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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Soldiers Deny Palestinians Access to Lands in Hebron
On
Friday morning, the Israeli military prevented Palestinian farmers from
working on their lands, adjacent to the separation wall, in the western
part of the town of Beit Ula, northwest of Hebron.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59786
Israeli occupation decide to banish Kabaha from his birthplace
Former
Palestinian minister, Wasfi Kabaha, said that the Israeli occupation has
decided to banish him from his birthplace, Bartaa al-Sharqeyya, near
the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
Arab League report reveals that Israel's Wall is almost all built on occupied land
Arab
League report reveals that Israel's Wall is almost all built on occupied
landIsrael's so-called "Separation Wall" is nearly all built on
Palestinian land occupied by the Zionists state since 1967, according to
a report produced by the Arab League. The more commonly-called
Apartheid Wall is also "an overt violation of the Advisory Opinion of
the International Court of Justice", as well as international law which
prohibits occupation forces from controlling occupied land by force.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/arab-media/1693-arab-
league-report-reveals-that-israels-wall-is-almost-all-built-on-occupied-land
Jordan slams UN official for urging Palestinian refugees to resettle in Arab states
Amman minister criticizes comment by UNRWA official, according to which
Palestinian refugees must discard illusions they will return one day to
their homes.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/jordan-slams-
un-official-for-urging-palestinian-refugees-to-resettle-in-arab-states-1.321643
Israeli rights orgs demand action over settler vandalism
JERUSALEM
(Ma'an)
-- Four human rights organizations collaborated on a project
documenting settler vandalism during the 2010 olive harvest, reporting a
total of 35 incidents of tree vandalism during the six-week season. The
organizations, all based in Israel, included The Association of Civil
Rights in Israel (ACRI), B'Tselem, Rabbis for Human Rights and Yesh Din.
Following the documentation effort the group sent an urgent letter to
senior Israeli military commanders, calling on the commanders to take
all necessary steps to ensure that Palestinians and their properties
were protected from violence and damage during the remainder of the
season.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328692
Netanyahu: Settlement building won't affect final status peace deal
PM comment comes as Palestinians consider UN Security Council vote on
unilateral declaration of statehood if Israel does not cease its
recently resumed settlement constructing.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
netanyahu-settlement-building-won-t-affect-final-status-peace-deal-1.321678
Rivlin: “Settlement Issue used by Palestinians as an excuse to End Peace talks"
On
Thursday,
Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin lambasted the Palestinian
leadership, accusing them of using the issue of Israeli settlements as
an excuse to end peace talks currently on hold in Washington.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59778
Settler numbers rise at almost 3 times nat’l average
Central Bureau of Statistics figures show West Bank Jewish population at 303,900 in June 2010, up 7,200 in six months.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=193215
The War of the Olive Harvest: Palestinians vs. Settlers
It
is ritual of autumn, like homecoming or leaf peeping in more decorous
parts of the world: Come fall, Palestinians go out to harvest their
olives. And Israeli settlers come down from the hilltops to stop them.
"There! There! All these olive trees were burned," says Bureen mayor Ali
Eid, with an angry gesture that takes in a hillside once colored with
the dusty green of ancient trees, and now charred after the settlers had
come through. "We have lost more than 16,000 olive trees by cutting or
burning since 2005. Every year is worse than the year before."
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Israeli Forces Suppress Al-Ma'sara Protest
Bethlehem – PNN - Israeli troops stopped the weekly protest march
against the wall and settlements in the Palestinian village of
al-Ma’sara. Israeli troops broke up the protest with tear gas and sound
bombs. One unnamed Israeli activist was beaten by police and taken
away. Villagers and international supporters were also commemorating
the 54th anniversary of the 1956 Kafr Qasem massacre, in which Israeli
troops killed 49 unarmed Palestinians. The story is developing.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9035&Itemid=59
One Injured, Dozens Suffer Ffrom Gas Inhalation At Bil'in Weekly Protest
Ramallah – PNN - One Palestinian was injured and dozens were treated for
tear gas inhalation after a confrontation with Israeli troops during the
weekly march to protest the wall in the village of Bil’in. The
protestors shouted slogans against the wall and Israel’s settlement and
detainment policies. When they reached the wall and tried to cross into
the Palestinian land on the other side, the Israeli military shot rubber
bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters at them. Samir Barnat, 34,
was injured when a tear gas canister exploded on his shoulder. The
march, organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and
Settlements, was joined by Sten Rinet, a Norwegian member of parliament,
and Toron Hovik, a member of the Norwegian worker’s party, as well as
Bil’in villagers and dozens of Israeli and international peace
activists.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9034&Itemid=59
Peace Group Director 'Forced to Accept' Plea Bargain On Spy Charges, Palestine Monitor
An
Arab-Israeli
political activist accepted a plea bargain on charges of espionage
yesterday. Ameer Makhoul, head of the peace group Ittijah, was
accused of spying for the Lebanese Hizbollah party. He admitted guilt
for crimes that will see him serve seven to 10 years in exchange for
more serious charges being dropped.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1587
Take Action: Help Stop Delivery of CAT Bulldozers to Israel, Josh Ruebner
For more than five years, we've been working to hold Israel,
Caterpillar, and the United States accountable for Israel's misuse of
Caterpillar bulldozers to commit human rights abuses of Palestinians.
These bulldozers are provided to Israel as U.S. taxpayer-funded military
aid. Earlier this week, we learned from Israeli media that Caterpillar
has decided to delay the delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers--the same
kind that the Israeli military used to kill U.S. peace activist Rachel
Corrie as she nonviolently tried to prevent the demolition of a
Palestinian home in the occupied Gaza Strip in March 2003. Together
with the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, the Center for
Constitutional Rights, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the
Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.), and Jewish Voice for Peace, we are
pressing the Obama Administration to make sure that the delivery of
these bulldozers does not go through.
http://endtheoccupationblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/take-action-help-stop-delivery-of-cat.html
#BDS: The Palestinian Civil Society Campaign for Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Marks 5 Years
In meeting rooms and conference halls, on high streets and university
campuses, the Palestine solidarity movement is changing. In the dozen
years following the signing of the Oslo Accords, few doubted the
determination and resolve of solidarity campaigns, but there were fears
that they were beginning to lose direction. Today, as we mark the fifth
anniversary of the 2005 Palestinian Civil Society Call for a campaign of
boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it
complies with international law, a truly global movement is rapidly
emerging whose concrete forms of solidarity is not only changing the
discourse surrounding the Palestinian struggle, but are also achieving
concrete results towards the isolation of the Israeli regime.
http://youthanormalization.blogspot.com/2010/10/bds-palestinian-civil-society-campaign.html
Anti
Jewish organizations debate BDS in online forum, Adam Horowitz
Zeek,
a Jewish journal of thought and culture, has hosted a liberal Jewish
exchange on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Jewish Voice
for Peace speaks in favor of BDS, while the New Israel Fund speaks
against. Below are two snippets of their arguments. Zeek is providing a
great service in helping bring this debate out into the open, which
helps illustrate the developing fault lines in American liberal Jewish
thought.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/jewish-organizations-debate-bds-in-online-forum.html
NY Jewish group raises 15,000 signatures in support of Israeli occupation, Philip Weiss
Good coverage in the Forward, written by Joy Resmovits,
of the Ahava boycott, which is led by Code Pink, which targets Ricky's,
Brooklyn store, which sells Ahava cosmetics, which steals Palestinian
minerals in the occupied West Bank, which beat the dog, which bit the
kid that my father bought for two zuzim. That's a Jewish joke. Sorry.
From a Passover song. Because my new theme here is to pound not just the
Jewish establishment, but rank and file liberal Jews who support the
occupation. Like the flock of Brooklyn Rabbi Andy Bachman, who urges
people to buy from Ricky's. Flock, tell me, if your rabbi really wants
two states, he should be pushing Israel out of the longest occupation in
recent history, right? (And not just leading demonstrations about
Darfur. Darfur Jews, finding a place to stand up for human rights.
Charity begins at home.)
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/
ny-jewish-group-raises-15000-signatures-in-support-of-israeli-occupation.html
Siege/Rights Violations/Restriction of Movement
Gaza borders closed for weekend
GAZA
(Ma'an)
-- Israeli crossings authorities operating on the Gaza borders informed
their Palestinian counterparts on Friday that the borders would
not be open for goods transport that day. While crossings are scheduled
to open on Friday, the Muslim holy day, Israeli officials have
announced their closure every week since the August 2009, barring one
where emergency fuel supplies were delivered at the request of
officials. decided Friday to close all borders to the Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328697
Hamas-Fatah divide turns the lights out on Gazans
Deep
distrust
between Hamas and Fatah, which are due for another round of
reconciliation talks next week, has led to a dispute over who should pay
the electricity bill.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/69af9kVaiNE/
Hamas-Fatah-divide-turns-the-lights-out-on-Gazans
Gaza's rubble collectors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VH7EGv8lL0&feature=youtube_gdata
Sun Deprived in Palestine, Robin Yassin-Kassab
Balata
Camp
started as tents in the fifties, grew cement blocks in the sixties,
installed sewage and water in the seventies, and has stretched ever
upwards until now. The camp boasts the densest population in the West
Bank: at least 25,000 people in a couple of square kilometres (the
inhabitants claim up to 40,000).
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/10/28/sun-deprived-in-palestine/
British clowns lift spirits in Gaza
ZAYTOUN, GAZA (Ma'an) -- A troupe of six British circus performers are
touring the Gaza Strip in an effort to lift children's spirits in the
besieged enclave. The group, called Circus2Gaza, in the middle of a
10-day tour, doing performances in schools and community centers. On
Thursday afternoon, the troupe performed in the Samouni compound, home
to the family of the same name that lost 29 people in what became the
most famous massacre of Israel's 2009 attack on Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328639
Refugees
Lebanon's
refugee
camps no better than those in Gaza - UNRWA official, One-third of
school graduates unemployed, while others poorly paid, study finds
BEIRUT:
The
conditions of Palestinians living in and outside of Lebanon’s 12
refugee camps are equal to, or even worse, than those in Gaza, a top
United Nations Refugee and Work Agency (UNRWA) official said Thursday.
“The situation in Gaza under full Israeli blockade is very difficult,”
UNRWA Lebanon director, Salvatore Lombardo, said at the opening of the
annual World Education Forum. “But the situation in Lebanon is far from
acceptable.”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=120905
Teenager killed, three wounded in Beddawi blast
BEIRUT:
A
teenager was killed and three other people were wounded when a grenade
exploded outside a scrap-metal yard in the northern Palestinian refugee
camp of Beddawi, the state-run National News Agency reported Thursday.
“13-year-old Mohammad Ashkar died in hospital of injuries sustained when
a hand grenade exploded outside a scrap metal yard in the
Beddawi camp,” 5 kilometers north of the port city of Tripoli, the
Palestinian source told AFP. “We believe the owner of the yard was
sifting through his metal, found the grenade and tossed it outside where
the children were standing,” the source added.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=120923
A refugee, single mother, worker, struggler
Seventy-year-old Amna Hammad managed to raise three children -- now
grown men -- despite decades of separation from her husband and despite
displacement and occupation in Gaza.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11594.shtml
Racism & Discrimination
Shas spiritual leader may back ban on renting to Arabs
Former chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef cites centuries-old interpretation of halakhic ruling barring the sale of land to non-Jews.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
shas-spiritual-leader-may-back-ban-on-renting-to-arabs-1.321695
IDF bars Palestinian children from Tel Aviv film festival
Army West Bank villagersfrom entering Israel in time for children's film festival in the Tel Aviv Cinematheque.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/
idf-bars-palestinian-children-from-tel-aviv-film-festival-1.321690
African refugees: We're being sold
Human rights groups warn against Netanyahu's plan to pay African states to absorb illegal migrants.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976311,00.html
Violence & Aggression
Israeli police shoot legislator as racists march in Arab town
Israeli police injured two Arab legislators on Wednesday in violent
clashes provoked by Jewish right-wing extremists staging a march through
the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11595.shtml
Israeli Police Shoot 'Hated' Arab Legislator in Back, Jonathan Cook - Nazareth
Israeli
police
injured two Arab legislators yesterday in violent clashes provoked by
Jewish rightwing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab
town of Umm al-Fahm. Haneen Zoubi, a parliament member who has become a
national hate figure in Israel and received hundreds of
death threats since her participation in an aid flotilla to Gaza in the
summer, was among those hurt. Ms Zoubi reported being hit in the back
and neck by rubber bullets as she fled the area when police opened fire.
In an interview, she said she believed she had been specifically
targeted by police snipers after they identified her.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16367
Israeli Navy Opens Fire at Palestinian Fishermen
Israeli
Navy
gunboats opened fire on Friday at dawn at several Palestinian fishing
boats near the central district and Rafah, in the southern part of the
Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59782
Troops Invade Towns in Jenin
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Friday morning, the towns of ‘Araba and Yamoun in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59783
Limited incursion into south Gaza reported
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces carried out a limited incursion into
the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, onlookers said. There were
no reports of injury or damage. Two tanks and a bulldozer drove 200
meters east of Rafah, where they bulldozed land while combing the area,
witnesses said. Also, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance
Committees said its Salah Ad-Din Brigades fired six mortar shells at an
invading force in the same area. An Israeli military spokeswoman said
the army was unaware of either reported incident.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328650
Detainees
3 Palestinians detained near Nablus
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained three Palestinians Thursday
near a Nablus checkpoint, officials said. An Israeli military
spokeswoman said they were carrying "a number of improvised handguns and
pipe bombs" near the Huwara checkpoint. The three unnamed Palestinians
were taken for security questioning, she added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328649
Female Detainee on Hunger Strike for Third Day
The
Mandela
Institute in the Occupied Territories reported on Friday that detainee
Linan Abu Ghalama, imprisoned at the Ha-Sharon Israeli prison, went on
hunger strike three days ago demanding the prison administration
to allow her to be joined with her detained sister.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59787
Nafha detainees on hunger strike
RAMALLAH
(Ma’an)
– Detainees at Israel's Nafha prison began a hunger strike on Friday,
protesting what representatives said were inhumane practices by prison
authorities. Attorney Buthayna Duqmaq with the Mandella Association
told Ma'an that during a visit to the prison facility she had spoken
with several detainees angered over a series of night raids on inmates
cells.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328752
War Crimes
Arabs mark Kfar Kassem massacre anniversary
MKs,
Arab
leaders and some Jews remember those killed by Border Police officers
54 years ago, call out against current government's 'racist discourse'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976683,00.html
Political "Developments"
Egypt: No breakthrough in Mideast peace talks
Egyptian officials meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and confirm
Egypt's support for Palestinian demand that Israel freeze West Bank
settlement construction before talks can continue.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
egypt-no-breakthrough-in-mideast-peace-talks-1.321638
Abbas: We'll demand UN recognition within months
Following
talks
with senior Egyptian officials, Palestinian president says 'Israel has
been taking unilateral steps for decades.' Abbas also blames
Netanyahu government for not preventing 'criminal settler violence'.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976494,00.html
Israel could lease Palestinian lands in exchange for Palestinian statehood: report
In
exchange for a state of their own, Palestinians would lease Israel parts
of the long-contested lands for the next 40 to 99 years, according
to a report today in Al-Sharq al-Awsat.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/KhVxsMXhk2U/
Israel-could-lease-Palestinian-lands-in-exchange-for-Palestinian-statehood-report
Hamas leader: Next unity talks in Damascus
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Hamas leader said Thursday that the next round of
reconciliation talks would be held in Damascus, despite a recent dispute
between President Mahmoud Abbas and Syria's leadership. Negotiations
to reconcile the rival movements Hamas and Fatah came to a sudden halt
this month when Fatah pulled out of scheduled talks in the Syrian
capital after President Bashar Al-Assad criticized the Ramallah
government.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328607
Hamas warns Israel against launching new offensive on Gaza
Gaza - A Gaza-based high-ranking Islamic Hamas movement leader on
Thursday warned Israel againts launching any new large- scale offensive
on the Gaza Strip similar to the late 2008 'Cast Lead' campaign. "'We
seriously consider Israel's threats to launch another war on Gaza, but
we frankly say if Israel tries to enter Gaza, it will cost it a lot and
it won't be able to achieve its goals,' said Mahmoud al- Zahar during a
workshop in Gaza.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1594855.php
Hamas official: We were warned of possible Israeli strike
Sources in Gaza claim at least one Arab state warned Islamist group of possible Israeli attack if rearmament in Gaza continues.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976711,00.html
Netanyahu: Direct talks are only path to true Mideast peace
PM's comment comes after Abbas says considering appeal to UN Security
Council to approve unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/
netanyahu-direct-talks-are-only-path-to-true-mideast-peace-1.321667
MK Ya'alon: Peace won't happen if Jerusalem is divided
"Peace
wouldn't
stand a chance if, god forbid, the control of parts of Jerusalem would
be transferred to Muslim authorities," Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon
said during a book launch. "Our experience in the Middle East proves
that there is no religious tolerance from the side of the Muslim Arabs,"
he added. "Not in Ramallah, not in Bethlehem,
and not in neighboring countries. The only way to reach peace is by
keeping Jerusalem united under Israeli control."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976541,00.html
Is Clinton (Bill) poised to return to Mideast diplomacy?
Recent report claims former US president will return to politics in
region in one capacity or another, may be involved in peace process.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=193165
Report: Israel slams UNESCO decisions as biased
BETHLEHEM
(Ma’an)
-- A week after UNESCO passed five resolutions on their work and
mandate in Palestine, Israeli officials condemned the decisions as
anti-Israeli. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman being interviewed
on Radio Israel on Friday said UNESCO had accused Israel of conducting
excavations beneath Rachel's Tomb, cordoned off from Bethlehem and its
surrounding Muslim cemetery by the separation wall in 2004.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=328728
Other News
Tens of thousands rally for Islamic Jihad in Gaza (AFP)
AFP
- Tens of thousands of Palestinians turned out for a rally in the Gaza
Strip on Friday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the founding of the
hardline militant group Islamic Jihad.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101029/wl_mideast_afp/
israelpalestiniansconflictgazajihadanniversary
New York Times execs visit West Bank city
Publisher, senior editors of influential American newspaper given tour of Ariel as part of Yesha Council PR campaign.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976644,00.html
Virginia House candidates battle over Israel in final debate
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Republican Scott Rigell said NPR's recent firing
of news analyst Juan Williams is a sign America is falling into the
"trap of true political correctness." During a debate Thursday, Rigell
also took a stand against the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero
in New York City and said Israel has a right to sovereignty over the
West Bank and Gaza Strip.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/126445-
virginia-house-candidates-battle-over-israel-in-final-debate-
Minister backs segregated haredi housing
Housing
minister
says ultra-Orthodox sector will take over secular neighborhoods if
haredi cities not planned. 'I wouldn't let my kids meet
with secular youth,' he notes.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976199,00.html
IDF commanders to get 'haredi glossary'
What
is
glatt kosher? IDF commanders to receive 18-page booklet explaining long
list of religious terms, as more haredim show interest in joining army;
hundreds of ultra-Orthodox enlist for army service in recent years.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976475,00.html
US college president: Anti-Israel professor cannot be fired
Tenured Pennsylvania professor who questioned Shoah, referred to Israel
as ‘hydra-headed monster’ cannot be fired, university president says;
Pakistan-born lecturer gets green-light to express his opinions outside
classroom.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976608,00.html
Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Collaborator, Palestine Monitor
From Algeria to Cuba, national liberation movements have been plagued by
informers. It is the dirtiest game of any occupation and Israel’s stranglehold on Palestine is no different.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1588
Will the Palestinians Take Their Case to the U.N.?, Tony Karon
Time.com
-
Skeptical of the Obama Administration's peace effort, PLO leaders could
appeal to international law. But political calculations are likely
to hold them back.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20101028/wl_time/08599202794400
Israel Lobby's Last Minute GOP Push, MJ Rosenberg
The
usual
suspects have been warning President Barack Obama almost since
Inauguration Day that there would be a literal price to pay if he
assumed the role of "honest broker" in the Middle East. Following
Obama's 2009 Cairo speech and then his short-lived stand against Israeli
settlements, Obama was warned by Democrats close to the lobby (including
some inside the White House) that publicly disagreeing with Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would offend donors. That would harm the
Democrats in 2010 and doom his re-election chances in 2012.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/israel-lobbys-last-minute_b_775382.html
‘In
my
opinion, every Jewish town needs at least one Arab. What would happen
if my refrigerator stopped working on a Saturday?’, Eva Smagacz
Asked David Rotem, chairman of Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee after said committee approved
unanimously a law that allows communities to reject potential residents
if they do not meet criteria of "suitability to the communities
fundamental outlook" so that they are free to reject candidates on the
grounds of age, sex, religion and socio-economic status.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/in-my-opinion-every-jewish-town-needs-at-least-
one-arab-what-would-happen-if-my-refrigerator-stopped-working-on-a-saturday.html
Such is the Peace Process: Obama as a Salesman, Ramzy Baroud
It
wouldn't
be an exaggeration to claim that the resumption of peace talks
between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have thus
far yielded nothing of value, at least not as far as settling the
decades-long struggle. For one, the media has paid the talks little
attention, aside from the ceremonial coverage of the first round of
talks in Washington on September 2. It barely noticed the following
round in the Middle East nearly two weeks later. What did capture the
media’s attention was US President Barack Obama’s attempt to minimize
the damage he invited upon himself for merely pressing Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to issue a partial moratorium on settlement
building (about 11 months ago), and then to extend the settlement
freeze.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16368
Democracy in Illinois: Pro-Israel Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Maidhc Ó Cathail
Helen Keller’s pithy observation about American democracy being little
more than a choice 'between Tweedledum and Tweedledee' was never more
true than in the upcoming midterm elections in the ninth congressional
district of Illinois. In a district which includes the affluent
northern suburbs of Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan, the
central issue is not the two wars—or is it now three?—the country is
fighting, nor is it the tanking economy, in great part caused by those
debt-inducing wars. No, the burning issue here is… who cares more about
Israel?
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16366
Associated Press Hasbara: Palestinians of Israel ‘enjoy equal rights under Israeli law’, Alex Kane
An Associated Press article on yesterday’s clashes
between Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli police and extreme
rightists marching through the the town of Umm el-Fahm states.
http://alexbkane.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/associated-press-
hasbara-palestinians-of-israel-enjoy-equal-rights-under-israeli-law/
Wolfensohn: “no-one particularly likes the Jews, no-one particularly likes the Palestinians”, Antony Loewenstein
James Wolfensohn, former World Bank President and former head of the Middle East Quartet, was on Australian TV last night talking about Israel/Palestine and the message was clear; America is Israel’s lawyer.
http://antonyloewenstein.com/2010/10/29/wolfensohn-no-one-particularly-likes-t
Daoud Kuttab: Jewish or Israeli
I
feel that it is problematic to erase differences between "Israeli" and
"Jew." It bothers me when Palestinians use these two terms
interchangeably.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/jewish-or-israeli_b_775181.html
The art of sucking up, Philip Weiss
Elena Kagan goes skeet shooting with arch-conservative Antonin Scalia.
Demonstrating that wherever she is, this woman orients herself toward
the powerful. A lot here. The decline of the Jewish meritocracy, the
decline of the Jewish liberal tradition, the decline of Jewish
intelligence, the dissipation of Obama's promise.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/10/the-art-of-sucking-up.html
Living Simply At Age 108: Beautiful Memories From The Oldest Person In 'Issawiya Village
Jersualem – Maysa Abu Ghazala – PNN/Exclusive - “It was a beautiful
life. We ate what we grew and we drank the well water that we carried on
our shoulders.” This was the simple life of Sarya Muhammad Alyan, now
108 years old and the oldest person in ‘Issawiya village. She speaks
about the early years of the last century, where there were no noisy
cars, no complicated new technology, and no chemicals in the crops.
After she married her cousin in her thirties, Sarya had six children,
three boys and three girls. The oldest of them is now 77. Between her
children, grandchildren, and great-grand children, the number exceeds
200 people.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9031&Itemid=1
Winning the War in Afghanistan at $50 Million per Kill, NICHOLAS C. ARGUIMBAU
Michael
Nasuti of Kabul Press recently published an article in which he
calculated that killing each Taliban soldier in Afghanistan costs on
average of $50 million to the US. The article, seemingly carefully.
researched with all assumptions laid out so that anyone can examine
them, is well worth reading. Nasuti, "Killing Each Taliban Soldier Costs $50 million."
He
points out that at this rate, killing the entire Taliban forces (only
35,000) would cost $1.7 trillion, not a small amount for a country
suffering from a severe economic downturn to spend on a war with no
apparent purpose. And Nasuti's number, of course, assumes that they coud
not be replaced faster than they are killed, but it appears that they
can, easily.
http://www.counterpunch.com/arguimbau10282010.html
Gitmo's Indelible Stain, SHERWOOD ROSS
Although U.S. officials have attributed the torture of Muslim prisoners
in their custody to a handful of maverick guards, in fact such criminal
acts were widely perpetrated and systemic, likely involving large
numbers of military personnel, a book by a survivor suggests.
Additionally, guards were responsible for countless acts of murder,
including death by crucifixion, lynching, poisoning, snakebite,
withholding of medicines, starvation, and bludgeoning of innocent
victims. And the murders committed by U.S. troops numbered at least in
the hundreds, according to reliable sources.
http://www.counterpunch.com/ross10282010.html
Mike Elk: Jon Stewart Rally Represents Elitism, Consumerism, and Disrespect for the Progressive Movement
Many Jon Stewart followers see his "Rally to Restore Sanity" on Saturday as a progressive rallying cry. Stewart claims on his website
it is not, saying, "If we had to sum up the political view of our
participants in a single sentence... we couldn't. That's sort of the
point." However, over 200,000 attendees, who mostly identify themselves
as progressives have RSVP'ed for the rally on Facebook. The rally is
being backed by major progressive forces like Arianna Huffington--who is
paying to bus in 10,000 supporters from New York City to attend the rally. Stewart himself on his website compares
the rally to major progressive events like Woodstock and the more recent
Million Man March for civil rights. Whether or not Stewart intends the
Rally to Restore Sanity to be a left wing political event, progressive
activists throughout the country see it as an important political
statement that counters the message of Glenn Beck and the Tea Party.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-elk/jon-stewart-rally-represe_b_775409.html
Lebanon
Hezbollah urges Hariri case boycott
Hassan Nasrallah warns against Lebanese co-operation with investigation into 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/10/2010102819122690558.html
US accuses Syria, Iran over Lebanon tensions (AFP)
AFP - The United States on Thursday accused Syria and Iran of fuelling
tensions in Lebanon with arms supplies and other support for the
Hezbollah militia in contravention of UN resolutions.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101028/pl_afp/lebanonunrestus
Israel traded 52 prisoners for missing soldier's gun: report (AFP) [Guns are more important than Gilad Shalit?]
AFP - Israel traded 52 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners to the
Hezbollah militia in exchange for the gun of an Israeli airman who went
missing in southern Lebanon in 1986, a newspaper said on Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101028/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictlebanonarad
The encounter in the clinic in the southern suburbs of BeirutTalal,
a
comrade and friend who heads a division at a major medical center at
well-known US university, sent me this regarding the "visit" by a Hariri
tribunal team to the clinic of a Lebanese physician: "Is it not
interesting that the International Tribunal sanctions practices in
Lebanon that would be banned in the native countries of its
investigators and jurists? For example, they went into a clinic in the
Southern district of Beirut asking to check on the names and files of a
large number of women who attend the clinic. That would not fly in the
USA. One cannot just come in, even with legal sanction, and check
wholesale on the FILES (containing sensitive personal information) of
ALL those that come through (they claimed to start with 17 names but it
was made obvious that it was to be an open ended investigation with a
free hand to investigate any file in the clinic). Such a act would
constitute a serious violation of Medical Privacy laws, unnecessarily
exposing not only their names of a large number of individuals but also
the details of their medical conditions as well as other private
information. This is ILLEGAL under any of a number of medical privacy
laws. One is usually presented with a court order to obtain information
on a SPECIFIC person, and no other subjects so as to safe guard people's
privacy. I am amazed the Physician in question even let them in. She
should have been the first to kick them out of the clinic, court
order notwithstanding. Shame on the Lebanese government and the Lebanese
Order of Physicians for providing cover for such a travesty to take
place." [end]
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/10/encounter-in-clinic-in-southern-suburbs.html
Squeezing Hezbollah, FRANKLIN LAMB
Beirut
is abuzz over some pretty bizarre events that have been unfolding the
past few months concerning Hezbollah and the UN created International
Tribunal for Lebanon, set up in 2007 to bring to justice those involved
in the Valentine Day 2005 assassination of then Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri. One such event occurred yesterday morning, 10/27/10, at 9:00 am
at Dr. Iman Charara's street-level private obstetrics and gynecology
clinic, here in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah south Beirut neighborhood which is
still recovering from Israel’s 33 days of carpet bombing in 2006 which
destroyed pretty much everything including more than 250 homes, scores
of businesses, and much of the infrastructure.
http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb10282010.html
Iraq
Thursday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 19 Wounded
At least four Iraqis were killed and 19 more were wounded in the latest
violence. Meanwhile, the Iraqiya party continues to use the Wikileaks
Iraq reports to bolster their claim that the prime minister is unfit for
a second term.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/10/28/thursday-4-iraqis-killed-19-wounded/
One million cubic tons of garbage dumped in Tigris River
The Tigris River which bisects Baghdad and several other major Iraqi
cities has about one billion cubic meters of polluted materials dumped
into it, according to a senior environment expert. Kamel al-Saadi,
Baghdad Province’s expert on environment, said pollution was surging in
the river “at an alarming scale” and called for immediate measure to put
a halt. “The rate of pollution (in the Tigris River) has reached one
billion cubic meters and is on the increase,” Saadi said. He said the
volume of pollution has been documented by a group of experts selected
by the Province of Baghdad.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2010-10-28\kurd.htm
Chlorine blast sickens Iraqis (AP)AP - Officals say more than 200 people were sicked by a chlorine gas explosion at a water purificiation plant in southern Iraq.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101029/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan: Journalists Under Threat(New
York)
- Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan who criticize the regional government
have faced substantial violence, threats, and lawsuits in recent months,
and some have fled the country, Human Rights Watch reported today.
Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government needs to ensure an
independent and transparent inquiry into the killing of journalist
Sardasht Osman in May 2010, that will lead to the identification and
prosecution of all those responsible, Human Rights Watch said. An
investigation by an anonymous committee appointed by President Masoud
Barzani did not substantiate its findings, Human Rights Watch added.
"This secret investigation into Sardasht Osman's murder is exactly the
opposite of what's needed," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director
at Human Rights Watch. "The Kurdistan government needs to get to the
bottom of this killing with an open and independent inquiry that will
include looking into allegations of government involvement."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/b51f9177690aadcfbb884d08ce0ecc63.htmIraqi TV personality takes on a perilous job: Giving a microphone to the masses, Leila Fadel
BAGHDAD - On a recent morning, as Minas Suheil and his crew set up their
cameras in the working class area of Bab al-Sharji, people instantly swarmed the Iraqi television personality.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=df05fa683f523e02688ce5bb5301ed73
A new effort to preserve Iraq's rich biodiversity, from mountains to marshes
As an international conference noted this week, the world's biodiversity
is threatened. Iraq is no exception – but before anything can be done, it needs Iraqis who understand the problems.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/VUipchp8FGw/
A-new-effort-to-preserve-Iraq-s-rich-biodiversity-from-mountains-to-marshes
WikileaksIraq war logs: 'The US was part of the Wolf Brigade operation against us'
Omar Salem Shehab tells of torture at hands of notorious Iraqi police
unit and says US forces were involved in his capture. During the
foreboding months of 2005, one police unit struck more fear into Iraqis
than the entire occupying US army. They were known as the Wolf Brigade.
Brutal even by Iraqi standards, their soldiers and officers seemingly
answered to no one. They were seen as indiscriminate and predatory. The
unit's reputation had been known Iraq-wide and results of their numerous
raids are still bogged down in Iraq's legal system.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/28/iraq-war-logs-iraq
Iraq war logs: Prisoner beaten to death days after British handover to police
High-level diplomatic protests were made to Iraqi interior minister
after death of Abbas Alawi while in custody of Basra police. An Iraqi
criminal prisoner was tortured and beaten to death within three days of
being turned over to police in Basra by British troops. This latest
detailed evidence of previously covered-up Iraq atrocities has emerged
following the leak of a vast number of Iraq war logs compiled by the US
army and containing hour-by-hour military field reports.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/28/iraq-war-logs-abbas-alawi
U.S. and other world news
Even though Obama’s latest offer to Iran revealedAli Gharib Iran has yet to respond to an invitation for the P5+1 talks that are now only a few weeks away, officials in the Obama administration are leaking details to the New York Times of an offer that could be on the table.
http://www.lobelog.com/obamas-latest-offer-to-iran-revealed/
Canadian-born detainee apologises to widow of US soldier he killed in Afghanistan in his first remarks to trial.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2010/10/20101028204444173841.html
Security Tight At Bahrain Trial Of Shi'ites
DUBAI
(Reuters)
- The trial of 25 Bahraini Shi'ites accused of plotting to topple the
Sunni-dominated political system began on Thursday with defendants
saying they were tortured and police encircling the area to keep
protests at bay.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1cacdffdd08ae997035351c715e6d12c
Al-Shabab executes two girl 'spies'
Somali armed group publicly execute by firing squad two teenage girls accused of spying "for the enemy".
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/20101028161122648300.html
Exposing the infrastructure of anti-Muslim hate
The dismissal of Juan Williams' from NPR once again exposes the
difficulty America is having discussing Islam in a cool or rational
manner. Williams' exchange with Bill O'Reilly featured much of the usual
ignorance, with both agreeing that, although undefined "good Muslims" do
exist, all Muslims must be considered potential soldiers in an Islamic
war against America. This ludicrous belief is not only a distortion of
reality, but also poses a serious threat to the well-being
and security of the United States. In adopting this position, Williams
and O'Reilly were reflecting the climate of hatred against Muslims that
is fueled by prejudice and lack of knowledge.
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/10/
exposing_the_infrastructure_of_anti-muslim_hate_1.html
Tea Party Founder Judson Phillips Admits He Has 'Real Problem With Islam'
Judson Phillips, founder of the Tea Party Nation, fortified a recent email
encouraging Minnesotans in the 5th Congressional District to vote Rep.
Keith Ellison (D) out -- in part because he's a Muslim -- by stating
that he, as well as most Tea Party members, had serious qualms with
Islam.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/28/judson-phillips-tea-party-islam_n_775260.html |
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