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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Ethnic Cleansing/Land, Property Theft and Destruction/Settlements
Screenshot
Of The Separation Wall
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1373
Israel
deports more Palestinians to Gaza
West Bank, April 28, 2010 (Pal
Telegraph) – Israeli occupation authorities deported Tuesday Fadi
Al-Azazma, 19, from Hebron to the Gaza Strip. Al-Azazma who was born in
Gaza arrived to Bait Hanoon (Erez) crossing and directly headed to the
protest sit-in tent where he protest against this deportation with
Ahmaed Sabah who was deported from West Bnak last week too. Wa’d
association for prisoners and the ex-prisoners said that Al-Azazma lived
with his family for 15 years before being deported to Gaza.
It added
that isreali forces detined him from his work in Al-Khalil market,
transferred him to Ofar prison and then deported him to Gaza after few
hours.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/5715-israel-deports-more-palestinians-to-gaza
Gaza man who has lived
in West Bank since age 4 forcibly removed by Israeli troops
In
the
third incident of forced removal by Israeli troops since the new
regulation was implemented, Israeli troops abducted and forcibly removed
19-year old Fadi Al-Gharazmeh from the southern West Bank city of
Hebron, and sent him to Gaza.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58543
Jerusalem mayor denies housing construction freeze (AP)
AP - Jerusalem's mayor is denying there has been any freeze in housing
construction in the traditionally Arab eastern part of the city. His
comments may complicate the Obama administration's attempts to restart
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/ap_on_go_ot/us_us_israel_palestinians
Barkat:
U.S.
'slap in the face' won't stop Jerusalem building
Mayor Nir
Barkat said that construction in East Jerusalem will continue, despite
the "slap in the face" Israel received from the United States over the
matter, Army Radio reported on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165971.html
Jerusalem
mayor
shunned by top US officials
Following harsh statements
against Obama Administration, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's request to
meet with Clinton, Mitchell denied; Israeli official slams mayor's
remarks, says his actions undermine renewal of negotiations.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3882201,00.html
Why
does
the IDF allow officers to live in illegal outposts?, Akiva Eldar
The death of Maj. Eliraz Peretz, who was killed in an action in an
operation in the Gaza Strip, brought the Givat Hayovel saga back into
the spotlight. As in the story of the heroism of his neighbor in the
illegal outpost in the settlement of Eli, Roi Klein, who was killed in
the Second Lebanon War while saving his troops, his settler friends and
his patrons on the right have enlisted the Peretz family's tragedy in
the fight to save his widow's home from demolition.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165681.html
Palestinians resist threat of eviction in Jaffa
Amidst the crater-filled roads, crumbling art deco houses,
Jewish-Israeli filled hummus joints and flashing blue lights of passing
cop cars, Palestinian citizens of Israel are struggling to grasp onto
the last neighborhood of Jaffa to remain a Palestinian majority --
Ajami. Carmelle Wolfson reports for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11231.shtml
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott,Sanctions
and
Divestment
Walage
27-4-10
- Activists try to stop the work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaF33HVqDpg&playnext_from=TL&videos=8wXSL9Iax-I&feature=sub
UC divestment spreads – UC San Diego to vote on bill
tomorrow, Adam Horowitz
UC San
Diego
will be joining Berkeley in holding a vote on divestment tomorrow
evening. The San Diego bill under consideration is slightly
different, and organizers
seem to have learned from some of Berkeley's challenges.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/uc-divestment-spreads-uc-san-diego-to-vote-on-bill-tomorrow.html
Nobel
Laureates:
‘We are all peace makers, and we believe that no amount of dialogue
without economic pressure can motivate Israel to change’
Support for divestment continues to grow. Here is the latest
amazing
statement urging the University of California to divest.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/nobel-laureates-we-are-all-peace-makers-and-
we-believe-that-no-amount-of-dialogue-without-economic-pressure-can-motivate-israel-to-change.html
IOF soldiers quell demonstrations in various WB
areas
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) violently dispersed a peaceful march in
Walaja village, Bethlehem district, on Tuesday in which Palestinian
citizens and foreign activists took part.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Palestinians protest settler attacks in the occupied
territories and inside Israel
Tensions are rising between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel after clashes in Occupied
East Jerusalem and Jaffa this past weekend. Ultranationalist religious
Jews attempted to provoke and intimidate local Palestinian residents
while marching through the Occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of
Silwan on Sunday as hundreds of Israeli police
stood guard. Hundreds of residents clashed with police in response, some
throwing rocks and lighting tire fires. Twenty Palestinians and
solidarity activists were injured as police shot rubber bullets and beat
protesters. Two police were also injured when they were hit by rocks.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/
palestinians-protest-settler-attacks-in-the-occupied-territories-and-inside-israel.html
Palestinian
Youth Unite Against Normalization With IsraelIn
commemoration of the anniversary of the Nakba, and as an expression of
our commitment to resisting Israeli occupation, colonization and
apartheid in accordance with international law, we (Palestinian youth
organizations signed below) declare our rejection of normalization with
the Israel on all levels.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58544Call for Support
and immediate Action against the persecution of Political Activists in
Palestine 48April 28th, 2010-- Start with signing your name
in support of Mr. Makhoul, General Director of Ittijah- Union of Arab
Community Based Associations and Head of the Popular Committee for the
Protection of Political Freedoms, who is prevented by the Israeli
authorities from leaving the country for two months and so denied the
human right to freedom of movement.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2242.shtmlAwarta condemns
outcomes of IOF murder investigationApril 28th, 2010-- The
investigation by the Israeli occupation forces into the murder of four
youth, two of them from Awarta and two from Iraq Burin, within less than
48 hours is seen by the people of Awarta as an integral part of Israeli
whitewashing "assassination and military investigation" routine.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2241.shtml
Safadi urges boycott of Israeli goods in Arab
marketsBEIRUT: Economy and Trade Minister Mohammad Safadi
underlined on Tuesday the importance of preventing any Israeli economic
infiltration into Lebanon. "Israel is sending a lot of its products to
our Arab markets and it is doing so with volumes exceeding those of
inter-Arab trade, unfortunately," he said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=114295
A flotilla to break Israel’s illegal blockade on
Gaza: Arafat Shoukri: “Conditions are ripe to make this flotilla the
‘tipping point’“
A coalition bringing together a number of organizations is preparing to
send in May 2010 a relief flotilla of more than ten ships and
cargo-boats to Gaza. Dr. Arafat Shoukri, president of the European
Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG) will participate in this
spectacular convoy with his Campaign, which is an NGO. He has spared no
effort for three years to lead delegations of European parliamentarians
to allow them to see on the ground the untenable situation in Gaza and
to encourage them to call on the Member States of the European Union to
exert pressure on Israel with a view to ending its suffocation of the
people of Gaza. Dr. Arafat Shoukri responds here to the questions of
Silvia Cattori.
http://www.uruknet.info/index.php?p=m65425&hd=&size=1&l=e
Israel
tries
new tactics against Palestinian protesters
As civil
disobedience has largely replaced suicide attacks and other deadly
violence, soldiers respond with tamer weapons. When the Skunk truck
arrives, people hightail it.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/27/avatar_director_james_cameron_follows_box
Violence and
Aggression
Palestinian
killed
at Gaza border protest (AFP)
AFP - A 20-year-old Palestinian
was killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli fire on Wednesday during a
protest near the heavily guarded border fence, local medics said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100428/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictgazaborderdemotoll
PHOTOS: Pepper spray into the eyes of the Palestinian protester, at
point-blank range
A 15 year-old Palestinian was arrested
yesterday by Border Policemen during a demonstration against
construction of the separation fence near the village of Wallaje, and
was sprayed with pepper gas at point blank range during the arrest.
About 60 demonstrators protested against construction of the fence south
of Jerusalem. According to one of them, at one point the teenager saw
the the Border Policemen were documenting the event and panicked. “He
jumped off the bulldozer, ran home and stumbled into a policeman by
accident., He tried to continue running but the policemen jumped on him,
beat him murderously and sprayed him with pepper gas, after they had got
him under control. The Border Police responded: “The arrest was made
after the suspect disturbed the peace, attacked the policemen and even
resisted arrest. During the arrest, pepper spray was legally used. In
any case, the photo will be transferred to the Police
[internal] Investigations Department [at the Justice Ministry] through
the [police] Public Appeals Officer for further examination. (Liel
Kyzer)
http://coteret.com/2010/04/28/administering-corporal-punishment-to-a-young-popular-terrorist/
aiming
for
the artery
During today’s demonstration at Nahal Oz, eastern
Gaza against the Israeli-imposed “buffer zone”, IOF soldiers shot one
unarmed Palestinian demonstrater, Ahmed Deeb, 21. The bullet severed his
femural artery, causing sudden and copious bleeding. Dr. Abdullah el
Attar at Shifa hospital confirmed that Ahmed’s injury is serious and
that he has lost a lot of blood. Dr. Attar says the bullet used on Ahmed
was a “dum dum”, an exploding bullet which, on impact, breaks into many
pieces.
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/aiming-for-the-artery/
Gaza:
Israeli Navy Attack Palestinian Fishing Boats
Israeli naval
forces attacked on Tuesday Palestinian fishing boats off the shoreline
of northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58540
2 injured after Israeli forces raid Hebron village
Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli forces on Tuesday evening raided the Edna
village west of Hebron, where they fired stun grenades at a store
causing a fire that injured two people. Sa’dy Abu Zalta and Abdul Karim
Faraj Allah were hospitalized for injuries suffered amid efforts to
control the fire in the mobile phone store owned by Mahmoud Salimieh.
Locals said young village residents threw stones at the Israeli forces.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=279987
Scuffle
Reported
Between Residents And Israeli Troops In East Jerusalem Neighborhood
A scuffle erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli troops in
Silwan East Jerusalem neighborhood on Tuesday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58539
Silwan
boys say beaten by settlers
Jerusalem – Ma'an – Eleven- and
12-year-old Silwan boys said they were beaten by settlers in the
Al-Bustan neighborhood on Tuesday night, with several witnesses
corroborating the report. Muhammad Ar-Ruwaeidi, 11, and Mustafa
Aj-Julani, 12, were admitted to the Hadassa Hospital in Al-Isawiya with
minor bruising, and witnesses said at least one settler was injured in
the ensuing fight.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280042
Settlers
attack
Palestinian worker
Bethlehem, April 28, (Pal Telegraph)
Extremist settlers attacked a Palestinian worker from the town of
“Ubaydiya” east of Bethlehem last night, while returning from his work
in the city of Jerusalem. Yasser Rabai'a, said that three settlers beat
him with sticks and batons in one of the alleyways while he was walking
through the Old City of Jerusalem. He added that the men stopped him
and asked him to show his identity card, and when he pulled out his
wallet to take out the card they snatched it from him, then assaulted
him severely with sticks and batons causing him to lose consciousness,
where the settlers after the defection of the settlers a number of
Jerusalemites called the Israeli police and demanded an immediate
investigation.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/5716-settlers-attack-palestinian-worker
Rightist refuses to delay Silwan march
Police fear right-wing parade in east Jerusalem village during American
envoy Mitchell's visit will prompt riots which will renew tensions with
US.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3879850,00.html
Detainees
Official:
Israel
holding refugee kids in unlawful conditions
Refugee children are being held in detention in violation of state
regulations and in conditions unfit for minors, a Justice Ministry
official said. Ten refugee children are currently being held in the
Saharonim detention center in the same living quarters as grown men,
according to attorney Yael Kitzis of the Justice Ministry's legal aid
department in Tel Aviv. She threatened legal action unless the children
are moved at once.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165639.html
Hamas
detains
Palestinian activists who warned of revolt in Gaza
Security
forces of the Islamist group Hamas detained Palestinian political
activists overnight for distributing leaflets urging them to ease up on
the people of Gaza or face a possibly explosive revolt.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165992.html
Israeli
Troops Detain 13 Palestinian Civilians From Southern West Bank
Thirteen
Palestinian
civilians were detained on Wednesday by Israeli troops during predawn
military invasions targeting the southern West Bank villages.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58546
Israel
detains
10 Palestinians in Hebron
Hebron, April 28, 2010 (Pal
Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained today ten
Palestinians from Hebron, Palestinian sources reported. Israeli
occupation forces raided Sair and Al-Shoukh valigaes and searched the
house of Ayman Abed Al-Salam Jradat and then detained him.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/5717-israel-detains-10-palestinians-in-hebron
Troops
Detains
Six Palestinian Civilians During Dawn Invasions Targeting West Bank
Communities
Israeli soldiers detained six Palestinian civilians during military
invasions targeting West Bank communities on Tuesday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58541
Palestinian
prisoners
hunger strike for better treatment
GENEVA (IPS) - Raed Abu
Hammad, 27, was allegedly kicked to death by Israeli prison wardens on
16 April. This while Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been on
hunger strike since 7 April to press for better treatment. Palestinian
minister for prisoner affairs in the United States-backed government in
the West Bank, Issa Qaraqi, said at a press conference on Thursday that
an Israeli autopsy showed that Hammad had been kicked hard
in the lower back.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11233.shtml
Humanitarian
Issues/Human
Rights/Restriction of Movement/Siege
South Africa likens Israeli restrictions to
apartheid
CAPE TOWN (JTA) -- The South African government has compared new Israeli
military restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank
to apartheid laws. The South African Department of International
Relations and Cooperation issued a statement condemning the restrictions
as "a gross violation of an individual's human rights," saying that the
military order "further exacerbates the already fragile situation in
Palestine," according to a report in the daily Cape Times.
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/04/26/2394489/
south-africa-compares-israeli-military-restrictions-to-apartheid
10
Israel Prize winners: Let Gazans study in West Bank
Israeli
academic, intellectuals, send letter to defense minister asking he allow
Palestinian students to attend universities in the West Bank, saying
current prohibition is 'disproportionate, should be revoked'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3882060,00.html
Israel's Arab
Helpers
Egyptians find tunnel, 5 tons of iron
Al-Arish
–
Ma’an – Egyptian authorities thwarted the smuggling of large quantities
of iron from Egypt to Gaza as they commandeered a tunnel in the Salah
Ad-Din area. The smuggler escaped as soon as police began the raid.
Ma'an's correspondent said the tunnel was 100 meters from the border
with Gaza. He also said that authorities raided the area to seize the
tunnel and five tons of iron that were prepared to be smuggled into the
Strip. Authorities sealed the tunnel with explosives and seized the
iron in order to sell it at auction.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=279995
Egypt releases Israeli arrested after accidentally
crossing border
Egyptian police released on Wednesday an Israeli who illegally crossed
into the Sinai Peninsula on a motorbike this past Saturday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165952.html
Tunnel
runaway
detained by Egyptian forces
Al-Arish – Ma'an – Egyptian
security forces detained a Palestinian boy allegedly attempting
escape from Gaza through one of the Rafah smuggling tunnels, officials
said Tuesday. Security sources said troops spotted the young man from
two kilometers away, in the Salah Ad-Din area of Egyptian Rafah. They
approached him and asked for his identity card, then identified him as a
Gaza resident who had illegally entered Egypt.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280137
Political
Developments/Diplomacy
PFLP
leader calls for dismantling PA
Gaza – Ma'an – Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) politburo member Laila Khaled
called Tuesday for dismantling the Palestinian Authority "if that body
is the cause of Palestinian division." In Damascus, Khaled said
division among Palestinians "is threatening the Palestinian national
project." She said Palestinians "have not struggled throughout their
history for an Authority, but for a homeland for a displaced people and
people under occupation."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280151
Fatah
tensions flare as Abbas rejects Fayyad statehood plans
The
long-simmering tense relations between Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are flaring up again after
Abbas struck down a plan by Fayyad to declare Palestinian statehood
unilaterally in summer 2011.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165909.html
Fatah seeks to ease Fayyad grip on Palestinian govt
RAMALLAH, West Bank, April 27 (Reuters) - Leading members of the
dominant Palestinian movement Fatah are demanding more power in the
Palestinian Authority cabinet of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad, Fatah officials said on Tuesday. Fatah has 11 seats in the
21-member cabinet led by Fayyad, a technocratic independent who has
incurred Fatah activists' envy.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE63Q1NK.htm
Fatah eyes bigger slice of Fayyad's Palestinian
government (Reuters)
Reuters - Leading members of the dominant Palestinian movement Fatah are
demanding more power in the Palestinian Authority cabinet of U.S.-backed
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Fatah officials said on Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100427/wl_nm/us_palestinians_power
UN chief renews backing for US Mideast peace effort
(AFP)
AFP - UN chief Ban Ki-moon renewed his backing for the US push for
indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, in a telephone conversation
with US envoy George Mitchell, his press office said Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100427/wl_mideast_afp/usmideastisraelun
Sarkozy: Netanyahu's foot dragging on peace process
is unacceptable
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has told his
Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres that he is disappointed with Benjamin
Netanyahu and finds it hard to understand the prime minister's
diplomatic plan. Sarkozy made his comments at the Elysee Palace two
weeks ago.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165923.html
Report: Netanyahu calls Mubarak
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
held a phone conversation with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and
updated him regarding his meetings with US envoy George Mitchell,
Israeli news media reported on Tuesday. Sources in Jerusalem told the
Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth that Netanyahu and Mubarak
concluded they would stay in touch and update each other on political
matters.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280035
Netanyahu sees new talks with Palestinians (Reuters)
Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "intends" to renew stalled peace
negotiations, suggesting a breakthrough was possible after months of
deadlock.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100427/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel
Arabs believe Obama too weak to make Mideast peace
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Arab world remains deeply sceptical of US
President Barack Obama’s ability to achieve a Middle East peace
settlement in an increasingly volatile region, according to a vote at
the latest Doha Debates. An audience of more than 300 at the
Qatar-based Debates, the only forum of its kind in the Arab region
dedicated to free speech, voted by 58 to 42 percent for the motion:
“This House believes Barack Obama is too weak to make peace in the
Middle East.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=279808
Democratic senator: Jerusalem dispute must stop
Charles E. Schumer slams Obama administration's attitude towards Israel.
If White House fails to change its policy, he says, 'we’ll have to take
it to the next step'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3879835,00.html
Other News
MK
Tibi removed from Knesset podium during debate
During heated
debate on Arab MKs' travel to Libya, deputy Knesset speaker instructs
Tibi to conclude speech, who in turn refuses. Ushers eventually escort
MK off of podium.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3882073,00.html
Poll:
Majority
of Israel's Jews back gag on rights groups
More than half of Jewish Israelis think human rights organizations that
expose immoral behavior by Israel should not be allowed to operate
freely, and think there is too much freedom of expression here, a recent
survey found., The survey, commissioned by the Tami Steinmetz Center for
Peace Research at Tel Aviv University, will be presented Wednesday at a
conference on the limits of freedom of expression., The pollsters
surveyed 500 Jewish Israelis who can be considered a representative
sample of the adult Jewish population.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165910.html
Knesset
may
strip immunity from MKs who met Gadhafi in Libya
The Knesset
may withdraw parliamentary immunity from six lawmakers who traveled to
Libya to meet the country's leader Moammar Gadhafi, the chairman of the
chamber's House Committee Yariv Levin said on Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165987.html
Israel
protests
Hamas invite to German conference
A body linked to the German government has invited the health minister
of the Hamas regime in Gaza, Basim Naim, to appear at an academic
conference in early June - "Speaking with Hamas and Fatah" - at a
university in Bad Boll in southern Germany. The event is being
organized by the university in conjunction with non-governmental
organizations and the Federal Center for Political Education, an
institution linked to the German government that also enjoys a certain
measure of independence.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165908.html
MKs
to get PR lessons
New program to be launched in coming months
in Knesset to offer MKs lessons on improving self-confidence, public
speaking, and even tips on how to dress to deal with hostile audiences.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3881912,00.html
Hamas downplays internal dispute over prisoner
cartoon
GAZA CITY: Hamas sought to downplay on Tuesday a rare public
disagreement between one of its top leaders and its powerful armed wing
over a cartoon warning Israel about the possible fate of a captive
soldier.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=114279
Palestinian faction warns of 'explosion' over Hamas
taxes (AFP)
AFP - A leftist Palestinian faction warned on Tuesday of an "explosion"
if the Islamist Hamas movement continues collecting a raft of new taxes
in its impoverished Gaza enclave.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100427/wl_mideast_afp/mideastpalestinianpoliticshamaseconomy
Fire destroys 300 olive trees in Qalqiliya
Qalqiliya
–
Ma'an – A fire destroyed 300 olive trees in the northern West Bank
district of Qalqiliya on Tuesday, authorities said. The blaze spread
quickly due to high temperatures and wind as well as a lack of rainfall
in the area, civil defense reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280008
Experts: Earthquake would wreak havoc in Palestine
Ramallah – Ma'an – Two top Palestinian disaster science experts warned
Tuesday that a natural disaster such as a large earthquake would
decimate Palestine's weak infrastructure. Jalal Ad-Dubaik, head of the
earth science center at An-Najah University, and Wasef Erekat, the head
of the national committee to control natural disasters, were speaking at
the Ministry of Information in Ramallah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=279972
Bodybuilders
on
Gaza Strip complain about inability to bulk up due to Israeli Egyptian
blockade
BODYBUILDERS in the Gaza Strip complain that they
are not able to pump up due to the Israeli and Eygtian blockade. About
70 men competed in the 21st bodybuilding contest at Al-Aqsa University
in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. See if you think they's not pumped
up enough and compare with our other popular bodybuilding galleries.
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/body-soul/bodybuilders-on-gaza-strip-complain-about-
inability-to-bulk-up-due-to-israeli-egyptian-blockadel/story-e6frfotr-1225859661074
Analysis/Opinion/Human
Interest
A Middle East Peace That Could Happen (But Won't),
Noam Chomsky
The fact that the Israel-Palestine conflict grinds on without resolution
might appear to be rather strange. For many of the world’s conflicts,
it is difficult even to conjure up a feasible settlement. In this case,
it is not only possible, but there is near universal agreement on its
basic contours: a two-state settlement along the internationally
recognized (pre-June 1967) borders -- with “minor and mutual
modifications,” to adopt official U.S. terminology before Washington
departed from the international community in the mid-1970s.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noam-chomsky/a-middle-east-peace-that_b_554178.html
US hegemony, not "the lobby," behind complicity with
Israel
Many of Israel's critics blame an "Israel lobby" for the near-total
complicity of the US in Israeli annexation, colonization and cleansing
programs in the occupied West Bank. However, the lobby thesis does
little to explain US foreign policy in the Middle East. Stephen Maher
comments for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11232.shtml
Gaza is the fuel for Muslim world's anti-Israel
struggle
The events of the past few days have created two
illusions. One is that Israel and the United States are equal; the other
is that the problem is Jerusalem. These illusions are dangerous for
Israel, in that they create a dangerous diplomatic perception and
self-image.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165652.html
Israel has been ‘Arizona’ all along, Assaf Oron
I am encouraged by the wave of justified indignation, and spontaneous
boycott movement, against the new Arizona law. Indeed, requiring
citizens and legal resident to carry proof of their status at all times,
and encouraging police to profile passersby who "look suspicious", runs
counter to the soul of democracy. The bigots who put together the
Arizona law should be made to pay. And hopefully it will be declared
unconstitutional.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/israel-has-been-arizona-all-along.html
Jerusalem colonization, Western apathy -- Ahmed
Yousef
The Israelis are instigating a Jewish holy war staged in Jerusalem. They
are playing a superb game of propaganda painting the Palestinians as the
real fundamentalists, despite that the Knesset has more active
right-wing political parties than any state in the civilized world. It’s
a strategy that has caught the West by surprise as they continue to
react with template disappointment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280031
Gaza – A manufactured catastrophe, Said Almadhoun
Israel’s blockade will have far-reaching repercussions on the future
sustainability of Gaza and on the Palestinian-Israeli political
process. Trade and travel in Europe may be returning to normal after
Iceland’s volcanic eruptions, but the Gaza Strip remains paralysed not
by a natural but by a man-made disaster –a systematic policy aimed at
destroying its cultural, social and national infrastructure. Since June
2007 Israel has tightened its blockade of Gaza and sealed all Gaza’s
commercial and travel crossings. Travel in and out of Gaza through
Israeli-controlled crossings is banned except for rare humanitarian
cases, and Rafah crossing into Egypt has been closed to regular passage.
Gaza’s airport was shut down nine years ago although no ash clouds
halted its operations.
http://www.jnews.org.uk/commentary/gaza-%E2%80%93-a-manufactured-catastrophe
Can Jews be equally loyal to U.S. and Israel?
Dual loyalty is an old and nefarious accusation. It has dogged Jews for
centuries in any land where they settled and began to feel comfortable -
the allegation that their allegiance is to their tribe first and not to
their nation. America has been a haven precisely because the moments
when this fear has swelled up have been few and far between. Even the
existence of Israel, a country with its own set of national interests
and its own wars and ways of dealing with them, has not created much of
an issue for those American Jews who see themselves as both Zionists and
patriots.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165689.html
AIPAC: The Voice of America — Video: The Orange and
the Pea
The discrepancy between the power AIPAC wields, compared to the rest of
the American population, is immense, and that power benefits one nation:
Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOZZ5zGAWKE&feature=player_embedded
The Jewish peace camp's attempt at rebirth in Europe
The name J Street is already taken, so this is called J Call. On 3rd
May, in Brussels, a new European Jewish movement for peace between
Israelis and Palestinians will be launched. The similarities between
the organisation and the American J Street,
a pro-Israeli and pro-peace organisation created in April 2008, are not
coincidental: in common with J Street, the founders of J Call are
alarmed at the complete deadlock in discussions between Israelis and
Palestinians, and support international intervention to try and salvage
the wreck that the political peace process has become.
http://www.jnews.org.uk/news/the-jewish-peace-camps-attempt-at-rebirth-in-europe
US domestic politics will drive Mideast policy,
Rami G. Khouri
NEW YORK: At the end of an extended stay of
two months in the United States during which I was able to follow
US-Mideast diplomatic developments at close range and consult with many
knowledgeable players and analysts, I sense that the Arab-Israeli peace
process in the Middle East (now focused on the energetic attempt to
launch Palestinian-Israeli “proximity talks”) is as much about political
process in the United States as it is about diplomatic moves abroad.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=114282#ixzz0mLshjTGr
'You can't demolish a whole people'
Driving
cautiously
though the narrow and unmended streets of Nazareth, there could be no
doubt that we were in a Third World city.
Like the other Arab towns in Israel, its cramped houses are jumbled and
squeezed together on the rising hillsides, unmitigated by urban
greenery. The contrast with the wide, well-kept boulevards and the
spacious, neatly trimmed parks of Jewish Israel is shocking.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/89604
Sculpture offends and 'hurts' poor little Israel
The Israeli embassy in Madrid is "hurt" and "offended!" How touching…
It's okay for Israelis to kill everyday, to spit on Christians and
Muslims, to kidnap people and harvest their organs, to arrest and jail
children, to use illegal weapons, to impose an illegal siege on a
million and a half people in Gaza, to occupy Palestine, Syria and
Lebanon and to threaten more war and occupation everyday.. It's okay for
Israel to ignore International Law, UN resolutions, the International
Court of Justice, the NPT and on and on… but its not okay for a piece of
art to be critical of "poor little Israel"… After 62 years of lies,
Israel can no longer hide its true ugly colors from the world… even with
its total control of mainstream media…
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/04/27/sculpture-offends-and-hurts-poor-little-israel/
The
Price
of Peace, By George S. Hishmeh – Washington
Why has the
Palestinian leader,
Mahmoud Abbas, accepted an invitation to come to Washington shortly to
discuss ways to overcome the hurdle placed by Israel before
Palestinian-Israeli negotiations can resume? The impression here
is that the U.S. and Palestinian positions are not far apart on the
steps that ought to be adopted by the hawkish government of Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before serious peace negotiations can
begin. It is mind boggling, certainly for the Palestinians, to believe
that if Israel is really sincere about its desire for a final settlement
then why does it continue to come up with obstacles like starting new
housing projects in Arab-owned areas of Jerusalem or insists that a
sovereign Palestinian state should be demilitarized and accept an
Israeli military base alongside the River Jordan which separates
Palestine from Jordan with which Israel has a peace treaty?
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15914
Iraq
Tuesday: 8 Iraqis Killed, 20 Wounded
At least eight Iraqis were killed and 20 more were wounded in new
attacks, but today's measure of the situation in Iraq was best
underscored by the prime minister personally ordering the release of
hundreds of innocent detainees. Over the years, tens of thousands of
Iraqis have been rounded up en masse and then released for lack of
evidence. Over 100 new arrests across the country were reported today
alone.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/04/27/tuesday-8-iraqis-killed-20-wounded/
Mortars kill 2 Iraqi soldiers, injure 14 in Baghdad
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed Tuesday in an overnight mortar attack on a
security station in a Shiite neighborhood in northern Baghdad, police
and hospitals officials said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2010-04-27-baghdad-mortars_N.htm
Firas Al-Atraqchi: Iraq's Political Turmoil Could
Lead to Civil War
The decision by an Iraqi court to disqualify dozens of candidates -
including one winner from the Iraqiya coalition led by former premier
Iyad Allawi - for alleged ties to the Baath party could push the country
closer to civil war. There is an old adage in the Middle East that Arab
rulers in power leave their office only through bloody coup d'etats
or the Divine; once in power, most will ruthlessly hold on like a child
to a lollipop in a candy store.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/firas-alatraqchi/iraqs-political-turmoil-c_b_553779.html
The death sentence that drags Dua back into a bloody
feud
The Iraqi government's decision to reassert its authority by executing
the men who stoned to death Dua Khalil Aswad threatens more sectarian
bloodshed.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/
the-death-sentence-that-drags-dua-back-into-a-bloody-feud-1956187.html
Torture,
rape
was norm at illegal Iraq prison-report
*Extensive use of
torture, rape
*Prime minister denies links
*Human Rights Watch
calls for full investigation
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE63R0FM.htm
Lufthansa resumes flights to Iraq (AFP)
AFP - German carrier Lufthansa flew from the northern Iraqi city of
Arbil to Frankfurt on Tuesday for the first time in 20 years and said
flights to Baghdad are also in the pipeline.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100427/wl_mideast_afp/iraqgermanykurdsaviationcompanylufthansa
Iraq
election
victor says new polls may be needed (AFP)
AFP - Iraq's
general election winner on Wednesday said new parliamentary polls
run by international monitors may be needed to end dangerous "political
manipulation" that is endangering the country's stability.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100428/wl_mideast_afp/iraqpoliticscandidates
The loneliness of Iraq's medal-winning runner (AFP)
AFP - Mahmud Kamel Ahmed has endured war, family tragedy and moral
disdain on the road to becoming an international athlete but, undeterred
by such obstacles, he is finally reaching his physical peak.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100427/wl_mideast_afp/iraqconflictpeopleathleticsirq
Who's talking about torture in Iraq? | Chris Ames
Not
the
Foreign Office – it wants to gloss over evidence of human rights abuses
as much as it hyped them with
Saddam. A new report from Amnesty International highlights
human rights abuses in present-day Iraq, mainly by armed groups, and the
failure of the Iraqi authorities to take effective action to stop such
abuses. It comes a week after revelations about a secret prison under
the jurisdiction of the Iraqi prime minister, where detainees were
allegedly tortured. How concerned is the UK government about these
issues? Concerned mainly to play them down, it appears.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/apr/27/torture-iraq-human-rights
Soldiers viewed all Iraqis as 'scum', Baha Mousa
inquiry hears
Intelligence officer says officers did not know
rules on treatment of prisoners and one tried to mount 'arse-covering
exercise' after Baha Mousa's death. An officer of the regiment
detaining Baha Mousa, a Basra hotel worker, when he was beaten to death
said his soldiers held the view that "all Iraqis were scum", it was
disclosed today. One officer tried to mount an "arse covering"
exercise after Mousa's death, while others expressed ignorance of basic
rules covering the treatment of prisoners, the public inquiry into the
incident heard.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/27/baha-mousa-inquiry-soldiers
Lebanon
Israel seeks to justify a new war on Lebanon: Hariri
(AFP)
AFP - Israel is seeking to justify a new war on Lebanon by alleging that
Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has obtained Scud missiles, Prime
Minister Saad Hariri said in remarks to a Qatari newspaper.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100427/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonisraelconflictsyriaweapons
Egypt: Scud controversy ups Israel-Lebanon tension
(AP)
AP - Egypt warned on Tuesday of a new escalation between
Israel and Lebanon over allegations that Syria has been supplying
Lebanese militant Hezbollah group with Scud missiles.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100427/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_us
Egypt
jails
'Hezbollah members'
A court in the Egyptian capital of
Cairo has sentenced 26 alleged members of a Hezbollah cell in Egypt
accused of planning attacks on tourists and smuggling weapons into
neighbouring Gaza, the Palestinian territory. Three of them have been
sentenced to life in prison, while the other 23 received jail terms
ranging from 6 months to 15 years. Hezbollah is a Lebanese-based group
that was formed in the 1980s to resist Israeli occupation and has been
engaged in numerous wars with Israel. Many are calling on the government
to pardon the convicted or lessen their sentences. Amr El-Kahky reports
from Cairo. [April 28, 2010]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6oVOvu30xc&feature=youtube_gdata
U.S.
and Other World News
Coca Cola's Role in the Assassinations of Union
Leaders Explored in Powerful New Documentary
"The Coca-Cola Case" explores allegations of tragedy at bottling plants
in Colombia, trade union murder capital of the world.
http://www.alternet.org/media/146579/coca_cola%27s_
role_in_the_assassinations_of_union_leaders_explored_in_powerful_new_documentary/
Malcolm X assassin walks free after 45 years
The only man ever to admit involvement in the assassination of Malcolm X
was freed on parole Tuesday, 45 years after he helped gun down the civil
rights leader. Thomas Hagan was the last man still serving time in the
1965 killing, part of the skein of violence that wound through the
cultural and political upheaval of the 1960s. He was freed from a
Manhattan prison where he spent two days a week under a work-release
program.
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0427/malcolm-assassin-walks-free-45-years/
Mexico leader condemns Arizona law
Felipe Calderon, the Mexican president, has criticised a new immigration
law in the US state of Arizona which permits authorities to question and
detain suspected illegal immigrants even if they are not believed to
have committed a crime.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/04/201042762956264202.html
Look, it's an illegal, right?: Arizona's
anti-immigration law looks like it will take racial profiling to work
If Arizona's Republican legislators weren't so dumb, they'd be
dangerous. Or maybe they're dangerous because they're dumb.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rodriguez-20100426-14,0,7193964.column
More American Expatriates Give Up Citizenship
“Before,
no
one would dare mention to other Americans that they were even thinking
of renouncing their U.S. nationality. Now, it is an openly discussed
issue.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/us/26expat.html?hp
Tunisia: US Should Press Tunis on Rights
(New York) - Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton should send a clear
message to Tunisia's foreign minister, Kamel Morjane, when they meet on
April 28, 2010, in Washington, DC, that his government should respect
human rights, Human Rights Watch said today.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/04/27/tunisia-us-should-press-tunis-rights
Riz
Khan
- Tariq Ramadan
As one of the most sought-after Islamic
commentators in the West today, Ramadan rejects the notion that Islam
and the West must be at opposite ends. He encourages Muslims to
participate fully in the civic life of Western secular societies and
urges Muslims to avoid living in religious ghettos. But how can Islam
and secular society truly co-exist as governments in Europe move to ban
Islamic face-coverings or the construction of traditional minarets?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-7sgbOt3k&feature=youtube_gdata
Orientalism and Double Standards, James North
Here's
yet
another
attack
on Muslims for being too sensitive about seeing the Prophet Muhammed
depicted or caricatured in the press, along with the usual indictment of
the West for caving in and "self-censuring." But when was the last time
you saw the Pope, or Jesus, cartooned or ridiculed in a big newspaper
or on a major TV program? I remember back in the 1970s when Boston
magazine published what it thought was
a humorous article about the city's cardinal, Humberto Medeiros. The
public uproar was tremendous, and the editor-in-chief lost his job. Of
course freedom of the press is a primary value. But Western editors do
have red lines, and they try not to pointlessly offend their publics.
Why do they think they can treat Muslims differently?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/orientalism-and-double-standards.html |
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