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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing
As Mitchell Tries To Launch
Talks, Israel To Demolish 22 Homes in Jerusalem
Amidst
efforts to create a positive atmosphere for peace talks between Israel
and the Palestinians, Israel to discuss demolishing 22 Palestinian homes
in occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58958
Israel To
Demolish Homes In Jerusalem
Workers of the Jerusalem
Municipality and officers of the so-called Border Police broke on
Thursday into several homes that belong to Salah family in Beit Safafa
in East Jerusalem, and handed them orders to demolish their homes.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58955
Stop
work
orders delivered to Beit Safafa family
Jerusalem – Ma’an –
Staff of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem accompanied by border
guards entered the home of the Salah family in Beit Safafa on Thursday,
and delivered stop work orders. The orders, known locally as
"demolition orders," demand that home owners appear before a magistrates
court to defend allegations, in this case that the family built their
homes without permits. Because legal action at the court rarely
succeeds, the stop work orders essentially constitute a demolition
order.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292872
Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
and
Divestment
Barak Warns Lebanon: You're Responsible for Boats
Leaving Your Ports
17/06/2010 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday warned
Lebanon it would be responsible for any "violent and dangerous
confrontation" with an activist aid flotilla expected to set sail for
Gaza. "I say clearly to the government of Lebanon: You are responsible
for the boats leaving your ports, which have the clear and stated
intention of trying to break the naval blockade on Gaza," he said in a
statement. "The Lebanese government ... is responsible for preventing
the loading of weapons, ammunition, explosive materials and other things
of that nature which could lead to a violent and dangerous confrontation
if the ship refuses to come to Ashdod," he added, referring to an
Israeli port.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=142639&language=en
Israel calls Lebanese and Iranian attempts to break
siege 'hostile'
Foreign Ministry Director-General Yossi Gal briefed foreign diplomats on
Wednesday on Israel's preparations for this arrival of the Lebanese
flotilla. Gal emphasized that Israel sees the flotilla as hostile, due
to its origin in an enemy state as well as the connection between the
flotilla's organizers and Hezbollah.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
israel-adds-turkish-organizers-of-gaza-flotilla-to-terror-watch-list-1.296590
Gaza-bound Lebanese women pray for Mary's blessing
(AFP)
AFP - Women activists planning to sail to Gaza gathered on Thursday near
a statue of the Virgin Mary in south Lebanon to pray she bless their
flotilla, christened "Mariam" in her honour.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100617/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictisraellebanondemowomen
Lebanese
aid
ship 'Miriam' christened
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A group of
Lebanese women on Thursday christened the boat on which they hope to
arrive in Gaza the "Miriam" in honor of the Virgin Mary, Agence-France
Presse reported Friday. "Mariam has begun to achieve its goals and
aims, as Israeli officials expressed fear and sent out warnings and
threats before deciding to ease the blockade on Gaza," a spokeswoman
from the group, Rima Farah, told the French wire service, adding that
faith would be the only weapon on board the ship.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292944
German Jews 'inundated' with requests to join new Gaza
aid flotilla
Jewish Voices for a Just Peace seeks second vessel, as dozens more
activists ask to take part in aid mission.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/
german-jews-inundated-with-requests-to-join-new-gaza-aid-flotilla-1.296146
Petition to President Obama: Safe Passage For The
Jewish Boat To Gaza
http://www.petitiononline.com/ajjp2010/petition.html
Report: Egypt refuses to stop Iranian sail to Gaza
Egyptian
authorities
have rejected Israel's request not to assist in any way the
Iranian ships which Tehran plans to deploy to the Gaza Strip in the
coming days, Kuwaiti newspaper al-Dar cited Egyptian sources as saying.
According to the report, Cairo rejected the request claiming it cannot
prevent any ship from passing through the Suez Canal due to
international agreements. The report added that Cairo hopes to avoid
standing in the way of Arab countries that wish to send aid to the
Palestinian people as long as the siege on the Gaza Strip continues
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3907103,00.html
Join the Labor and Palestinian Community for Mass Picket of
an Israeli Zim Lines Ship
WHEN: Sunday, June 20 - 5:30
A.M. (morning)
WHERE:
Port of Oakland, Berth 57 - Middle Harbor Road (Park at West Oakland
BART to catch a shuttle to the picket)
WHY: Unions, labor
federations, and other organizations around the world - including the
Alameda and San Francisco County Labor Councils - have condemned
Israel's attack against the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31, 2010. Nine
people were killed and dozens injured in the Israeli attack in
international waters on ships attempting to bring humanitarian cargo to
the suffering and blockaded people of Gaza.
WHO: Everyone who
stands for justice and against occupation. This is a moment of great
opportunity. In San Francisco in 1984, a picket line and refusal to
unload cargo of a ship carrying South African cargo was a key event in
mobilizing the anti-apartheid movement worldwide.
Gaza flotilla attacks: a legal response
Israel's deadly raid of the Gaza humanitarian flotilla has sparked
worldwide outrage. This time, we can't accept mere words from our
leaders. It's time for action.
http://humanrightsfund.org/freedom-flotilla-legal-action-appeal.html
Defend Gaza Freedom Flotilla Survivors' Right to
Speak
YES! I want to add my name to the list of those who
support the right of the courageous activists who survived the horrific
Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship the Mavi Marmara to
travel to the U.S. and speak and the right of people in the United
States to hear what they have to say.
http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/mavimarmara/
Fatima Mohammadi Eyewitness Account
American citizen Fatima Mohammadi was on board the Mavi Marmara
when Israeli forces boarded it in international waters and killed 9
activists. The following is her eyewitness account.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/06/17/fatima-mohammadi-eyewitness-account/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUP5NftOjwo&feature=player_embedded
Henochowicz, unbowed: I stumbled onto this injustice
because I am Jewish and American, Philip Weiss
Emily Henochowicz--the 21-year-old art student who was protesting the
flotilla
raid in the West Bank on May 31st when Israelis shot her in the head
with a tear-gas canister--put up a post about her lost left eye that I
mentioned yesterday. The post is titled Cyclops.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/henochowicz-unbowed-
i-stumbled-onto-this-injustice-because-i-am-jewish-and-american.html
Exclusive Interview with wrongfully arrested
Israeli activist Shy Halatzi
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/06/exclusive-interview-with-shy-halatzi/
Illinois Methodists vote to divest from the
occupation
The Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church just
voted to divest all holdings in three international corporations that
profit from the Israeli occupation. The press release announcing the
action says, "this action is in response to a plea by Palestinian
Christians for action, not just words."
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/illinois-methodists-vote-to-divest-from-the-occupation.html
Ahava campaign comes to court
In France, the campaign to boycott Ahava Dead Sea cosmetics has entered a
new phase with boycott, divestment and sanctions advocates taking legal
action against the Sephora cosmetics retail chain's contract with the
company. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11341.shtml
Israeli
Arab leaders tell Haaretz: Without police, our protests are not violent
It
was
evidently important for the Arab community to demonstrate unity: All
were for the flotilla, for ending the blockade of Gaza and against what
Israel did.
http://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-authors-edition/
israeli-arab-leaders-tell-haaretz-without-police-our-protests-are-not-violent-1.293641
Istanbul
and
Gaza to be twin towns
The Municipal Assembly of Istanbul
accepted a proposal Thursday from Saadet (Felicity) Party, or SP,
members to declare Istanbul and Gaza “sister cities.”
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Entertaining Apartheid
Elton John: No one could have stopped me from coming
John said that no one could have stopped him from coming to perform in
Israel. "We're spreading peace and love on this stage and we're happy
to be here," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/elton-john-no-one-could-have-stopped-me-from-coming-1.296877
Violence and Aggression
Onlookers
north of Beit Lahiya told Ma'an that a number of armored Israeli
vehicles deployed along the northern border and opened machine-gun fire
at farmers near the former settlement of Eli Sinai, which is north of
the city, while bulldozers plowed up lands in the same area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292879
Detainees
Amnesty International: Israeli nuclear whistleblower
returned to solitary confinement
Authorities accused of subjecting Mordechai Vanunu, who has already
spent 18 years in prison, to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/
israeli-nuclear-whistleblower-returned-solitary-confinement-2010-06-18
Siege/Human
Rights/Humanitarian Issues/Restriction of Movement
Blockade
enters
fourth year; crossings closed
Bethlehem - Ma'an - As
Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip entered its fourth year last week,
imports declined even amid an Israeli cabinet decision to 'liberalize'
the siege announced on Thursday. Crossings were closed on Friday, in
keeping with Israel's siege policy since August 2009, before which
crossings opened six days a week. Crossings liaison official Raed
Fatttouh said the terminals were expected to open again on Sunday,
following the scheduled closure for the Israeli weekend.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292902
PMO announces plan to ease Gaza siege, but no such
decision made
Prime Minister's office issues two statements, one in English announcing
plan to ease blockade, and one in Hebrew devoid of binding decision.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
pmo-announces-plan-to-ease-gaza-siege-but-no-such-decision-made-1.296809
Netanyahu issues conflicting statements on Gaza
Bethlehem
-
Ma'an/Agencies - International news reports on the possibility that
Israel will alter its blockade on the Gaza Strip have offered a starkly
different account of a plan that readers of the Israeli press were told
doesn't exist. According to a press release Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued in English, a decision was made
Thursday to ease the blockade. "It was agreed to liberalize the system
by which civilian goods enter Gaza [and] expand the inflow of materials
for civilian projects that are under international supervision," the
English statement said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292877
Amnesty International: Israel Gaza blockade must be
completely lifted
Amnesty International calls for an end to the collective punishment of
1.4 million Palestinians in clear violation of international law.
Amnesty International on Thursday urged Israel to completely lift
without delay its blockade on Gaza, which imposes a collective
punishment on 1.4 million Palestinians in clear violation of
international law. On Thursday, the Israel cabinet announced that the
blockade would be eased, allowing more of what it terms "civilian goods"
into the impoverished territory where four out of five people are
dependent on international aid.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/israel-gaza-blockade-must-be-completely-lifted-2010-06-17
International organizations renew condemnation of
Gaza siege
Since the 31 May attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla, during which
Israeli naval commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara ship in international
waters and killed nine unarmed activists, international organizations
and several governments have condemned Israel for its actions at high
sea. Nora Barrows-Friedman reports for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11342.shtml
Israel's siege of Gaza
Gaza has been
under Israeli blockade since Hamas took control of the Strip in 2007.
The siege has forced Gazans to rely on supplies smuggled through tunnels
that go underneath the territory's border with Egypt. On Thursday, the
Israeli government announced its decision to let in some items, but
Hamas dismissed it as "just propaganda". Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston's
reports from Gaza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As7ENdtLaTc&feature=youtube_gdata
Israel's partial easing of Gaza blockade dismissed
as inadequate
Israel's decision today to allow a partial easing of the blockade of
Gaza was given a cool response by the international community, while
Palestinians demanded the blockade be lifted completely. Aid agencies
condemned it as inadequate. The move, triggered by anger over Israel's
bloody interception of the Gaza "freedom flotilla," is expected to end
restrictions on food and some other consumer items entering the coastal
territory. But there was no relief for urgently needed construction
materials for private building or for cross-border trade and movement.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/17/israel-gaza-blockade-partial-easing
Israel eases Gaza blockade, allowing building
supplies and ketchup
Israel says it will allow construction materials into Gaza for civilian
projects only. In response to international pressure, Israel will ease
the Gaza blockade on food, toys, and kitchen utensils.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/u9NAQgLqDpo/
Israel-eases-Gaza-blockade-allowing-building-supplies-and-ketchup
White House welcomes looser hold on Gaza (AP)
AP - The White House is welcoming Israel's decision to ease its blockade
of the Gaza Strip.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100617/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_gaza_blockade
Flotilla Aftermath
Knesset to hold session on Armenian 'genocide'
Foreign affairs committee chairman Tzachi Hanegbi likely to schedule
debate for two weeks' time.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/knesset-to-hold-session-on-armenian-genocide-1.296894
Analysis / The Gaza blockade is effectively over
Enforcement
of
the siege has all but ended - part of the price Israel is paying to
restore its international reputation after its disastrous flotilla raid.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/analysis-the-gaza-blockade-is-effectively-over-1.296927
Didi Remez,
"Yediot Report on Escalating Boycott Actions by Turkey (and Italy)"
According
to
reports in Turkey yesterday, the USD 180 million unmanned aerial
vehicle deal that was signed with Israel has been cancelled. In keeping
with the contract, Israeli teams had been in Turkey to train local teams
to use the UAVs. Following flotilla affair, the Israeli teams were
called back to Israel, and the Turks claimed that by so doing Israel had
violated the contract, rendering it null and void. Other reports
indicate that the Turks are considering prohibiting Israeli ships from
docking in Turkish ports, impeding Israeli businesspeople, and not
encouraging Israeli tourism. Turkish officials are also contemplating
filing suits against Israel with the International Court of Justice at
The Hague and voting against Israel in various international forums. "It
is clear today that Erdogan only wants to worsen relations with Israel,"
said yesterday top Foreign Ministry officials. "Stage by stage he is
going to deteriorate them -- all the way to severing relations."
http://bit.ly/aTWh2S
Israel's biggest supermarkets agree not to boycott
Turkish goods
Despite tensions, retailers bow to minister's request to keep stocking
Turkish products.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/
israel-s-biggest-supermarkets-agree-not-to-boycott-turkish-goods-1.296904
Political
Developments
Conciliation
between
Fatah and Hamas close
Bethlehem – Ma'an – President Mahmoud
Abbas will hold a meeting with the conciliation committee Friday
night, followed by a meeting with the Fatah Executive Committee on
Saturday, in anticipation of a unity announcement. Sources told Ma'an
that the committee, lead by billionaire and independent Palestinian
political figure Munib Al-Masri, has nearly come to a deal with leaders
from Hamas in the West Bank, Gaza and Damascus, as well as Fatah
officials, with support from the Arab League.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=292971
US peace envoy meets Israeli leaders (AFP)
AFP - US Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell met with Israeli
leaders on Thursday, officials said, as part of a new round of indirect
peace talks with the Palestinians.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100617/pl_afp/mideastusdiplomacy
Abbas holds talks with US envoy
Palestinian
president
urges George Mitchell to press Israel to lift its blockade on
Gaza.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/06/2010618125139663907.html
Other News
Calls for NDP MP to resign after Israel comments
Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on NDP MP Libby Davies to resign as
her party's deputy leader after she suggested Israel has been occupying
territory since the country came into existence.
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/06/15/libby-davies-israel.html
Poll: Jewish groups should back Israeli policy
Annual survey conducted on behalf of B’nai B’rith World Center finds 54%
of Israel's Jewish residents believe Jewish organizations that advocate
for Israel with foreign governments should always support government's
policies.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3906457,00.html
Zionist Congress calls for settlement freeze
(JTA) -- The World Zionist Congress passed a resolution endorsing a
two-state solution and a West Bank settlement freeze.
The vote in Jerusalem came a day after opponents of the resolution
walked out of a meeting of the 36th Congress’ settlement committee.
Following the walkout, the remainder of the meeting was chaired by Hadar
Susskind, the vice president of policy and strategy at J Street, which
lobbies the U.S. government to pressure Israel into signing an accord
with the Palestinians. The resolution endorses a two-state solution to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calls on the Israeli government to
extend its freeze on Jewish settlement building in the West Bank and
calls on Israel to stabilize ties with the United States. After the
resolution was passed by the full congress, resolution opponents
protested by mounting the stage and singing “Hatikvah,” Israel’s
national anthem.
The World Zionist Congress elects the officers and ostensibly sets
policy for the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for
Israel.
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/17/2739668/zionist-congress-calls-for-settlement-freeze
US State
Department: “Israel Not Doing Enough To Counter Human Trafficking”
The
US
State Department stated Thursday that although Israel has managed to
achieve significant progress in countering human trafficking, it still
“lacks the awareness to battle it and the will to do so.”
http://www.imemc.org/article/58954
France bans Hamas TV
Broadcasting regulators in France have ordered a French satellite
company to stop carrying al-Aqsa, the Hamas-backed TV station. French
Higher Broadcasting Council (CSA) officials ordered Eutelsat to stop
providing services to the channel on accounts that the network 'intices
hatred'. However, Hamas officials argue that the ban strongly
contradicts the 'principles of freedom and justice which France is proud
of'. Al Jazeera's Estelle Youssouffa reports from Paris, the capital of
France. June 17, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joCDauWqdkY&feature=youtube_gdata
Great News
Soldiers
Ordered Not To Enter Arab Towns in Israel
The Israeli army
issued strict orders to the soldiers to stay away from Arab towns in the
country and not to interact with Arab citizens.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58953
Racist Zionists
Ultra-Orthodox
Jews accused of racism over education demands
More than
100,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews took to the streets across Israel yesterday
for a showdown between religious and secular society over the way the
Jewish state runs its education system.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
ultraorthodox-jews-accused-of-racism-over-education-demands-2003609.html
Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest jailing parents who
refuse school's desegregation
Tens of thousands of demonstrators defend parents who've kept their
daughters from attending a religious girls school in the West Bank after
an order bans separating Ashkenazi and Sephardic students. Tens of
thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested Thursday against a Supreme
Court decision to jail parents who have refused to comply with its order
to desegregate a religious girls school.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/7L4t2BAHveY/
la-fg-israel-school-20100618,0,5042945.story
Zionist Parallel Universe
Our World: Hamas rises in the West
Led
by
US President Barack Obama, the West has cast its lot with Hamas. It is
not surprising that Obama is siding with Hamas. His close associates are
leading members of the pro-Hamas Free Gaza outfit. Obama’s friends,
former Weather Underground terrorists Bernadine Dohrn and William Ayres
participated in a Free Gaza trip to Egypt in January. Their aim was to
force the Egyptians to allow them into Gaza with 1,300 fellow Hamas
supporters. Their mission was led by Code Pink leader and Obama
fund-raiser Jodie Evans. Another leading member of Free Gaza is James
Abourezk, a former US senator from South Dakota.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=178470
Obama threatens our future
Prime Minister Netanyahu should not be envied over the challenge posed
by the most hostile president in US history; a president who makes the
anti-Semite Jimmy Carter look like a Righteous Gentile. However, we
should be calling a spade a spade and informing the public of the truth,
even if this truth is disturbing, painful, and bitter. We must make it
clear to our many supporters in the US that this president, by viewing
America and its ally Israel as the reason for all the world’s problems,
threatens our very existence here.
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3903698,00.html
Analysis/Opinion
The Iron Wall: Colonisation of Palestine, Vladimir
Jabotinsky
Zionist colonisation must either stop, or else
proceed regardless of the native population. Which means that it can
proceed and develop only under the protection of a power that is
independent of the native population – behind an iron wall, which the
native population cannot breach.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14801.htm
Top Ten Myths about the Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict
The U.S. is an honest broker and has sought to bring about peace in the
Middle East.
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/06/17/top-ten-myths-about-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/all/1
Anti-Palestinism is Hate Speech, Ahmad Amr
I
bet you've never heard of anti-Palestinism? In Israel and the United
States, defaming and delegitimizing the Palestinians is a national
sport; but have you ever heard anybody complain about it? Why didn’t
Americans get worked up when 1,400 Palestinians were incinerated with
Israeli phosphorous bombs? Why did the murder of 300 children in last
year’s assault not touch a nerve? Why did it take three long years and
the slaughter of eight Turks and a Turkish-American citizen to notice
that Israel has incarcerated 1.5 million Palestinians in a concentration
camp?
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16067
Out of control
In the five years since it was founded as the military vanguard for
combat in the West Bank, the Kfir Brigade has made headlines for acts of
abuse, killing and insubordination. Now the IDF seems to have realized
that changes are needed in the brigade's mandate.
http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/friday-supplement/out-of-control-1.296822
In wake of flotilla raid, Palestinians need not apply
to ‘NYT’ op-ed page, Alex Kane
Last night we
asked if the New York Times has run any op-ed by a
Palestinian in the last month. Alex Kane does the math, and says the
answer is No. Below is the rundown on the recent New York Times
op-ed columns in their print edition concerning the Israeli flotilla
raid. The International Herald Tribune, which is owned by the NY Times
company, has op-ed columns that are much more diverse and critical of
Israel than the U.S. print edition. Even Roger Cohen's columns, which
are critical to a point, haven't appeared recently in the
Times print edition. It's as if there's a huge sign that hangs on the
Times' door saying, "No Palestinians allowed in American conversations
about Israel-Palestine."
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/in-wake-of-flotilla-raid-palestinians-need-not-apply-to-nyt-op-ed-page.html
Somali military may be violating U.S. child soldier
laws, but what about Israel violating arms export laws?, Alex Kane
An American senator is expressing concern over the possibility that the
United States' financial assistance to the Somali military may have
violated domestic laws concerning the use of child soldiers. Concerns
about U.S. financial and military assistance to Israel breaking the law
have also been raised recently, but (surprise, surprise) little
attention has been given to the issue.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/06/somali-military-may-be-violating-u-s-child-soldier-laws-but
-what-about-israel-violating-arms-export-laws.html
What Sort of Christians become Zionists?, Stuart
Littlewood - London
'We categorically reject Christian
Zionist doctrines as a false teaching that corrupts the biblical message
of love, justice and reconciliation.' – The Jerusalem Declaration. Not
all Jews are Zionists. Many reject the Zionist project and fight against
it. So why on earth would a non-Jew wish to be one? Indeed, how
could a genuine Christian seriously consider becoming a Zionist? It has
puzzled me for a long time. The two ideas are incompatible, are they
not?
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16068
White House Correspondent Helen Thomas: A Casualty
of Zionist Duplicity, James Rockefeller
Zionist operatives ambushed veteran White House correspondent Helen
Thomas, a friend and a great American. When they won, America lost.
When reviewing the unedited video of her “interview,” what you see is a
rabbi rephrasing her answers to a question about Israel. Her response:
“They should get the hell out of Palestine.“ The United Nations long ago
endorsed that stance.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/06/white-house-correspondent-helen-thomas-a-casualty-of-zionist-duplicity/
A Zionist State of Mind, A Dreamscape Of Ghosts: One
Jew’s Hard Awakening, Phil Rockstroh
Although my mother fled Nazi Germany, as a child, on a Kindertransport,
with a few family valuables sown into her clothing, and I was brought up
on the myths and hagiography of the Zionist state, I, over time, came to
recognize the folly of the whole colonialist enterprise — the folly of
ethnic exclusion and expulsion, the inherent tragedy of nationalism
based on the delusion of religious birthright. With much sorrow, I came
to the sad realization that the dream of the State of Israel was based
on European chauvinism and exceptionalism. This reckoning has been a
difficult one for me to bear — the hardest awakening of my adult life.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/06/a-zionist-state-of-mind-a-dreamscape-of-ghosts-one-jews-hard-awakening/
Israel's 'Final Solution', George Polley
You
live
in a home your family has lived in for generations. On the edge of
the village you own a plot of land on which you raise olives and grow
vegetables to feed your family. You remember your grandfather working
that land, and smile. He was a good man who loved his family and you
miss him. One day you return from your olive grove carrying a sack
filled with olives that your wife will press. You have saved out a
couple dozen of the best for your wife and children to eat in the
evening, before retiring for the night. As you turn the corner and start
toward your home you notice the family gathered in front of it with all
of their belongings surrounding them. They are weeping. Nearby is a
contingent of soldiers holding guns.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16070
Who's more harmful than a yeshiva boy?, Gideon Levy
The
settlers
and the ultra-Orthodox are the two most energetic and determined groups
among the complacent and somnolent Jewish populace.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/who-s-more-harmful-than-a-yeshiva-boy-1.296675
Which is worse, a poem or a flotilla?, Yossi Sarid
Relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel have never been as bad as
they are now. This week, I once again experienced the alienation. A
cultural center named for the poet Mahmoud Darwish was inaugurated in
Kafr Yasif, near Acre. Hundreds of people came, all of them Arabs. The
Jews could be counted on the orphaned fingers of one hand. I identified
three, but even Jews do not have horns.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/which-is-worse-a-poem-or-a-flotilla-1.296920
Better
Never
Than Late, RANNIE AMIRI
Arab League Secretary-General Amr
Moussa was warmly greeted by Hamas representatives when the Middle
East’s top diplomat paid a visit to Gaza on Sunday. It was the first
time Moussa—or any senior Arab official for that matter—had set foot in
the coastal enclave since Hamas’ June 2007 break with Fatah resulted in
the latter’s expulsion from the territory. The 12-hour stop was hailed
“as historic” by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Despite the
gracious reception accorded, ordinary Gazans likely seethed at Moussa’s
audacity and opportunism.
http://www.counterpunch.com/amiri06182010.html
Grand Theft
Flotilla, STANLEY HELLER
"There’s been three or four reports
from passengers that Israelis then went out with their credit cards and
bought beer with it.” That’s what Greta Berlin of the Gaza Freedom
Flotilla told me about what happened with the possessions of people who
were on the seven boats of the Flotilla. The deaths so far have been
given major attention (nine at the moment and two so badly injured that
they’re unlikely to live). The 40 or 50 wounded or beaten (many in
Israeli jails) less so. For those who appreciated last week’s
CounterPunch piece by the amazing Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe they should
see his interview when bloodied and beaten as he was let out of Israeli
custody.
http://www.counterpunch.com/heller06182010.html
The
Flotilla
Fiasco, SAUL LANDAU
After Israeli commandos murdered nine
people and wounded scores of others in international waters, I concluded
that Israel continues to give Jews a bad name. The US government and
media, in their effort to kiss the Israeli lobby’s ass, contributed to
what Margaret Atwood called “a shadow hanging over Israel.” She referred
to its continued inhumane treatment of the Palestinians in occupied
territories, including its control over access to Gaza.
http://www.counterpunch.com/landau06182010.html
Video: Jon Stewart Afghanistan is as Rich as Fox
News is Stupid
The small clip included here of the reporting gravitas of the top two
FOX NEWS anchors says more about the FOX NEWS audience than anything I
have see thus far.
http://rackjite.com/archives/5144-Video-Jon-Stewart-Afghanistan-is-as-Rich-as-Fox-News-is-Stupid.html
Are Foreign Lives of Equal Worth to Ours?
How
do
Afghan and Iraqi civilians view the injuries or deaths of tens of
thousands of their countrymen and women? How do they view the continued
killing and wounding of hundreds or thousands of non-combatants? How
would we view this number deaths and injuries among our own population.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25750.htm
Iraq
Iraq
car
bombs kill five, wound 79 (AFP)
AFP - Two car bombs
targeting a provincial councillor and a police officer north of Baghdad
on Friday killed five people and wounded 79, many of them women or
children, police said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100618/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrest
Thursday: 9 Iraqis Killed, 8 Wounded
At least nine Iraqis were killed and eight more were wounded in the
latest violence. Hundreds of Kurds, however, have been forced to leave
their homes because of shelling from Iranian troops. Also, dozens of
people were accidentally poisoned in Baghdad.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/06/17/thursday-9-iraqis-killed-8-wounded/
Sectarian animosity still prevails
But the animosity between Sunni and Shia Arabs means it is still
uncertain that Mr Allawi will get a senior job, let alone the prime
minister’s. Iraqi Shias still feel, after a millennium of being treated
as lowlier than the Sunnis despite being a majority, that they deserve
the political cake unshared. “They far prefer dealing with a harassing
[Sunni] insurgency than with what they see as a lethal fifth column
embedded within the state apparatus”, writes Joost Hiltermann of
International Crisis Group, a conflict-resolution outfit. For their
part, most Sunni Arabs, who ran the show under Saddam Hussein, doggedly
refuse even to admit that they are a numerical minority. There has been
no full census since 1987 and precise sectarian data have been
unavailable for even longer. But most independent pundits reckon Shia
Arabs make up more than half the population, Sunni Arabs less than a
quarter, Kurds (most of whom are Sunni) around a fifth, while Turkomans,
Christians and others make up the rest.
http://www.economist.com/node/16377361?story_id=16377361
UK guards 'beat deported Iraqis'
Iraqi asylum seekers deported from the UK were beaten by guards during
their removal, deportees tell the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/world/middle_east/10347242.stm
Lebanon
Human
Rights
Watch: Lebanon: Seize Opportunity to End Discrimination Against
Palestinians
(Beirut, June 18, 2010) – Members of Lebanon's
parliament should vote to end restrictions on Palestinian refugees'
rights to own property and work, Human Rights Watch said today. The
Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) introduced a bill on June 15, 2010,
that would cancel prohibitions on property ownership and social security
benefits for Palestinians, and ease restrictions on their right to work.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/FERB-86JCFZ?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Seven jailed for entering Israel
BEIRUT: The Military tribunal sentenced seven people on Thursday to 15
years of hard labor for collaborating with Israel, entering Israeli
territories and acquiring an Israeli nationality. The tribunal, presided
over by Judge Nizar Khalil, sentenced the following Lebanese to 15 years
of hard labor: Beshara Ibrahim Saeed, Milad Hanna Hashem, Afif Jirji
Atieh, Moussa Dib Daoud, Hanna Salim Hashem, Daoud Boutros al-Nadaf and
Jirjis Naji al-Nadaf. They were also fined LL1 million each.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=116101
Pew poll: Lebanese have more favorable view of
suicide bombings than Obama
In perhaps Pew Research Center's
most shocking finding, Obama earned a 35 percent approval rating in
Lebanon, while 39 percent expressed support for suicide bombings. The
contrast was first highlighted online by Josh Rogin. Lebanon has
fought several wars with Israel, which the United States has
consistently supported.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0617/pew-poll-lebanese-prefer-suicide-bombings-obama/
In Lebanon, 'aspirin' helps more than headaches
BEIRUT: Whenever Elie, a successful Lebanese architect, starts a new
project, he loads up on “aspirin” or “Panadol” – the codeword in his
entourage for bribe money that must be doled out to officials. “You
need to hand out a lot of ‘Panadol’ to municipal officials, police,
building inspectors and anyone involved in a project in Lebanon to be
able to keep it moving,” said Elie, who asked that his last name not be
used. "Otherwise they can find any excuse to delay the project for
months if not years,” he added.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=116097
Iran
U.S. Sanctions Iran Individuals, Firms
The
Obama
administration placed dozens of Iranian companies and senior Iranian
officials on a U.S. financial blacklist Wednesday in a bid to augment
United Nations economic sanctions aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear
programs.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704198004575310981885208358.html
EU leaders approve fresh sanctions against Iran
European
Union
leaders have approved a new set of sanctions against Iran that go
further than the latest United Nations measures.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10341907.stm
Russia slams US, EU sanctions
Moscow
'extremely disappointed' by additional Iran sanctions, says they're
'unacceptable'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3906968,00.html
Russia 'disappointed' by US, EU move on Iran
Russian deputy FM warns US, EU sanctions moves could affect cooperation
in nuclear crisis. - "Such actions can be called none other than
attempts to put yourself above the United Nations Security Council," he
said.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=39617
'Iran will not withdraw from NPT'
Larijani went on to say that the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) has been already weakened by western countries' policies and that
Iran can either stay and strengthen the nuclear watchdog, or deal the
last blow to the IAEA by withdrawing from the IAEA and NPT.
http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=130868§ionid=351020101
Iran's
first
female minister
Dr Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, Iran's health
minister, is among the most powerful women in Iran. The new minister's
qualifications and conservative politics made her the perfect
fit for the job. Besides, many Iranian woman find it more comfortable to
meet a female minister. Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi reports from the
town of Eyvan, in southwest Iran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Y-oc41ZpM&feature=youtube_gdata
U.S.
and other
World News
US convict to die by firing squad
Barring
an
unexpected last last-minute reprieve, Gardner will be strapped into a
chair, have a target pinned over his chest and die in a hail of bullets
from five anonymous marksmen armed with .30-caliber rifles and firing
from behind a
wall.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/06/201061842749964104.html
Muslims around the world less approving of Obama
A poll of global attitudes finds support strong in most nations, but
approval has dipped in Muslim countries, due in part to Obama's handling
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Detractors also take a dim view of
U.S. international decisions. Confidence in President Obama among the
world's Muslims is slipping, according to a poll of global attitudes
that also found widespread concern that the United States remained a
go-it-alone nation even under the new administration.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/puNZ1Xd25Bk/
la-fg-obama-muslims-20100618,0,1639676.story
Facebook draws 7,000 to anti-Muslim pork sausage
party in Paris
A group calling for "resistance to the Islamization of France" is using
Facebook to advertise an anti-Muslim party at the Arc de Triomphe in
Paris Friday. Some 7,000 have RSVPed already.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/gdryBI76hH4/
Facebook-draws-7-000-to-anti-Muslim-pork-sausage-party-in-Paris
Egypt's 'invisible' child workers highlighted in rare
study
CAIRO: Thirteen-year-old Rasha thought she was leaving her home in rural
Egypt to help out an elderly aunt in the city for the summer and would
return in time for the new school year. “This summer never ended, and I
understood I had become a domestic worker,” said Rasha, one of tens of
thousands of child domestic workers across Egypt, working without
supervision or legal protection in an industry that is only discussed in
whispers. Her testimony appeared in a rare study on child domestic
workers in Egypt which was compiled by the Center for Migration and
Refugee Studies of the American University in Cairo.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=116086#axzz0r91IZyfo |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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