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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Settlers / Land, property and resource theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing
Israel begins expanding settlements in Jenin
Israel began large-scale digging works on Saturday in preparation for the
expansion of an illegal settlement in the northern West Bank district of Jenin. Residents of the Ya'bad
village, on which the Shaqed settlement is built, said bulldozers
entered on Saturday and began razing village land to make way for
several new housing units.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324513
Israeli settlers begin new settlement expansion outside Jenin
...The
Jenin-area settlements are particularly controversial due to their
proximity to Palestinian cities and towns deep inside the West Bank,
areas which were supposed to be under complete Palestinian control since
the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993 ... Local witnesses report that
construction has also begun in nearby settlements including Shaqed,
Rehan, Hinnanit, Mevo Dotan. and Hermesh.
http://imemc.org/article/59651
Settler press conference and clash in Sheikh Jarrah
Thursday illegal settlers of the Umm Haroun Compound of Sheikh Jarrah,
Jerusalem gave a press conference about their plans for the upcoming
year. The Settlers’ Organization stated that they plan to build two new
blocks of settlements and a holy tourist park of biblical archeology on
the Palestinian owned land of East Jerusalem. The organization’s website
has a one-year-plan on how to remove the Palestinian people from Umm
Haroun.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/10/15005/
Settlers caught on camera torching cars
Three Israeli settlers were caught on security cameras setting fire to two Palestinian cars in the village of Qusra
in the northern Nablus district overnight Saturday ... The footage
captured by Hamdan's home security surveillance also show settlers
writing "death to you" on his doorstep after the settlers drove
up to his home in a Peugeot, fleeing the scene after the arson.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324602
Settlers torch olive groves in northern West Bank
Firefighters were called to a Qalqiliya village on Friday after settlers
torched Palestinian olive groves, a civil defense spokesman said.
Mohammad Amer said residents of the illegal Gevat Gilad outpost
prevented fire engines from reaching Far'ata village. He added that tens of thousands of shekels of damage was caused in part due to the delay.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324432
Awarta man suffers broken legs after settler pig attack
Farmer Ismael Awad, 57, is recovering in Raffidya hospital, south of
Nablus, after a wild boar attacked him in his olive fields yesterday,
breaking both of his legs. The animals are believed to have been
released from the nearby Itamar settlement. Such attacks are becoming
increasingly common.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1569
The burning report / Adam Keller
The
testimony of A., a Palestinian farmer from the village of Far'ata
telling of what happened to his olive grove yesterday morning, was
written down by peace activist David Nir, who spends much of his time
monitoring the situation in the Nablus Area. On the morning of Friday,
October 15, A. And his family were harvesting olives on a plot near the
built-up area of Far'ata. At 10.30 he was alerted to smoke rising from his other olive grove, which is near the "Gile'ad's Farm" settler outpost.
http://adam-keller2.blogspot.com/2010/10/burning-report.html
Amnesty: Settlements threaten human rights
Illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank threaten
Palestinian human rights, Amnesty International's regional deputy
director Philip Luther said Friday ... AI said Israel's "land grab and
dissection" of occupied Palestinian territories had a "devastating
impact" on the lives of Palestinians, noting that 40 percent of the West
Bank had been classified by Israel as
"state" land, which was often used for settlements. In East Jerusalem,
35 percent of the occupied land was confiscated for settlements, while
more than 250,000 Palestinians are designated only 13 percent of the
occupied area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324458
PA condemns Jerusalem plan
The Palestinian Authority on Friday condemned Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's approval of tenders for over 200 settlement homes
in occupied East Jerusalem. President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman told the
official PA news agency WAFA that the approval undermines the peace
process's credibility. Nabil Abu Rdeina called upon the international
community to pressure Israel to halt settlement activities, warning that
failure of the peace process would inflame an indefinite cycle of
violence in the Middle East.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324417
Israel settlement building surges as US pushes for a new freeze
Israeli
settlement monitors estimate that construction has begun on 500 new
units -- nearly one-quarter of the number for all of 2008 -- as settlers
try to make up for lost time ... The freeze is also having an unintended
consequence: building in the West Bank is slowly shifting from large
settlements near Israel's border
to smaller far-flung settlements that Israel is expected to evacuate if
a peace deal is reached. n the rush to build both before and after the
10-month moratorium, settler construction has surged on medium- and
small-sized projects overseen by ideologically driven builders. Those
require less bureaucracy than large-scale building.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/1015/
Israeli-settlement-building-surges-as-US-pushes-for-a-new-freeze
Israel orders removal of East Jerusalem protest tent (AFP)
Jerusalem city council is threatening to expel a Palestinian and raze his home if he does not remove a protest
tent from a strife-torn district on the city’s eastern side, locals said on Friday. Residents
in Silwan told AFP that city officials had delivered a
“demolition order” late on Thursday, ordering the removal of a tent set
up to protest against municipal plans to level 22 homes to make way for a
new tourism park.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/
October/middleeast_October217.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
Druze: Natural pool drying up due to Mekorot pumping
Golan residents call on government to limit pumping of water for irrigation from 'Ram Pool; say 20 tons of fish died -- Thousands
of Druze from the northern Golan Heights marched to Berekhat Ram (Ram
Pool) on Friday in protest against the increased water pumping at the
crater lake, which is located near the villages Majdal Shams and
Mas'ade.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3969926,00.html
'60 Minutes' set to look into colonized E. Jerusalem / Philip Weiss
[Tomorrow, Sunday], [CBS TV's] "60 Minutes" will go to Silwan, the neighborhood just
outside
the walls of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem that Jews are
colonizing. The trailer suggests that she will put some emphasis on the
biblical stories that rightwingers tell themselves to justify the
landgrab ... I am told that Stahl turned to Ir Amim
for her reporting, the group that wants to share Jerusalem, and that
offers some hope that she will expose the occupation in all its gory.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/60-minutes-set-to-look-into-colonized-e-jerusalem.html
Activism / Solidarity
Detained protest leader's daughters join Bil'in rally
The daughters of imprisoned protest leader Abdallah Abu Rahmah joined the weekly anti-wall rally in Bil'in
on Friday to demand the release of their father. Abu Rahmah's daughters
Luma, 7, and Laian, 5, marched to the separation wall carrying
photographs of their father. An Israeli military court on Monday sentenced
Abu Rahmah to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay a 5,000 shekel
fine for organizing and participating in anti-wall protests.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324481
Weekly demonstration report
FRIDAY October 15, 2010 -- Yesterday the village of An Nabi Saleh
was transformed into a war zone, with Palestinian villagers and about
fifteen International Peace activists trapped within the village behind a
checkpoint for five-and-a-half hours. Soldiers shot at these
non-violent activists with
live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas cannons, and
sound bombs. One Palestinian man was shot twice in the leg, and several
children needed medical treatment from exposure to teargas inside their
homes ...[Also: report on Al-Ma`asara]
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/10/15022/
Undercover special forces attack the unarmed demonstration in Nabi Saleh
(with video) Undercover soldiers from the Army’s special forces unit, Duvdevan, attacked the demonstration [today] in Nabi Saleh as it was coming to an end. Four were arrested and four were injured.
http://josephdana.com/2010/10/
undercover-special-forces-attack-the-unarmed-demonstration-in-nabi-saleh-with-video/
Activist: Forces ban students, farmers from olive harvest
A
human rights activist said Israeli forces banned farmers and students
from access to a field for the olive harvest on Saturday in the illegal
Hebron settlement of Tel Rumeida. Issa Amr said dozens of students
joined farmers to assist in the olive harvest but were stopped by
Israeli forces who denied them access to the field "at gun point." The
troops then declared the area a closed military zone, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324595
International aid convoy to Gaza due to sail this Sunday
LONDON -- October 15 -- A ship loaded with vehicles and aid for Gaza is
due to leave Syria for Egypt this Sunday, carrying members of Palestine
Solidarity Campaign UK. The ship will pass the exact place in
international waters where Israel boarded the Mavi Marmara in May and
killed nine Turkish humanitarians on board as they attempted to sail to
Gaza to deliver aid. Those on board the ship, including 40 survivors of
the Mavi Marmara attack, will throw a wreath into the sea to commemorate
those killed by Israeli troops.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/10/15016/
Danish game show winner donates 1 million krone to hospitalized Palestinian children
Denmark's former foreign minister, whose game-show winnings will be
donated to the Peres Center for Peace, stressed yesterday that the
contribution was not made in honor of President Shimon Peres ... The
money will be used to cover the expenses of Palestinian children
hospitalized in Israeli facilities.
The two game-show winners are former Danish foreign minister Lykketoft
and television journalist Martin Krasnik, who
also participate on an international affairs television program
together.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/danish-game-show-
winner-donates-1-million-krones-to-hospitalized-palestinian-children-1.319240
Anti
German firm helps Israel cement occupation with light rail / Adri Nieuwhof
Last month, the German company TÜV NORD Group announced that
it will test the technical safety of the first line of the
controversial Jerusalem light rail project that
critics say is being built in violation of Palestinian rights. The light
rail project will connect West Jerusalem with several illegal
settlements in the occupied West Bank and is expected to enter into
operation next spring.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11572.shtml
Siege / Restriction of movement / Human rights / Humanitarian
Water crisis in Palestine is worsening / Nora Barrows-Friedman
...For
Palestinians under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, Gaza
Strip and East Jerusalem, and in Palestinian-Bedouin communities inside
Israel itself, water has historically been a precious commodity
especially in the summer months – which can stretch, like this year's,
for over five months – because of the ongoing resource theft of
groundwater tables by the Israeli state and the economic blockade the
government continues against the people in Gaza.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/10/15-4
Oxfam: Israeli policies damaging to the Palestinian olive oil industry
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and siege of Gaza are seriously
harming Palestinian olive oil production which contributes up to US$100
million annually for some of the most underprivileged Palestinian
families, the international NGO Oxfam said in a report on Friday. The report, entitled, "The Road to Olive Farming: Challenges to developing the economy of olive oil in the West Bank," blames Israel for restricting access to land and olive tree farms.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m70801&hd=&size=1&l=e
Tunnel workers hospitalized after inhaling solvent
Six tunnel workers were hospitalized on Saturday after inhaling paint
thinner as they transferred goods inside a smuggling tunnel under the
Gaza-Egypt border in Rafah, a medical spokesman said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324590
Arab agricultural experts tour Gaza Strip
A
delegation of Arab agriculture experts toured the Gaza Strip on Saturday
to check up on projects funded by a $10 million grant delivered
during its visit shortly after Operation Cast Lead last winter ... The
delegation met with Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh and agriculture minister
Ramadan Al-Agha, and spoke with fishermen and farmers affected both by
Israel's siege and its devastating assault last year, which brought the
sector to near collapse.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324574
Gaza restrictions an obstacle to peace: Elders (AFP)
A
delegation of the Elders group of retired world figures on Saturday
visited the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and called Israeli restrictions on
the Palestinian enclave both illegal and an obstacle to peace. "Mary
Robinson, Ela Bhatt and Lakhdar Brahimi say the isolation of Gaza is not
only illegal collective punishment, but also an impediment to peace," a
statement from the group said after they spent the day in the enclave.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/
gaza-restrictions-an-obstacle-to-peace-elders-2010-10-16-1.304799
Violence
The IDF kills 1 Palestinian civilian every two days, on average, with impunity / Philip Weiss
Every other day, the IDF kills a Palestinian civilian with impunity in
the occupied territories. And the Israelis have treated these killings
as "combat action," reports B'Tselem in a report on Israeli military killings in the occupied territories, 2006-2009, not including the Gaza war.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/the-
idf-kills-1-palestinian-civilian-every-2-days-on-average-with-impunity.html
Chas Freeman on Muslim death toll and its emotional/political consequences
Chas Freeman gave a speech at Tufts yesterday. Paul Woodward picked it
up. "Consider, for example, the two sides of the Israel-Palestine
struggle. So far in this century – since September 29, 2000, when Ariel
Sharon marched into the Al Aqsa mosque and ignited the Intifada of that
name, about 850 Israeli Jews have died at the hands of Palestinians, 125
or so of them children. That’s equivalent to 45,000 dead Americans,
including about 6,800 children. It’s a level of mayhem we Americans
cannot begin to understand. But, over the same period, Israeli soldiers
and settlers have killed 6,600 or so Palestinians, at least 1,315 of
whom were children. In American terms, that’s equivalent
to 460,000 U.S. dead, including 95,000 children. Meanwhile, the American
equivalent of almost 500,000 Israelis and 2.9 million Palestinians have
been injured. To put it mildly, the human experiences these figures
enumerate are not conducive to peace or goodwill among men and women in
the Holy Land or anywhere with emotional
ties to them.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/chas-
freeman-on-muslim-death-toll-and-its-emotionalpolitical-consequences.html
Night clashes erupt in Jerusalem Shu'fat camp, dozens wounded
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Dozens of Palestinians sustained breathing
difficulties after inhaling tear gas during clashes that erupted Friday
night between Palestinian youths and Israeli occupation forces in the
vicinity of a military checkpoint near the Shu’fat refugee camp
in central Jerusalem. Locals reported that violent clashes broke out
when the youths hurled stones and empty bottles at the IOF soldiers
stationed at a provocative checkpoint located at the camp’s entrance.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Detainees
Palestinian detainees organize hunger strike
Palestinian
detainees
in Israeli jails are organizing a prison-wide hunger strike to protest
poor conditions, the head of a detainees committee said Friday. In a
letter sent from his cell, Yehya Sinwar said
the strike would be called the Al-Furqan battle ... Fifty detainees from
various prisons would participate in the strike in the first week, and a
further 100 would join in the second week, Sinwar said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324449
Hamas confirms Shalit swap talks have resumed
Hamas
previously denied reports German mediator visited Gaza Strip two weeks
ago in bid to resume talks; Hamas official Abu Marzuq says Hamas still
holding on to prior demands.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
hamas-confirms-shalit-swap-talks-have-resumed-1.319388
Top Shalit activist: Say yes to Hamas
As
reports
surface about a recent visit by German Mediator Gerhard Konrad to Gaza,
the top Shalit campaign activist says Israel should accept Hamas'
demands to secure Gilad Shalit's release. "To my regret, here in Israel
we are constantly preoccupied with thinking how Hamas will respond to a
deal where 1,000 people are released for our Gilad," Shalit
campaign manager Shimshon Libman. "Our strength as a nation is to say
yes to Hamas; our one person is as important as your 1,000 people.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970093,00.html
Israel's Arab helpers
Hamas accuse Egypt of planning hajj travel ban
GAZA
CITY (AFP) – Hamas on Friday accused Cairo of planning to bar a number
of the Palestinian Islamist movement's leaders from crossing into Egypt
on their way to the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. "A
senior Egyptian official informed a Hamas official in Gaza about a list
of Hamas leaders who are to be banned from travelling, including Salah
Bardawil, Sami Abu Zuhri and myself, without explaining why," said Fawzi
Barhum, a spokesman for Gaza's Hamas rulers ... But Egyptian security
sources denied any such ban was in place, telling AFP that Hamas leaders
had yet to request permits to travel via Egypt, despite an official
request for a list of names.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101015/wl_mideast_afp/gazaegyptislamhajj_20101015153658
AOHR accuses PA security of torturing families of slain resistance fighters
LONDON,
(PIC)-- The Arab organization for human rights (AOHR) in Britain
accused the Palestinian Authority's security apparatuses of harassing
and torturing families of slain resistance fighters Nashat Al-Karmi and
Mamoun Al-Natsha and demanded their immediate release ... AOHR noted
that about 400 members of Natsha family were arrested by the PA security
apparatuses. The same thing happened to the family of Nashat
Al-Karmi whose members were arrested, tortured and humiliated.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Hamas: PA referred 40 affiliates to military courts
Hamas
accused the Palestinian Authority of referring 40 party supporters
from the northern Nablus district to military courts, which have in turn
delayed hearings until next month, a statement issued Saturday read.
The Islamist movement further said the use of torture against party
affiliates in Jericho prison had intensified and that the PA continued
to bar detainees in Hebron from family visits.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324532
Hamas calls for dismissal of US security coordinator
Hamas on Friday called for the dismissal of recently appointed US
security coordinator for the West Bank Michael Moeller, and said
security coordination with Israel was a crime ... In a statement, Hamas
reiterated its demand to reform security forces according to "ethics
which prohibit security coordination and integration with the enemy."
Security should protect Palestinian land, its residents and resistance,
Hamas said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324422
War crimes
Israeli navy examines ways to avoid repeating Gaza flotilla mistakes
While the Turkel committee continues its investigation of the Gaza
flotilla affair, Israel's navy has already drawn operational conclusions
from the altercation at sea last May and is mulling how to avoid the
same pitfalls. One change being considered by the navy is to purchase
equipment that will help it board vessels while minimizing harm to
soldiers.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
israel-navy-examines-ways-to-avoid-repeating-gaza-flotilla-mistakes-1.319183
'Israel must apologize for Gaza flotilla or remain isolated in Mideast'
Turkish
PM Erdogan slams U.S. for supporting 'state terrorism of Israel against
Turkey,' says Turkey, Iran and Pakistan have a common future.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israel-must-apologize-for-gaza-flotilla-or-remain-isolated-in-mideast-1.319385
Political developments
US 'disappointed' by approval of new settlement construction
Philip Crowley: Israel approving tenders for construction in East Jerusalem is contrary to efforts to resume peace talks.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-disappointed-by-approval-of-new-settlement-construction-1.319353
France to Israel: Reconsider Jerusalem construction
Paris
joins
Washington in expression of 'deep disappointment' over decision to
issue bids for 240 housing units in neighborhoods located beyond Green
Line
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970117,00.html
Arab states: World must put an end to 'Israeli arrogance'
57-nation
Organization of the Islamic Conference condemns Israel for renewing
settlement construction in East Jerusalem, says it's a 'provocative step
intended to sabotage peace process.' [these are not all 'Arab' states]
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
arab-states-world-must-put-an-end-to-israeli-arrogance-1.319410
Fatah official: Palestinians have options
Palestinian
leaders
still have options despite the crisis in negotiations, Fatah Central
Committee member Mohammed Shtayyeh said Friday ... Palestinian leaders
would explore all avenues, he said, including approaching the UN
Security Council and the International Courts of Justice to recognize a
Palestinian state. Shtayyeh said another option was to increase the
financial cost to Israel of occupying Palestinian land. Israel was
obstructing peace talks
because continuing the occupation served Israeli economic interests, he
said. "We import 86 percent of our imports from Israel, and we export to
it 64 percent. The Palestinian territories are the landfill for Israeli
goods. The total domestic product of settlements reaches $4-5 billion
annually in addition to water resources," he said. Meanwhile, it cost
Israel nothing to occupy Palestinian land, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324340
Radwan: the security issue will dominate Damascus meeting
GAZA, (PIC) -- Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan stated that the next
meeting between his Movement and Fatah faction in Syria will focus on
the security file which is considered the most important outstanding
issue between the two parties.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Zahhar: Hamas wants ties with Arab world
Hamas
is interested in developing special relations with neighboring Arab
countries, particularly Egypt, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar said
Saturday ... Tensions between Hamas and Egypt have remained high since
Cairo announced it would be constructing a subterranean wall to thwart
smuggling through the Gaza-Egypt border's tunnel complex.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324560
Other news
UNRWA director meets with donors over latest strike
UNRWA's
West Bank director met Friday with representatives of donor countries
in East Jerusalem to discuss the latest employee strike action
over pay ... West Bank UNRWA employees announced the strike on Thursday
and have been taking similar action over pay since May.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324519
New Columbia U. Palestine Center gets a shingle and bupkus / Philip Weiss
Good reporting at the Forward,
by Joy Resmovits, on Columbia U. opening a new Center for Palestine
Studies. No funding for it, though note the appearance of filmmaker
James Schamus, who is Jewish, near the end of the story. I wonder why
the Forward did not call Columbia alum Robert Kraft, who gives a ton of
money to Jewish causes and to dialogue causes, and ask why he isn't
ponying.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/new-columbia-u-palestine-center-gets-a-shingle-and-bupkus.html
Analysis / Opinion / Human interest
Time to stick it again to the Arabs / Gideon Levy
Underneath everything is hatred - hatred and contempt for Arabs. The
ideology of the right has been dead for some time, nothing of its former
glory remains; primeval emotions are now its true driving force. This is
what is behind the right wing's nationalist laws and its so-called
"peace." Lurking beneath all the unpretty words are not just political
considerations, but a lack of any systematic ideas - only dark and
dangerous instincts.
[See also last article in this list]
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/time-to-stick-it-again-to-the-arabs-1.319207
'NYT'/Bronner push the legality of settlements / Norman Finkelstein
In today's New York Times, Ethan Bronner writes
that the United States AND JAPAN consider the settlements legal. I
checked with the Japanese Embassy, which proceeded to check with the
Japanese government. It got back to me a few minutes later [on Friday
afternoon]: Of course it's a lie: the Japanese government considers the
settlements illegal. Poor Bronner, sitting in his Jerusalem office,
calling up every consulate in the phone book starting with the A's
trying to find just one other country that considers the settlements as
legal. He gets to the J's, calls Japan, and you know how polite the
Japanese are...
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/nytbronner-push-the-legality-of-settlements.html
Deconstructing Israeli media distortions / Ira Chernus
It's a rather ordinary, run-of-the-mill piece of Israeli government propaganda - an op-ed
in The New York Times, October 14, by Israel's ambassador to the United
States, Michael Oren. Precisely because it is so typical, it's a fine
specimen to deconstruct, to see how Israeli propaganda works ... Oren
leaves no doubt where all the blame for the continuing conflict lies:
"The core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the refusal
to recognize Jews as a people, indigenous to the region and endowed with
the right to self-government."
http://www.truth-out.org/deconstructing-israeli-distortions64237
The State of Bla-Bla-Bla / Uri Avnery
...one
may well ask: what is the source of this obsession, this demand from
near and far, strangers and non-strangers, to declare that Israel is the
“Nation-State of the Jewish People”? ... What do we have here? What is
the reason for this gaping lack of self-confidence? This obsessive need
for confirmation and for the respect of the entire world? A collective
mental disturbance? A matter for political psychologists, or perhaps for
political psychiatrists? I CANNOT abstain from comparing this pathetic
need to our mood when I was young.
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1287228746/
US supports Taliban talks; still opposing Hamas?? / Helena Cobban
So
here are Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and SecDef Bob Gates now saying
they support-- and are giving active support to-- the Afghan
government's initiative to negotiate with the Taliban. But the U.S.
government continues to completely oppose any attempt by any parties,
Palestinian or other, to reach out and deal with the Hamas government
that, lest we forget, was democratically elected in Palestine in January
2006. How does that work again? And why?
http://justworldnews.org/archives/004094.html
Video (2008): Birthright Israel (Taglit) World's biggest militaristic project for youth
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2010/10/birthright-israel-taglit-worlds-biggest.html
The tide has changed / Ramzy Baroud
If
one tried to fit music compositions into
an equivalent literary style, Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House
Ensemble’s latest release would come across as a most engaging political
essay: persuasive, argumentative, rational, original, imaginative and
always unfailingly accessible. But unlike the rigid politicking of
politicians and increasingly Machiavellian style of today’s political
essayists – so brazen they no longer hide behind illusory moral façades -
the band’s latest work is also unapologetically humanistic.
http://counterpunch.org/baroud10152010.html
Twilight Zone: Cause for celebration / Gideon Levy
At
a recent wedding in the Jenin refugee camp, Apache helicopters are
replaced by twinkling stars, IDF tanks by trucks filled with plastic
chairs and musical instruments. The massive Zubeidi family celebration
shows clearly how times have changed
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/twilight-zone-cause-for-celebration-1.319262
Iraq
Friday: 5 Iraqis killed, 5 wounded
...at least five Iraqis were killed and
five more were wounded in light prayer day violence. Also, Shi’ite
spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani suffered
a heart attack. Criticism
of the latest Iraqi casualty estimate has come quickly. The new figure,
released by the U.S. military yesterday, came under attack from Iraqi
politicians who feel the tally is too low. One former parliamentarian even
warns that civilians killed in U.S. operations could have been left out of the
numbers, while another politician suggested the deaths were purposefully
undercounted.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/10/15/friday-5-iraqis-killed-5-wounded-2/
OPEC considers adding Iraq to quota system
...Abdalla
El-Badri said the decision on when to bring Iraq’s output within
Opec constraints would be up to the 12 member states and was unlikely to
arise before 2013 or 2014. But he said Iraq’s current status, where it
is exempt from Opec quotas while still being a full member of the club,
would certainly change.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/480d277c-d852-11df-a7b4-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss
Iraqi police and army officers targeted in new wave of violence
A
wave of targeted attacks on soldiers, police, traffic officers and
senior officials is steadily picking off the custodians of Iraq's
streets at rates that are nearing the darkest days of the insurgency,
according to security commanders.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/15/iraq-police-violence-targets
Iraqi PM seeks neighbors' support to stay in power (AP)
BAGHDAD -- An adviser says Iraq's Prime Minister will travel to Iran and
Jordan to seek support for his bid to win a second term more than seven
months after national elections.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101016/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Other Mideast
Hariri to Ahmadinejad: Lebanon won't join axis
Lebanese
daily
says prime minister rejected Iranian leader's offer to join regional
axis due to 'coexistence formula'; Hariri also quoted as saying,
'Confronting Israel requires high-level economic capabilities'
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3969992,00.html
On the road with Ahmadinejad in Lebanon / Franklin Lamb
...A
grateful
nation extended to Makmoud Ahmadinejad what one Bishop claimed
was the greatest outpouring of popular support on the streets, all along
this country’s sectarian divide, that the Republic of Lebanon has ever
witnessed including the May 10, 1997 visit of Pope John Paul II. An
important reason for the outpouring of popular support was the quarter
century of Iranian assistance to Lebanon for social projects, and for
rebuilding much of Lebanon following the 1993, 1996 and 2006 Israeli
aggressions.
http://counterpunch.org/lamb10152010.html
AlJazeera video: Jordan's bedouin 'desert forces'
Throughout
Jordan's harshest deserts, bedouin security forces working for the
government have been a key part to the country's security for decades
... Riding on camels in extreme weather conditions, the nomads have a
rare capability and familiarity to manoeuvre through the rugged and
rough terrain. Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Wadi Rum in southern
Jordan, where she followed a group of the desert forces on patrol.
http://english.aljazeera.net//video/middleeast/2010/10/2010101671526265438.html
Iranian speaker calls for use of all diplomatic leverages to pressure Israel
TEHRAN
(FNA)-
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani asked the international
community to use all diplomatic channels and potentials in an effort to
force the Zionist regime to end its cruel behavior towards the oppressed
Palestinian people.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8907241370
Ex-Guantanamo Al-Qaeda suspect surrenders to Saudi authorities (AFP)
RIYADH:
A
former Guantanamo detainee who rejoined Al-Qaeda in Yemen after
graduating from Saudi Arabia’s rehabilitation program has turned himself
in to Saudi authorities, the government said on Friday ... In
total, 11 of 117 Saudi Guantanamo returnees returned to militancy after
completing the rehab program, according to a top Saudi counter-terror official. Several have been killed or captured.
Afghanistan / Pakistan
Court martial for US soldier
A
US soldier who allegedly killed three Afghan civilians for fun will face
a full court martial. Jeremy Morlock, one of the group of 12 accused
soldiers, faces charges of premeditated murder, military authorities
said Friday.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2010/10/2010101634956730948.html
Afghanistan: Little relief for growing number of conflict IDPs (IRIN)
KABUL,
14 Oct - Over 100,000 people have been forced out of their homes by
clashes in
different parts of Afghanistan over the past 12 months but by no means
all of them have received aid, according to aid agencies and affected
people. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says
civilians are trapped in a difficult environment: "One armed group may
demand food and
shelter in the evening and an opposing side demand justification for
harbouring an enemy in the morning," ICRC spokesman Bijan Frederic
Farnoudi told IRIN.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m70784&hd=&size=1&l=e
'Lack of facts' disturbs Petraeus
US general says enhanced video of rescue bid prompted change in explanation for UK aid worker's death in Afghanistan.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2010/10/2010101513477834738.html
Charging of Australian soldiers for Afghan crimes provokes frenzied reaction
An
unprecedented controversy has erupted in Australia over the charging of
three special forces’ commandos on September 29 for the killing of five
children in Afghanistan in early 2009.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m70769&hd=&size=1&l=e
Pakistan frees Taliban commander
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has freed the supreme commander of the Taliban in
Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, so that he can play a pivotal
role in backchannel talks through the Pakistani army with
Washington, Asia Times Online has learned.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LJ16Df02.html
Where is Pakistan's 'Halo', Beyonce?
...this past summer, the worst natural disaster in recent history – with its destruction and human-suffering surpassing the destruction caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2005 Kashmir Earthquake and the recent Haiti Earthquake combined
– occurred, in Pakistan, with massive post-monsoon floods displacing
over 20 million citizens and destroying anything and everything in their
way – from 17 million acres of cropland, upon which thousands if not
millions are reliant for sustenance, to complete villages ... Yet ...
the international response has been unabashedly silent, forced and, at
best, slow.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2010/10/where-s-pakistans-halo-beyonce.html
U.S. and other world news
Iran welcomes Ashton offer for resumption of nuclear talks (AFP)
Jalili: ‘Any other option [than dialogue] is a mistake’ --BRUSSELS:
Long-stalled talks between world powers and Iran over its controversial
nuclear program look set to resume after Tehran on Friday welcomed an offer to get back to the negotiating table next month.
America's Trail of Tears: Tracing the fall and rise of the Cherokee in Tennessee
['Transfer, anyone?] Already pushed inland by the arrival
of colonial Europeans, the fate of the tribes who occupied the fertile
soil of what is now the Deep South took a terrible turn in 1830. The
Indian Removal Act, pushed through by then-president Andrew Jackson,
started a decade-long process that saw the ejection of Native Americans
from the lands east of the Mississippi (the modern states of Tennessee
and Georgia especially), and their transfer to less coveted terrain
further west (in particular modern Oklahoma).
Deep-South-USA-Tracing-fall-rise-Cherokee-Tennessee.html?ITO=1490
Subpoenas rescinded for antiwar activists raided by FBI
Federal
investigators
have rescinded grand jury subpoenas issued to the 14 antiwar activists
whose homes and offices the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided on
September 24 in Minneapolis and Chicago. Whether
or not the cancellation of the subpoenas signals that the government is
dropping its case is not yet clear.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m70778&hd=&size=1&l=e
NY man charged for fake tip on terrorism threat (Reuters)
A
New York man has been charged with lying to FBI agents about a fake
terrorism plot in the United States, U.S. authorities said on Friday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101015/us_nm/us_usa_security_hoax
US to Iran: Help us against Al-Qaeda
Daniel
Benjamin, the counterterrorism coordinator at the US State Department,
charged that al-Qaeda's headquarters in Pakistan's Waziristan, close to
the border with Afghanistan, is involved in plots to strike Europe. In
an interview with the London-based Arab-language newspaper al-Hayat, he
said that American officials are aware that al-Qaeda activists are
passing through Iran. The senior US official urged officials in Tehran
to detain them.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970082,00.html
Injustice in the age of Obama / Cindy Sheehan
Barack
Obama,
a former law professor, should have a healthy respect for civil
liberties, but his actions suggest not -- Since being the defendant in
about six trials after I was arrested for protesting the Iraq and
Afghanistan occupations, it’s my experience that the police lie. Period.
However the lies don’t stop at street law enforcement level ... Having
clarified that, I would now like to examine a case that should
be enshrined in the travesty of the US Justice Hall of Shame.
In February of this year, Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani mother of three,
was convicted in US Federal (kangaroo) Court of seven counts, including
two counts of "attempted murder of an American."
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/10/20101016133711604162.html
What's it all about? The war on terror / Paul Craig Roberts
...Most
Americans believe that their government is the best on earth, that it
is morally motivated to help others and to do good, that it rushes aid
to countries where there is famine and natural catastrophes. Most
believe that their presidents tell the truth, except about their sexual
affairs.
The persistence of these delusions is extraordinary
in the face of daily headlines that report US government bullying of,
and interference with, virtually every country on earth.
http://counterpunch.org/roberts10152010.html
Islam in the West
Dutch court urged to acquit Wilders
Prosecutors want anti-immigration politician cleared of charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2010/10/20101015153540211625.html
Rightist leader: German multiculturalism dead
German politician says country's values only drawn from Judeo-Christian tradition, not Islam
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970098,00.html
Charges against Islamic center are an affront to entire Muslim community
[Letter
to the Boston Globe from leaders of a predominantly Pakistani mosque
defending the Boston mosque repeatedly attacked by certain groups who
have called the Pakistani mosque 'moderate'. Why is the ISBCC the mosque
attacked, and not the [predominantly] Turkish or Indian or
African-American mosques in the Boston area? One reason: the ISBCC is
seen as the 'Arab' mosque.] ...We have noted the vendetta waged by this
group against the ISBCC for some time, but had hoped that the good will
being engendered with other large Christian and Jewish groups would help
to diminish their vitriol. Clearly, as this has not been the case, we
now openly declare our solidarity with the ISBCC and consider any
attacks against it as a denigration of the entire Muslim community.
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/wellesley/articles/2010/10/13/
charges_against_islamic_center_are_an_affront_to_entire_muslim_community/ |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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