Activism / Solidarity
Residents gather to stop removal of Silwan sit-in tent
Palestinian residents of
Silwan
gathered Sunday to stop the dismantling of a sit-in tent by Israeli
authorities. Israeli police delivered a removal order to Na'im Ruweidi,
upon whose roof the tent is located. Ruweidi said Israeli intelligence
summoned him two days ago, and threatened to deport him and his family
from Jerusalem and to demolish his home if the tent was not taken down.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324827
Army shuts down Beit Ummar rally
Israeli forces used tear gas and sound grenades to shut down a peaceful rally in
Beit Ummar near Hebron on Saturday, protest organizers said ...
The
PSP official added that on Saturday an Israeli military court sentenced
Iyad Jamil Al-Alami, 24, to six months imprisonment. Al-Alami is a
member of the local committee against the wall, and was detained on
Monday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324691
Settlers attack Burin olive farmers
Oct 16, by Evie -- Today farmers in
Burin, a
village located south of Nablus, were forced to abandon their olive
harvesting when about one hundred settlers came down to their fields.
The settlers came from the illegal settlement of Bracha, Yitzhar and
from the outpost located on another hilltop. Villagers reported that the
settlers threw rocks and shot slingshots, aiming to hit the farming
families and children. One farmer was hit by a rock that caused a
bleeding injury. The settlers also verbally harassed the Palestinians,
shouting statements such as “This is not your land, go to Jordan” or
insults to the Prophet Mohammed
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/10/15025/
3 settlers suspected of hurling stones at Palestinian village
The
Israel Defense Forces arrested three settlers on Saturday afternoon on suspicion of hurling stones at the West Bank village of
Burin.
The three were making their way to an illegal outpost in the area along
with some 20 other settlers. They began throwing the stones after being
spotted by soldiers.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970142,00.html
Video: Hebron/Al-Khalil protest 16 Oct 2010
Peaceful march in Al-Khalil demanding the opening of Shuhada street
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJlVV9El9CY
Peaceful Al-Ma`asara demonstration attacked with tear gas and concussion grenades
(with video) 15 Oct
http://josephdana.com/2010/10/peaceful-
al-maasara-demonstration-attacked-with-tear-gas-and-concussion-grenades/
Gaza-bound aid convoy arrives in Algeria
An
international
humanitarian aid convoy headed to the Gaza Strip arrived in Algeria
Saturday afternoon, the official news agency APS reported. The convoy,
including 29 vehicles and 67 people, the convoy carried supplies
including textbooks, clothes, winter blankets, medicines and mobile
hospitals, said Mohamed El Haddad, a British member of Libyan origin.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7168354.html
Convoy departure delayed
Sunday
--
The Gaza aid convoy, with 40 survivors from the Mavi Marmara massacre,
has been delayed departing Latakia, Syria for Gaza. Last minute
complications over entry requirements by the Egyptian authorities are
responsible for the postponement. Convoy organisers are confident these
problems will be quickly resolved and the convoy will be
on its way tomorrow morning (Monday).
http://www.vivapalestina.org/home.htm
British director Mike Leigh cancels Israel trip to protest loyalty oath
Leigh,
who last visited Israel in 1990 and has since stayed away to protest
Israeli policy, was meant to arrive on November 20 for one week as guest
of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
british-director-mike-leigh-cancels-israel-trip-to-protest-loyalty-oath-1.319600
Violence
2 killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza
Sunday - A Palestinian succumbed to his wounds sustained Sunday morning
during an Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City, bringing the death
toll up to two. A medical source identified the second Palestinian
killed in the bombings as 22-year-old Muhammad Hisham Zaqout. Earlier,
Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Silmiyya said Mahmoud Jabir
Washah, 21, was killed when Israel's air force struck the
As-Sudaniyya
neighborhood near Gaza City. The Israeli army said the strike targeted
"a squad of terror operatives who were preparing to fire rockets from
the northern Gaza Strip into Israel," a statement read.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324763
I am still looking for the head of my son
By
Anne
Paq/Activestills.org -- The "buffer zone", the "no-go zone", the no
man’s land, whatever you call it, is a scary and devastated place. It
is also deadly for the few ones who still dare to go there ... On 13
September 2010, 91-year-old Ibrahim Abu Sayed, together with his
17-year-old grandson, Hossam and the young boy’s friend and neighbour
16-year-old Ismail Abu Oda, went to Ibrahim's lot of land, with their
cattle. The day was expected to be nice. They prepared for barbecue and
tea but it turned into a nightmare.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8920&Itemid=56
Urgent appeal - Children of the gravel
Defence for Children International - Palestine Section. Update: 16 October 2010
Between
22 May and 14 October 2010, DCI-Palestine documented 12 cases of
children shot whilst collecting building gravel near the border fence
between Gaza Strip and Israel. Due to a severe lack of job opportunities
and a shortage of construction material entering Gaza from Israel,
hundreds of men and boys scavenge for building gravel amongst the
destroyed buildings close to the border fence ... In the cases
documented by DCI-Palestine, the children report being shot whilst
working between 50 to 800 metres from the border fence.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/doc/press/UA_4_10_Children_of_the_Gravel.pdf
Siege / Restriction of movement / Human rights / Humanitarian issues
17,000 cross Allenby Bridge
JERICHO
(Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority police said Saturday that almost 17,000
travelers crossed the Allenby Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan
during the week. A police report added that 11 Palestinians "wanted for
various criminal acts" were apprehended at the border crossing, and
would be transferred to prosecution to commence legal proceedings.
Israeli forces also barred 47 Palestinians from traveling, citing
security concerns.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324728
Over 1,600 return to Gaza via Rafah
The
Gaza Crossings Administration said 1673 Palestinians stranded on the
Egyptian side of the crossing were permitted entry into Gaza. Most of
them were patients who had received treatment in Egyptian hospitals, a
statement said. Meanwhile, 1,613 individuals traveled through the
crossing into Egypt over the week, while 378 were denied passage by
Egyptian authorities.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324665
Israel opens one Gaza crossing
Israeli
authorities
said they would partially open one crossing into Gaza for the limited
delivery of food and fuel on Sunday, a Palestinian liaison official
said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324779
Detention
Arab youth accused of hurling stone at Jewish leader
Muhammad Sharaf, 21, of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, was
indicted at the Jerusalem District Court for hurling stones and smashing
the windowpanes of a car belonging to David Be'eri, chairman of the Elad
association engaged in the "Judaization" of east Jerusalem. According
to the State Prosecutor's Office, about 10 days ago Sharaf threw stones
at Be'eri with the intention of hurting him and putting him
in danger.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970386,00.html
Second child seen struck down by settler detained
Israeli
police
detained a 12-year-old boy on Sunday who was seen on video being
struck down by an Israeli settler organization leader in the flashpoint
East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on 8 October. Omran Muhammad
Mansour was taken to the Russian compound detention center in Jerusalem
for questioning and was not allowed to be accompanied by his parents,
Ma'an's correspondent said. Mansour was one of the two children seen
being hit by Elad leader David Be'eri with his car as they threw stones
at him during protests in the neighborhood during weeks of unrest
following the killing of a Palestinian resident by an Israeli settler
guard on 22 September.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324816
Kids run over by settler leader questioned
Police
detain
two of children caught on tape hurling stones at car of David Be'eri
before being run over. Silwan man who threw stones in same incident
indicted ... The father of Amran Mansour, 12.5, told Ynet that police
officers had arrived at his home at 5:30 am ... "They told us to prepare
2,000 shekels (about $560), apparently because he is supposed to
be released on bail," he said ... The child's lawyer, Mahmoud Muhammad,
complained to the court about the arrest. "He was taken to the station
illegally. This is serious injustice – instead of prosecuting the
hitting driver, the police arrest this young boy."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970397,00.html
Former Umm Al-Fahm mayor gets suspended sentence for attacking police officer
Dr.
Suleiman Aghbaria fought with police at a demonstration in Jerusalem's
old city in 2007 with Sheikh Raed Salah, who is serving jail time for a
similar offense ... There was a demonstration against construction work
being done at the Mughrabi Gate in February 2007, and the demonstrators,
Islamic movement members and residents of Jerusalem, fought with police.
After the incident, Salah and Aghbaria were investigated and it was
decided to hand down indictments.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/former-umm-al-fahm-
mayor-gets-suspended-sentence-for-attacking-police-officer-1.319604
IOA refuses to allow medical specialists to visit prisoners in Ramla hospital
WEST
BANK, (PIC) -- The Palestinian prisoner committee said that the Israeli
occupation authority (IOA) refused to allow a specialized medical
committee to visit the Palestinian patients under detention in the Ramla
prison hospital and held it fully responsible for their lives ... It
explained that the hospital administration stopped the natural therapy
which the prison doctors prescribed for prisoner Suleiman Abu Drie, who
lost the ability to move because of the medical neglect, adding that his
medical condition is getting worse and the prison administration still
refuses to allow him to undergo necessary medical tests to determine the
causes of his illness....
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Israel's Arab helpers
Egypt denies entry to 17 activists on board Lifeline 5 convoy to Gaza
LATAKIA,
(PIC)-- The Egyptian Embassy in Syria notified Lifeline 5 operators that
it will not allow 17 of the activists on board to enter the Gaza Strip,
exclusive PIC sources said, underlining that the banned persons' list
includes most of the convoy’s leadership. Lifeline spokesman Zahir
Beirawi said Egyptian officials did not provide a reason for the
decision, but said: "Egypt is a sovereign state and provides permission
to whom we please to enter the country."
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Hamas exposes 38-year collaboratorThirty-eight
years
at the service of Israeli intelligence? Hamas' interior minister,
Fathi Hamad, announced Sunday that the Gaza government's security
organizations have uncovered a 56-year-old Palestinian who was operated
by Israel since 1972. The minister failed to add any additional details
on the man's identity or how he was exposed, but noted that the Strip's
security organizations were about to complete "the most comprehensive
and successful campaign against the Israeli intelligence and its
accomplices in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970746,00.html
War crimes
Israeli inquiry issues calls for witnesses in Gaza flotilla probe
An
Israeli commission investigating the storming of a Gaza-bound ship in
which nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed issued an open
invitation on Sunday for passengers and crew to testify ... "We are
aware that there are issues which arise regarding arranging such
testimony, and would be happy to work with the embassy and with the
Turkish authorities ... to overcome any such obstacles," the spokesman
quoted the letter as saying. The panel appeared to be alluding to
Israel's past vows to prosecute some of the hundreds of activists aboard
the Mavi Marmara
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israeli-inquiry-issues-calls-for-witnesses-in-gaza-flotilla-probe-1.319603
Political developmentsParis peace summit postponed (Reuters)Sarkozy's
invitation
to Netanyahu and Abbas to hold direct talks in France will not be taken
up in late October as originally planned due to Israeli-Palestinian
disagreement over settlement construction.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/paris-peace-summit-postponed-1.319499
Jordan's Abdullah: EU should help restart stalled Mideast peace talks
Jordan's
king Abdullah II on Sunday reiterated his belief that the European Union
should help get the Middle East peace process back on track as he met
with Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, a royal court statement
said.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
jordan-s-abdullah-eu-should-help-restart-stalled-mideast-peace-talks-1.319592
PLO: No talks while settlements continueRAMALLAH
(Ma'an)
-- The PLO's Executive Committee reiterated Saturday its refusal to
resume negotiations with Israeli leaders while settlement construction
in the occupied Palestinian territories continues ...Ahead of the PLO
meeting, Fatah Central Committee member Mohammed Shtayyeh said the
Executive Committee would discuss alternatives to continuing peace
talks, including asking the UN Security Council to recognize a
Palestinian state, a proposal discussed by the Arab League. US State
Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters at a daily press
briefing that he could not say how the US would vote at a UN referendum
on the establishment of a Palestinian state, adding that the US would
"continue to promote direct negotiations as the best way to resolve the
conflict."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324650Elders: Do not exclude Hamas from peace process
Head of the Elders delegation visiting the Gaza Strip said Saturday
evening that the international community should not exclude Hamas from
the peace process. Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson told
reporters in Gaza City that the Islamist movement should be involved in
regional talks "because the movement actually controls the Gaza Strip
and they were elected." ... Commenting on the devastation caused by
Israel's winter assault last year, Robinson said "It is unbelievable
after the destructive war on Gaza that people and international
organizations are unable to carry out reconstructions and that UN
schools fail to house 40,000 students because the UNRWA isn't able to
rebuild damaged schools."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324770
Thousands march in Tel Aviv against loyalty oath bill
Hadash MK Dov Khenin warns concept of a population transfer of Israel's
Arab citizens has turned from a nightmare into an operational plan ...
Thousands marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening in a joint Jewish-Arab
protest against the cabinet's approval of a controversial amendment to
the citizenship bill, requiring non-Jews seeking citizenship to pledge
allegiance to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The demonstrators
marched carrying signs reading "Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies" and
"Together we will protect the democratic space". Among the organizers
of the protests were Hadash, Meretz, The Green Movement, and Gush Shalom
parties and many social and human rights organizations.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/
thousands-march-in-tel-aviv-against-loyalty-oath-bill-1.319431
What American Jews wantResults
of
a recent American Jewish Committee survey regarding American Jews'
opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the U.S. government
leave little room for doubt: 95% of respondents felt the demand that
Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state in a final status
agreement is justified. Over three-quarters of those surveyed believe
the Arabs' real objective is not the restoration of occupied
territories, but rather the destruction of Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/what-american-jews-want-1.319472
Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, met in Gaza City on
Saturday to discuss the rise in extremist Israeli policies, Palestinian
People's Party member Walid Al-Awad said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324719Gaza factions slam Abed Rabbo comments
Palestinian
factions convening in Gaza City on Saturday denounced comments made by
PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo on recognizing Israel as a
Jewish state if the US were to present a map of the Palestinian state on
1967 borders ... On Wednesday, Abed Rabbo denied speaking with Israeli
daily Haaretz where he reportedly said "any formulation" presented by
the US would be agreed to so long as the Palestinian state was
established on 1967 borders.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=324869Israel woos Greece after rift with Turkey (BBC)
Earlier
this week the Israeli Air Force completed a series of exercises with its
Greek counterpart - a sign of the growing links between the two
countries. But more than this, it is an indication of the changing
political geography of the eastern Mediterranean.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11556442PM: Lebanon becoming Iranian satellite
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers held a special cabinet
meeting at Kibbutz Degania Sunday, in honor of its centennial year.
Netanyahu addresses Iranian president's recent visit to Lebanon, says
'we will know how to defend ourselves.' Shalit supporters stage protest
rally across from meeting
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970491,00.htmlOther news
Vietnam and Yom Kippur wars were closely connected, newly released US documents reveal
Secret documents contain Henry Kissinger's conversations with Golda Meir and former South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/vietnam-and-yom-kippur-
wars-were-closely-connected-newly-released-u-s-documents-reveal-1.319467
Three Palestinians die in freak West Bank olive press accident
Three Palestinians in the West Bank drowned in a well full
of olive mulch on Thursday after a boy fell into the pit and two men
dived in to save him. The freak accident at a village near Tul Karm
occurred just a few days into the West Bank olive harvest season, where
risks of injury are usually linked to clashes with Israeli settlers over
access to olive groves.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
three-palestinians-die-in-freak-west-bank-olive-press-accident-1.319100
Analysis / Opinion / Human interest
When the cat is away the mice will play / Adam Keller
How
long until the U.S. elections? Three weeks? Quick, quick, how much more
can we achieve in three weeks? Hurry, after the election Obama will come
back in force, what we don’t achieve now will never get done, quick,
quick ...
http://adam-keller2.blogspot.com/2010/10/when-cat-is-away-mice-will-play.html
Show us all the map! / Alan Hart
Better
late
than never, a very senior Palestinian official in Ramallah, Yasser
Abed Rabbo, found the right way to challenge Israel and the U.S. As
reported by AFP on 13 October, he said, "We officially demand that the
US administration and the Israeli government provide a map of the
borders of the state of Israel which they want us to recognise." That’s a
completely logical and totally reasonable demand ...So there will be no
map. (I mean not one that could come even close to satisfying the
Palestinian demand and need). Yasser Abed Rabbo knew that when he put
the demand into words. So what was the point of his challenge? I presume
he was hoping that Israel’s refusal to come up with a map based on more
or less pre-June 1967 borders will help to convince more and more
people, Americans especially, that Israel simply is not interested in
peace on terms virtually all Palestinians and most other Arabs and
Muslims everywhere could accept,
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/10/show-us-all-the-map/
A city of Arabs and Jews is being pulled apart by the government's attitude (The Economist)
Palestinian Pundit: "Some reservations about the article. But it is as
good as mainstream journalism can get" -- Not long ago, Lod, an Israeli
city near the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, was a sleepy backwater. Its
20,000 Arabs among 45,000 Jews peppered their Arabic with Hebraisms,
voted for Jewish parties, and described themselves as Israeli. The Arab
population, drastically reduced in the 1948 war that marked Israel’s
birth, has revived, exceeding its previous total. But the calm has been
disturbed. This month Israel’s leaders have taken their demand that the
world -- and the Palestinians -- should recognise their state as
specifically Jewish in exchange for a renewed freeze on building Jewish
settlements in the West Bank, to Lod. Cabinet members have proposed
“strengthening” the city’s population by bringing in more Jews and have
approved a wider bill requiring new citizens to swear a loyalty oath
accepting Israel as Jewish and democratic -- in that order. Other
measures are aimed at Israel’s Arabs, including a ban on teaching the
Palestinian narrative that Israel expelled most of its Arabs in the war
of independence.
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2010/10/city-of-arabs-and-jews-is-being-pulled.html
The mistake / Steve Feldman
What happened that caused hundreds of thousands of
Palestinian people to become refugees from their homes and villages?
Some people say that the Palestinians' problems derived from a bad
strategic decision, a mistake, made by Arab countries in 1948 not to
accept Israel. That wasn't the mistake that caused Palestinians to
become refugees ... Based on the Jewish morals taught at my Hebrew
school, the underlying mistake goes back further, back to the idea that
an exclusive Jewish State could be created in a land where Christian and
Muslim families were already living. Jewish Palestinians had been
living in Palestine for centuries, peacefully alongside Christian and
Muslims Palestinians.
http://palestinenote.com/blogs/blogs/archive/2010/10/15/the-mistake.aspx
The non-Jewish immigrant loyalty oath / Gary Leupp
...I
think
there are two issues worth exploring. One is the demographic issue much
on Netanyahu’s mind. Over 20% of all Israeli citizens are Arabs and
about 5% other non-Jews such as Armenians, Circassians, Assyrians etc.,
or non-Jewish spouses and other family members of Jews who’ve acquired
Israeli citizenship. As of 2008 only 75.5% of Israelis were Jewish ...
The second issue is the question of what it means to be a
Jew, entitled automatically to inclusion in a specifically Jewish state.
Jewishness (as opposed to Judaism) is a complicated category.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/10/the-non-jewish-immigrant-loyalty-oath/
Settler rabbi celebrates murder of Palestinians / Richard Silverstein
You
may
remember during the 1991 Iraq war that Saddam launched several SCUDs
which hit Tel Aviv and killed an Israeli. There was dancing on the
rooftops in the West Bank. Israelis were aghast and used that for years
as an indignant proof of the brutishness of the Palestinian national
movement. Now picture this, Palestinian militants murder four Jewish
settlers from the most extremist of all settler groups. In the ensuing
days, the IDF hunts down those it alleges to have planned and executed
the attack and mows them down, in at least one instance killing
a sleeping man in his bed. No proof ever offered. None needed. No
trial, of course because this is justice-IDF style. The result: a
Simchat Torah style settler celebration of cold-blooded murder replete
with dancing, joy, smiles, abundant feasting, etc.
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/10/15/settler-rabbi-celebrates-murder-of-palestinians/
An excuse named Ahmadinejad / Zvi Bar'el
Lebanon,
that
little country that has no intrinsic strategic significance, is serving
well as the region's boxing ring ... "How do you feel with Ahmadinejad
so nearby?" a farmer from Moshav Avivim, on the Lebanese border, was
asked, as if an actual Iranian nuclear bomb had been laid right next to
the border.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/an-excuse-named-ahmadinejad-1.319469
For Israeli Arab musicians, apolitical is not an option
Dismissed
in
Israel, rejected abroad, Arab musicians find themselves torn between
the passion to succeed, national identity, and their status in the Arab
world ... Hip hop is the main musical genre in which Israeli Arabs have
been able to break through. One of the pioneers of Arab Hip hop in
Israel the rap Group DAM. One of the most politically outspoken groups
in Israel, DAM's criticism of Israeli policy has contributed immensely
to their popularity in the Arab world, paving the way for other Arab Hip
hop artists in Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/for-israeli-arabs-musicians-apolitical-is-not-an-option-1.319545
Palestinians earn a living making Jewish skullcaps
Under
the
shade of a leafy vine in the occupied West Bank village of Lobban
al-Gharbia, three Palestinian women are sitting, knitting and nattering
... These three Palestinian Muslim women are making one of the most
obvious symbols of Jewishness and Judaism - the kippa.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11543265
Iraq, other Mideast
Saturday: 2 Iraqis killed, 11 wounded
At least
two Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded
in light violence. Meanwhile, unapologetic Iraqi officials seem recklessly
nonchalant about the increasing
defections
of Sunni
Awakening Council members back to al-Qaeda groups. Also,
Iraqiya
leader, Ayad Allawi, continues to
warn
the West of Iran’s meddling in Iraq.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/10/16/saturday-2-iraqis-killed-11-wounded/
Ancient way of life threatened
Elders
of
the Ma'dan tribes - otherwise known as Marsh Arabs - of Iraq's southern
Basra province insist they won’t relocate or alter their millennia-old
way of life even as plans proceed to industrialise their oil-rich
ancestral wetlands.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/ancient-way-life-threatened
12 killed in Iraq goldshop robbery (Reuters)
BAGHDAD,
Oct
17 - At least 12 people died when gunmen swooped on a row of
goldsmiths' shops in a brazen robbery in the Iraqi capital on Sunday and
ended up in a gunfight with security forces, police and military sources
said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MUH721747.htm
Lebanon media: Massive explosives hoard found in country's south
Lebanon's National News Agency says construction workers discover 300kg stockpile dating from 2006 Second Lebanon war.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
lebanon-media-massive-explosives-hoard-found-in-country-s-south-1.319533
Ahmadinejad endorses new nuclear talks with West
Iranian
President warns talks with Iran would not make progress unless West clarifies its stance over Israel's alleged nuclear arsenal.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/ahmadinejad-endorses-new-nuclear-talks-with-west-1.319569
Egypt: Another dawn and another bout of MB arrests
As
dawn
breaks Egypt 's M[uslim] B[rotherhood] faced further crackdowns as
security forces raided and ransacked the houses of 3 MB leaders in
Sharqiya and four in Qalyubiya. The aggressive clampdown indicates the
regime's inability to face honest and honourable competition.
http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=26778
Deadly attack hits Yemen convoy
Armed men ambush troops in the south of the country, where al-Qaeda and and separatists are battling the government.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/10/2010101617475486364.html
Selma Al-Radi, restored historic madrasa, dies at 71
The
Amiriya
Madrasa, erected in 1504 ... was then and is now again one of the great
treasures of Islamic art and architecture. That the Amiriya today
stands resplendent after five centuries of neglect is due almost
entirely to the efforts of one woman, the Iraqi-born archaeologist [Dr]
Selma Al-Radi. [See
video of the madrasa and its restoration]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/world/15alradi.html?_r=1
Obituary: Marzieh, 86
Marzieh, a celebrated interpreter of traditional Persian
music whose career in her native Iran was silenced by the clerical
dictatorship and who in exile became a sharp voice of political dissent,
died of cancer Oct. 13 at a hospital in Paris ... Her career was
effectively scotched after the shah was overthrown in 1979 and mullahs
established a hardline government. Solo female voices were prohibited
from the radio.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/14/AR2010101406290.html
Afghanistan / Pakistan
Afghan-Taliban talks focus on site, safe passage for negotiations
...In
an interview Friday evening, Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former Afghan
president chosen to chair the committee to foster peace talks, said a
government official had told him the Taliban representatives offered to
provide security if the talks were to be on their turf - presumably
Pakistan - and asked for security if meetings were in Kabul or a third
country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/15/AR2010101504874.html
21 killed in Pakistan attacks amid vote in country's largest city (AP)
Gunmen
have killed at least 21 people in Karachi in the past 24 hours, raising
tensions in Pakistan's largest city as voters cast ballots Sunday for a
replacement for a provincial lawmaker murdered in August.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international
/21-killed-in-pakistan-attacks-amid-vote-in-country-s-largest-city-1.319576
CNN Poll: What the numbers say about progress in Afghanistan
Washington
(CNN) – American support for the war in Afghanistan has never been
lower, according to the latest CNN polling. The latest poll from CNN and
Opinion Research Corporation found only 37% of all Americans favor the
war, 52% say the war in Afghanistan has turned into a Vietnam.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/15/
what-the-numbers-say-about-progress-in-afghanistan/
Latest Afghanistan operation called 'success', but no press witnessed it
KANDAHAR
AIRFIELD,
Afghanistan -- A major military operation involving hundreds of
American troops, U.S. Special Forces and heavy bombers dropping
2,000-pound bombs on Taliban command and control centers wrapped up last
week, concluding a critical phase in the campaign to oust the Taliban
from Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province. But no journalists were
there to witness the operation. U.S. military officials told journalists
who had arrived to Kandahar Airfield for embeds in the Arghandab
district between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 that logistical problems had caused
their embeds to be cancelled.
http://uruknet.info/?p=m70864&hd=&size=1&l=e
Afghanistan world capital of disfiguring skin disease (AP)
An outbreak of a tropical disease caused by sand fly bites
that leaves disfiguring skin sores has hit Afghanistan, with tens of
thousands of people infected, health officials said Friday. Cutaneous
leishmanisis is a parasitic disease transmitted by the female
phlebotomine sand fly ... Most victims are women and children.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/
afghanistan-world-capital-of-disfiguring-skin-disease/article1758572/
U.S., other world news
New hearing set for Sami Al-Arian / Stephen Lendman
Though
free on bail, Al-Arian remains politically imprisoned like many hundreds
of others behind bars. Because of his faith, ethnicity, prominence and
political activism, he was accused of supporting 'terrorism' and other
outrageous charges. In fact, he's a Palestinian refugee, a distinguished
professor, scholar, community leader, and civil
activist, a man deserving honor, not incarceration doing hard time until
released after five and half years of brutal treatment, including
solitary confinement in rat and roach-infested cells.
http://uruknet.info/?p=m70820&hd=&size=1&l=e
US: End military commission trial of former child soldier (HRW)
(New
York)
- The US government should stop the Guantanamo military commission
trial of Omar Khadr, a former child soldier captured when he was 15,
Human Rights Watch said today. According to news reports ... "Omar
Khadr was picked up at age 15 and has now spent a third of his life at
Guantanamo," said Andrea Prasow, senior counterterrorism counsel
at Human Rights Watch.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/10/15/us-end-military-commission-trial-former-child-soldier
Ex-Guantanamo inmate in book probe
Australia's
government
to consider lawsuit against former detainee David Hicks over
possible profit from his new book. In his book "Guantanamo: My Journey",
which was released in Australia on Saturday, he writes that he
only admitted to a charge of providing material support to al-Qaeda to
escape Guantanamo
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia-pacific/2010/10/2010101782629551851.html
Al-Hamdulillah - 'Judaic Studies' at Univ at Albany to host the great Amira Hass next month
Objective journalism? Telling the truth about the occupation - a lecture by AMIRA HASS
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/al-hamdulilah-
judaic-studies-at-univ-at-albany-to-host-the-great-amira-hass-next-month.html
'We've found peace in this land'
Like the pioneer families in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House
on the Prairie books, Iraqi refugees Naef and Suad and their seven
children spent their initial winter on the Great Plains huddled indoors,
suffering from shock and cabin fever. “The first time we saw snow, we
were so excited, and the kids went outside and played,” their father
recalls. “But after that we felt like prisoners in our own home. There
was so much ice, we only went to the store once a week.”
http://www.parade.com/news/2010/10/10-from-the-mideast-to-the-midwest.html
School system to get Muslim holiday
As a Muslim and a high school senior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin
School, 17-year-old Dunia Kassay faces a tough choice every year on
Islamic holy days: go to school or stay home to be with family and
friends ... In a move that school officials believe is the first of its
kind in the state [Massachusetts], Cambridge will close schools for one
Muslim holiday each year beginning in the 2011-2012 school year .
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2010/10/10
/school_system_to_get_muslim_holiday/
Florida pastor gets car for canceling Qur'an burning (AP)
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. | Car dealer Brad Benson made the pitch to Florida
pastor Terry Jones in one of his quirky radio ads: If you don’t burn a
Qu’ran, I’ll give you a new car. He was surprised, though, when a
representative for Jones called to collect the 2011 Hyundai Accent,
retailing for $14,200.
