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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
US academic appeals to UN over Mamilla demolitions
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- US academic Rashid Khalidi appealed to the UN and
other international officials Tuesday to defend a 12th century Muslim
burial ground in West Jerusalem from desecration, providing new
information on the latest wave of demolitions by the Jerusalem
Municipality.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=308849
Human Rights Watch Israel: Stop Demolishing Bedouin Homes
(Jerusalem) - The Israeli government should immediately stop demolishing
the homes of Bedouin citizens in the Negev desert in southern Israel
and should compensate those displaced and allow them to return to their
village pending a final agreement that respects their rights under
international law, Human Rights Watch said today. Hundreds of police
officers arrived unannounced at 6 a.m. on August 17, 2010, in Al Araqib
and demolished about 20 makeshift structures, leaving scores of
residents homeless as summer temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius,
or 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/03b9dc826d35c4af82517f69125bec3a.htm
Absentees against Their Will –Property Expropriation in East Jerusalem under the Absentee Property Law
Ir Amim - When East Jerusalem was annexed to Israel in 1967, all the
laws of the State of Israel were applied to the annexed territory,
including the Absentee Property Law of 1950, whose purpose was to
transfer to the possession of the State of Israel the property of the
Palestinian refugees of 1948.
http://www.ir-amim.org.il/Eng/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/Absenteesagainsttheirwill.pdf
Impact of Israeli Military Order No. 1650, Stephen Lendman
Located at the European University Institute (EUI), the Robert Schuman
Center for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) conducts "inter-disciplinary and
comparative research (on) major issues facing the process of integration
and European society." Prepared by Asem Khalil, its new report is
titled, "Impact of Israeli Military Order No. 1650 on Palestinians'
Rights to Legally Reside in Their Own Country." Taking effect in April
2010, it defined all West Bank residents as "infiltrators" (including
native born ones), requiring they get IDF-issued permits.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16208
Expansion Of Settlements Continues
Despite an annouced settlement freeze, despite an imminent Quartet
announcement, despite international pressure since the Gaza Flotilla,
Israel declared it will build more in the West Bank. Twenty-three
mobile school units will be placed in 12 settler communities, including
Ofra, Elon Moreh, Itamar, Emmanuel, and Talmon, according to the
Hebrew-language Ma'ariv newspaper. President Benyamin Netanyahu was
behind the plan to build the housing for students of the Ariel
University near Nablus. Netanyahu called an “urgent meeting” to discuss
the settler's deprived education system. Attended by Defense Minister
Ehud Barak, Minister of Education Gideon Star and Justice Minister
Yaakov Neeman, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser, the meeting members sought
to “prevent a political and diplomatic crisis of lack of classrooms in
the West Bank.”
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1518
Silwan: When David Becomes Goliath
Fakhri Abu Diab abruptly interrupts the interview as an alarming swell
of whistling rises up from the streets. He stands up and walks out of
the “Al Bustan Center” tent, a makeshift wooden structure draped in
black canvas and covered with blown up photos depicting moments of the
neighborhood's popular struggle in the occupied East Jerusalem area of
Silwan, the supposed site of the City of King David, the David who faced
off Goliath.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1517
Uprooted Villagers Hold Fast During Ramadan, Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler
JERUSALEM – On the eve of the start of Ramadan last week, Israeli police
demolished the Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev desert. It was
the third time within two weeks that the village had been razed.
Unfazed, the Bedouin villagers immediately began rebuilding. "We have
already put back up some 20 of our huts, and we’re putting up more every
day — despite the fast," village leader Sheikh Sayyah Abu Drim told IPS
when reached by telephone a week after the last police action. "We
have nowhere else to go," said the Sheikh. More than 40 families live in
al-Araqib. At dawn last Tuesday, Israel Land Administration (ILA)
officials, accompanied by a large police detail including over 100
border guards and mounted police, began their operation with the support
of two bulldozers.
http://original.antiwar.com/kessel-klohendler/2010/08/18/uprooted-villagers-hold-fast-during-ramadan/
Who wants to set fire to the Negev?
“No state representative is getting involved in the irrational saga
rolling over the backs of children and people whose rights have been
trampled, people forgotten by the welfare authorities. Despite the
demolitions, no representative of the state in charge of citizens’
welfare comes to examine the goings on.” Haia Noah calls the state to
order following the destruction of the village of Al-Arakib. The very
same scenes replay, again: again a convey of police cars swoops down on
some tabernacles made of wooden poles and covered with plastic sheeting,
green or black, the only refuge in the Northern Negev from the sun and
the hot and somewhat hellacious weather. After the Bedouin village of
Al-Arakib was demolished a week before, great forces came again last
week to destroy. To destroy everything.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=41691
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
&
Divestment
Live ammunition used on demonstrators in Gaza who move a section of the buffer-zone fence
On Tuesday morning a demonstration in Gaza by Palestinian activists from
Local Initiative Beit Hanoun, with four International Solidarity
Movement volunteers and other international activists and journalists
was met with live ammunition fired by the Israeli army. Soldiers opened
fire on protestors in the buffer zone in Beit Hanoun, near to the Erez
crossing but the demonstration succeeded in moving a section of the
barbed wire fence dividing land on the Gazan side of the border.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/13845/
Palestinians rally against Mamilla demolitions
JERUSALEM
(Ma'an)
-- Palestinians from Jerusalem and villages inside Israel rallied on
Wednesday at the Mamilla cemetery in West Jerusalem to protest the
razing of several Muslim tombstones by Israeli municipal staff.
Protesters gathered at the cemetery at 10am and called on the Israeli
government to bring an end to demolitions, which began on 4 August.
Several Palestinian dignitaries were present, including Jerusalem Mufti
Mohammad Hussien, Fatah chief of Jerusalem affairs Hatem
Abdul Qader and Archbishop Attallah Hanna.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309035
Tulkarem: Sit-in at the gate of Wadi al-Rasha
August 18th, 2010-- Farmers chanted slogans denouncing the wall and the
Israeli Occupation Forces who stop these farmers from reaching their
land by refusing to open the gate. This land is owned by approximately
450 farmers from Wadi al-Rasha, Ras Tira and Mughara al-Dabaa.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2343.shtml
Lebanese all-women aid ship to head to Gaza (AFP)
AFP
- Organisers of a Lebanese women-only aid ship which plans to break the
Gaza blockade announced on Thursday they will sail to Cyprus on the first leg of their journey this weekend.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100819/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictgazablockadelebanoncyprus
Report: Gaza-bound aid ship departs Algeria
Algerian-sponsored aid ship sets sail for Gaza with religious leaders and political officials on board, Channel 10 reports.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
report-gaza-bound-aid-ship-departs-algeria-1.309014
Legal victory for BDS campaigners
Charges against four Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigners
have been dropped in London because of the clearly illegal activities of
an Israeli cosmetics firm against which the four had been
demonstrating. The case threw up some unusual and possibly
ground-breaking legal arguments. Under international law, Israel's
settlements on the occupied West Bank are illegal. The European Union,
the United Nations and the International Court of Justice have all
confirmed the illegality of the settlements, a position acknowledged by
the majority of the world's nations. Given that well-established fact,
it follows that companies which use illegally occupied land to produce
and sell products of any kind are producing and selling illegal goods.
It also follows that anyone buying such goods is helping to finance the
ongoing illegal occupation of Palestinian land. This is the message that
BDS campaigners have been trying to get across to the general public.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/resources/
commentary-and-analysis/1435-legal-victory-for-bds-campaigners
UK, Irish artists saluted for principled boycott stance
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
(PACBI) salutes the British dance group Faithless for declining to play
in Israel this summer. The cancellation of the group's Israeli gig is
the latest in a string of cancellations of performances in Israel by
artists and musicians of conscience.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11467.shtml
Chick Corea: don't turn your back in Gaza!
We are a group of students from Gaza, and our only fault is being
Palestinians. For that, Mr. Corea, we are imprisoned with our families
and loved ones in what major human rights organizations call the largest
open air prison in modern history. The state you are planning to
entertain committed a process of ethnic cleansing against the indigenous
people in 1948.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11469.shtml
Students, boycott Israel's propagandist youth festival!
Once again, the Brand-Israel machine is in high gear, this time
organizing a million-dollar international youth extravaganza in Eilat in
September 2010 called "Funjoya." This unabashed propaganda exercise is
sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the Israeli Student
Union, among other official and semi-official bodies.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11466.shtml
Don't deny our rights: An open letter to Mahmoud Abbas
We
are
Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations -- scholars,
intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights
advocates and civil society leaders, inside historic Palestine and in
exile -- who are united in our commitment to the fulfillment of the
fundamental rights of all Palestinians, particularly our inalienable
right to self-determination. This universally sanctioned right
encompasses, at a minimum, freedom from occupation and colonization in
the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; full equality for
Palestinian citizens of Israel; and the right of return for Palestinian
refugees and their descendants.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309072
Hudson Inst primary financial backer of NGO behind campaign to purge Israeli universities of “leftists”
Newly uncovered documentation reveals that The Hudson Institute, an
influential and activist neoconservative think-tank, has provided nearly
$500,000 to the Institute for Zionist Strategies (IZS), an Israeli NGO
at the forefront of an ongoing campaign to purge Israeli Universities of
faculty and programs deemed “left-wing.” The grants represent more than
half of the IZS’s total reported multi-year funding and position Hudson
as the organization’s largest donor.
http://coteret.com/2010/08/19/hudson-inst-primary-
financial-backer-of-ngo-behind-campaign-to-purge-israeli-universities-of-leftists/
The Siege (Gaza & West Bank)/Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 32/2010, 05 – 11 Aug 2010
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-889LS7?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
UN Report: Israel's Military impose Restrictions On Access To Land And Sea In The Gaza Strip
UN
– PNN - Over the past ten years, the Israeli military has gradually
expanded restrictions on access to farmland on the Gaza side of the 1949
‘Green Line’, and to fishing areas along the Gaza Strip coast, with the
stated intention of preventing attacks on Israel by Palestinian armed
factions, the United Nation’s Humanitarian affairs office, OCHA,
reported on Thursday.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8671
In impoverished Gaza, electric company can't collect its bills
GAZA CITY, Gaza — The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, marked by daytime
fasting and nighttime feasting, was just a few days away, but the Abu
Hassan Sweet Shop in Gaza City was eerily empty recently. Gaza's power
plant had run out of fuel and had shut down the day before for the
second time in two months, plunging the
Strip's 1.5 million residents into 12 to 16 hours of darkness at a time.
Mohamed Hassouna stood behind a wide tray of flaky desserts inside
his shop, shouting over the constant thrum of its gasoline-powered
generator.
Arab kids prepare to study in shelters
Hundreds of children living in east Jerusalem won't be starting school
come September, simply because there is no room. Those who do will be
studying in subpar conditions, with more than 50 students per classroom.
'This is clear discrimination, you don't see this situation in city's
west,' says Association for Civil Rights lawyer.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939055,00.html
A Report from Gaza
Waltham resident Ridgely Fuller is spending several weeks in Gaza to
address the needs of children affected by the Israeli blockade. This is
his second trip. A social worker, Fuller is especially interested and
trained in using specially designed play routines to help heal and build
resiliency in children who have experienced trauma. He is in Gaza at the
invitation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which
is responsible for critical service delivery to much of the population.
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/waltham/2010/08/a_report_from_gaza.html
Violence/Provocations
Israel shells east Gaza
tGaza,
August
19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli artillery shelled Thursday empty
lands in east of Gaza city, no injuries were reported, local sources
said. Eyewitnesses said to SAFA Palestinian news agency that number of
Israeli military vehicles stationed near Nahal Oz military site and
searched that area then shelled number of shells. Every now and then,
Israeli tanks shell the borders of Gaza Strip to keep the Gazans away
from the borders.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6822
IOF raids villages of south Nablus
Nablus, August 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces
(IOF) raided the villages of south Nablus yesterday under the pretext of
searching for “wanted Palestinians and weapons”. Eyewitnesses said to
SAFA Palestinian news agency that IOF raided number of houses in Madama,
Orata, Beta, Huara, Abones, Jma’n and Asera villages. The sources added
that IOF evacuated the houses from their residents and left damages in
the furniture, adding that they used dogs in raiding some of the
villages.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6823
Detainees
Three Palestinians seized by Israeli troops in overnight raids in Abu Dis, Hebron
In two separate invasions Tuesday night, Israeli forces attacked the
east Jerusalem town of Abu Dis, and the southern West Bank city of
Hebron, to search for men listed on the army's 'Wanted' list.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59295
Hamas says PA detained 2 for political reasons
BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an)
– Palestinian Authority officers detained two men affiliated with the
Hamas movement, a statement from the party said on Thursday. The
detentions, the statement said, were carried out in Nablus and
Qalqiliya. Ma'an could not independently verify the report, which said
the detentions were carried out for politically-motivated reasons.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309125
Lawyer says detainee could go blind without medical intervention
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian detainee from Ramallah appealed
Wednesday for urgent intervention to receive treatment for an eye
condition that could cause blindness, his lawyer said. Tamer Hamayel
was treated at the Hadassa and Ramlah hospitals, but doctors said they
were unable to provide him with the required treatment for his
condition. Hamayel's lawyer said his client was detained on 6 November
2009, prior to which he was receiving specialized laser treatment in
Jordanian hospitals.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309052
Political/Flotilla Developments
US edges back on predictions of Quartet statement (AFP)
AFP - The United States edged back Wednesday from predicting when the
diplomatic Quartet would issue a statement designed to support the
relaunch of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100818/pl_afp/mideastusdiplomacy
Palestinian group rejects planned direct talks
Ramallah:
The
Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) called on the executive committee of
the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to reject direct talks with
Israel, saying that any kind of involvement only provides a legal cover
for its colonial activities. Nazim Al Yousuf, deputy chairman of the
PLF, said in a statement that Israel's accelerating aggression against
the Palestinians comes at a time word about the planned direct talks is
widespread. He said that Israeli aggression against the Palestinians
takes many shapes in occupied Jerusalem, from colonial activities to
blockading Gaza.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/
palestinian-group-rejects-planned-direct-talks-1.670214
Leftist faction says Gaza police targeted member
GAZA
CITY
(Ma'an) -- Hamas government police opened fire at a member of the
leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine party south of
Khan Younis, representatives said. The party issued a statement saying
Talal Abu Tharifeh was attacked while he was in his car in Khaza'a
village, en route to mediate a dispute between members of his party and a
group affiliated with the Islamic Jihad over what he called a "field
dispute."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309029
Ban delivers update on Goldstone follow-up
NEW YORK (Ma'an) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made no comment
Tuesday, on submissions by Israeli and Palestinian commissions tasked
with follow-up on recommendations made by the Goldstone report.
Following a request by the UN General Assembly, Ban submitted to the
body a 247-page report on progress and updates, which was described by
news wires as having "brief observations" about progress being made, but
little else.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309106
Police: Soldiers looted flotilla ships
Ynet learns military police suspect officer, soldier sold laptop
computers stolen from aid ships while they docked in Ashdod, after
controversial IDF raid. Officials say investigation likely to prove
'highly shameful' for Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939481,00.html
MK Zoabi: Killers have no problem stealing
Arab MK who was on broad Turkish ship says she isn't surprised by looting affair.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939864,00.html
Turkey must oppose Uribe appointment to flotilla probe
Mr. Prime Minister, it is an insult to the memory of those killed in the
Israeli massacre against peace activists aboard the Mavi Marmara to have
their blood "redeemed" by a man who has a record of violations against
human rights and international law.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11470.shtml
Other News
'I would gladly kill Arabs - even slaughter them'
In
new
bid to defend publishing controversial images, former IDF soldier Eden
Abergil writes on Facebook 'In war there are no rules.'
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/i-would-gladly-kill-arabs-even-slaughter-them-1.309031
Facebook page launched in support of Israeli soldier who posed with Palestinian detainees
A new Facebook page appeared in support of the Israeli soldier who
posted pictures of herself smiling in front of bound and blindfolded
Palestinian prisoners.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7952243/Facebook-
page-launched-in-support-of-Israeli-soldier-who-posed-with-Palestinian-detainees.html
Settlement rabbi arrested on suspicion of incitement to racism
Rabbi Yosef Elitzur co-authored the book 'The King's Torah' which condones the murder of non-Jews.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/
settlement-rabbi-arrested-on-suspicion-of-incitement-to-racism-1.308976
Rally held for rabbis suspected of incitement
Religious leaders gather to support rabbis who endorsed book permitting violence against non-Jews.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939519,00.html
Israel Places Order For 20 F-35s; U.S. Picks Up The Tab
The
Israeli
Air Force expects to take delivery of the first aircraft in 2015. The
article quotes Barak saying the F-35 costs $96 million a copy.
The entire deal will be funded by American military aid.
http://defensetech.org/2010/08/16/israel-places-order-for-20-f-35-jsf-u-s-picks-up-the-tab/
U.S. support for Israel is decreasing, new poll shows
Survey conducted by U.S.-Jewish group the Israel Project asked Americans and Europeans about their views on Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
u-s-support-for-israel-is-decreasing-new-poll-shows-1.308855
Poll: Less than half of Americans think Netanyahu gov't wants peace
Survey by The Israel Project also finds Israel's standing has also declined in Germany, France and Sweden.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
poll-less-than-half-of-americans-think-netanyahu-gov-t-wants-peace-1.308866
Israel to win in Australian elections; Aussie parties support Israel
As
the
two major parties in Australia's federal election vie for the title
of Israel's most ardent backer, most Jewish leaders believe that
Australia’s longstanding, strong bilateral support for the Jewish state
will not be jeopardized regardless of the outcome.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=185166
Hamas bans Gaza's lingerie displays
Hamas has demanded that shops in Gaza stop displaying female lingerie,
the latest in a series of new rules imposed in the name of "public
morality". The most popular lingerie shop in Gaza has been told not to
display bras, underwear or nightdresses, even inside the shop. The
lingerie display rule comes after Hamas banned women from smoking shisha
on beaches or riding on motorbikes. Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports
from the Gaza Strip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GncVr9hNZGM&feature=youtube_gdata
Israel media publish new Facebook soldier-prisoner shots (AFP)
AFP - Israeli media carried new pictures on Wednesday of troops posing
with handcuffed Palestinian prisoners, two days after a former soldier
caused uproar for posting such images on Facebook.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100818/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisraelmilitaryabusefacebook
Hasbara
Illegal Israeli PR in America: Declassified
A
huge trove of newly declassified documents subpoenaed during a 1962-1964
Senate investigation reveals how Israel’s lobby pitched, promoted, and
paid to have content placed in America’s top news magazines with
overseas funding. The Atlantic (and many others others) received hefty
rewards for trumpeting Israel’s most vital – but damaging
– PR initiatives across America. The relevant documents are now online.
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/08/18/illegal-israeli-pr-in-america-declassified/
Wikipedia editing courses launched by Zionist groups
Two Israeli groups set up training courses in Wikipedia editing with aims to 'show the other side' over borders and culture
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/18/wikipedia-editing-zionist-groups
Hot-air balloon ride for 'Best Zionist Editor'
TEL
AVIV
(Ma'an) -- A powerful Israeli settlement group has offered a free
hot-air balloon ride to the winner of its new initiative to alter
articles on the online information site Wikipedia, an Israeli newspaper
reported Wednesday. The Yesha Council of settlements announced the
prize for the "Best Zionist Editor" - the person who over the next four
years incorporates the most "Zionist" changes in the encyclopedia, the
Israeli daily Haaretz reported. "The idea is not to make Wikipedia
rightist but for it to include our point of view," Naftali Bennett, the
director of the Yesha Council, told Haaretz, explaining that it and
another right-wing group, Israel Sheli, held their first course Tuesday
in Jerusalem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309063
Lobby once worked the ‘Atlantic’ and Martha Gellhorn to deprive Palestinian refugees of standing, Philip Weiss
Wonderful reporting by Grant Smith on the nascent Israel lobby, and the fact that the American Zionist Council (or
AZC)
in the 1960s worked hard to oppose efforts by American presidents to
bring justice to the refugees expelled from Palestine and Israel in '48.
(I have written about this myself,
showing that over several decades American presidents sought to honor
the refugees' rights; Smith fills out the picture). The lobby did so by
working the media and, as always, cultivating elites-- "molders" of
opinion.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/lobby-once-worked-
the-atlantic-and-martha-gellhorn-to-deprive-palestinian-refugees-of-standing.html
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Women breaking barriers
Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency recently published a report
about two sisters from the Gaza Strip, aged 13 and 16, who went to work
in the fishing industry to support their family following their father’s
illness. The report drew much interest and was translated and published
on several Arabic language websites. True, it is out of the ordinary
for two girls in a conservative society to find themselves in a
field, or sea, as it were, usually reserved for men, but considering the
difficult situation in Gaza– 39.3% unemployment in the second quarter
of 2010, with the number of people living in abject poverty rising in
the last two years from 100,000 to 300,000 according
to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the
Occupied Territory–many women are taking the initiative to try and earn
a living to help their families make ends meet.
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/08/women-breaking-barriers/
Justifying Pogroms and Infanticide
With thick beards, wide-brimmed hats, black suits and long curls, almost
300 rabbis and settlers filled the Conference for the Independence of
Torah last night in Jerusalem's Ramada Renaissance Hotel. From wrinkled
elders to pimply adolescents, they all came to proclaim rabbinical
autonomy from the law. Rabbis should be able to argue within their
religious teachings without legal consequence - even if they call for
blood.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1519
Playing the Never Again Card, Again, Jeff Gates
The phony intelligence used to induce our March 2003 invasion of Iraq
has been dusted off. This time it's being deployed to take us into
Iran. Same scam. Same storyline. Same fraud—even featuring some of the
same players. Except that this time around their deception lacks the
broader context required to gain traction for their phony content. That
key difference makes today’s perpetrators far more transparent—for those
willing to look. Those foisting on us this latest fraud also face
another challenge: Americans now realize it was Israel and its advocates
who fixed that false intelligence around a Zionist agenda. That
realization adds combustibility to the facts now fueling Israel’s
fast-fading legitimacy.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16211
Modern or Throwback, Zionist State is Wrong
I
used to use the argument "Israel as an ethnic-based exclusively Jewish
state is a throwback to earlier centuries, and modern states are secular
and non-exclusive." I used it until someone completely tore it to
pieces. He was right. The issue isn't that the state of Israel is a
good thing or not. It definitely was illegitimately created by expelling
the majority Palestinian population and creating a Jewish ethnocracy.
It's also an expansionist Western colonial settler-state based on theft
and oppression (not just in the West Bank but from 1948 on). But don't
use the “not a modern state” argument.
http://beatnikmalcontent.blogspot.com/2010/08/modern-or-throwback-zionist-state-is.html
I am a Palestinian-American, and people tell me about my freedom, Sara Nasrallah
Flipping through a book of I.D.s from each country and territory in the
world we keep around at my job (the number one capitalist and
pro-American entity: a bank), I look for a picture of a Palestinian
I.D. It is a thick book with multiple pictures from each country,
detailing the special feature each I.D. has, used to make sure we do not
get a fraudulent I.D. I see Israeli I.D.'s of course. So I keep looking
and searching through pages. Maybe it’s under “territories”, or maybe
they have a section for occupied territories? I find nothing. I
commented:”There is no Palestinians I.D. in here.” My co-worker, who has
been to Israel and is an ultra Christian, quickly responds “no country,
especially the U.S. will declare Palestine as a legitimate state.” I
have nothing to say to him. The land I am from, the I.D. I possess
(which I believe is the most important piece of paper I hold) are
illegitimate according to the banks and apparently to any legal
institution in the United States.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/
i-am-a-palestinian-american-and-people-tell-me-about-my-freedom.html
Im Tirtzu's onslaught / No to the thought police
If the face of Zionism resembles that of Im Tirzu and its funders, we should consider a face transplant.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/im-tirtzu-s-onslaught-no-to-the-thought-police-1.308670
It’s better not to ask questions, MuzzleWatch by Sydney Levy
Here’s
a lesson in democracy. In preparation for the upcoming November
elections a group of local activists sent a questionnaire to the 85
candidates from their county running for seats in the state legislature.
They hoped the information they’d receive would encourage debate and
allow voters to make better decisions at the ballot box. What did they
get instead? They got slammed. Their survey was called “abhorrent and
repulsive,” and the newspaper that brought the charges against them
ignored their calls for a reasonable policy debate and did not allow
them to respond with as little as a letter to the editor.
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2010/08/19/its-better-not-to-ask-questions/
The Israeli Images, FARZANA VERSEY
Eden Abergil is, quite rightly, confounded. She cannot “understand
what’s wrong” about her posting pictures of herself, a former Israeli
soldier, posing with blindfolded Palestinian prisoners and uploading
them on her Facebook page. As a member of the Israeli armed force not
only was she expected to resort to violence, but to hate the very idea
of Palestine. The outrage her social networking has sparked off is
merely a facile reaction. Why does a military spokesperson describe her
behaviour as “disgraceful” when far worse happens on the ground? The
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson, captain Arye Shalicar said:
"It was just something very foolish and stupid – and I hoped there
wouldn't be any media interest."
http://www.counterpunch.com/versey08182010.html
And the State, is It Loyal?, Neve Gordon
Several weeks ago, hundreds of students demonstrated in front of
Ben-Gurion University's administration building. About a third of the
protestors were expressing their opposition to the government’s decision
to attack the relief flotilla, while the remaining two thirds came to
support the government. At one point the pro-government protesters began
chanting: ‘No citizenship without loyalty!’ While loyalty is no doubt
an important form of relationship both in the private and public
spheres, unpacking its precise meaning in the Israeli context reveals a
disturbing process whereby the democratic understanding of politics is
being inverted.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16212
Israel isn't nice to her friends
A
leading Israeli official has provided the latest insight into Israel's
dilemma in the Middle East. The article is ostensibly about the dilemma
of the "eastern front," or Israel's border with Jordan, but what Ephraim
Sneh describes, inadvertently it seems, is actually a long-standing
dilemma of Israeli policy, and perhaps its very identity.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=118325
Lebanon
12 Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace
BEIRUT: The guidance directorate of the Lebanese Army issued a statement
on Wednesday announcing that Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace,
contravening Resolution 1701. According to the statement, eight Israeli
jets violated Lebanese airspace over the southern village of Rmeish at
10:30 am and performed circular maneuvers in the skies over all Lebanese
areas, before leaving Lebanese airspace above the coastal town of
Naqoura at 11 am. Also, at 10:35 am, two Israeli jets violated Lebanese
airspace over the northern city of Byblos and performed circular
maneuvers over the Riyaq and Baalbek areas before leaving Lebanon at
11:50 am above the coastal town of Naqoura. At 10:40 am, two Israeli
jets violated Lebanese airspace over the northern city of Byblos and
performed circular maneuvers over all Lebanese areas before leaving
Lebanon at 11:50 am above the coastal town of Naqoura, it said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118350#axzz0wzc4PCbG
IAF Sets New Guidelines in Case of War with Hezbollah, Hamas
18/08/2010 Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post published a report on
Tuesday in which it said that the Israeli Air Force set new guidelines
for flying in airspace in case of war with Hezbollah and Hamas. The
report said that in a future war with Hezbollah and Hamas, there would
likely be thousands of missiles fired into the Zionist entity. In
response, Israel will likely fire hundreds, if not thousands, of
interceptors. “With such a busy airspace, how does the Israel Air
Force’s fleet of helicopters, fighter jets and drones fit in? This
question was at the center of a study conducted by the IAF aimed at
setting new guidelines for flying in airspace filled with enemy missiles
and Israeli interceptors,” the Israeli daily added.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=150739&language=en
Israel, Lebanon oppose border escalation: UN force (AFP)
AFP - Israel and Lebanon are both opposed to a military escalation along
their shared border, the head the UN force deployed in south Lebanon
said on Thursday, two weeks after deadly frontier skirmishes.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100819/wl_afp/mideastconflictlebanonisraelun
Hariri praises handover of STL 'evidence'
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri emphasized on Wednesday his
commitment to the UN probe into his father former Prime Minister Saad
Hariri's assassination and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) as the
appropriate authority to seek justice.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118357
Lebanon to investigate "false witnesses" in Hariri's assassination
BEIRUT,
Aug.
18 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese cabinet on Wednesday tasked a minister to deal
with the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)'s "false
witnesses" after Hezbollah called for such a move. "The cabinet tasked
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar to follow up the issue with the Lebanese
judiciary and prepare a report on the matter," announced Lebanese
Minister of Information Tarek Metri. Following the cabinet session,
Agriculture Minister Hussein al- Hajj Hassan, a Hezbollah official, said
he was "satisfied" with the cabinet's decision.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/19/c_13451374.htm
Jumblatt: There's Need to Keep Saad Hariri as Prime Minister
18/08/2010 The head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt
stressed that no one wants to topple the international tribunal and said
there is a need to keep Saad Hariri as prime minister. "No one wants to
topple the court. There is a Lebanese-Syrian agreement to keep it
although Syria is not involved," Jumblatt told Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.
"There is a huge difference between the tribunal and the indictment," he
said. On discussions about toppling the government, Jumblat said:
"Better live in a country that has a government then a country in
vacuum." "There is a need to keep Saad Hariri as prime minister," he
added. In other remarks to As-Safir daily, Jumblatt said that
parliament's decision to grant Palestinians fuller employment rights was
a modest step. He thanked Speaker Nabih Berri, however, for insisting on
adopting a consensual approach in dealing with the issue. Jumblatt
vowed to continue efforts to adopt the remaining rights no matter how
hard and "bumpy" the road was.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=150796&language=en
Sleiman: Equipping Army Essential for Defensive Strategy
19/08/2010
Once
again, the same scenario repeated itself in Lebanon: a national
dialogue session was held, ideas were exchanged over the country’s
defense strategy and a new date was set to proceed. The only different
thing was the meeting’s location: Beiteddine Palace, the presidential
summer residence. That’s it. After holding another fruitless session
that lasted around three hours, the national dialogue committee set
October 19 the date for the next round of talks. In a statement it
released, the committee stressed the importance of consolidating
political and security stability and commitment to decisions reached
during previous sessions, including those linked to Palestinian arms
outside refugee camps and holding onto media and political calm.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=150940&language=en
Lebanon militants: Leader slain en route to Iraq (AP)
AP
-
An al-Qaida-inspired group says its leader and a top commander were
heading to Iraq to join insurgents there when Lebanese security troops
killed them over the weekend, according to a U.S. terror-monitoring
firm.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100818/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_lebanon_militants
Report: Israel soldier offered info on Hariri killing
BEIRUT
(Ma'an)
-- A former Israeli military officer offered information about the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to the Lebanese
government, the Beirut-based Al-Diyar daily reported Wednesday. The
report, quoted by the Israeli news site Ynet, said the unnamed
ex-soldier showed up at the Lebanese embassy in Prague claiming to have
information about the 2005 car bombing that killed Hariri in Beirut.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309077
Jumblatt says he relayed Assad's concerns over Lebanese stability to US official
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt told Al-Akhbar
newspaper in comments published on Wednesday that he conveyed a message
from Syrian President Bashar Assad to US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs during a meeting last week in Paris.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118362
Palestinians rally at UNRWA to demand more rights
BEIRUT: Palestinian activists and factions gathered Wednesday near the
UN Reliefs and Works Agency (UNRWA) services manager's office in Nahr
al-Bared camp, calling for enhancing the humanitarian rights of
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118352
Israel's multi-front war on Lebanese resistance
Border clashes between Lebanon and Israel earlier this month, and
Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah's presentation of evidence that Israel
may have assassinated Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. are
much more than a routine tug-of-war between two long-time foes. Hicham
Safieddine analyzes for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11465.shtml
OPT: Serving Ein El Helweh Camp in Lebanon
Ein El Helweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon but is
squeezed into an area of roughly 1.5 square kilometers. Living
conditions for more than 70,000 refugees living there are unhealthy and
often dangerous. Human Call Hospital sits near the end of one of the
crowded streets that run through the camp in Saida, Lebanon. Hospital
Director Dr. Amer El Sammak explains that Human Call has the only clinic
open 24/7 to treat emergencies, making its services critical for the
camp's residents.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-88FLBW?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Chickenfeed for the Soul, FRANKLIN LAMB
At 3:02 p.m. on August 17 Lebanon’s Parliament began its deliberation on
granting basic civil rights to its Palestinian refugees and within four
minutes agreed to alter article 50 of Lebanon’s 1964 labor law to
theoretically make it easier for Palestinian refugees to obtain a work
permit and a job. There was no discussion of other draft bills to grant
Palestinian refugees elementary civil rights, and fifteen minutes later,
by 3:17 p.m. Parliament had agreed on the next bill involving excavating
for oil, which may bring millions to some well placed members. Many
MP’s hadn’t studied either bill.
http://www.counterpunch.com/lamb08182010.html
Amanda Abou Abdallah, "The Adventures of Salwa" (Animation)
Salwa is an ordinary woman who is sick of sexual harassment that has
become part of her daily life and decides to take matters into her own
hands. Her superpower lies in her bag.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/abdallah180810.html
Iraq
Iraq insurgents murder farmers to warn against working with US
BAQOUBA,
Iraq:
Three farmers were killed and leaflets pinned to their bodies on
Wednesday warning against cooperation with American and Iraqi forces in a
brutal act of intimidation as thousands of US troops leave.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=118317
Wednesday: 16 Iraqis Killed, 29 Wounded
The new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey, arrived in Baghdad where
he met with leaders to formally accept his new post. Baghdad was also
the scene of numerous if small attacks against government officials, but
the most gruesome attack occurred in Diyala where gunmen left the
following message on their victims: "This is the future for all those
who cooperate with the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces."
Overall, at least 16 Iraqis were killed and 29 more were wounded.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/08/18/wednesday-16-iraqis-killed-29-wounded/
Insurgents kill 5 govt employees around Iraq (AP)
AP
-
A series of attacks and roadside bomb explosions killed five Iraqi
government employees on Wednesday as insurgents maintain a steady
campaign of attacks against the country's institutions and security
forces just two weeks before the formal end of the U.S. combat role in
Iraq.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100818/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Jaafar al-Sadr : A confluence prime minister for Iraq
In
Iraq
and the wider Middle East, Jaafar needs no introduction. His father,
Mohammad Baqer al-Sadr, was the most remarkable Islamic thinker of the
20th century. He was executed without trial by Saddam Hussein, together
with Jaafar's aunt Bint al-Huda, on 8 April 1980.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=30&article_id=118336
Iraq coalition talks break down amid sectarianism claims
Coalition
talks between Iraq's main political parties remained in disarray
Wednesday amid mutual accusations of sectarianism, leaving the country
without a government more than five months after elections that were
meant to be a test of stability.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1578377.php
Questions over Iraq war funds
The
US,
which has withdrawn its last combat brigade from Iraq, has spent at
least $700 billion on the Iraq war since its start more than seven years
ago. But that figure does not include future interest payments and
long-term care for wounded soldiers. Now, there are also concerns that
funds for Iraq's reconstruction are being misspent. Al Jazeera's Tom
Ackerman has more. (18 July 2010). But 56,000 American troops remain,
most of whom will stay in Iraq until the end of next year, in what the
Obama administration says is a military, training and advisory role. The
US has spent at least $700 billion on the Iraq war. But that is not
counting future interest payments and long-term care for wounded
soldiers. There are now also concerns that funds for the reconstruction
of Iraq are being misspent. Tom Ackerman has more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6-pCeF2GeM&feature=youtube_gdata
Iran
Khamenei: No talks with US unless sanctions dropped
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that any
talks with arch-foe the US would occur only if Washington drops
"sanctions and threats" against Tehran. "The respected president
[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] and others have said that we are ready for
negotiations.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=118364
Iran To Respond If Israel Attacks
“In that case we will lose a power plant, but Israel’s existence will be
in danger,” Ahmad Vahidi was cited as saying today by the state-run Mehr
news agency, in response to questions about the possibility of an
attack by Israel on the Russian-built atomic facility at Bushehr.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-17/
iran-threatens-israel-s-existence-if-it-attacks.html
Russia defends Iran nuclear plant ahead of launch
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the controversial power plant
as an "anchor" that would keep Iran firmly fixed to peaceful use of
nuclear energy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100818/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsrussia
Ahmed Moor: America Cannot Go to War for Israel
The
mongrel dogs of war are foaming at the bit. For years they've cowered in
their damp trenches, bristling in the heat. But they're back now.
They've gathered their sagging flesh and cast their milky, crusty eyes
at Iran. The mongrel dogs of war are planning another war. The Zionists
Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeffrey Goldberg and George Will
want young American men and women to attack Iran on behalf of Israel.
These are the same men who wanted young American men to attack Iraq. But
Iran is not Iraq, and many thousands of Americans will die in the next
war. This will not be a cakewalk or a slam dunk. And no enwreathed
children will greet Americans in the streets with lily-white flower
petals.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ahmed-moor/america-cannot-go-to-war-_b_682467.html
U.S. and Other World News
Poll: Growing number incorrectly call Obama Muslim
US
survey
based on interviews conducted before controversy over ground zero
mosque shows 18% think their president is Muslim, up from 11% who said
so in March 2009.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939636,00.html
Muslims brace for backlash over Sept. 11 Eid el Fitr celebrations
U.S. Muslim organizations ask police to be vigilant due to fear that
Americans will misinterpret Muslim celebrations on anniversary of 9/11
terror attacks.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/
muslims-brace-for-backlash-over-sept-11-eid-el-fitr-celebrations-1.308966
Exclusive: Obama's pledge to close down Guantanamo is 'not even close'
Commander says camp will take months to shut – and he's still waiting for the order
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/
exclusive-obamas-pledge-to-close-down-guantanamo-is-not-even-close-2056370.html
WikiLeaks: Pentagon ready to discuss Afghan files
WikiLeaks: Pentagon says willing to discuss request for help in
reviewing Afghan war documents WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said
Wednesday the Pentagon has expressed willingness to discuss the online
whistleblower's request for help in reviewing classified documents from
the Afghan war and removing information that could harm civilians.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0818/wikileaks-pentagon-ready-discuss-afghan-files/
US military denies Wikileaks talks
Pentagon dismisses website's claims it wants talks on release of new Afghan war documents.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2010/08/201081817315332737.html
Blackwater Founder Moves to Abu Dhabi, Records Say
Erik
Prince,
whose company, Blackwater Worldwide, is for sale and whose former top
managers are facing criminal charges, has left the United States and
moved to Abu Dhabi, according to court documents.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/world/18blackwater.html?_r=2
Muslim Disneyland Employee: Park Banned My Head Scarf
ANAHEIM,
Calif.
— A Muslim woman who works as a hostess at a Disneyland restaurant
alleged Wednesday the theme park would not allow her to appear in front
of customers while wearing her head scarf. Imane Boudlal, 26, appeared
outside the resort's Grand Californian Hotel after
filing a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. She said when she wore the hijab to work Sunday, her
supervisors told her to remove it, work where customers couldn't see
her, or go home. Boudlal, who wore the scarf in observance of Ramadan,
chose to go home but reported to work for the next two days and was told
the same thing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/19/muslim-disneyland-employe_n_687435.html
AP fact check: Islam ‘already part of WTC neighborhood’
WASHINGTON
(AP)
-- A New York imam and his proposed mosque near ground zero are being
demonized by political candidates - mostly Republicans - despite the
fact that Islam is already very much a part of the World Trade Center
neighborhood.
http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/rawstory/gKpz/%7E3/Yy-EwLNpnuU/
Howard Dean: Move NYC mosque
Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean says the
Muslim community center and mosque being planned near the World Trade
Center site is an "affront" to people who lost loved ones in the 9/11
attacks, and the center should be moved elsewhere.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0818/howard-dean-move-nyc-mosque/
US spending $16,000 for imam's Mideast tour
American taxpayers will pay the imam behind plans for a mosque near the
Manhattan site of the Sept. 11 attacks $3,000 in fees for a three-nation
outreach trip to the Middle East that will cost roughly $16,000, the
State Department said Wednesday.
http://www.mail.com/Article.aspx/politics/whitehouse/APNews/
White-House/20100818/U_US-Ground-Zero-Mosque-Imam?pageid=1
Governor seeks 9/11 mosque talks
"Nazis
don't
have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in
Washington," Mr. Gingrich said on Fox News this week. "We would never
accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no
reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/
ny-governor-hopes-to-block-plans-for-mosque-near-ground-zero-2055268.html
Mosque-Erade; What Political Courage Looks Like, Glenn Greenwald
Sharif
El-Gamal,
categorically refused even to consider backing down. He made
clear that Park 51 has the absolute constitutional right to build a
community center in Lower Manhattan, and refused even to acknowledge the
toxic notion that Muslims generally somehow bear responsibility for the
9/11 attack.
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/08/17/courage/index.html
Mosque-Issippi Burning
Does
anyone seriously say that there shouldn’t be a Christian church near the
site of the Oklahoma City bombing, just because Timothy McVeigh was a
Christian?
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/mosque-issippi_burning_20100817/
Victimization and a Cultural Center, Dan Lieberman
The polarizing debate continues, gathering steam with political
implications; mosque or no mosque on Park Place, two city blocks from
‘ground zero.’ Guided by emotions, all of which are not entirely clear,
and by spurious concepts, which proceed from conditioned thought, the
negative reactions to the construction of an Islamic complex in New York
City disintegrate from the force of logic and analysis. The antis to
the project view the world more by slogans than by objectivity. They
eagerly co-opt the 9/11 tragedy as a driving force in their lives and
establish themselves as the victims, which simplifies their
controversial decisions; after all victims cannot be perpetrators, and
therefore cannot be wrong.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/08/victimization-and-a-cultural-center/
Isn't Tolerance an American Virtue?, George S. Hishmeh - Washington, D.C.
Observing
the shameful and venomous debate raging in the US over plans for a
Muslim civic centre and a mosque in downtown Manhattan two blocks from
Ground Zero, I could not help but recall the time when my father took me
to visit Syria and Jordan while I was a student at the American
University of Beirut. One of the most striking revelations for me, as a
Christian, was seeing the tomb where the head of John the Baptist was
said to lie inside the famous Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16209
Eid al-Fitr, 9/11, and my status in America, Sami Kishawi
I
came across a news headline that said “Eid festival expected to fall on
9/11. US protesters demand it be moved to another day out of respect for
victims”. This isn’t just ridiculous or absurd. This is blatant
prejudice. And this is my testimonial. For those who might not know,
Eid al-Fitr is a celebration or festival that Muslims observe to mark
the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Just like other Muslim holidays,
it’s a strictly religious and cultural affair. It celebrates the end of
the fasting period and the beginning of a purified way of life. There is
absolutely no political significance to it whatsoever.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/eid-al-fitr-911-and-my-status-in-america.html |
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