering.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/6412-israel-lets-in-household-equipments-into-gaza
Gaza
still waiting for relief
Israel has yet to implement its
promised limited easing of its blockade of Gaza. Even when this happens -
and goods like mayonnaise and potato chips are allowed in - it is
unlikely to address the underlying humanitarian issues in the
beleaguered territory. - Mel Frykberg (Jun 16, '10)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LF17Ak04.html
Flotilla
Fallout/Developments and Analysis
Amnesty International: Israel Gaza commission
criticized over transparency and accountability
Amnesty International questions the credibility of a proposed
investigation into military action against an aid flotilla off the Gaza
coast in which nine activists were killed.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/
israel-gaza-commission-criticized-over-transparency-and-accountability-2010-06-15
Will Obama support a UN investigation of Israel's
turning back the Gaza flotilla? Now's the time to raise our voices
against this travesty!
A short bombshell article appeared in The Weekly Standard late
last week---we've reprinted it below---reporting that President Obama's
diplomats are assuring other nations of the U.S.'s
intention to support a U.N. investigation of Israel's actions
against the ship attempting to run its blockade of Hamas-held Gaza.
http://www.factsandlogic.org/hotline_archive/flame_hotline_061510.html
Blockade of ‘Mavi Marmara’ continues, stateside,
Philip Weiss
We all say
that things are moving in a good direction. Well, in power politics,
here's a disastrous story: The Daily
News reports on three New York politicians joining a campaign to
investigate Gaza flotilla activists who are coming here to speak. And
not just any New York pols, but Christine Quinn, who we thought was good
on the issue, and Congress people Charlie Rangel and Carolyn Maloney,
who ought to know better. Grim news. A real bow to extremists, and
reminiscent of the 1950s. Imagine them trying this with the civil rights
movement...
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/e-tu-christine-3-ny-pols-calls-for-investigations-of-flotilla-activists.html
McQuaig: Partner in flotilla ‘farce’
There
hasn’t
been a murmur of protest from Canada over the Israeli seizure of
a Turkish ship in international waters late last month, and the shocking
killing of nine peace activists on board.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/823487--mcquaig-partner-in-flotilla-farce
Report: Turkey mulls suspending Israel ties over
Gaza flotilla
Ankara is looking to punish Israel for its raid last month on the
Gaza-bound ship that left nine Turkish activists dead, according to a
report in Turkish paper Haber Turk.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
report-turkey-mulls-suspending-israel-ties-over-gaza-flotilla-1.296407
Israeli Attack May Violate International, Maritime
Laws
When two widely divergent investigative panels launch
their probes on the recent Israeli attack on a flotilla of ships
carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, one of the disputed issues under
scrutiny would be the legality of forcibly boarding a vessel in
international waters. The two commissions of inquiry, one appointed by
Israel and the other to be named by the UN Human Rights Council in
Geneva, will seek answers to a number of unresolved questions triggered
by the attack which killed nine Turkish nationals and sparked worldwide
outrage and condemnation.
http://original.antiwar.com/deen/2010/06/15/israeli-attack-may-violate-international-maritime-laws/
Riz Khan - Israel silencing internal critics
What really happened aboard the Mavi Marmara aid ship when Israeli
commandos raided it and killed nine activists?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuSFIN9_Rww&feature=youtube_gdata
Off
the
hook: Israel's own Widgery inquiry into Bloody Monday | Chris Doyle
Israel
cannot
be trusted to investigate its military over the Gaza flotilla raid.
Only an international, independent inquiry will do. The man who ordered
the attack on the aid flotilla to Gaza, set up the inquiry, chose its
members and determined its mandate, has announced its outcome even
before it has started. Binyamin Netanyahu's beaming smile showed an
Israeli prime minister confident that he had faced down international
protestations over the Israeli attack on the Gaza aid flotilla, buying
off the pressure with an inquiry that even the Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz, described as
a farce.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/16/israel-gaza-flotilla-inquiry
Israeli investigation on flotilla will be biased (and
Netanyahu leaked the results already), Alex Kane
Israel has announced
the creation of a committee of inquiry to look into the Israeli
naval raid on a flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza that ended
in the deaths of nine people. But the make-up of the committee makes
clear that this investigation will not be "impartial, credible and
transparent," as the UN
Security Council called for in the aftermath of the flotilla raid.
Although the United States has applauded the Israeli announcement, the
UN is reportedly skeptical and is keeping the option of an
international probe "on the table."
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/
israeli-investigation-on-flotilla-will-be-biased-and-netanyahu-leaked-the-results-already.html
After Israel's Gaza flotilla raid, is Turkey
rejecting Europe?
Israel's Gaza flotilla raid prompted a response in Turkey that rattled
some Europeans. Turkey has been rebuffed in its efforts to join the
European Union for years, and is now forging a more independent
international course.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/NYOAOpWM-Ek/After-Israel-s-Gaza-flotilla-raid-is-Turkey-rejecting-Europe
Don’t
forget the two-day detention of the flotilla members, Philip Weiss
Right after the flotilla incident, I passed along a friend's wise point
that people who undertake acts of Palestinian solidarity will have
Palestinian experiences. People who try to break blockades will be shot
at. Journalists who stand up for Palestinian freedom will get
marginalized. Well here is a video about events on the Mavi Marmara
told by Farooq Burney of
Fakhoora.org, (an international campaign that aims to secure the
freedom to learn for Palestinian students in Gaza and the West Bank).
Burney was one of three Canadians aboard the boat; he was carrying 65
computers to students in Gaza.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/dont-forget-the-two-day-detention-of-the-flotilla-members.html
Political Developments
PPP Holds A
Protest In Nablus Against Prosecution Of Party Members In Gaza
The
leftist Palestinian People Party (PPP) held a protest in Nablus on
Tuesday against political prosecution practiced by Hamas’ security
forces in the Gaza Strip against members and leaders of the PPP.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58934
PPP supporters threaten West Bank Hamas leaders
Nablus – Ma’an – In an unprecedented move, the Palestinian People’s
Party threatened Tuesday to target Hamas leaders in the West Bank if the
government in Gaza harms senior PPP leader Walid Al-Awad.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292201
Sha'ath: Hamas not asked to recognize Israel
Bethlehem -
Ma'an - Fatah did not place conditions on Hamas to recognize Israel as
part of a unity deal tipped to end rivalry between the two movements,
Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath said Wednesday. "We did
not place conditions on Hamas to recognize Israel, nor accept the
conditions of the [Middle East] Quartet," Sha'ath told the Jordanian
daily newspaper Ad-Dustur.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292484
Other News
Arab MK to EU: Israeli leaders must be tried at The
Hague
MK Afu Aghbaria, speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament, also
said 700 Gazans have died at border crossings due to Israel's actions.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/arab-mk-to-eu-
israeli-leaders-must-be-tried-at-the-hague-1.296404
PA alarmed over Hamas's legitimacy
As
Hamas
prepares to mark the third anniversary of its violent takeover of the
Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank voiced deep
concern over what they described as attempts to “legitimize” the
Islamist movement’s “coup.” A PA official in Ramallah said on Tuesday
that the flotilla incident two weeks ago had played into the hands of
Hamas.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=178562
Court to Emmanuel parents: Obey ruling or go to jail
High Court justices decide to put end to bureaucracy holding up
implementation of ruling against discrimination between Ashkenazi and
Sephardic pupils, say parent who fails to abide decision will be jailed
for two weeks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3905731,00.html
Poll: 65% of Jewish Israelis say U.S. Jews should
criticize Obama's Mideast policy
B’nai B’rith survey also found 54% of Jewish Israelis believe Jewish
advocacy groups who work with foreign governments should always support
Israeli policy.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/news/poll-
65-of-jewish-israelis-say-u-s-jews-should-criticize-obama-s-mideast-policy-1.296386
Analysis/Opinion
Gaza Flotilla: Global Citizens Must Respond Where
Governments Have Failed, Stéphane Hessel, diplomat, former ambassador,
Holocaust survivor and participant in the drafting of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
Israel's
illegal and immoral attack on the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian
aid convoy, which left at least nine dead and dozens injured, has
rightfully stunned the world. The all-civilian convoy of 6 ships carried
over 10,000 tons of critically-needed humanitarian aid and nearly 700
citizens from 40 countries. The Flotilla was an ambitious attempt to
break the siege imposed by Israel on the 1.5 million Palestinians of the
occupied Gaza strip, since 2007. Carrying distinguished
parliamentarians, religious leaders, authors, journalists, a Nobel Peace
Laureate, and a Holocaust survivor, the relief convoy aimed not only to
provide relief supplies to Gaza; it sought to direct the international
spotlight towards the humanitarian crisis imposed on Gaza's residents
and the imperative to end it. There is no denying that the latter
objective has succeeded, albeit with tragic consequences.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephane-frederic-hessel/gaza-flotilla-global-citi_b_612865.html
Independent journalists dismantling Israel's hold
on media narrative
Within hours of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla being intercepted and
besieged in international waters by Israeli commandos, news of the
bloody attack had spread across the globe. Rage, condemnation and calls
for an international investigation followed. Meanwhile, Israel's
campaign to spin the attack, distort the facts and quell an outraged
public was already in full swing. Abraham Greenhouse and Nora
Barrows-Friedman analyze for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11340.shtml
Israeli Raid Coverage, LINN WASHINGTON, Jr.
An
American
art student loses an eye when struck in the face by a tear gas
canister fired by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) personnel breaking up a
demonstration in the occupied West Bank which itself is a protest
against the deadly commando raid on the Free Gaza flotilla. No, you
didn’t miss U.S. news media coverage of this IDF attack on 21-year-old
Emily Henchowicz, a student at Cooper Union in New York City who was
standing with a group of foreigners during that demonstration near a
checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem.
http://www.counterpunch.com/washington06152010.html
The One State Solution Sounds Like a Good Idea, but …
Due to recent events, things are coming to a head in the Middle East. As
Israel becomes more belligerent and aggressive, more committed than ever
to using overwhelming force as its only answer to a rapidly
deteriorating situation, feeling itself even further victimized and
becoming ever more paranoid, two issues come to the fore: the question
of legitimacy and the question of long-term viability. More and more
people, even within Israel itself, are becoming aware that what we are
looking at is a severe societal case of paranoid schizophrenia, a split
personality featuring the Jewish Übermensch and the poor innocent
yiddische victim, in light of which the search for a solution becomes
even more pressing.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/06/the-one-state-solution-sounds-like-a-good-idea-but/
Israeli
Discrimination:
Beyond Borders, Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
As
much as I try to avoid it, the situation inevitably arises from time to
time. If I tell people that traveling with my children is a nightmare,
most mothers in particular would probably nod their heads
understandingly, thinking I am referring to keeping two wayward children
under control on an international flight. While that has also been an
issue with me like most other mothers, this is not the "nightmare" to
which I am referring.
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=22243&CategoryId=13
One possible framework for a single state in
Israel/Palestine, Ben Zakkai
The Occupation has so far dragged on for 43 years, but I don't think it
can possibly last another 43 years, or even another decade. The world
(like Mondoweiss) is increasingly focused on the injustice of Israel's
domination of the Palestinians. Living in Israel, it feels like the
country is entering a crisis/breakdown phase and will soon have to
reconstruct itself.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/one-possible-framework-for-a-single-state-in-israelpalestine.html
Israel and Gaza: Ignorance is bliss
About
10 days ago, we ran a shocking Viewpoints column about Gaza by Lillian
Pinkus. What was most amazing was her assertion that everything is just
hunky-dory in Gaza. People are getting fat and happy there, drunk on
Coke and candy bars, apparently. The second paragraph of her column was
an authoritative-sounding description of life in Gaza
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/06/israel-and-gaza.html
Crimes by Israel, Sanctions for Iran
The Iranian nation is not unfamiliar with the double standards of the
superpowers anymore. The history of Iran’s relations with the western
and eastern superpowers is filled with deceitfulness, dishonesty and
fraudulence. The recent U.S.-proposed, Russia-backed United Nations
Security Council resolution against Iran over its nuclear program is
simply one example, out of hundreds of instances, which demonstrates
that the big powers have not ever been honest and sincere with Iran.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/06/crimes-by-israel-sanctions-for-iran/
UC Irvine’s Suspension of the Muslim Union
In response to the disruptions made by a select few Muslim students,
belonging to the UC Irvine Muslim Union, back in February at U.C Irvine
during a speech given by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren. The incident
caused much outrage - from all ends of the spectrum.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2010/06/uc-irvine%E2%80%99s-suspension-of-the-muslim-union.html
Cashiering Helen Thomas, Ralph Nader
The
termination of Helen Thomas’ 62-year long career as a pioneering,
no-nonsense newswoman was swift and intriguingly merciless. The event
leading to her termination began when she was sitting on a White House
bench under oppressive summer heat. The 89-year-old hero of honest
journalism and women’s rights, the scourge of dissembling presidents and
White House press secretaries, answered a passing visitor’s question
about Israel with a snappish comment worded in a way she didn’t mean;
she promptly apologized in writing. Recorded without permission on a
hand video, the brief exchange, that included a defense of dispossessed
Palestinians, went internet viral on Friday, June 4.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/06/15/cashiering-helen-thomas/
Elia Suleiman: stories my father told me
Elia Suleiman makes tender, funny films about Palestinian life. Why has
his latest caused outrage? Steve Rose finds out . We're in a street in
occupied Ramallah. A young Palestinian man is taking out his rubbish. An
Israeli tank is parked nearby, its gun barrel pointed right at the man's
head. As he walks to the bin and back, the tank turret tracks him in
whirs and clanks, the barrel dipping when he steps off the pavement. The
man is about to go inside when his phone rings. He starts talking to
a friend about a party, pacing back and forth, ignoring the tank, which
is still noisily following his every move. When he goes back inside, the
gun swivels to point directly at the camera.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jun/15/elia-suleiman-interview
Cherien Dabis' journey to "Amreeka"
Why migrate? What do you leave when you do? What's waiting for you? How
do you bring the social construct of "home" with you? Or replace it? And
in a collection of such heavy questions, where is there room for
marijuana jokes? Director Cherien Dabis' award-winning feature-length
debut Amreeka investigates all of these and much more in an hour and a
half of marvelous cinema. Jimmy Johnson writes for The Electronic
Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11339.shtml
M.I.A.’s Radical Politics Unacceptable to the New
York Times
Lynn Hirschberg’s
article “M.I.A.’s Agitprop Pop” in the New York Times
has created a firestorm
of controversy after its author’s journalistic integrity was called into
question by a furious M.I.A. Hirschberg’s article does indeed bend and
distort reality to paint M.I.A. (Maya Arulpragasam) as a one-dimensional
caricature; a naïve, unintelligent, hypocritical manipulator using
radical politics for personal gain. In reality, it is Hirschberg that
has manipulated quotes from her interview with M.I.A. to
create this false portrait, as well as ridiculing opposition to the Sri
Lankan government’s recent massacre of Tamils. Hirschberg attempts to
achieve this by attacking M.I.A.’s personal integrity, oscillating
between calling M.I.A.’s political positions naïve or deliberately
manipulative.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/06/m-i-a-%e2%80%99s-radical-politics-unacceptable-to-the-new-york-times/
Lebanon
Palestinians gearing up for protest to demand rights
SIDON:
Palestinian
refugees, Lebanese activists and civil society organizations are
gearing up for a demonstration on June 27 to demand civil rights for
Palestinians in Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=116023
Lebanon, Syria to start demarcating borders
BEIRUT: Syria and Lebanon say they will begin demarcating their maritime
and land borders as soon as possible in order to guarantee both
countries' interests, the Syrian National News Agency (SANA) reported
after talks between the Syrian and Lebanese heads of state.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=116031
Israeli hot air balloons spotted over Lebanese
waters
BEIRUT: Six Israeli hot air balloons were spotted over Lebanese regional
waters on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Army. The army announced
that the six Israeli hot air balloons were launched between 8.45 pm and
8.55 pm over Lebanese regional waters facing Naqoura in south Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=116028
Stop the slavery in Lebanon
The US State Department issued on Monday its annual Trafficking in
Persons report, and the horrifying litany of abuses catalogued from
Lebanon and throughout this region should be more than enough to push
our legislators to finally enact a law against trafficking.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=116000
Iraq
Tuesday: 1 US Soldier, 12 Iraqis Killed; 22 Iraqis
Wounded
At least 15 Iraqis were killed and 22 more were wounded. Also, a U.S.
soldier died of non-combat wounds. Meanwhile, the Kurdish Autonomous
Region’s prime minister, Barham Saleh, said that the Kurds would not
support the new government without guarantees being made.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/06/15/tuesday-1-us-soldier-12-iraqis-killed-22-iraqis-wounded/
Iraqi conjoined twins to undergo surgery in Saudi (AP)
AP
-
Iraqi conjoined twins were to be flown in coming days to Saudi Arabia
to undergo separation surgery after the Saudi king offered to pay for
the operation, officials said Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100615/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_conjoined_twins
Inside Iraq - Is Iraq an economic battleground?
Before
launching
his war to topple Saddam Hussein's regime George Bush, the former US
president, promised a strong independent Iraq. Instead the country has
become a bloody battleground for regional and international forces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OMPoRprZcw&feature=youtube_gdata
Call
to
ban Iraq female mutilation
Human Rights Watch calls on
authorities in Kurdish areas of Iraq to ban the practice of female
circumcision.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/world/middle_east/10327619.stm
Baghdad
diary
Saddam's favourite sculptor attempts a comeback.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/world/middle_east/10321225.stm
U.S. and other
World News
U.S. Citizen, Placed on No-Fly List, Is Stranded in
Cairo
Six weeks ago, a Muslim American man who spent 18
months in Yemen before heading home to Virginia in early May, was
stopped by agents while he was changing planes in Cairo.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=0fdbbe2fe17cbaba9313ae4f1cfbdfbe
Is
Blackwater's
Erik Prince Moving to the United Arab Emirates?, Jeremy Scahill
With Blackwater's top deputies indicted on federal charges and the
company up for sale, rumors are swirling that Prince is preparing to
bolt to a country with no extradition treaty with the US.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/06/15-4
Israel 'blocks' Jordan atomic bid
King Abdullah accuses Israel of trying to block Jordan from developing a
peaceful nuclear programme, claims Israel denies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/world/middle_east/10321361.stm
Paris police ban pork street party in Muslim area
Police say 'Sausage and Booze' party could be viewed as provocation in
heavily Muslim neighborhood in French capital.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3905844,00.html
World
Cup
viewers killed in Somalia
Somali rebels execute two people
for breaking a ban on watching World Cup football matches.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/06/2010616113342742696.html
Bloody Sunday victims all innocent
Inquiry
into killing of 13 men by UK troops in N Ireland in 1972 finds all were
innocent.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/06/2010615144034428377.html
Turkey and the Neocons, Stephen M. Walt
It couldn't be more predictable. Back when Israel and Turkey were
strategic allies with extensive military-to-military ties, prominent
neoconservatives were vocal defenders of the Turkish government and
groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and AIPAC encouraged
Congress not to pass resolutions
that would have labeled what happened to the Armenians at the hands of
the Turks during World War I a "genocide." (The "Armenian lobby" is no slouch, but it's no match for
AIPAC and its allies in the Israel lobby). The fact that the ADL was in
effect protecting another country against the charge of genocide is
more than a little ironic, but who ever said that political
organizations had to be ethically consistent? Once relations between
Israel and Turkey began to fray, however -- fueled primarily by Turkish
anger over Israel's treatment of the Palestinians -- the ADL and AIPAC withdrew
their protection and Congressional defenders of Israel began
switching sides, too.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/15/turkey_and_the_neocons
Neo-cons
lead
charge against Turkey, Jim Lobe
As the right-wing
leadership of the organised US Jewish community defends Israel against
international condemnation for its deadly seizure
of a flotilla bearing humanitarian supplies for Gaza, a familiar clutch
of neo-conservative hawks is going on the offensive against what they
see as the flotilla's chief defender, Turkey.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/06/20106168451670414.html
Riz
Khan
- The 'Youtube Wars'
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have
spilled into another frontier - the Internet. Raw footage both from
American soldiers as well as fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan are
flooding cyberspace leading many to call the conflicts the world's first
'YouTube Wars'. So what impact will this new propaganda battle have on
global public opinion and perception of both wars?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1clkppLHglA&feature=youtube_gdata |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
|
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