Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing Erekat: Israel must extend settlement freeze
RAMALLAH
(Ma'an) -- Israel must extend its temporary moratorium on construction
in the occupied territories before Palestinians will engage in serious
peace talks, the PLO's chief negotiator said Monday. Saeb Erekat told
reporters in Ramallah that Israel should renew the slowdown when it
comes up for review on 26 September and include occupied East Jerusalem
in its mandate in addition to the West Bank. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=310136
PA official: Settlers set fire to village land NABLUS
(Ma'an)
-- Israeli settlers set lit 20 dunums of farmland on fire south
of Nablus on Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan
Doughlas said dozens of residents of the illegal Ihya outpost torched
the area of Sahel Khalet Abu Shreka, near Jalud village. Doughlas
accused settlers in the area of repeatedly provoking locals by expanding
settlements, constructing outposts, and burning land. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309935
Hebron: Israeli Military and Policemen Shut Three Palestinian Shops
Every Saturday for the last several months, Youth Against the
Settlements has led a nonviolent action – “Open Shuhada Street” – at the
entrance to the Old City of Hebron. On Tuesday, 10 August 2010 the
Israeli military and police forcibly welded shut three stores that stand
directly behind the area of the weekly Saturday action and across from
the gate of an Israeli military base. http://www.imemc.org/article/59316
Amira Hass / What West Bank road renovations say about the occupation
A response to critics appears in hints in the section on roads. The
report's summary says: "In order to deal with Israeli control of Area C,
the Palestinian Authority supported a number of enterprises to increase
access to occupied Palestinian lands. Sixteen new roads were paved at a
cost of $45 million, and 40 roads were upgraded at a cost of $12.9
million. These projects, in addition to their importance in increasing
access, contribute to economic growth, the creation of jobs and job
opportunities - and also continue to challenge the Israeli attempt to
turn the West Bank into separate cantons." Is this really a challenge
to Israeli intentions? The improved roads in Areas A and B do shorten
the time it takes to travel between various cities and towns, and create
an illusion
of geographic closeness. But people gradually forget that most of these
improved roads are meant only to connect villages, and their asphalt
cannot withstand the heavy load of traffic between Palestinian cities.
Without wanting to, they forget that what's on the other side of these
roads is out of bounds for them. Not only the notorious Route 443, but
all the other roads that Israel has paved as highways, in a massive
expropriation of Palestinian lands, serve mainly or even solely the
transportation-settlement needs of Israelis (Jews, by and large, by
virtue of being identified with settlements ). In 2004, the (Israeli )
National Security Council revealed its plan to create two separate road
infrastructures in the West Bank (a directly logical extension of the
bypass roads of the 1980s and 1990s ). Representatives of donor
countries and the World Bank were stunned by Israel's chuzpah: It
requested that donors fund part of the project. Slick talk about "the
desire to insure the fabric of Palestinian life with transportation
contiguity" did not confuse them. They understood that this was another
way to create facts on the ground. In complete agreement with the PA,
they refused.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/ amira-hass-what-west-bank-road-renovations-say-about-the-occupation-1.309641
Solidarity/Activism/Boycott,
Sanctions
&
Divestment Bethlehem district: anger against dispossession and humiliation August
21st,
2010-- Al-Masara weekly protest started today under the slogan
"together to unmask the crimes of the occupation and its soldiers
abusing the Palestinians prisoners", while in al-Walajeh children had
created a large paper mache Palestinian who could be seen climbing the
Wall. http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2348.shtml
4 British activists acquitted in anti-Ahava action
A British court has found 4 activists not guity of 'aggravated trespass'
for an action in which they shut down a store selling Israeli dead sea
beauty products. The court ruled that the company in question, Ahava
Beauty, was engaged in illegal activity by selling the products in
violation of international law. http://www.imemc.org/article/59312
Support builds for boycotts against Israel, activists say
WASHINGTON
— In May, rock legend Elvis Costello canceled his gig in Israel. Then,
in June, a group of unionized dock workers in San Francisco refused to
unload an Israeli ship. In August, a food co-op in Washington state
removed Israeli products from its shelves. The so-called “boycott,
divestment, and sanctions’’ movement aimed at pressuring Israel to
withdraw from land claimed by Palestinians has long been considered a
fringe effort inside the United States, with no hope of garnering
mainstream support enjoyed by the anti-apartheid campaign against South
Africa of the 1980s. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/08/22/ support_builds_for_boycotts_against_israel_activists_say/
23 August 2010: Water supplied in Gaza unfit for drinking; Israel prevents entry of materials needed to repair system
Almost
95 percent of the water pumped in the Gaza Strip is polluted and unfit
for drinking. This warning was recently issued by the UN Environment
Programme, the Palestinian Water Authority, the Coastal Municipalities
Water Utility, and international aid organizations. They estimate it
will take at least 20 years to rehabilitate Gaza’s underground water
system, and any delay in dealing with the problem will lead to
additional deterioration in the situation and thus might extend the
rehabilitation process for hundreds of years. Since it began its siege
on the Gaza Strip, in June 2007, Israel has forbidden the entry of
equipment and materials needed to rehabilitate the water and
wastewater-treatment systems there. The prohibition has remained despite
the recent easing of the siege. http://www.btselem.org/English/Gaza_Strip/20100823_Gaza_water_crisis.asp
Strangling Gaza The
United
Nations and the World Food Programme released on Friday a study of
Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip. A condemnation of Israel's
conduct, it describes a burgeoning catastrophe mutating dangerously and
mercilessly. “This regime has exacerbated the assault on human dignity
triggered by the blockade imposed by Israel since June 2007,” stated the
report titled Between the Fence and a Hard Place. Under Israel's thumb,
the occupation is ruining Gaza's land, sea, and mental and physical
health. http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1524
Palestinians face movement restrictions during Ramadan
AZZUN ATMA, occupied northern West Bank (IPS) - For seven years Majda
Abdul Qader Sheikh, 38, has not been allowed to visit the home of her
parents, just a few hundred meters from her house. "I tried to get a
special visitor's permit for a quick visit during the Muslim holy month
of Ramadan but I was refused," says Sheikh, mother of seven children. "I
have had no problems with the Israeli authorities, nor am I considered a
security threat," she added. http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11475.shtml
OPT: Children Coping with Trauma through Music Therapy in Nablus While
living
under occupation in the West Bank, young children are often exposed to
violence that can have severe adverse affects on their psychological
well-being. With the limited availability of professional healthcare
clinics that treat psychological disorders, many of these children go
untreated and become more detached from their emotions following
exposure to traumatic events. This has become a growing concern,
particularly in the Northern West Bank area of Nablus Governorate. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-88J4EQ?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
Israel mulls deporting migrant kids Hundreds
of
children of migrant workers in Israel are facing deportation, as part
of a government effort to preserve the Jewish character of the state.
Under a stringent set of criteria approved by Israel's cabinet, children
must have studied in an Israeli school in the past year, and their
parents must have entered Israel with a legal visa or permit for them to
be allowed to stay. But many Israelis have criticised the rules,
arguing that any civilized democracy should give rights and protection
to children born in its territory. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports
from Tel Aviv. [23 Aug 10] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_eaE2nhUZU&feature=youtube_gdata
FRAGMENTS OF GAZA LIFE
"I'm not afraid to go to hell because hell cannot be worse than Gaza."
George, a Gaza citizen. Jamila is worth ten men, affirm her friends.
She is 55. Her husband died 15 years ago. Afterwards she sent her only
two sons to study abroad. They got married and remained there. Jamila
is generous and hospitable. She always smiles despite the difficulties.
She lives alone like a number of women in Gaza. She suffers from some
ailments and the table of her kitchen seems a mini pharmacy. "Have you
written about the daily power cuts? Why you don't write about it? You
should write that we are without electricity in Gaza! http://uruknet.info/?p=m69049&hd=&size=1&l=e Hamas aims to make former Gaza settlements 'bloom'
AL-MUHARARA, Gaza Strip: Dozens of coffee shops and tiny eateries have
popped up along this stretch of Gaza’s southern coastline which was once
a popular swimming beach for the Jewish settlers of Gush Katif. Once
upon a time, this beach and the surrounding area was totally off-limits
to the 1.5-million Palestinians now living in Gaza – and reserved
exclusively for their Jewish neighbors. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/home.asp#axzz0xOAaWqZx
Israel tells schools not to teach nakba, Jonathan Cook, Foreign Correspondent
NAZARETH // Government officials warned Israeli teachers last week not
to cooperate with a civic group that seeks to educate Israelis about how
the Palestinians view the loss of their homeland and the establishment
of the state of Israel in 1948. Israel’s education ministry issued the
advisory after Zochrot – a Jewish group that seeks to raise awareness
among Israeli Jews of the events of 1948, referred to as the “nakba” by
Palestinians – organised a workshop for primary school teachers. The
ministry said the course had not been approved and told teachers not to
participate in Zochrot-sponsored activities during the coming school
year. http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100822/FOREIGN/ 708219932&SearchID=73400683661917
Israel's Arab Helpers Migrant shot at border dies GAZA
CITY
(Ma'an) -- An African migrant died Sunday from gunshot wounds sustained
Friday when Egyptian forces shot him as he attempted to illegally cross
into Israel. Medical reports released by the Al-Arish Hospital
identified the deceased as an Eritrean national, aged 25. Meanwhile, an
Egyptian security source said forces thwarted separate attempts by 19
migrants to enter Israel via Rafah in the south and the central Sinai
Peninsula. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=310128
Egypt seizes 3 smuggling tunnels
EL-ARISH,
Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian forces took control of three smuggling tunnels
along the Gaza-Egypt border and confiscated goods prepared for transfer
into the Strip on Sunday, a security source told Ma'an. The source
said Egyptian forces were carrying out a tunnel reconnaissance campaign
in the Ad-Dehnia area south of the Rafah crossing, seizing a tunnel used
to smuggle cars. The source added that this was the 13th tunnel used
for car smuggling discovered by Egyptian forces in since July. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=310010
Violence/Provocations Complaints filed against army and police for sexual assault [23 August 2010] - On 15 August 2010, DCI-Palestine and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) submitted complaints
against the Israeli army and police interrogators for the ill-treatment
and sexual assault of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy. At around 1:30am,
on 25 May 2010, units of the Israeli army entered the Palestinian
village of Beit Ummar, half-way between Bethlehem and Hebron, and
arrested A., on suspicion of having thrown stones at some unspecified
time (Voices from the Occupation and Ha'aretz Newspaper).
A.'s
hands were tied behind his back and he was blindfolded, before being
placed on the floor of a military vehicle and transferred to the Etzion
Interrogation and Detention Centre, inside the Israeli settlement
of Gush Etzion, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. During his
subsequent interrogation, A. reports that his interrogator attached a
pair of car battery jump leads to his genitals and threatened to
electrify the cable. Shortly after this occurred, A. confessed to
throwing stones on two occasions. A. was later brought before an Israeli
military court and released on bail on 1 June 2010. http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=1589&CategoryId=1
Muezzin 'attacked' in Jerusalem village
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- An Israeli citizen allegedly assaulted a muezzin,
the mosque official responsible for calling Muslims to prayer, before
announcing the end of fasting for the day on Saturday evening.
Witnesses said more than a dozen Israelis entered the mosque in the
Jerusalem village of An-Nabi Samwil minutes before the evening prayer
call signaling the end of the day's fast and attacked muezzin Barakat
Mithqal. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309840
Detainees UN Gets over 100 Complaints of Israeli Abuse of W. Bank Teenagers This Year 20/08/2010
The
way the Israeli army and police treat Palestinian minors arrested in
the occupied West Bank is the focus of complaints filed recently with
both Israeli legal authorities and the United Nations. The Palestinian
branch of Defense for Children International (DCI ) has taken affidavits
from dozens of minors who have been arrested. According to
DCI-Palestine Section, the minors' testimonies describe a policy of
routine and painful abuse, involving various forms of physical and
psychological pressure, in order to extract confessions from minors in
custody. The Association for Civil Rights in the Zionist entity and
Yesh Din, two Israeli rights groups, say the provisions of the relevant
military laws play a major role in the abuse perpetrated on imprisoned
Palestinian minors. Both groups sent a letter to Military Advocate
General Avichai Mendelblit in June with recommendations for changes in
this law. http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=151073&language=en
Documentary Film Maker Arrested in Bil’in for Filming the Demonstration
David Reeb, a long time documentary film maker who joins various weekly
protests through the West Bank was arrested yesterday in Bil’in as he
was filming the non violent protest. Despite the intense heat and high
temperature, on the second Friday in Ramadan, a sizable march organized
by the Popular Committee commenced from the center of the village right
after the Friday prayers. The protesters, consisting of many
Palestinians and dozens of International and Israeli activists, called
for the prosecution of the Israeli soldiers behind the recent Facebook
scandal. Not only did one of the soldiers pose with bound and gagged
prisoners, Eden Abergil, stated that she would “gladly kill Arabs – even
slaughter them.” http://josephdana.com/2010/08/ documentary-film-maker-arrested-in-bilin-for-filming-the-demonstration/
Syrian prisoners leader in Israeli jail vows not to give up strife
DAMASCUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The leader of Syrian prisoners in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Sidqi al-Maqt said on Sunday he will not
give up strife against the occupation, the Syrian official SANA news
agency reported. Al Maqt was detained by the Israeli forces 25 years
ago, for involvement in the fighting against the occupation, the report
said. Last week, the Israeli defense forces wrapped up a live-
ammunition training in the occupied Golan Heights. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/22/c_13456744.htm
Political/Flotilla Developments Fatah official: PA clinging to Quartet statement
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority is basing its hopes on
the Mideast Quartet statement, issued Friday, rather than anything said
by American officials, Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmad said Sunday.
Quartet members the US, UN, EU and Russia issued the statement after US
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton invited Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas to restart direct talks
on 2 September in Washington. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309975
Leftist factions reject invite for direct talks
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two leftist Palestinian factions rejected Saturday
calls by the Quartet and US to relaunch direct talks with Israel, a day
after the PLO endorsed the resumption of negotiations. The Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Peoples' Party
released separate communiques slamming the Quartet's statement, which
called for Palestinian and Israeli leaders to resume talks. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309553
Former Fatah splinter group says talks a 'subjugation'
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas-leaning splinter group Al-Ahrar issued a
statement Saturday calling the decision to return to talks a
"subjugation to American decisions." The group said it would not be
"committed to any of the outcomes" of the talks, and called for
"Palestinian organizations to announce their rejection of these talks,"
adding that they believed the process would "bring more settlements and
the judization of Palestinain lands." http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309682
Dejected Palestinians see no hope in peace talks
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug 21 (Reuters) - A resumption of Middle East
peace talks inspires little hope among Palestinians who say the prospect
of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel seems no more than
a dream. "There has been a lot of talk of peace, but we have seen no
results. We no longer have hope," said 30-year old Luay Kabbah, who was
still at school when Palestinian and Israeli leaders first began talking
peace nearly two decades ago. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE67I0SI.htm
Syria: Israel-Palestinian talks useless
Official press in Damascus warns that resumption of direct US-brokered
negotiations would prove waste of time unless Washington puts pressure
on Jerusalem. 'What's the point of resuming negotiations that will end
either with failure or with an agreement worse than Oslo?' government
daily asks. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3941581,00.html
DFLP: Direct talks violate national consensus GAZA
CITY
(Ma'an) -- A member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine said Monday his party rejected the resumption of direct talks
with Israel without a full halt in settlement activity, a clear
reference and international resolutions. Saleh Zidan told reporters at
the Media Freedom Center in Gaza City that the PLO's decision to accept a
US invitation to relaunch negotiations without preconditions "violates
the national consensus position determined by the PLO's Executive
Committee, the Central Council, and other Palestinian politicians." http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=310096
White House: Direct talks are the best way to combat Hamas
Of the many questions hanging over the
new direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians announced by
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Friday morning, one of the thorniest is what to do about the militant group
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and is not a party to the negotiations. White House officials addressed that topic
directly Friday afternoon on a private conference call with Jewish community groups,
saying that the talks would build legitimacy for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his struggle against
Hamas and that a peace agreement would convince the Palestinian people to
abandon Hamas and its violent methods.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/08/20/ white_house_direct_talks_are_the_best_way_to_combat_hamas
Other News In photos: Haniyeh breaks fast with Gaza family Gaza
Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh joins a family in Gaza City for Iftar, the meal
that breaks the Ramadan fast, on 20 August 2010. The eight-member
family lives in a home less than twenty square meters in size with no
ventilation or windows. The parents sleep in the same room with their
six children. Following the meal, prepared by the family, aides said
Haniyeh instructed them to provide emergency aid to the family,
including a fan for the home, food for the family and supplies for the
younger children. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309715
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest Israel, Big Money and Obama
One
of Lester Crown’s children, James Crown, personally bundled $500,000 in
campaign contributions for Obama and served as chairman of the Illinois
fund raising effort. Lester Crown and his wife Renee hosted a
fundraiser for Obama in 2007 at their home. The event invitation made it
clear; their support for Obama was due to his support of Israel, its
“right to exist“ and his willingness to strike militarily against Iran. http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/israel-big-money-and-obama/
Firas Al-Atraqchi: The Farce of Middle East Peace Talks For
those
with a keen interest in contemporary Middle East history, there's
a new spectacle coming to a conflict zone near you. On September 2nd,
the production company that brought you Oslo, Wye River, Camp David and
Annapolis will release a brand new blockbuster sequel to the so-called
Middle East Peace Talks. Simply titled Resumption of Direct
Negotiations, the production boasts a star-studded cast including
Benjamin Netanyahu in the role of king, Mahmoud Abbas as the pauper,
George Mitchell as the court jester, King Abdullah II as the novice,
Tony Blair as the fool savant, Barak Obama as the compassionate Jedi
negotiator, and Hosni Mubarak as the comic relief. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/firas-alatraqchi/the-farce-of-middle-east_b_689955.html
A hidden witness to the Brown Shirts now prepares to go to Gaza, Lillian Rosengarten
As
I wait to join a boat to Gaza with a group of European Jews, I am asked
why? Trust me I say, I have to go, there is no choice. But why so
adamant, what drives me? I have long pondered this question. I was
18 months old on November 13, 1936 when I emigrated from Nazi Germany in
the arms of my mother to sail on the SS Bremen to New York. Because of
the ingenuity of my father, family money and contacts we were able to
leave. You see, the United States had a strict quota system for refugees
and before he was able to secure our visas, my father was required to
have a sponsor who would provide him with a job. One was also required
to have a place to live. When we came to America, my parents, near
penniless, were severed from their beloved Germany, friends, family and
affluence. Settling in New York with their little daughter, they found
themselves at sea in a stranger’s land, unmoored from their station in
life and terribly unhappy. They brought with them a
darkness that became for me a personal symbol of the nightmare of
Hitler’s Germany. http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/a-hidden-witness-to-the-brown-shirts-now-prepares-to-go-to-gaza.html
New York Times vs. direct negotiations, David Bromwich The
New
York Times published two articles yesterday about the resumption of
direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Both address
a reader who already knows what happened, yet neither opens with a
sentence carrying the basic information: “Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton on Friday announced that direct negotiations would resume,” and
so on. Instead, a clause which contains that central fact has been
embedded in the second paragraph of the second story, by Helene Cooper
and Mark Landler, titled “Palestinians Resuming Talks Under Pressure.”
It runs on page 6. This accident of omission and displacement betrays an
editorial trouble of mind that is visible elsewhere. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/world/middleeast/21diplo.html http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/new-york-times-vs-direct-negotiations.html
Current peace talks are threatened by Zionism, Samuel Lustgarten
The mere thought of theocratic extremists at the helm of nuclear
warheads leaves me diffident and uncharacteristically speechless. Iran
is less than 30 days from having a working nuclear reactor that enriches
Uranium to about 3.5 percent. That’s a far cry from the 90 percent
needed to create a warhead, but it’s a start. And in this hyperbolic,
24-hour news cycle, my heart skips a beat. It’s not Iran that actually
worries me – it’s Israel. http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2010/08/082310_lustgartencolumn
Direct Negotiations and the Challenge Ahead, John V. Whitbeck
The U.S. government has now announced that direct Israeli-Palestinian
will resume after a September 2 launch ceremony at the White House. In
making this announcement, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
stated that this new round of negotiations should be "without
preconditions", as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has
insisted they should be. However, she also stated that both Mr.
Netanyahu and PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have agreed that the
negotiations should be subject to a one-year time limit, which was not
Mr. Netanyahu's preference. http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16216
God approves of ADC, by Ikhras
American-Arab
Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC) is excited that the Fiqh Council of
North America (FCNA) has opened up a new channel of income for it: “sadaka” (sic). On July 19, 2010 FCNA issued a fatwa
(religious opinion) that ADC is eligible to receive this form of Islamic
charity. This fatwa is problematic and offensive to Islamic
sensibilities on many levels. First, the ADC does not deserve Muslims’
money. The ADC has
consistently undermined the struggle for Muslim rights both in the US
and abroad. It has invited war criminals who have Muslims’ blood on
their hands, most notably Bill Clinton and Colin Powell. http://ikhras.com/2010/08/god-approves-of-adc/
60% of Lebanese Say STL Politicized, Unfair
23/08/2010 The "international for information" center at the Lebanese
daily As-safir conducted a survey for the Lebanese public opinion over
their stance of the International probe into the assassination of former
Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, their opinion concerning the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the documents submitted by Hezbollah
Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah. The poll also asked about the
side behind the assassination. The survey, published on Monday, showed
that 60% of Lebanese believe the international probe politicized, unfair
and non-neutral, while 43% supported an amendment in the method and the
style of the investigation to be more impartial and neutral. 17% called
for a complete abolition of the STL. http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=151338&language=en
US Official: Evidence Implicating Hezbollah to Emerge within Days
21/08/2010 Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai quoted on Saturday an American official
as claiming that “evidence of Hezbollah’s involvement in the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri may appear in the
upcoming days.” The US official went on to claim that Hezbollah
Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s latest press conference,
during which he said that Israel may be behind the crime, “as an attempt
to mislead the investigation and buy some time.” The Kuwaiti daily said
that only three individuals in the US administration are following up
on the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and matters related to
it. http://almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=151194&language=en
Hizbullah 'evidence' to delay STL indictments
BEIRUT: Evidence provided by Hizbullah regarding the assassination of
former Premier Rafik Hariri will delay an impending indictment by the
UN-backed tribunal probing the murder, a well-informed judicial source
told The Daily Star Sunday. The source said documents provided by
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a recent news conference
would be thoroughly examined by Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, who is probing the Hariri case. Such a
process, according to the source, would at least delay the issuance of
the indictment by around two months, after earlier reports said the
indictment would be released in September. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118499
Iraqi force says capable to defend country from terrorist threat after U.S. pullout
BAGHDAD, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- "I guess we are 70 percent ready to defend
our country, it will be better after the U.S. troops leave," said a
Iraqi army official, who, as usual, patrols at a checkpoint in central
Baghdad in a summer, just days ahead of the full withdrawal of U.S.
combat troops from Iraq. In an interview with Xinhua, the official, who
was called Captain Sabah by his colleagues, said he is optimistic about
the future of Iraq after the U.S. soldiers leave and he is confident
that the Iraqi forces could handle the terrorist threat independently. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/22/c_13456742.htm
Allawi, Iraqi Shiite cleric to visit Damascus
DAMASCUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Head of the Iraqia List Ayad Allawi
and the Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will pay a visit to Damascus
soon, Iraqia List's official Fattah al Sheikh told Xinhua over the phone
on Sunday. Al Sheikh noted that the two Iraqi leaders will discuss
with the Syrian side the latest developments regarding the forming of
the Iraqi government, stressing that Syria is a "key player" in the
Iraqi issue. On Thursday, Al-Sadr contacted Allawi to voice him support
over appointing his party to form the new government. The Iraqia
List bloc refused internationalization of the issue of the formation of
a new Iraqi government last month, confirming that the solution to the
issue must be an Iraqi one. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-08/22/c_13456690.htm
Inside Iraq - The future of Iraq
Iraqis
have endured invasion, economic stagnation, wars, sanctions and internal
conflict for decades. Today, in the aftermath of the 7-year war
in Iraq, citizens lack even the most basic services, leaving many of
them feeling helpless, desperate and in utter disbelief that their
homeland is still in a state of chaos. The UN, however, is promising to
create a better future for the people of Iraq. But will it be able to
achieve this and, if so, how? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qql8m9d2pg&feature=youtube_gdata
Riz Khan - The last US combat forces in Iraq
US combat forces have left Iraq, but who should be held accountable for
the invasion and occupation that has left hundreds of thousands dead?
Veteran investigative journalist John Pilger joins the show to discuss.
Inside Story - Filling Iraq's security void
Thousands
of US combat troops have started pulling out of Iraq, but hundreds of
private security firms look set to fill the void. Since the US-led
invasion in 2003, security contractors in Iraq have often been accused
of operating above the law. Most controversially, In 2007, guards from
what was then known as Blackwater Worldwide shot and killed 14 Iraqi
civilians. These charges were dismissed in a US court. But as the US
begins its year long withdrawal from Iraq, the message from the state
department has been clear - more security contractors will be moved in
to replace the US military. This, they say, is the most practical way to
"fill the security gap" left by the departing American troops. There
have been promises that contractors will not enjoy immunity from
prosecution and will be governed by the laws of Iraq, but is this enough
to quell concerns about the continuing presence of the security firms? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqpZLcxzbwk&feature=youtube_gdata
A Syrian Taif for Iraq Fears
that
the US troop withdrawal in Iraq will only intensify the destabilizing
power vacuum have reportedly led to plans for a conference
similar to the 1989 meeting that ended the Lebanese civil war, to be
held in Syria. If a ''Syrian Taif'' does materialize, it would be under
pressure to produce an absolute mandate for the Iraqi government, disarm
militias from all communities and find a new prime minister. - Sami
Moubayed http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LH24Ak03.html
Wikileaks Lawyer Says Pentagon Given Access To Unpublished Secret Documents A
U.S. lawyer representing the whistleblowing web site Wikileaks says U.S.
government officials have been given codes and passwords granting them
online access to official U.S. government documents that Wikileaks so
far has not published. Timothy Matusheski, a lawyer from Hattiesburg,
Miss., who says he represents whistleblowers and has been in touch with
both Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and at least one government
official involved in investigations of Wikileaks, said Wikileaks had set
up a "secure channel" through which authorized users could access the
unpublished material. He said credentials for using this Web site had
been forwarded to representatives of the U.S. government whom he did not
identify. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman did not immediately respond
to requests for comment. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/20/wikileaks-lawyer-says-pen_n_689886.html
Hamid Karzai: U.S. Taxpayer-Funded Private Contractors Engaging In Terrorist, Mafia-Like Activity
Afghanistan's
embattled president Hamid Karzai said on Sunday that U.S. taxpayers were
indirectly funding "mafia-like groups" and terrorist activities with
the American government's support of private contractors inside his
country. In a rare U.S. media appearance, Karzai continued to press for
the removal of the vast majority of U.S. private contractors by the end
of this year. He argued that their continued presence inside
Afghanistan was "an obstruction and impediment" to the country's growth,
a massive waste of money, and a catalyst for corruption among Afghan
officials. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/22/karzai-us-taxpayerfunded-_n_690385.html
Crime (Sex) and Punishment (Stoning), ROBERT F. WORTH Stoning
is
not practiced only among Muslims, nor did it begin with Islam. Human
rights groups say a young girl was stoned to death in 2007 in Iraqi
Kurdistan’s Yazidi community, which practices an ancient Kurdish
religion. The Old Testament includes an episode in which Moses arranges
for a man who violated the Sabbath to be stoned, and stoning probably
took place among Jewish communities in the ancient Near East. Rabbinic
law, which was composed starting in the first century A.D., specifies
stoning as the penalty for a variety of crimes, with elaborate
instructions for how it should be carried out. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/weekinreview/22worth.html
Wikileaks’ Assange: Pentagon may be behind rape claims
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said in an interview published on
Sunday that he believes the Pentagon could be behind a rape accusation
against him that was later dropped by Swedish prosecutors. The
country's prosecution service meanwhile justified the chaotic situation
when authorities first issued an arrest warrant for the Australian
whistleblower late on Friday night but then withdrew it the following
day. http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0822/wikileaks-pentagon-rape-claims/
Islam in America Emanuel warned Obama: Keep mum on NYC mosque
POLITICO reports White House chief told president that in publicly
backing construction of Muslim cultural center near ground zero he would
be 'handing Republicans a weapon to batter Democrats as weak-kneed on
terrorism.' Emanuel: We all stand behind and support the president’s
decision. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3941827,00.html
New Yorkers rally over mosque plan Hundreds
of
supporters and opponents of the proposed Islamic cultural centre near
the World Trade Centre site in New York have staged rallies, kept apart
by police and barricades. Opponents in downtown Manhattan shouted
"Enough is enough" on Sunday as supporters yelled "say no to racist
fear". No violence or arrests were reported. Uniformed police and
rows of barricades kept many in the crowds apart. Police officials said
extra forces were deployed. Opponents of the plan, to build a $100m
Islamic center two blocks from the Ground Zero site where the September
11, 2001 attacks took place, appeared to outnumber supporters. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2010/08/2010822204940174279.html
New Yorkers rally over mosque plan
In New York, the proposal to build an Islamic cultural centre near the
site of the September 11 attacks continues to dominate US headlines.
There has been two seperate rallies in the city - by both supporters and
opponents. The dispute has taken on political significance, with
opposition Republicans using the issue to attack US president Barack
Obama ahead of legislative elections. Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports
from the rallies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r43aSB46Qdw&feature=youtube_gdata
Imam’s wife: Mosque opposition like ‘metastasized anti-Semitism’
Lower Manhattan mosque part of 'Americanization' of Islam, Daisy Khan
says The wife of the imam behind the Cordoba House Muslim community
center in Manhattan says the opposition to its construction goes "beyond
Islamophobia," likening it to a "metastasized anti-Semitism." "We are
deeply concerned, because this is like a metastasized anti-Semitism,"
Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim
Advancement, told ABC's Christiane Amanpour. "It's not even
Islamophobia. It's beyond Islamophobia, it's hate of Muslims." The
interview took place as supporters and opponents of the mosque protested
in lower Manhattan on Sunday, with police keeping the two groups blocks
apart. Khan was joined on ABC's This Week by Rabbi Joy Levitt, head of
the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. Levitt said that "some part"
of the opposition to the mosque "feels very familiar." http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0822/mosque-opposition-antisemitism/
Pamela Geller, 'Queen Of Muslim Bashers,' At Center Of N.Y. 'Mosque' Debate
(RNS) By some accounts, the heated opposition to the so-called Ground
Zero mosque has been drummed up by a telegenic blogger with a strong New
York accent and even stronger opinions. Pamela Geller, a Long Island
native who writes the blog "AtlasvShrugs," said she was the
"quintessential New York City career girl" before the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11, 2001. Since then, she has co-founded groups dedicated to
fighting the "Islamization" of America, sponsored anti-Muslim ads in
several cities, and, more recently, become a near daily presence on
television news programs. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/20/pamela-gellerqueen-of-mus_n_689709.html
Mosque Demagoguery Is Bipartisan, Rep. Ron Paul, August 23, 2010
Is the controversy over building a mosque near Ground Zero a grand
distraction or a grand opportunity? Or is it, once again, grandiose
demagoguery? It has been said, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Are we
not overly preoccupied with this controversy, now being used in various
ways by grandstanding politicians? It looks to me like the politicians
are “fiddling while the economy burns.” The debate should have provided
the conservative defenders of property rights with a perfect example of
how the right to own property also protects the 1st Amendment rights of
assembly and religion by supporting the building of the mosque. http://original.antiwar.com/paul/2010/08/22/mosque-demagoguery-is-bipartisan/
Report from ground zero, Zach Morris
At first, I thought it was just me. I'd witnessed dozens of far-right
demonstrations over the years, but this was the first which literally
sent chills down my spine. I spoke to a few activists who'd effectively
made attending, confronting, and exposing these sorts of things into
their life's work, and had witnessed hundreds of events staged by all
manner of racist groups, from the National Alliance and the Minutemen to
the Teabaggers and the National Socialist Party. "I've never seen
anything like this before", one said, as another nodded his head in
agreement. "The rhetoric, the music, everything... it was just...
overwhelming. Did you see the effigies? I don't even know what to say." http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/report-from-ground-zero.html
The Money Behind the "Mosque"
In recent days, critics of the proposal to build a mosque and Islamic
center near ground zero have linked the plan to everyone from Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Islamist organizations Hamas and the
Muslim Brotherhood. But the plan's real fundraising effort, thus far, is
much more innocuous: a PayPal account with less than $9,000 in it,
mostly from New Yorkers, raised by a group of Muslim moms in Manhattan
whose original aim was to host a peace march. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-08-20/ ground-zero-mosque-where-the-funding-is-coming-from
NYC Mosque Draws Interfaith Support In California
LOS
ANGELES — Dozens of Southern California religious leaders from many
faiths are speaking out to support plans to build a mosque and community
center two blocks from ground zero in New York City. The leaders held a
press conference Friday at the Islamic Center of Southern California and
issued a statement supporting the right to build
the mosque. The letter is signed by 71 Southern California religious
leaders, including representatives from more than a dozen faiths. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/20/nyc-mosque-draws-interfai_n_689373.html
