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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Settlements/Land Theft and Destruction
Sinjil lands declared closed zones following settler
provocation
Ramallah – Ma'an – At least 40 armed settlers accosted Palestinian
farmers working near Sinjil village on Tuesday, prompting the arrival of
Israeli forces, who declared the area a closed military zone, locals
reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271014
Israel warns 8 families of demolishing their houses
West Bank, March 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation
authorities delivered demolition warnings against eight Bedouin in the
area of Ras Khamis, near Shuafat camp east of occupied Jerusalem. The
official for Jerusalem portfolio in Fatah, Hatem Abd Al-Kader said: "All
of Mohammed, Hassan and Hatem Krishan received demolition warnings
against their homes in the coming period."
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4983-
israel-warns-8-families-of-demolishing-their-houses
Israel issues demolition orders against 8 homes in
O. Jerusalem
The Israeli municipal council in Jerusalem issued demolition orders
against eight Palestinian homes in Ras Shehadeh and Issawiya as a
prelude to initiating the project of Shaare Hamizrah settlement.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Israeli settlers prevent farmers from reaching their
lands in Nablus
Nablus, March 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -
Israeli Settlers stopped today number of farmers from Qaryut village,
southeast of Nablus in the West Bank and prevented them from reaching
their land. The official of West Bank settlements file, Ghassan
Douglas, said to SAFA news agency: "The settlers of Rachel settlement,
which adjacent to the village, prevented the farmers from reaching their
land for plowing them then forced them to return at gunpoint while no
injuries were reported." Also, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian
farmers from Senjel village, north Ramallah, and prevented them from
entering their lands.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/4988-
israeli-settlers-prevent-farmers-from-reaching-their-lands-in-nablus
Study: $17 billion spent on settlement infrastructure
Israeli settlements in the West Bank encompass 12 million square meters
of roads, homes and factories that cost more than $17 billion to build,
according to a study by the Macro Center for Political Economics. Using
satellite imagery and other technology, the research institute mapped
every home and structure put up in the settlements. Its work was the
result of a years-long effort to gauge the total value of the Jewish
settlement enterprise in the West Bank. The findings will be unveiled
Tuesday at a conference.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158308.html
Netanyahu
tells AIPAC: Jerusalem is no settlement
WASHINGTON ;
Jerusalem is not a settlement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told
thousands of participants at AIPAC's annual conference here on Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158341.html
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott,Sanctions
and
Divestment
CODEPINK activists disrupt Netanyahu (and use the
AIPAC director’s table to do it)
This week almost 8,000 people from all 50 states are in DC lobby for
violence and to incite suffering and warfare. No, it’s not the NRA. It’s
the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual
policy conference, which this year focusses on asking Congress for
tightening sanctions on Iran and continued military aid to Israel. The
conference crescendo moment was the gala on Monday night, during which
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed AIPAC.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/
codepink-activists-disrupt-netanyahu-and-use-the-aipac-directors-table-to-do-it.html
Hundreds
Protest
Jerusalem’s Mayor Visit to London
Hundreds of Arabs,
Muslims and British nationals held a protest on Monday evening in the
center of the British Capital, London, to protest the visit of Jerusalem
Mayor, Nir Barkat, who was invited to speak in London.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58260
Demonstration in front of United Nations HQ Gaza
To mark
the International Water Day, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees
(UAWC) organised a demonstration in front of United Nations Head
Quarters in the Gaza Strip. Approximately 100 farmers and
representatives of various civil society organisations gathered together
to send a clear message to the United Nations and the International
Community that the current water situation in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories is dangerous and cannot be overlooked. After a number of
speeches, the organizers of the demonstration presented a letter to Ban
Ki Moon asking for the Palestinians’ right to water to be protected.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/03/11869
Protest outside Dutch parliament against Israel’s
violations in J’lem
The Palestinian forum in the Netherlands staged a sit-in outside the
parliament building in The Hague in protest at the Israeli violations in
occupied Jerusalem and its environs.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Lebanese children raise funds to build kindergarten
in Gaza
BEIRUT: The head of the United Nations' humanitarian
mission in Gaza visited Lebanon on Monday to receive funding to build a
kindergarten in the besieged enclave, in a project constituting
"tangible, positive action."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=113034
Underwater Activism
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2010/03/falastin.html
Provocation/Violence
and
Aggression Against Palestinians
Settlers
Attack
Farmers At Different Locations In The West Bank
Armed
Israeli settlers attacked on Tuesday Palestinian farmers at deferent
location in the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58265
'Pitchfork remained on ground during purported
attack'
Military police investigation soon to be launched following initial
findings on killing of two Palestinians in pitchfork incident near
Nablus. Debriefing on Sunday's events at Awatra reveal discrepancies in
military reports.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3866347,00.html
Israeli airstrike on Gaza injure four: Palestinians
(AFP)
AFP - An Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip overnight Monday injured
four Palestinians, Palestinian security officials and witnesses said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100323/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictgazaairstrike
Israel launches fresh Gaza air raid
Five
injured in second such attack in days amid rocket fire from blockaded
strip.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/03/201032304929107703.html
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank,
bomb Gaza tunnels
During the past three days, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in
the West Bank and struck targets in the Gaza Strip. The bodies of two
West Bank victims were examined by a doctor who told the Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights that the victims' wounds indicate that they were
shot from a close range.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11153.shtml
PA police: Israeli forces continue West Bank assaults
Ramallah
–
Ma'an – Israeli forces raided three villages in the north and central
parts of the West Bank overnight and erected a flying checkpoint at the
entrance to one village, Palestinian police reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270678
Row grows over West Bank deaths
An Israeli human rights group calls for an investigation into the deaths
of two Palestinians, apparently caused by live bullets.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/middle_east/8580150.stm
Pictures From A Tragic Weekend
A tragic
weekend in the villages around Nablus claimed the lives of four young
men. Two died following a demonstration in Iraq Burin, apparently with
live ammunition, a claim denied by the military. On Sunday two more were
killed in the Awarta checkpoint. Below are pictures of the demonstration
and its consequences. All Pictures by FLV.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1314
Influential blogger shot at W Bank demo, Philip
Weiss
Didi Remez, a blogger who has been an invaluable news source for
those tracking the Israeli media, was shot in the leg with a plastic
bullet at the same Friday demo in Nabi Saleh at which Emily Stark of
ISM was shot, and at
which Huwaida Arraf was arrested. I love the photo above
[Remez is in the black jacket] because it offers a glimpse, as so many
action shots from West Bank demos do, of Jews and Palestinians
struggling together. Change my world, people.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/influential-blogger-shot-at-w-bank-demo.html
Israeli forces ransack homes following Friday
protests
Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli forces ransacked the homes
of several anti-wall activists in the southern West Bank overnight
Friday, threatening to torture them and their families if they continued
organizing protests in Beit Ummar, an official said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270949
Detainees
Palestinian Organizer Tortured in Israeli Jail
Jonathan
Pollak
- PSCC press release - Following a short hearing, the judge harshly
criticized the prosecution and police, saying there is no evidence
connecting Alaaeddin to any violence and ordered his unconditioned
release on bail.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=38953
PA Police: Israel detains 4, raids Jenin, refugee
camp
Ramallah – Ma'an – Israeli raids targeted Jenin and the Far'a refugee
camp north of Nablus overnight Monday, with four detained and three
released, a police report said. The public relations office of the
Palestinian police in the West Bank said Israeli soldiers detained three
from the Askar refugee camp on allegations of knife possession.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270897
Abbas’s militias kidnap 11 Hamas members in West
Bank areas
Mahmoud Abbas’s militias kidnapped on Monday 11 Palestinian citizens
affiliated with Hamas during raids on the cities of Nablus, Tulkarem,
Al-Khalil, Ramallah and Qalqiliya.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Hamas condemns sentencing of affiliates in West Bank
court
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Hamas members of the Palestinian Legislative Council
in Ramallah condemned on Monday a military court sentence handed down to
four of its affiliates detained in a Palestinian Authority intelligence
services prison. According to the Hamas lawmakers, the Palestinian
Supreme Court had called for the release of the four detained
affiliates, identified as Muhammad Judeh Abu Shalbak, Ahmad Sh'aban Abu
Kuwek, Khalid Jamil As-Seraj and Saif Al-Qadi.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270684
Israeli court extends solitary confinement of
Barghouthi
The Israeli central court decided on Monday to extend the solitary
confinement of Abdullah Al-Barghouthi, a Hamas commander, for six more
months.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Humanitarian
Issues/Human
Rights/Restriction of Movement
Gaza civil society to UN chief: siege more than
"unacceptable"
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the blockade of Gaza
"unacceptable" on 27 December 2009. Palestinian civil society
organizations in Gaza assert that this "constitutes a gross
understatement of the actual situation which amounts to slow genocide.
Such an understatement suggests that you are trimming your language to
accommodate US pro-Israeli policy."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11152.shtml
World Water Day: Thirsty Gaza residents battle
salt, sewage
Untreated pools of sewage, some as large as 100
acres, seep back into the sole aquifer that provides freshwater for
Gaza’s 1.5 million people. Aid workers are looking at new ways to
replenish the aquifer, this World Water Day.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0322/
World-Water-Day-Thirsty-Gaza-residents-battle-salt-sewage
Water Day Doesn't Quench Growing Thirst of Gazans,
Dr. Mona El-Farra - Gaza
Toni Morrison wrote, "All water has a
perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was." I
feel it is the same for Palestinian refugees, who have struggled for
decades for their right to return home. I thought of this connection
between water and refugees during a recent meeting about the Middle East
Children's Alliance's (MECA) Maia Project with Mr. Aidan O'Leary, Deputy
Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza. UNRWA provides assistance,
protection and advocacy for 4.7 million Palestinian refugees in the West
Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. We are working with
UNRWA to install locally-made water purification and desalination units
in their schools. Mr. Oeley expressed his total appreciation for the
Maia Project and stressed that providing clean drinking water to
children is among the highest priorities and needs for Gaza schools. Mr.
John Ging, UNRWA's Director of Operations in Gaza, also expressed his
admiration for the Maia Project.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15830
Freedom of Association Restrictions in Occupied
Palestine, Israel
A December 2009 Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network "Monitoring
Report on Freedom of Association in the Euro-Mediterranean Region"
assessed it in EU and Middle East countries, including Israel and
Occupied Palestine, the topic of this article.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15828
Zionism
'Current Knesset is the most racist in Israeli
history'
The Israeli government passed at least 21 bills aimed at
discriminating against the country's Arab citizens making the current
Knesset as being the most racist Israeli parliament since the country's
founding, according to a report released Sunday by civil rights groups.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157857.html
Lenient sentence in Malul case appealed
Today (18 March '10), the military prosecution appealed the light
punishment imposed on First Lt. Adam Malul last week for assaulting
Palestinians, demanding he be demoted to private and sentenced to
prison.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Beating_and_Abuse/20100318_
JAG_Appeal_Light_sentence_in_security_forces_violence_case.asp
MK proposes creating special town for African
refugees
Yaakov Katz (National Union) wants to fight African work immigration
'threatening Jewish state' by setting up designated town in south 'less
glamorous' than Tel Aviv, where refugees would work. MK Khenin slams
proposal.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3866809,00.html
Political
Developments and Diplomacy
Fatah, Hamas leaders hold talks in Gaza and Damascus
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Meetings were held between rival factions Fatah and
Hamas on Monday in Gaza and Damascus in order to reach a unity deal, a
Fatah Central Committee member said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270772
Erekat: Israel prefers belligerency over commitment
to peace
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief PLO negotiator, Saeb
Erekat, condemned on Monday the killing of Palestinian civilians and the
continuation of Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. Erekat
said Israel's decision to defy international calls for a settlement
freeze in
occupied East Jerusalem would prove fatal for the two-state solution, a
statement read.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270682
Ashkenazi: Hamas wants Gaza, not violence
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Hamas fighters were not behind the recent projectile
launches from Gaza, Israel army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told
Knesset members on Tuesday, Israeli media reported. Speaking at the the
Knesset's security and foreign affairs committee, Ashkenazi said Hamas
was more interested in maintaining its rule over Gaza than escalating
violence with Israel, since it would cause the collapse of the state of
appeasement in Gaza and risk shuffling the deck in the Strip, the
Israeli Hebrew-language daily Ma'ariv wrote.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270917
Britain to expel Israeli diplomat over Dubai hit
passports
Britain will expel an Israeli diplomat over the use of forged British
passports in the assassination of Hamas chief Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in
Dubai, a British Foreign Office official said on Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158345.html
MK Eldad compares the British with dogs
Jerusalem,
March
23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Member of Knesset Arieh Eldad accused the
British government of behaving hypocritically and compared it to dogs,
after Britain’s accusations against Israel over the assassination of a
Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai and its threats to expel an
Israeli diplomat from London over Dubai passport row. When asked about
the comparison, Eldad responded that “I was just quoting what was said
in Latrun 62 years ago. I think the British are hypocrite and I do not
wish to insult dogs here, since some dogs show true loyalty. Who gave
the British the right to judge us?”
http://www.paltelegraph.com/world/world-news/4994-
mk-eldad-campers-the-british-government-to-dogs
MK
Eldad: Israel should expel a British official in return
After
Britain on Tuesday expelled an Israeli diplomat over the use of forged
British passports by suspected killers of a Hamas commander in Dubai, MK
Aryeh Eldad said that Israel should do the same in turn.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158393.html
Israeli settlements buried two-state solution:
expert (Reuters)
Reuters - A dovish Israeli expert who predicted Israel's settlement
campaign would perpetuate its control of the occupied West Bank said
pursuing a two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a
"waste of time."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100323/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_talks
EU condemns Israel over east Jerusalem
European Union says intent to continue building in controversial area
represents obstacle to international peace efforts. 'We ask for a total
freeze of settlement activity,' says Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos.
'We will pursue this policy'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3866523,00.html
Hamas should be part of Mideast peace talks: Lula
(AFP)
AFP - A negotiated Middle East peace will only be possible if Iran, the
Islamist Hamas movement and the Shiite Hezbollah military group are part
of the dialogue, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said
Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100322/wl_mideast_afp/mideastbrazilirandiplomacy
Clinton, Netanyahu show clashing Jerusalem views
(AP)
AP - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented dueling positions on
Jerusalem construction Monday, underlining a recent spat between the
allies while simultaneously suggesting the incident is behind them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100323/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_israel_clinton
Clinton's message to Israeli lobby
Secretary
of
state says new settlement building hurting Middle East peace hopes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7q_mXnzta4&feature=youtube_gdata
Other News
Palestinians increasingly back 1-state
"The
results
show a decline in the Palestinians support for the two-state solution,"
Waleed Ladadweh, a researcher with the Palestinian Center for
Policy and Survey Research told The Media Line. "From 64 percent in
December 2009 to 57 percent in this poll." Dr Nabil Kukali, Director of
the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, agreed that Palestinian
public opinion is trending towards a bi-national state.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=171559
'Haaretz
fiddled with Obama poll'
Pollster says paper used figures misleadingly to make Obama look good.
Haaretz misled readers to give the impression that an overwhelming
majority of Israelis see US President Barack Obama as “fair and
friendly” toward the country, the newspaper’s pollster, Tel Aviv
University professor Camil Fuchs, said on Sunday. Both the English and
Hebrew editions of Friday’s Haaretz led with the headline “Poll: Most
Israelis see Obama as fair, friendly toward Israel.” The English
edition elaborated near a picture of Obama that “69% say Obama is fair
and friendly.” The story itself gives no numbers, but the lead says “A
sweeping majority of Israelis think his treatment of this country is
friendly and fair.”
The English edition contains no graphic distributing the actual numbers,
either online or in print.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=171506
American street wants Obama to ‘get tough’ on
settlements, Philip Weiss
New Arab
American Institute poll shows that 42 percent of Democrats have a
favorable view of Israel and 92 percent of Republicans do. 20 percent of
Dems are favorable toward Netanyahu, 84 percent of Republicans. AAI
says that 40 percent (the plurality) of all Americans say that
settlements should be stopped (to a third who say they’re legit); and
that by 40 to 26 percent Americans say that we should "get tough" with
Israel on settlements/we should let them be.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/american-street-wants-obama-to-get-tough-on-settlements.html
Former Obama Aide New Head of AIPAC
Lee
“Rosy” Rosenberg, a jazz recording industry veteran capitalist who
accompanied U.S. President Barack Obama on his campaign trip to Israel
two years ago, takes over on Sunday as the new president of American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Rosenberg also served on the
president’s national campaign finance committee.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136628
Egypt cancels soccer game against PA due to Israeli
involvement
Religious figure says visit to West Bank with Israeli approval would
constitute 'a show of support for the occupation'; Football Association
chief: We wanted to show solidarity with the Palestinian people'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3865945,00.html
Media Watch
Is the U.S. Consulate Cooperating in Silencing
Palestinian Activists?
Mohammed Omer, the Gazan journalist and photographer, is scheduled for a
U.S. speaking tour together with Ali Abunimah. The U.S. consulate in
the Netherlands, where Omer now resides, has put an extended hold on his
visa application, effectively cancelling the tour. Omer has lived in
the Netherlands since 2008, after he was detained and severely beaten by
the Shin Bet when he returned to Gaza from London, where he had been
awarded the prestigious Gellhorn Award for Journalism.
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2010/03/22/
is-the-us-consulate-cooperating-in-silencing-palestinian-activists/
Palestinian journalists protest outside Al-Aqsa TV
Gaza – Ma'an – Dozens of Palestinian journalists and human rights groups
rallied outside the Al-Aqsa TV station on Monday, protesting the US
Finance Ministry decision to freeze all funding for the station.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270705
The
ploys of NYT: or how to cover up Israeli murders of Palestinians, As`ad
Abukhalil
If an Israeli is killed by a Palestinian, the NYT
leaves no doubt that the Israeli was killed by a Palestinian. But when
Palestinians are killed by Israeli terrorists, the story is buried under
such layers of details and various accounts and Israeli propaganda
claims, that you are left confused not knowing what happened even when
it is clear what happened. Look at this...
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/03/ploys-of-nyt-or-how-to-cover-up-israeli.html
She's Em Bed with the Israelis: Kershner and the NY
Times, Ira Glunts
The New York Times has always been known for its pro-Israel coverage.
However, their present team of Isabele Kershner and Ethan Bronner have
raised the degree of biased reporting to a new level of distortion. The
other day, Isabele Kershner presented a "scoop" that surely made her
controversial boss proud. Her superior, Jerusalem Bureau Chief Ethan
“AbuBenTzali*” Bronner, has been criticized for his lack of objectivity,
but his colleague Kershner showed that she too can compose pro-Israel
news stories.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15829
Analysis/Opinion/Human
Interest
Norman Finkelstein Responds to Clinton, Netanyahu
AIPAC Comments
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told
attendees at the AIPAC onference on Monday that the US commitment to
Israel is “rock-solid” but Clinton did criticize Israel for continuing
to build settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. In a defiant speech
hours after Clinton’s address, Netanyahu rejected US criticism and vowed
to continue building settlements. We speak with Norman Finkelstein,
author of the new book, “This Time We Went Too Far: Truth &
Consequences of the Gaza Invasion.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu
Hillary
tells AIPAC, the occupation is hurting the US around the world, Philip
Weiss
I think there was much to celebrate in Hillary
Clinton’s speech to AIPAC. Couched in the usual pandering of the special
relationship forever, and sanctions that "bite" Iran, she made a point
of breaking the news to American Jews that the "status quo is
unsustainable." Yes, she said this
had to do with "demographics," a veiled form of racism involving the
Palestinian birthrate, but she mentioned the "occupation," and the
"humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, and the inhuman blockade, and the need
for Palestinians to have a "partner" for negotiation.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/
hillary-tells-aipac-the-occupation-is-hurting-the-us-around-the-world.html
AIPAC punked by false press release saying it
pressures Israel on settlements, Philip Weiss
Is J Street finally getting traction? Brilliant
fake AIPAC press release showed up on Al Jazeera and all over CSPAN
during Hillary’s speech to the policy conference. I bought it! This just
drives the wedge between AIPAC and J Street and gives AIPAC a stinko
headline when it’s trying to affirm the special relationship and attack
Iran. At TPM, Justin Elliott
says settlements aren’t even on AIPAC’s issues page.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/
aipac-punked-by-false-press-release-saying-it-calls-for-immediate-freeze-of-settlements.html
Barghouthi: Not even Netanyahu can erase Jerusalem
history
Ramallah – Ma'an – Mustafa Barghouthi,
secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, called the
statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Washington's
AIPAC conference "lies and fabrications, attempts to falsify Palestinian
history." Speaking out against Netanyahu's statement calling the
construction of Israeli homes on occupied Palestinian land "not a
settlement," Barghouti said no attempt to "Judaize Jerusalem will delete
Palestinian history" from the city.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270862
Lies of Israel, As`ad Abukhalil
I happened to catch part of the speech by Netanyahu at AIPAC's
conference last night. You get the feeling with Netanyahu that he knows
that you know that nothing he says is truthful. Look what he says about
Fath commander, Dalal Al-Mughrabi: "A few days ago, in a public square
near Ramallah, the Palestinians named this square after a terrorist who
murdered 38 innocent Israeli civilians including 13 children, including
an American citizen, the photographer, Gail Rubin." Is this a female
commander or a Terminator? So according to the latest lies of Israeli
propaganda, Dalal managed to shoot AND kill 38 Israelis before she was
killed? That only proves my theory. Never ever believe anything Israel
says. They lied about the founding of Israel, they lied about the aims
of Zionism, they lied about how every war started and they lied about
Samir Quntar. Having met Samir Quntar, I know the cheap lies of Israel
about him full well.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/03/lies-of-israel.html
Netanyahu misreads the moment, totally, Philip
Weiss
Netanyahu’s speech to AIPAC last night reminded me of Pat Buchanan’s
famous culture wars speech in the ‘92 Republican convention, when he
cooked his goose and then-President Bush’s too. Netanyahu is equally out
of touch with the political zeitgeist. The U.S. Secretary of State comes
into AIPAC and says, we need movement on the settlements because it’s
killing our image worldwide, General Petraeus and Joe Biden were
reported to have made even stronger statements on that score last week;
and look, Netanyahu comes to the lobby and says Jerusalem is ours
forever, Jerusalem is not a settlement. He made no movement at all.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/netanyahu-misreads-the-moment-totally.html
Is this any way to run a Jewish democracy?, Philip
Weiss
A couple readers have remarked on the fact that AIPAC wouldn’t
credential me this
year. I’m hardly alone. A couple of other reporters whom I regard as
unsusceptible to brainwashing were also not credentialed. It’s a pattern
Today Politico
reports that a French documentary team lost its credentials after it
began filming an argument between Alan Dershowitz and Hadar Suskind, a
spokesman for J Street. In that Politico report, Josh Block, who
declined to credential me, tells J Street’s Amy Spitalnick to move along
when she’s talking to a reporter at the conference.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/is-this-any-way-to-run-a-jewish-democracy.html
Comment / Israel wants to push Palestinians back
into cycle of violence
Israel has been waging a bitter battle in recent months against human
rights activists and the non-violent struggle by Jews and Arabs against
the occupation. To this end, the state has made use of the most
questionable means available to it. They are attacking on all fronts,
and it is hard to believe that their actions do not represent official
policy. As such, without the citizens noticing it, Israeli democracy is
once again heading in the direction of the "democracies" of Russia and
Egypt. It began with harassment and unwarranted arrests of the leaders
of the Bil'in and Na'alin demonstrations. When these did not have their
desired effect, the army declared the area of the villages a closed
military zone on Fridays. For the next six months, whoever goes to
these areas in order to demonstrate will immediately be charged with
entering a closed military zone and will be brought to trial.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158057.html
Twilight Zone / Child's play, Gideon Levy
A shy, delicately handsome boy enters the room, a sweet smile on his
face. He has just come home from school, carrying his satchel on his
back, and his mother hugs him. This morning he went off to school in
tears, as he has every day recently. In the afternoons he stays at home,
doesn't want his friends around and is still reluctant to go out. A few
days ago, he started shouting all of a sudden: "Al-Yahud, Al-Yahud."
Sometimes he imagines he hears a dog barking, a dog like the one that
was tied to his hand during the long hours when soldiers detained him on
the street. The soldiers made him sit on a metal bench next to their
guard post; they left him there for seven hours - handcuffed,
blindfolded, with nothing to eat or drink, no bathroom, until the late
evening. He came home with wet pants - either from fear or because he
was not allowed to go to the bathroom. For 10 days he has had trouble
sleeping at night, even in bed with his mother. This week she took him
to the mental health clinic in Beit Ommar.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157429.html
Last chance for a Palestinian state
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among obsequious kowtowing to the
pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, and US Middle East envoy George Mitchell on
Monday said they were trying to prepare the ground for proximity talks
between Israel and Palestine.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=113046
Top Ten Reasons East Jerusalem does not belong to
Jewish-Israelis
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu told the American Israel Public Affairs Council on Monday that
"Jerusalem is not a settlement." He continued that the historical
connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel cannot be
denied. He added that neither could the historical connection
between the Jewish people and Jerusalem. He insisted, "The Jewish people
were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago and the Jewish people are
building Jerusalem today." He said, "Jerusalem is not a settlement. It
is our capital." He told his applauding audience of 7500 that he was
simply following the policies of all Israeli governments since the 1967
conquest of Jerusalem in the Six Day War.
http://www.juancole.com/2010/03/top-ten-reasons-east-jerusalem-does-not.html
The trials of making a film in Gaza
I am on a plane, on the way back from Palestine to my apartment -- a
quiet, private place set in rainy Amsterdam. It is there where I will
edit my film, a love story set in the Gaza Strip. I have just finished
shooting it, the first dramatic feature to be made about Gaza in more
than ten years. And it took me seven years of continuous development and
fundraising to shoot it. Susan Youssef recounts her experience for The
Electronic Intifada.http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/03/22/
americans-are-you-with-gen-petraeus-and-adm-mullen-or-with-israel/
U.S. era of Jewish and Evangelist pressure is over
A
little more than a year ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed
the largest, most wasteful and extreme coalition in Israeli history.
Tzipi Livni and Kadima may have won the most votes, but Netanyahu chose
to bond with the wackiest, most extreme elements in Israeli society - to
ensure Israel's continued hold on the territories and keep a two-state
solution at bay.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158320.html
Who is Killing Whom in Israel/Palestine?
One man dead in Israel and the whole world knows. He actually was not
Israeli, but an unfortunate immigrant worker from Thailand. We have been
told who killed him too: not by name, but by some shadowy nom de guerre,
used by jihadist groups some claim to be loosely affiliated with
al-Qaeda in Iraq and elsewhere. The unknown group in Gaza, Ansar
al-Sunna, claimed responsibility for the rocket fired into Israel that
caused the man’s death by shrapnel.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15831
AIPAC junkets buy congressmen, Philip Weiss
Tonight at
AIPAC’s gala, they will call off the names of all the congresspeople who
are in the house, toasting Israel. If you happen to see this sad
spectacle, consider this: Israel was far and away the biggest
destination for privately-funded trips by congresspeople last year,
outstripping even the U.S. According to Legistorm, legislators
made 118 privately-financed trips to Israel, at a cost of $1.2
million, way ahead of trips inside the US, $780,00, and Turkey
($266,000), and Jordan, ($250,000). And AIPAC fueled the boondoggle.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/aipac-junkets-buy-congressmen.html
Mothers' day in Palestine
Today was
mother's day in Palestine. It was not a good day for my mother. In the
morning my sister took her to an eye doctor in Hebron as her sight is
affected by her diabetes. On the way back, my sister was slapped by an
Israeli "policeman" with a ticket of 500 NIS (roughly $120) for making
what he considers an illegal turn. The stress made my mother forget a
pot of syrup on the stove and it burned through with smoke all over the
house as she was visiting with my brother in law who has cancer. I felt
bad because instead of being with them most of the day, I was in two
popular resistance events in Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. The
demonstration in Beit Jala, birth place of St. Nicholas, got a delayed
start as we negotiated with Palestinian security forces to let us
through. It was a commemoration of the murder of Rachel Corrie and it
was coincidental with Mother's day.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7966&Itemid=58
Zionism’s Dark Forces Don’t Want the Lights On, Alan
Hart
At the opening of AIPAC’s annual foreign policy
conference its new president, Lee Rosenberg, was not a happy man. As he
put it, “In recent days we have witnessed something (the Obama
administration’s initial public anger with Netanyahu and his government)
very unfortunate.” The Biden “incident”, Rosenberg said, was
“regrettable”, but Netanyahu had apologized “four separate times” and
said “the announcement” (of more Jewish construction in occupied Arab
East Jerusalem) was “hurtful and should not have been made.” Quite so,
Mr. Rosenberg. It would have been much better from Zionism’s point of
view if the announcement had not been made and Israel had just got on
with the business of de-Arabizing East Jerusalem.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25048.htm
More on AIPAC message - New Talking Points Memo, Text
of Senate Sign-On Letter
CLARIFICATION: Nothing in this post reflects secret, leaked, or
internal AIPAC documents. The Senate letter was circulating widely by
email among Senate staff as of late Friday afternoon. All the other
documents referenced here are available for anyone to see on the AIPAC
website (and links to them, on the AIPAC website, are provided).
http://peacenow.org/entries/more_on_aipac_message_on_the_hill
How the US Censors Arabs (Part ٢)
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post on my own blog entitled “How the
US Censors Arabs” which detailed two points of contention: First, the US
export controls against Sudan, Syria (and Iran, Cuba, and North Korea)
that prevent citizens of those countries from downloading certain
software, and second, HR 2278, a bill that would consider any satellite
provider which broadcasts certain channels (Al Manar, Al Aqsa, and Al
Rifadayn were all specifically mentioned) as “Specially Designated
Global Terrorists,” specifically for their alleged broadcasting of
“incitement to violence against the United States.”
http://www.kabobfest.com/2010/03/how-the-us-censors-arabs-part-%D9%A2.html
A strong Obama is good for Israel
Akiva
Eldar - Haaretz - While Netanyahu has been careful in what he said in
public, politicos surrounding him did not hide their hope that the
American president would lose, and arrive weakened at future bouts of
arm wrestling with the Israeli PM.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158309.html
Moshe Machover, "Israeli Socialism and Anti-Zionism:
Historical Tasks and Balance Sheet"
If South African apartheid could be overthrown within the present global
order and without a socialist revolution, why not Zionist apartheid? . .
. Marxists distinguish two types, two models of colonization and
colonial settler states. The difference is a structural one, regarding
the political economy of the colonization project and the resulting
settler state. In all places where decolonization occurred in the 20th
century, the settlers' economy depended on exploiting the labour power
of the indigenous people. As a result, the settlers were a relatively
small minority, far outnumbered by the indigenous people; and the
settlers needed the indigenous people, without whose labour they could
not exist. . . . Despite superficial appearances, the balance of power
was not favourable to the settlers; they could only impose their
domination by using force -- against the very people whose presence was
vital to their political economy.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/machover220310.html
Riz Khan - US and Israel: scarred relations?
Beyond the issue of settlements in Jerusalem, there has been no progress
on resuming the Middle East peace talks, and Palestinians fear that
there will be no land to negotiate about within the next few years. Riz
takes a closer look at Middle East developments and Israel-US relations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqj65wOWg5o&feature=youtube_gdata
Iraq
Monday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 8 Wounded
At least four Iraqis were killed and eight more were wounded in the
latest violence. The State of Law and Iraqiya parties have apparently
begun the process of creating a new government. Because neither party
achieved a majority victory, they are forced to ask smaller parties to
join them. This is expected to be a long, difficult process.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/03/22/monday-4-iraqis-killed-8-wounded/
New Saddam-era mass gave found in Iraq's south (AP)
AP - Iraq's Human Rights Ministry says a Saddam Hussein-era mass grave
dating to his 1991 suppression of a Shiite revolt has been unearthed in
the south.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100323/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_mass_grave
Iraq's two main Shi'ite blocs discuss merger
(Reuters)
Reuters - Iraq's two main Shi'ite political blocs,
one led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and another whose leaders have
close ties to Iran, are discussing a merger that could widen Iraq's
sectarian divide.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100323/wl_nm/us_iraq_election
GOP congressmen: Everyone agrees Iraq war a ‘horrible
mistake’
Two GOP congressmen say most Republicans on the Hill now believe the
Iraq war was a mistake, and "more than half the Republican caucus"
believes the way in which the US entered the Afghanistan war was also a
mistake.
http://rawstory.com/2010/03/gop-iraq-war-horrible-mistake/
Iraq Accuses Israel Of Stealing Ancient Manuscripts
The Iraqi Tourism Ministry accused the Israeli Mossad, Israel’s Security
Agency, of involvement in the theft and of ancient Iraqi manuscripts
that were illegally transported out of Iraq and sold in Israel. The
manuscripts are part of the Jewish archive at a number of museums in
Iraq. They were stolen by thieves and ended up in Israel, Iraqi sources
reported. Abdul-Zahra Al Taliqani, spokesperson on the Iraqi Tourism
Ministry, said that Israel did not response to a request from Iraq to
return its historical inheritance through the United Nations.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58259
Lebanon
Murr to Al-Manar: Resistance Guarantees Deterrence
against Enemy
Lebanon's National Defense Minister Elias Murr said on Monday that he
didn't examine the security agreement signed between the Internal
Security Forces (ISF) and the US embassy at the time of the first
government of former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora. In an exclusive
interview with Al-Manar, Murr said that the Lebanese Army under
President Michel Sleiman (he was the army commander at the time) paid
attention to the sensitive clauses that are causing conflicts nowadays.
These stances were removed from the agreement with the army, Murr
pointed out.
http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=130483&language=en
Arrest warrant issued for suspected spy for Israel
BEIRUT: Military prosecutor Samih al-Hajj issued Monday an arrest
warrant against Bassam Jamil Yassin for "collaborating with the Israeli
enemy, providing it with information, and assisting its forces." Hajj
postponed interrogating Yassin until the latter appoints a defense
attorney.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=113041
Palestinian refugees' job prospects should be enhanced
- study
BEIRUT: Organizations providing vocational training to Palestinians
should better coordinate efforts to improve employment opportunities, a
committee which seeks labor rights for the refugee population said
Monday.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=113035
Other
World
News
The Case of
the Holy Land Five
A decade before my father received a
65-year prison sentence, he handed me an unusual book, one that
ultimately shifted the way I perceive the world. It was titled Magic
Eye, and it contained pages of what seemed like simple multicolored
patterns. But each page had a hidden gift, a sensational truth. By
diverging your eyes, my father told me, you’ll see an unexpected image.
It seemed to challenge everything I’d ever known. I stared at the flat,
distorted artwork until it transformed into a faded silhouette and then a
three-dimensional shape like a group of dolphins or a rose-filled heart.
Years later, as I flip through the pages of my family’s narrative, I
see images that are far less whimsical, and indeed, painful.
http://www.counterpunch.com/elashi03232010.html
Arab
League
chief pushes for closer ties with Iran
The Arab League chief
wants the 22-nation bloc to engage Iran directly over concerns about
its growing influence and its nuclear activities, in a step that could
undermine U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate the country, diplomats
said Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158383.html
U.S. wants Iran sanctions that will bite, Clinton
tells AIPAC
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed Monday that the Obama
administration will not accept a nuclear armed Iran and is working on
sanctions that will bite to press it to come clean about its suspect
atomic program.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158130.html
Islamic countries pledge $850 million to develop
Darfur
The $850 million pledge for development projects in Sudan's troubled
Darfur region comes out of a one-day donor conference of Islamic
countries in Cairo Sunday, just one month after a significant Darfur
peace agreement.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0322/Islamic-countries-pledge-850-million-to-develop-Darfur |
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