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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Land theft /Jerusalem
Jerusalem police arrest Sheikh Jarrah activist
Jerusalem police arrested Michael Solsberry, one of the key
activists in the ongoing protests in Sheikh Jarrah, at his home in
Pisgat Ze'ev on Friday evening.
For more than a year and a half, activists have organized protests
against the takeover of Palestinian homes in the east Jerusalem
neighborhood by groups of settlers. On Friday, demonstrators were for
the first time able to reach the disputed homes. Until then, protests
were limited to a nearby public park because of the refusal of police to
allow demonstrators to approach
the homes.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159421.html
Palestinian Christians urged to mark Easter in Jerusalem
Orthodox organizations in Palestine called on Palestinian Christians to
celebrate Holy Fire Saturday in Jerusalem, in spite of Israeli
restrictions placed upon worshipers.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271927
Thousands of officers deploy in Jerusalem before
Passover
Jerusalem Police has completed its preparations for securing
the city during the Passover holiday. Thousands of Border Guard
officers have begun to deploy throughout the city to secure the Old City
and its surroundings. [End]
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868829,00.html
Report: US wants Abu Dis under PA control
The
Obama
administration wants Israel to withdraw from parts of the occupied West
Bank, including a district near Jerusalem, the Hebrew-language daily
Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Palestinian sources as saying Thursday.
According to the newspaper, Israel's largest, sources say the US wants
the Palestinian Authority to regain exclusive control over the Abu Dis
area adjacent to occupied East Jerusalem, reverting to the state that
prevailed before the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271673
Israel's provocation at Al-Aqsa / Jonathan Cook
The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a
plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem’s Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a
third intifada. Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court’s
proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza’s
expansion would violate the "status quo" arrangement covering the Old
City’s holy places.
http://original.antiwar.com/cook/2010/03/26/israels-provocation-at-al-aqsa/
Researchers dig up controversy in Jerusalem (Reuters)
Archaeologists competing to unearth
artifacts pointing to ancient city's Jewish past, which are used to
justify Israel's claim to all of it as indivisible capital of modern
Jewish state; but critics say some of 'finds' really just bending
science to prove 'Biblical heritage' that is open to dispute
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3867729,00.html
Arabs to allocate $500 million for Jerusalem
Arab
foreign
ministers have decided to allocate 500 million US dollars to support
Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa announced
Thursday ... The request to establish a plan to support the Jerusalem
Fund was submitted by both Syria and Palestine. The fund was established
in 2001 upon a request by Saudi Arabia following the eruption of the
Second Intifada.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271675
Abbas: Israel igniting Jerusalem
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that Israel's approval
of more housing units in east Jerusalem would "ignite" the city ... "It
is impossible to continue with peace efforts while construction resumes
in the settlements. Saving Jerusalem from its 'Jewification' is a duty
bestowed on each and every one of us," said Abbas. "We emphasize that we
will cling on to every grain of soil and every stone in Jerusalem. There
will be no agreement that does not guarantee the end of the Israeli
occupation of our land, especially holy Jerusalem as the capital
of the Palestinian state."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868807,00.html
Erdogan slams Israeli 'united Jerusalem' policy
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told conveners at the Arab
League summit on Saturday that Israel is unwise to consider Jerusalem as
its united capital. "This is madness and does not commit us in any way,"
Erdogan said. "Jerusalem is the apple of each and every Muslims' eye
... we cannot accept any Israeli violation against Jerusalem or Muslim
holy sites."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=272024
Violence / Clashes / Incursions
Gaza mourns airstrike victim as Israel ends incursion
Israel's military incursion into the southern Gaza Strip ended late
Saturday morning, the bloodiest since Operation Cast, which ended in
January 2009. The funeral procession for Haitham Abed Al-Hakim Arafat,
23, a civilian who was killed in an overnight airstrike, was held in
Khuza'a, which locals said was "devastated" by Israel's operation into
the border town, east of Khan Younis... Residents said Israeli tanks and
armored bulldozers withdrew from the town, after partially destroying
the home of Hashem Ad-Dughmah, 200
meters from Israel's border. "It was the only home left in that area,"
one local told Ma'an ... Medics said 13 Palestinians were injured when
tanks and bulldozers moved
into Khuza'a, with injuries ranging from critical to moderate.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271957
Tanks enter Gaza, Palestinian killed in airstrike
A
Palestinian civilian died of injuries sustained after Israeli warplanes
struck east of Khan Younis, Gaza overnight on Friday, as tanks
entered south of the coastal enclave ... The
aerial attack followed clashes between Palestinian fighters and the
Israeli army along the eastern Gaza border on Friday, in which two
Palestinian fighters and two Israeli soldiers were killed ... Witnesses
told Reuters that the sounds of gunfire abated an hour before midnight
but the tanks remained in place, firing occasional rounds. Meanwhile,
the BBC reported Israeli naval fire along the Gaza coastline.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271875
Israeli soldiers target Gaza's poorest, including
children
Said Abdel Aziz Hamdan, 15, went for his first time
to Gaza’s northern border area to try gathering scrap metal for re-sale.
Although an area lined with Israeli military towers and notorious for
Israeli soldier shooting, shelling and abductions of Palestinian workers
and farmers, Hamdan did not feel he would be in danger ... The bullet
which struck Said shortly before 2pm as he was leaving the area came
from the direction of a nearby Israeli military tower ... Said
Hamdan’s injury is neither new nor surprising. Every
week, Israeli soldiers shoot upon and abduct Palestinian workers in
the border regions of Gaza. Some of the recent IOF aggressions against
Palestinians in the border regions include:
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/israeli-soldiers-target-gazas-poorest-including-children/
IDF probe: Mistakes made in Gaza
Army backs Major Peretz's decision to
infiltrate Palestinian territory and chase after terrorists planting
explosive devices, but initial investigation reveals
tactical errors led to harsh results. IDF expected to launch wide-scale
assault on Hamas targets
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868690,00.html
Palestinian retaliation
IDF soldier wounded in deadly Gaza clash now in
serious condition
An Israel Defense Forces soldier
wounded in a clash Friday on the Gaza border that killed two of his
comrades is in serious condition following surgery at Soroka Hospital in
Be'er Sheva. The soldier was diagnosed as in moderate to serious
condition and underwent surgery Friday evening; his condition worsened
Saturday morning. Doctors say he is suffering from wounds to the chest
and stomach and is in intensive care.
The deputy commander of the Golani battalion involved in the fighting,
Major Eliraz Peretz, 31, from Kiryat Arba, and Staff Sergeant Ilan
Sviatkovsky, 21, from Rishon Letzion, were killed Friday. A fourth
soldier sustained light wounds
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159409.html
Qassam
rocket
fire continues in wake of deadly Gaza clashes
A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck an open field in
the Sha'ar Hanegev region Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after
clashes on the Gaza border killed an Israel Defense Forces officer and soldier.
The same region was also hit by a Qassam on Friday. There were no
reports of damage or injuries in either incident ... On
Friday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Hamas that it would be held
responsible for all actions perpetrated by Gaza-based militants against
Israel. "We have been used to seeing breakaway [Palestinian] groups
doing the firing, and Hamas trying to calm things down. Possibly it is
loosening its grip, for all sorts of reasons," Barak told Channel 2
television.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159428.html
Activism / Solidarity
Uri Avnery, MK Barakeh attend 'Land Day' rally in
Qalqiliya
Palestinian
Authority marks 1976 Arab demonstrations against 'expropriation of
millions of dunams of Palestinian land in Israel'. PM Fayyad: Those who
call for intifada do not know meaning of word -- "Land
Day"
commemorates Arab-Israeli demonstrations in 1976, which came in
response to the Israeli government's announcement of a plan to
expropriate thousands of dunams of land for "security and settlement
purposes"
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3868785,00.html
Tayibe: Hundreds mark Land Day
Hundreds
of
people are participating in a procession to mark Land Day in Tayibe [an
'Israeli Arab' village in central Israel]. The procession is scheduled
to end with a protest rally later on Saturday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868799,00.html
Child
injured in anti-wall rally near Ramallah
A child was shot in
the eye with a rubber-coated bullet during an anti-wall rally on Friday,
in the West Bank village of Deir Nidham, northwest of Ramallah. Ahmad
Yousef At-Tamimi, 15, suffered an injury to the eye when Israeli forces
fired rubber-coated bullets at protesters following Friday prayers.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271877
Clashes reported in An-Nabi Salih
Clashes erupted in the An-Nabi Salih village, near Ramallah, following
Friday prayers, as Israeli troops besieged residents inside their homes,
locals said. Residents told Ma'an that Ali At-Tamimi was injured in the
foot and dozens suffocated on tear-gas when Israeli forces used
riot-dispersal means in the village, including rubber-coated
bullets. More than 500 residents were threatened with fire if they left
their homes, locals said, with troops using rooftops as vantage points,
they added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271809
Update: Mohammad Omer got his visa to come to US
We just got word that Omer got his visa. Thank you to everyone for your letters- they
made a difference.
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2010/03/26/update-mohammad-omer-got-his-visa-to-come-to-us/
Did general cut short probe into activist Corrie's
death? / Jack Khoury
The Military Police interrogation
of a key suspect in the killing of American human rights activist Rachel
Corrie was cut short by a direct order of then GOC Southern, Maj. Gen.
Doron Almog, army documents obtained by Haaretz suggest. The documents
come from the Military Police investigation file and were submitted as
evidence to the Haifa District Court
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159290.html
Siege / Restriction of movement / Human rights / Humanitarian issues
244 Palestinians return to Gaza
The de
facto border crossings administration said Saturday that 244
residents returned to Gaza through the Rafah terminal into Egypt over
the past two days. Most who entered through Rafah were patients and
individuals stranded as a result of Egypt's ad-hoc opening policy, the
committee said, among them 29 people traveling with prior special
coordination.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271987
All Gaza crossings closed Friday, Saturday
...Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh .... told Ma'an that 102
truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial merchandize
were delivered to the Gaza Strip on Thursday through the Kerem Shalom
crossing, in addition to limited quantities of domestic gas and
industrial diesel. Two trucks carrying flowers from Gaza, part of a
Dutch initiative to encourage exports, were exported through the
southern Kerem Shalom crossing, while 84 truckloads of wheat and animal
feed were shipped through the northern Karni terminal.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271677
PA forces arrest 36 fugitives at Allenby Bridge
Palestinian Authority security forces deployed at the Allenby Bridge
crossing into Jordan arrested 36 fugitives attempting to flee over the
past week, a police report said ... Meanwhile, police noted a rise in
travel through the Allenby Bridge crossing, with the total transit of
15,930 individuals in both directions ... The report said 46
Palestinians were barred from travel by Israeli authorities for
"security reasons."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271953
Israel rejects UNHRC resolution
Israel rejected a UN Human Rights Council resolution urging the country
to pay Palestinians for damage incurred during the military assault on
Gaza that began in late 2008. "The UNHRC resolution… has nothing
to do with safeguarding human rights," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal
Palmor said in a statement, according to The Jerusalem Post, an
English-language Israeli newspaper.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271583
PA Ministry of Health delivers medical aid to Gaza
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health announced Saturday that
four truckloads of medical supplies were delivered to the ministry's
storehouse in Gaza. "The aid includes medical supplies needed for
surgeries and X-rays, in addition to materials needed to guarantee the
functioning of Gaza hospitals..." The spokesman said a further 13
truckloads of medical aid,
worth 6 million shekels, is "awaiting suitable coordination" to ensure
its delivery to the ministry's Gaza storehouse, specifically designated
for the European Hospital in Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271932
Photoessay: grasping beauty
It’s one of those beautiful, sunny days, with a fresh sea breeze and
people strolling on the beach…one of those days in which you can almost
forget the manifold tragedies that unfold daily in Gaza under siege.
Under siege for four years, really, but fully under siege since mid
2007, over 1000 days.
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/grasping-beauty/
Detentions
Israel detains woman, 19, at Qalandiya checkpoint
Israeli
forces
detained a young Palestinian woman on Saturday morning at
the Qalandiya checkpoint into Jerusalem, accused of attempting to stab a
soldier. The unidentified woman, 19, from the Al-Am'ari refugee
camp, was detained and transferred for questioning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271914
PA police: 4 detained by Israeli forces in Nablus,
Jenin
A police statement said Israeli soldiers deployed at the Al-Hamra
checkpoint north of Nablus detained two men from An-Nassareiyah. An
incursion was reported into the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, where
Mohammad Mahmoud A'ref Ja'far, 18, and Bayan Abdel Karim Malalha, 23,
were detained. On Thursday, the Israeli Army Radio said two children
from the villages of Al-Khas and Nu'man were detained by Israeli
soldiers, identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Hamdan and A'mer Daoud Abu
Haniyeh, both nine. The children were released later on Friday, the Army
Radio reported. Meanwhile,
settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars driving through the Geve'ut
junction, breaking the windshields of Mu'taz and Ja'far Dawabsha.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271752
Israel's Arab helpers
Egyptian detained for smuggling money into Gaza
Egyptian security forces detained a local on Friday night suspected of
trying to smuggle money into the Gaza Strip through the coastal
enclave's tunnel complex ... Forces confiscated approximately 2 million
Egyptian pounds and 60,000 US
dollars found in Abu Zur's vehicle.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271947
Political developments / Diplomacy
Poll: US Jews prefer Obama to Netanyahu
Survey conducted by
J-Street reveals popularity for US President remains high at 59%, while
support for Israeli prime minister drops to 44%
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868823,00.html
'Netanyahu was received like the last of the wazirs
from Lower Senegal'
In the Sydney Herald here: The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, returned to Israel last night after an apparently disastrous
meeting with the US President, Barack Obama, in Washington. According to
leaked accounts reported in the Israeli media, Mr Obama humiliated Mr
Netanyahu by leaving the meeting early ... Writing in the Israeli
Maariv, columnist Ben Caspit said there was no humiliation exercise the
Americans did not try on Mr Netanyahu. ''Bibi received in the White
House the treatment reserved for the president of Equatorial Guinea,''
Caspit wrote.
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2010/03/netanyahu-was-received-like-last-of.html
Cabinet meeting ends with no decision on US demands
Prime Minister Netanyahu, his six
senior ministers try to come up with creative solution on east
Jerusalem, Gaza siege. Meeting ends with no conclusions, forum to
reconvene next week
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868519,00.html
House members to Clinton: Resolve crisis with Israel
WASHINGTON – Three days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
US President Barack Obama met
at the White House, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a letter
signed by 327 members of the House of Representatives expressing
concern over the growing tensions between Israel and the US over
construction in east Jerusalem.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868712,00.html
Amr Moussa: Arabs must prepare alternatives to
failing peace process
Arab states should prepare for the possibility that the
Palestinian-Israeli peace process may be a total failure and prepare
alternatives, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said on Saturday
... Mousa did not specify what the alternatives might be.
He also said the Arab League should open a dialogue with Tehran to
address concerns, especially among Iran's neighbors across the Gulf,
about its nuclear program.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159424.html
Israel remains defiant amid allies' growing anger
As relations between Britain and Israel continue to unravel, in
Jerusalem many Israelis feel that the outside world still fails to
understand the problems - and threats - their country is facing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8589034.stm
Other news
Dr. Eyad El Sarraj receives international award in
psychiatry for the year 2010
Gaza Community Mental Health Progarmme Board of Directors, Director
General, and staff congratulate Dr. Eyad El Sarraj on receiving the most
prestigious International Juan J. Lopez Ibor 2010 Award, bestowed upon
those who excel internationally in the field of psychiatry.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/5029-
dr-eyad-el-sarraj-received-international-award-in-psychiatry-for-the-year-2010
Restaurant attacked for barring armed Israeli soldier
/ Jonathan Cook
An Arab-owned restaurant in the Israeli city of Haifa has
been caught in a whirlwind of legal action
and threats of violence after staff refused to serve a soldier in
uniform, an incident that is rapidly tarnishing the city's reputation as
a model of good Jewish-Arabs relations. The soldier, Raviv Roth, has
launched a damages claim for $16,000 over his treatment at Azad, a
restaurant located in a bohemian neighborhood of the northern port city.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11167.shtml
Opinion / Analysis
With US-Israel ties strained, Obama may make bold
move / Warren P. Strobel
WASHINGTON — After 14 months
of frustration over the moribund Mideast peace process and nearly three
weeks of open confrontation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, President Barack Obama shows no sign of backing down — and
may be about to double his bets ... The administration is said to be
preparing a major peace initiative that would be Obama's most direct
involvement in the conflict to date, and would go far beyond the
tentative, indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks that were torpedoed
earlier in the month ... Because of the U.S. political calendar, Obama
has limited time to press Israel before it becomes a major domestic
political issue during midterm elections.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/03/26/91206/with-us-israel-ties-strained-obama.html
Heckuva job, AIPAC / MJ Rosenberg
I know
what former President Bush would say if he had to comment on the results
of AIPAC's conference this week. He would turn to Howard Kohr, its long
time director, and say "heckuva job, Howie." ...here's the kicker.
Netanyahu wrote his speech before Obama's health care reform victory ...
Suddenly our laid back President seemed like Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Republicans were (and still are) flailing and Obama is stronger now
than at any other time in his Presidency. For Netanyahu, this was a
disaster. If AIPAC still knew how to do its job, it would have told him
to scrap his speech and deliver a conciliatory one.They didn't and he
didn't.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/heckuva-job-aipac_b_515506.html
Bibi's hollow victory / Patrick J. Buchanan
...With
his
declaration and refusal to walk back the decision to build 1,600 new
housing units in East Jerusalem, which blew up the Biden mission, "Bibi"
goes home a winner over Barack Obama. But it is a temporary triumph and
hollow victory — over Israel’s indispensable ally. For the clash
revealed that the perceived vital interests of Israel now collide with
vital U.S. interest in the Middle East. We have clarity. There is now
visible daylight between U.S. and Israeli policy for all the world to
see. And America cannot back down without eviscerating her credibility
in the Arab and Muslim world. What are the major points of contention?
http://original.antiwar.com/buchanan/2010/03/25/bibis-hollow-victory/
PM Netanyahu's trap / Sima Kadmon
The
Shepherd Hotel compound in Jerusalem is just a small example of the trap
faced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For two weeks now,
the government has been preoccupied with efforts to mitigate the
conflict that erupted in wake of the announcement of Ramat Shlomo construction
during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit in Israel.
Netanyahu made an effort to convince the Americans that he didn’t know.
He begged for a meeting with the president and paid with major
diplomatic currency. What is the probability
that under such circumstances, a similar event will take place?
Logically speaking, you would think that there would be a zero chance
for a repeat. Yet reality is stronger than fiction and logic.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868511,00.html
Obama closing in on us / Eitan Haber
Israel now paying price for longtime
efforts to get smart with America --
The Americans play no games. The moment Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's entourage was told that there will be no joint statement,
that the media won't be allowed into the Oval Office, that there will be
no photo-op, and that the meeting will be held at a late hour of night,
the PM should have realized – and he did –
that this won't be a happy funeral.The Americans, who love symbols and
ceremonies, were not impressed or
scared off by the loud applause Netanyahu received at the AIPAC
Conference. It may have worked the other way around: The loud cheers may
have encouraged White House officials to show the Israeli delegation and
its US supporters who's the boss in America.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3868352,00.html
On the road to Canossa / Uri Avnery
...It
was a gamble, and Netanyahu lost. At the beginning of the crisis over
construction in East Jerusalem, Netanyahu was still sure of himself.
Obama’s people rebuked him, but not too severely. I seemed that the
conflict would end like all the previous ones: Jerusalem would pay lip
service, Washington would pretend that the spit was rain. A less
arrogant person would have told himself: let’s not rush things. Let’s
wait at home until it becomes clear who will win the health insurance
battle. Then we shall think again and make a decision.
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1269665085/
Embattled
Netanyahu
faces a tough Passover / Aluf Benn
....What is obvious already is that Israel is going to experience
domestic political turmoil, the likes of which it has not known for many
years. A conflict with America will leave Israel isolated
in the face of Iran. A conflict with the settlers could lead to
outbreaks of violence and to a dangerous rift within the Israel Defense
Forces.
Netanyahu hoped things would turn out differently when
he set out Sunday night to make a serious show of strength in
Washington....
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159413.html
Only
an
imposed solution / Zeev Sternhell
The events of the past few weeks in the territories, Jerusalem and
Washington provide laboratory proof of a truth that many people have
known for years - without a forced solution, there will be no peace
agreement with the Palestinians ... After all, how is it
possible to demand that the Palestinians recognize the results of the
War of Independence and the legitimacy of the Jewish state if Israel
takes the liberty of continuing
to seize their lands? How is it possible to move forward when the
government continues to invest giant sums in the territories and create
facts whose only purpose is to create an irreversible situation?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159312.html
Israel's
US
envoy: We face monumental challenges this
Passover
Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, on Friday
issued a Passover message to the American Jewish community urging it to
overcome differences and "unite as a people" at a
time when Israel faces monumental challenges.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159419.html
What planet do these people live on?
A letter signed by 300 members of Congress and sent to Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton declares: "... A strong Israel is an asset to the
national security of the United States and brings stability to the
Middle East...." What an accomplishment! That so many fallacies could be
packed into a single sentence!
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-planet-do-these-people-live-on.html
Treason by members of the United States Congress /
Anthony Lawson
It must have been realised that the letter to Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, signed by nearly 300 members of the U.S. Congress, affirming
their commitment to Israel, would be widely publicised and fall into the
hands of that illegal Apartheid State, so the writing and signing of
that letter should be considered an act of treason. The letter has
totally undermined the power of the President of the United States by
virtually telling Israel: “It does not matter what you do to the
Palestinians, how many illegal structures you build on the territory you
stole from them; how you behave towards the Lebanese, or what you have
in mind for Iran, we, the signatories on this letter are with you, all
the way.”
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/03/treason-by-members-of-the-united-states-congress/
US concern about Israel's illegal settlements is 42
years too late / Alan Hart
There’s no mystery about when the U.S. should have taken the lead
through the UN Security Council in putting Israel on notice that it
would not be permitted to settle any of the Arab land it grabbed in the
1967 war. Security Council Resolution 242 of 22 November 1967 ought to
have contained a diplomatic reading of the riot act to the Zionist state
on the matter of settlements.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/03/
us-concern-about-israel%E2%80%99s-illegal-settlements-is-42-years-too-late/
Is Gaza now Netanyahu's biggest problem? / Amos Harel
...Now,
as
Netanyahu debates how he should respond to American pressure regarding
construction in East Jerusalem and the future of the settlements, he
will, for the first time, have to face an urgent security problem: Four
Israeli fatalities along the Gaza border in less than a week.
The last thing Netanyahu needs right now is a war in Gaza.
The ongoing crisis with the United States and the critical atmosphere
against Israel in the international arena will make it difficult for the
prime minister to enjoy the same freedoms for military
strategizing that his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, enjoyed.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159415.html
Blood
and
matza / Yossi Sarid
...when the Israel Defense Forces finds it hard to put together a
coherent version of its story, I know that it's getting entangled in a
web of lies and half-truths. And when the version doesn't
hold water, it apparently holds blood. This week, in the space of 24
hours, four unarmed Palestinians were shot and killed near Nablus. After
one incident, there was a hasty report that no live ammunition was
fired, but it soon turned out that in
their flight the bullets removed their rubber coating and donned lead.
In a second incident, a report came in of pitchforks that instantly
turned into small hoes, and of a broken bottle in a field and a
discarded syringe - weapons of war and oppression. And immediately came
the news of a "serious attack" that had been prevented in the settlement
of Itamar.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159311.html
Palestinian security forces walk a careful line /
Edmund Sanders
Reporting from Jericho, West Bank - As the highest-ranking commander
of nearly 8,000 Palestinian
security troops, Maj. Gen. Diab Ali is accustomed to being top gun. But
the salutes often stop when he leaves the military base and travels
through the West Bank ... A shortage of weapons, money and authority,
and continuing Israeli military incursions into areas that are supposed
to be under Palestinian
control, are threatening to turn public pride and confidence into
distrust and derision, Palestinians say.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-fg-
palestinian-forces26-2010mar26,0,583831.story
Visions of Palestine's present and future in
'Invictus' and 'Avatar' / Abdaljawad O.A. Hamayel
...Invictus and Avatar
inspire reflection on the past, present and future hopes of our nation.
The response to these movies among audiences around the world
underscores the amount of sympathy around the world for moral struggles
that ensue after the creation of an unjust reality, a sympathy
Palestinians have been slow at garnering. But if Martin Luther King
Jr.'s proclamation was right, "the arch of the moral universe is long,
but it is tilted towards justice," we Palestinians may have some hope.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11159.shtml
Britain's historical mandate / Natasha Gill
Of
all
the western powers it is Britain that has a unique responsibility
to Israelis and Palestinians, and something unique to offer both
parties. After all, Britain was the original third party to the
Palestine triangle ... Britain was not simply a bystander. Having made
promises to each side
during the first world war, enshrined its incompatible "dual
obligations" in the Balfour declaration of 1917, and
implemented contradictory
policies for some 30 years, it shared responsibility for the conflict's
shape and evolution. A decision to openly address Britain's role could
have an impact on the most unbridgeable gap between Palestinians and
Israelis: the question of ultimate responsibility for the conflict.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/25/mandated-history-britain-middle-east
Religion sways policy, now in Israel / Kessel &
Klochendler
JERUSALEM – There was a time when Israel was held
in contempt by its neighbors for its over-liberal ways. They felt it did
not "belong" in the Middle East. There’s been a twist in this negative
perception of the possibility of the Jewish state fitting into the
region. They were accustomed to an Israel that kept religion out of key
political choices. Now they are concerned precisely because of the role
religion plays in Israeli politics.
http://original.antiwar.com/kessel-klohendler/2010/03/26/religion-sways-policy-now-in-israel/
Iraq, other Mideast
Friday: 55 Iraqis killed, 112 wounded
Excerpt:
At
least 55 Iraqis were killed and 112 more were wounded in what
would have been an otherwise quiet prayer day if not for a deadly bomb
attack in Khalis. Meanwhile, final
results from national elections trickled
out during the evening hours in Baghdad. Also, the Ministry of Human
Rights reported that 84
mass graves were discovered last year in Baghdad and Diyala
provinces. The graves in question appear to all date from after the
U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/03/26/friday-21-iraqis-killed-67-wounded/
Secular bloc wins most seats in Iraq
Reporting
from
Baghdad - A secular rival edged Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's Shiite
alliance in final election results announced Friday, but instead of
deciding who will govern Iraq as tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers head
home, the virtual dead heat set up a test of raw power in the courts, in
parliament and on the streets.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-fg-
iraq-results27-2010mar27,0,5865953.story
Iraq coalition talks 'open to all' -
Iyad Allawi
The leader of the secular alliance
that narrowly won Iraq's parliamentary election has offered to work with
all parties to form a coalition government.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8590630.stm
Al Jazeera video: Inside Iraq - the media's role in
Iraq's election
Were Iraqi newspapers and TV stations helping the voters to make
an informed decision?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Or6-KtIF0&feature=youtube_gdata
Marine to face court-martial in killings of 24 Iraqi
civilians
A judge at Camp Pendleton refuses to throw out
charges against Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the last of eight Marines
accused in the 2005 deaths. Charges were dropped against six and one was
acquitted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-me
-marine-haditha27-2010mar27,0,5463458.story
In Egypt, all eyes on Mubarak's health
Many
fear
that the military may step in if President Mubarak falters before
elections are held. Without him, some fear that the country will slide
into chaos.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-fg-
mubarak-health27-2010mar27,0,1526702.story
Gaddaffi named president of Arab League
The
rotating
presidency of the Arab League will officially be handed over to Libya,
ahead of the summit's inauguration on Saturday in Sirtre,
Libya, replacing Qatar. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi will replace Emir
Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar as president of the Arab League.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=271892
Lebanese army encircling Baddawi refugee camp
The relationship between the Lebanese government and the
Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon is changing. The process of
redefining the old relationship began explosively with the battle and
subsequent demolition of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, near the
northern city of Tripoli, in 2007. Now the Lebanese army is erecting a
barrier around the nearby Baddawi refugee camp because of "security
concerns."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11166.shtml
20 injured at Yemen funeral after separatist protest
ADEN,
March
27 (Reuters) - Yemeni security forces fired tear gas and live
bullets on Saturday into a funeral procession for people killed in
separatist demonstrations earlier this month, injuring 20 people,
witnesses said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE62Q03P.htm
U.S.
Video: Helen Thomas on her one question for Obama
DC's most experienced journalist says
Obama lost credibility when he dodged question on Israeli nukes
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2010/03/real-news-video-helen-thomas-on-her-one.html
The McCain-Lieberman Police State Act / Stephen
Lendman
If enacted, it will advance what this writer
addressed in a December 2007 article titled, “Police State America – A
Look Back and Ahead,” covering numerous Bush administration laws,
Executive Orders (EOs), National and Homeland Security Presidential
Directives, edicts, and various illegal acts targeting designated
domestic and foreign adversaries, dissent, civil liberties, human
rights, and other democratic freedoms.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/03/the-mccain-lieberman-police-state-act/ |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
|
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