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News
International Middle East Media Center
P.A
To Move Four Main Files To The United Nations
IMEMC 21 Nov 2009 -
Saturday November 21, 2009 - 23:19, The Palestinian Authority in the
West Bank decided to move to the UN four main files, regarding borders,
the Wall, the Palestinians state and the illegal weapons used by Israel
during its offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Troops
Kidnap Five Palestinian Security Officers In Salfit
IMEMC 21 Nov 2009 -
Saturday November 21, 2009 - 01:33, Israeli soldiers kidnapped on
Friday morning five Palestinian security officers near the West Bank
city of Salfit. Israel confirmed the arrests but did not provide
details on the circumstances.
Barhoum:
“Hamas Will Not Negotiate With The Occupation”
IMEMC 21 Nov 2009 -
Saturday November 21, 2009 - 00:38, Hamas spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum,
stated on Friday evening that his movement will not negotiate with the
Israeli occupation, as such negotiations give the occupier legitimacy
to continue the violations.
Troops
Attack Ni’lin Weekly Nonviolent Protest
IMEMC 21 Nov 2009 -
Saturday November 21, 2009 - 00:17, A Palestinian villager from Ni’lin
village, near Ramallah, was injured, and several protesters suffered
the effects of tear gas inhalation after the Israeli soldiers attacked
the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall.
Palestinian
Child Wounded After Being Rammed By A Settler’s Vehicle
IMEMC 21 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 20, 2009 - 22:11, The Palestinian Police in Nablus
reported on Friday evening that a 9-year old child was wounded after
being rammed by a settler’s vehicle close to Za’tara junction, near the
northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Dozens
suffered tear gas inhalation at the weekly demonstration in Bil’in
IMEMC 21 Nov 2009 -
Friday November 20, 2009 - 15:04, Residents of Bil’in village, central
West Bank, gathered in a demonstration today, commemorating the 21st
anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and condemning the
ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.
Previously
banned ’tutu’ bullets return to Nil’in
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces have renewed using live fire against
Palestinian protesters in the West Bank. An Israeli court first
outlawed the "tutu" ammunition in 2001, but the last two Fridays
soldiers have used the "tutu" bullets in Bil'in and Ni'lin, two
villages near Ramallah, during their weekly anti-wall rallies. Israeli
TV broadcast on Saturday the controversial weapon being used against
Palestinians the day before. Israeli rights organizations insist the
weapon is a deadly weapon, as it has killed Palestinians in the past.
An Israeli spokeswoman confirmed to Ma'an that the weapons were being
used in the two villages, but only within the law and when necessary.
In Nil'in on Friday, Israeli forces shot and injured two Palestinians
with the weapon. One was hospitalized after being shot in the knee, but
later released, according to a spokesman from the Popular Committee
Against the Wall in Nil'in.
Israeli
forces detain 3 more PA security officers
11/21/2009 -
Qalqiliya - Ma'an - Israeli forces raided the West Bank town of Jayyus
northeast of Qalqiliya on Saturday morning and detained five
Palestinians including three Palestinian Authority Security Services
officers, officials said. On Friday, four officers and one commander
with the Palestinian Intelligence Services were detained from the
Salfit area. High-level talks between Israel and Palestine were held
throughout the day, with alleged US pressure added shortly before noon.
Palestinian security forces are trained by US General Keith Dayton. The
five men were released late Friday night, Palestinian security sources
confirmed. It was not clear whether the second round of detentions
targeting PA forces was related to the first incident. The head of the
Israeli civil liaison department said his Israeli counterparts denied
knowledge of the detention of any PA security officers in Qalqiliya on
Saturday.
'Road
to Jerusalem' project brings city home
11/21/2009 -
Jerusalem - Ma'an - Eighty large ceramic signs are being erected around
the West Bank, each indicating the distance from the sign to the Old
City of Jerusalem as part of a cultural initiative to reintegrate
Jerusalem into the lives of Palestinians cut off from the city by
Israel's separation wall. The International Academy of Art in Palestine
with renowned artist Khalid Al-Hurani in cooperation with the committee
of Al-Quds Capital of the Arab Culture 2009 launched the project,
called "Road to Jerusalem," as part of the final official program for
the 2009 events. The Al-Arabi Media firm was contracted by the group to
install the signs in cities, villages and Refugee Camps and as well as
locations inside Israel including public gardens, community centers,
universities and schools, a statement from the company said. The goal
of the project is to stress that Jerusalem is the Palestinian capital,"
officials said. . . .
Official:
Armed groups to limit projectile fire
11/21/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Armed Palestinian groups in Gaza have reached an agreement to
stop firing homemade projectiles into Israel except during army
incursions, de facto Interior Minister Fathi Hammad said on Saturday.
"We don't prohibit resistance except when there is a national consensus
for a ceasefire, like after the last Israeli war against the Gaza
Strip,"he told a group of journalists. Hammad added that his ministry
stays in contact with military factions before making any decision, and
has held several evaluative meetings to discuss the matter, coming to
the conclusion that factions should restrain themselves except in the
event of an Israeli incursion. It was not clear when the supposed ban
was set to begin. A projectile fired from Gaza struck southern Israel
on Saturday morning, according to Israeli media.
Foundation
commends Gaza journalists
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The third annual Martin Adler Prize was awarded to
three freelance journalists in Gaza for their "significant role in
getting news stories out of their country," a statement from the Rory
Peck Trust announced Thursday. According to the foundation, the Adler
award will "jointly honor Talal Abu Rahma, Ashraf Mashharawi and Raed
Athamneh. . . in recognition of the enormous role they have played
bringing stories out of Gaza, especially during last winter's Israel
offensive when the international news media were denied entry into the
country. "Abu Rahma, a freelance reporter, producer and
cameraman,filmed death of Muhammad Ad-Durra, the 12-year-old Gazan boy
killed by Israeli gunfire during clashes on 30 September 2000. The boy,
hunched behind his father as the two took cover behind an oil drum,
became a symbol of the Palestinian cause during and after the second
Intifada.
UNRWA
schools launch digital yearbook for Palestinain refugees
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - UN schools in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon
and Syria launched a program Friday, linking Palestinian children in
refugee camps across the region with the first digital yearbook
project. Each student in the hundreds of schools will record a
30-second message. The words of the students "will form the basis of a
living network for the future, to be added to each year," a statement
from the UN and UK NGO co-sponsor of the program Hoping Foundation
said. The project was launched in the UNRWA schools on the 20th
anniversary of the UN ratification of the Convention of the Rights of
the Child. The messages from the students are meant to answer the
question, "what are your hopes and dreams. " The first of the series
filmed and uploaded to the online yearbook show Palestinians in their
classrooms or libraries, sitting by the roadside, kicking a soccer
ball, speaking about what they want for the future.
Israeli
forces detain one in Tulkarem raid, summon second
11/21/2009 -
Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Tulkarem
and the nearby Nour Ash-Shams Refugee Camp where they detained one
Palestinian and delivered a summons order for a second. Palestinian
security sources identified the detained man as 27- year-old Ammar
Al-Qutub, who was taken to an unknown destination when Israeli soldiers
raided his family home near the Shuweikah circle in Tulkarem. In the
nearby camp, Israeli soldiers handed over a summoning order to the
family of Mohammad Mahmoud Aref, demanding the man appear before the
Israeli intelligence services facility south of Tulkarem. [end]
Egyptian
police detain nine Eritrean migrants en route to Israel
11/21/2009 -
Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian authorities detained nine African
immigrants, injuring six, who were all attempting to cross into Israel,
Egyptian police announced Friday. The nine were taken in south of the
Kerem Shalom crossing, at the southeast tip of the Gaza Strip, in two
separate groups. A first group of six Eritreans were injured by
Egyptian night-guard police, while a second group, also from Eritrea,
was taken in just north of the first group. The detained migrants said
they had paid 9,000 US dollars to be smuggled into Israel, where they
hoped to find work. [end]
UNICEF:
Refugee dropout rates staggering in Lebanon
11/21/2009 -
Ramallah - Ma'an - India's representative to the Palestinian Authority
delivered a check for 1 million US dollars to UNRWA director Karen Abu
Zayd in Jerusalem on Friday. The ambassador said the aid package came
within India's pledge to donate 10 million US dollars for building a
Palestinian embassy and residence for diplomats in New Delhi. Also on
Friday, UNICEF issued a report saying UNRWA-registered Palestinian
students in Lebanon had staggering dropout raids, including 50 percent
of 17-year-olds, and 40 percent of of 16-year-olds receiving no
education whatsoever. "We are sounding the alarm that the dropout rate
is too high among school-aged children from the intermediary to the
high school level," said Ray Virgilio Torres, head of the UN Children's
Fund (UNICEF) in Beirut, according to Agence France-Presse.
Israel:
Projectile fired from Gaza lands in Negev
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli media outlets said one projectile,
allegedly fired from within the Gaza Strip, landed in the Negev desert.
The projectile landed somewhere in the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council,
according to the Israeli news site Ynet, which runs from the west side
of Nahal Oz to beyond the north side of the Erez crossing, wrapping the
entire northern Gaza Strip. No injuries or damages were reported by the
news site. [end]
Israeli
MK to visit Turkey for the first time since Gaza war
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an /Agencies - For the first time since the Israeli
military offensive against the Gaza Strip, an Israeli minister is
scheduled to visit Turkey on Sunday, Israel Radio reported. Israel's
Trade and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer will arrive in the
country on Sunday as part of efforts to improve diplomatic relations
between Turkey and Israel. Ben-Eliezer will meet Turkish Defense
Minister Vecdi Gonul, as well as representatives from the Ministry of
the National Economy. [end]
PA’s
Iraq envoy: Sever ties with Israel
11/21/2009 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Palestinian Ambassador to Iraq Dalil Al-Qasus called on Arab
countries during a celebration of Palestinian culture in Baghdad on
Saturday to close their embassies in Israel as a sign of support to the
Palestinian people. Al-Qasus spoke at the landmark event honoring
Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009 in Baghdad. Jerusalem (Al-Quds in
Arabic) was selected for the honor by the Arab League Educational and
Scientific and Cultural Organization (ALESCO) after Baghdad announced
it would not be able to participate. Baghdad was selected for the honor
in 2005, but withdrew its bid due to security chaos. According to the
Palestinian planners of the Jerusalem festival, it may have been easier
to hold the events in Iraq after all. No celebrations of Al-Quds
Capital of Culture have been permitted in Jerusalem.
Fatah
leader: Hamas, Israel seek two-phase peace
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - "Hamas and Netanyahu believe the PA security
structure is an obstacle in front of the temporary [borders] state
option," Fatah leader Jamal Nazzal proclaimed Saturday. Nazzal accused
Israel and Hamas of collaborating on a rumored two-phase peace deal
revealed by the Israeli press and apparently confirmed by President
Mahmoud Abbas during an interview with BBC Arabic on Thursday. Hamas
leaders categorically denied any secret talks with Israel. Member of
the Fatah Revolutionary Council and party spokesperson, Nazzal, also
linked the alleged collaboration with recent Israeli detentions of PA
security personnel, five of whom were detained Friday and later
released, and another three reportedly detained Saturday morning.
Israeli media reported that the initial detentions were related to the
investigation of a suspected double agent, acused of handing
information to Israel.
Report:
Abbas rejected US plan to resume talks
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel's Channel 10 reported on Saturday that
President Mahmoud Abbas refused a proposal from the United States to
resume negotiations with Israel. According to the report, the US
administration suggested, and Israel was preparing to allow, the
following in exchange for a guarantee from Abbas that the PLO would
re-enter talks: - Weapons for Palestinian Authority security forces -
Release of 400 Fatah prisoners from Israeli jails before the Muslim
holiday of Eid - Extending the PA's West Bank jurisdiction in Area B to
full control and Area C to partial control. Channel 10 reported that
Abbas rejected all of these offers, sticking instead to his insistence
that there be no negotiations while Israel's borders continue to
expand. The network also reported that the US Consulate in Jerusalem
and the PA have established a joint monitoring committee for the
construction of settlements inside Jerusalem.
French
FM: Gilo expansion ’more than regrettable’
11/21/2009 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israel's plan to build 900 new housing
units in the illegal settlement of Gilo is "more than regrettable," but
not entirely Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fault, according to
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. In an interview with the
French Libération magazine that was published on Saturday, Kouchner
said the announcement "didn't come from the prime minister, but from
the municipality of Gilo. Anyway, this is not an excuse and France
condemns all forms of settlement. "Kouchner also said that after
meeting with the prime minister, he was relieved that Netanyahu
appeared interested in reaching an agreement with Palestine. "I arrived
pessimistic but after long talks with Israeli leaders. . . more
optimistic. " "I think he is determined to make a move. Which exactly?
I do not know," he said.
PA
police detain 11 ’fugitives’ at Allenby Bridge
11/21/2009 - Jericho
- Ma'an - Police operating at the Allenby Bridge border crossing near
Jericho detained 11 Palestinians they called fugitives apparently
trying to leave the country over the past week. Their names were not
released in a statement sent from the department's media office.
Meanwhile, a family was evacuated from its home in the Old City of
Hebron Friday night after an over-used heater shorted, setting the home
ablaze, rescue workers reported. Neighbors called the police, who said
they rushed to the Bab Az-Zawieyah area home, where they found a mother
and her two children trapped by the fire. Palestinian firefighters were
called to the scene to put out the fire. They removed flammable objects
from the fire's path, and doused the flaming rooms with water. Each
year home fires erupt in Palestine as the result of over-used or
unattended electric or domestic-gas heaters.
Fatah
leader urges Hamas to stop ’foot-dragging’
11/21/2009 -
Ramallah - Ma'an - A member of Fatah's central committee urged Hamas to
stop announcing contradictory positions and sign the reconciliation
agreement proposed by Egypt. In a statement, Azzam Al-Ahmad said Hamas'
"contradictory statements" were at the expense of national interests.
"Sometimes they want some point to be adjusted, other times they say
they're waiting to depart for Egypt to sign the proposal with a few
amendments, then they're saying they won't sign the proposal," Al-Ahmad
added. "Does Hamas have the right to complain about division amongst
Palestinians while making efforts to deepen it, and then accuse Egypt
of coming up with terms it's never heard of? "he asked. "How can they
complain about living conditions, the Al-Aqsa situation, and Jerusalem
while pressing forward its bloody coup and continuing to impose its
will on the residents of Gaza via systematic oppression," he added.
More
H1N1 cases than Health Ministry reporting
11/21/2009 -
Tulkarem - Ma'an - A 35-year-old northern West Bank teacher died on
Tuesday from the H1N1 virus, Ma'an has learned. Medical sources said
the man, who was not identified, arrived at the Thabet Thabet Hospital
in northern Tulkarem in critical condition. Doctors diagnosed swine
flu, and related fluid in the lungs and renal failure nevertheless
killed him several days later. More than 10 cases of H1N1 have been
diagnosed in the past four days at Thabet Thabet Hospital, but the
Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry has nevertheless not announced
anything since Wednesday, when a Ramallah woman's death was announced.
This was despite the Tulkarem man's death on Tuesday, as well as two
cases undergoing treatment in Thabet Thabet's intensive care unit at
the same time, informed sources told Ma'an, on top of another case in
its pediatric ward.
PA
to shut down Forex offices
11/21/2009 - Nablus
- Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority decided on Saturday to shut down 10
foreign currency exchange offices. The industry, abbreviated as Forex,
trades currency, gold, and silver, and is estimated to be worth 16
billion US dollars. "We've been trying to close this case for two
years, ever since several Palestinian citizens were subjected to fraud,
particularly in Jordan. Citizens have lost some 300 million US
dollars," said Jihad Al-Wazir, director of the Palestine National Fund
(PNF), the Palestinian treasury. After investigations, he added, the
PNF determined that certain trade offices did not adhere to legal
financial standards and operated as casinos in some cases. Al-Wazir
told Ma'an that none of the franchises held licenses, saying the PNF
had licensed just three offices since 2005. In the interest of
protecting the national economy, and in an effort to avoid more. . .
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Medics: Five Palestinians hurt in strikes; IDF: One target was Gaza factory used to make weapons.
Hamas: All Gaza militant groups agree to halt rocket attacks
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Hamas says Gaza militants agree to stop rocket fire against Israel to prevent retaliatory attacks.
Barak: We must crush IDF refusal with an iron fist
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Defense Min. set to meet with officials to discuss steps to take against people who encourage refusal.
Iran cleric: We'll hit 'heart of Tel Aviv' if attacked
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Iran to hold drills to protect nuclear sites; officer blames Israel for Russia delay in missile deal.
ANALYSIS / Gaza war brought Israel its quietest year in a decade
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - However, formulating an answer to rocket attacks seems to be a complex and lengthy process.
Lebanon army reportedly fires at IAF drone, amid rising tensions
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Report: Lebanese military chief orders heightened security after Israeli violations in the 'air, land and sea.'
Report: IDF arrests 5 Palestinian intelligence officers
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Officials include Mohammad Abdel Hamid, commander of intelligence in the West Bank town of Salfit.
Jewish teen apprehended over Jerusalem stabbing of Arab man
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Assailant fled scene shortly after stabbing victim in stomach; police not yet clear on motive for attack.
IDF strikes Gaza smuggling tunnels, weapons facility
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - IDF spokesman says strike carried out in response to a Qassam fired into Israel on the previous day.
Border cops suspected of beating Arab in Jerusalem cemetery
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Pair suspected of striking man in East Jerusalem cemetery with truncheons and guns, as well as kicking him.
Barak vows to fight IDF refusal, without cutting yeshiva funds
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Defense Min.: Government should mull steps to take against hesder yeshiva rabbis who preach refusal.
Gaza charity offers $1.4 million for capture of IDF soldiers
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Hamas-linked group sent an e-mail calling on people living in Israel to try take soldiers hostage.
Netanyahu: Israel is world's 'most threatened country'
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - PM notes faster economic growth needed to finance increasing burden of state's defense needs.
Panel suggests scrapping bereaved parents' consent for combat service
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Subject arose following the death of Capt. Asaf Ramon in an IAF F-16 crash two months ago.
IDF refusal will bring about Israel's collapse, warns Netanyahu
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Some 15 lawmakers sign on to proposal to curb army mandate; two soldiers jailed for pro-settler sign at base.
Netanyahu: Israel is Iran's first target, but not its last
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - During navy tour, PM warns of Iran threat and visits boat that raided 'Hezbollah arms ship.'
IDF troops hang sign at base: We won't evacuate settlers
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Move comes month after soldiers from same brigade waved pro-settler banners during graduation ceremony.
Lieberman: PA playing ugly 'double game' with Israel
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - FM accuses PA of pressuring Israel to crush Hamas, then submitting complaints to international court.
Turkey and Israel hold joint drill, in apparent ease of tensions
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - Jordan also takes part in rescue exercise; Turkish daily
Netanyahu: If Palestinians act unilaterally, so will Israel
Ha'aretz 22 Nov 2009 - PM tells Saban Forum there is no substitute for talks, appeals to Palestinians to negotiate at once.
Barghouthi calls
on Abbas to stop depending on the option of negotiation alone
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - Marwan Al-Barghouthi, a member of Fatah's central committee,
called on Mahmoud Abbas to stop depending on the option of negotiation
alone to achieve an independent Palestinian state, stressing that this
option reached an impasse. "Whoever thinks that the occupation will
leave through unequal negotiations in seven star hotels is completely
wrong; it is always required to...
Israeli planes
strike Gaza Strip
Uruknet November 22,
2009 - At least seven Palestinians have been injured in a round of
Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses said.
Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the first strike hit a metal workshop in
the al-Tufah district of Gaza city early on Sunday, while the second
struck a workshop in al-Burij in central Gaza. The Israeli...
Obama's Failure
To Close Guantánamo By January Deadline Is Disastrous
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - President Obama's admission in China that he will miss his
self-imposed deadline for the closure of Guantánamo is disastrous for
the majority of the 215 men still held, and for those who hoped, ten
months ago, that he would move swiftly to close this bitter icon of the
Bush administration's lawless detention and interrogation policies in...
APPLAUD AN
ISRAELI JUDGE DECISION
Uruknet November 21
2009 - An Israeli judge made an historic ruling last week when he
proved to have the strength of mind enabling a civil courage order in
his ruling that an Arab teenager needed "protection" from the Zionist
justice system. The judge ruled that the teenager should not be
convicted despite of that he actually was found guilty of...
Gaza water unfit
for human consumption: Palestinians
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - Water in the Gaza Strip is so salty that it is unfit for human
consumption, a Palestinian official in charge of water supplies inside
the besieged coastal territory said on Saturday. "The water is no
longer fit for human consumption, with analysis and international
studies showing that just 10 percent of water in the Gaza Strip...
Palestinian goes
on hunger strike over denial of medical treatment
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - Ibrahim Burnat, a resident of Bil'in, who was shot in the thigh
with live ammunition during an anti-Wall protest in the village on 13
June 2008, went on hunger strike last Thursday, after he was denied a
permit to attend medical treatment in a Tel Aviv hospital. After being
refused a permit to enter Israel for...
Palestinian MK:
15,000 settlement homes awaiting approval in Jlem
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - Palestinian Member of the Knesset Ahmad Tibi said Israel's
Jerusalem municipality is preparing to build 15,000 new housing units
around the city, mainly in areas beyond the Green Line in occupied
Palestine. "These plans are larger and more dangerous than the recent
plans to build 900 housing units in Gilo," Tibi said during a phone
interview...
Interview with
Doctor Thabet El Masri Gaza: A Death Camp?
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - Thabet El Masri is the Director of the Intensive Care Unit at
the Shifa Hospital, a public institution in the Gaza Strip. He replies
here to the questions of Silvia Cattori about the recent increase in
the number of babies being born with birth defects. Silvia Cattori: In
June, you started to be concerned by an...
Lebanese army
chief: Prepare for Israeli attack
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - Lebanon's army chief, Jean Kahwaji, called on his soldiers to be
wary and to prepare defenses along the border for a possible Israeli
attack, the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Saturday. In a
statement published in honor of Lebanon's Independence Day, the general
said soldiers should prepare "to handle what the Israeli enemy is
scheming against the...
Palestine's right
to statehood
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - With the Palestinian authorities in Ramallah seeking recognition
of a Palestinian state through the United Nations, we must consider
what this means both to Palestinians and to the rest of the world.
States are the predominant actors in the international community. They
are the main actors who create and implement and are subject to
international law,...
Gaza: lost
livelihoods
Uruknet November 21,
2009 - East of Gaza city, on some of Gaza's most fertile land, little
to nothing is growing, and what had grown has been repeatedly mowed
down over the years by Israeli military bulldozers and tanks. I am
re-visiting the region to record farmers' words on a vital issue:
water. Their wells and cisterns have also been bulldozed,...
Gaza facing gas
crisis
Uruknet November 21,
2009 -. "In two days' time, I won't have any bread to sell," Abed the
baker tells me grimly as he hands me over my dozen pitta breads. "There
is no gas at all." Like other bakeries before it in the last few days,
Al Hasouna Bakery will have to close down if cooking gas remains out
of...
West Bank, November 21, 2009 ( Pal Telegraph ) - Israel's water policies causing tremendous harm to Palestinians, their livestock, in West Bank. Once a proud grower of bananas, Abdullah Naji has been harvesting little more than dust in recent years. He blames his...
More illegal settlements in Jerusalem
West Bank, November 20, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - An Israeli lawmaker reveals plans to build several thousand new houses around Jerusalem Al-Quds despite worldwide condemnation of Tel Aviv's relentless settlement expansion.
Two injured as Israeli army fires at Peaceful demo
Europe, November 20, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Around 200 people participated today in the protest in Ni'lin against the Apartheid Wall, including a delegation of Scandinavian students.
Israel defends its "illegal" settlement expansion
Palestine, November 19, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli construction of 900 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem is part of a "routine building programme", an aide to the prime minister has said in reaction to US criticism.
Israel bombs Gaza food-tunnels
Gaza, November 19, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli warplanes have pounded a building near the town of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip and destroyed two tunnels in the city of Rafah along the Egyptian border.
The National 22 Nov 2009 - Egypt simmers after alleged Algerian attacks on its citizens at football matches, but observers say the issue is being sensationalised.
Hamas revises prisoner swap list
The National 22 Nov 2009 - Reports suggest Hamas has submitted a revised list of names to Israel in an effort to move forward a prisoner exchange deal, long expected, between the two.
Woman's arrest at Western Wall highlights Orthodox Jewish influence
The National 22 Nov 2009 - A female medical student broke the law and outraged conservatives when she wore a shawl and prayed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
For the Palestinians, all roads now lead to the UN
The National 22 Nov 2009 - Tony Karon: It is hard to take seriously the threat by the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and demand recognition by the UN Security Council.
Bad blood between Egypt and Algeria runs deeper than football
The National 22 Nov 2009 - Violence is latest incident in escalating diplomatic row between Egypt and Algeria, whose two World Cup qualifying matches this week inflamed decades-old tensions.
Italian police hold pair linked to Mumbai attacks
The National 22 Nov 2009 - Italian police have arrested two Pakistani men accused of providing logistical support for last year’s terror attacks in Mumbai.
The legal legacy of a ‘hedonist’
The National 22 Nov 2009 - In an unprecedented case, the former prime minister Ehud Olmert faces trial for graft, while some of his ministers have been sentenced.
AlJazeera 22 Nov 2009 - Israel calls attack "response to rocket fire" as Hamas seeks deal to rein in armed groups.
Egypt vows to defend its citizens
AlJazeera 21 Nov 2009 - President Mubarak says his country will not tolerate attacks on Egyptians.
Abbas confirms election delay
AlJazeera 20 Nov 2009 - Palestinian president says presidential and legislative elections will be postponed.
Lebanese singer sparks Nubian anger
AlJazeera 20 Nov 2009 - Egypt's black minority calls for Haifa Wehbe's "insulting" pop song to be banned.
PNN 21 Nov 2009 - The filmmaker on her feel-good (sort of) movie, Palestinians in the Windy City, and how personal experiences can trump political arguments. During the first Gulf War, Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis’s family, living in Ohio, received death threats; the Secret Service even came to her high school to investigate a rumor that her seventeen-year-old sister threatened to kill the President. When Dabis entered...
UN marks 20 years of Convention on Rights of the Child
PNN 21 Nov 2009 - Ceremonies are taking place around the world to mark the 20th anniversary of a landmark agreement protecting children. The UN says the Convention on the Rights of the Child has transformed the way children are treated. But it says a billion children in the world still go without food, shelter or healthcare and that millions are facing lives of poverty and abuse....
Boycott targets settlement products
PNN 19 Nov 2009 - The Palestinian Authority has called on the public to boycott several large supermarket chains in the West Bank that carry Israeli products. The decision targets upscale markets in Ramallah, in an attempt to pressure the stores to discontinue the sale of fruits and vegetables grown and processed in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.According to the Palestinian authorities, customers are not aware...
EU 'dismayed' by Israel's decision to build new houses in Gilo
PNN 19 Nov 2009 - BRUSSELS (EJP)---The Swedish EU presidency voiced dismay after Israel decided decision on the construction of new houses in Gilo, in East Jerusalem. In a statement issued Wednesday, the EU recalled that “settlement activities, house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem are illegal under international law.” Such activities also prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations and threaten the viability of a two-state...
Israeli aircraft hit Gaza after rocket attacks
PNN 19 Nov 2009 - JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli aircraft struck a weapons-manufacturing facility and two smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, in response to recent rocket attacks on Israel, the military said. Palestinian security officials reported no injuries.Israel went to war against militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza last winter to quash eight years of rocket and mortar fire that terrorized southern Israel and killed...
Israel arrests 5 top PA intelligence officers
PNN 21 Nov 2009 - Five senior Palestinian General Intelligence Service officers have been detained by Israeli forces near the West Bank village of Salfit in an overnight raid. The detainees include Salfit region intelligence commander Mohammad Abdel Hamid. The Israeli military has also demanded the Palestinians hand over an additional officer who was not apprehended. A Palestinian security source said the Friday morning arrests were apparently...
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - Jailed Tanzim-Fatah leader tells Palestinian paper: There's no Israeli peace partner to negotiate with.
Hamas denies secret talks with Israel
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - Zahar dismisses Abbas's claims, says group officials met with Europeans in Geneva, not Israelis.
Israel big in online illegal drug sales
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - Pharmaceuticals available include Viagra and Cialis, often produced in unsanitary conditions.
Analysis: Virtual diplomacy, real damage
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - Reviving the prospect of territorial concessions to Syria, when Damascus is sponsoring a proxy war against Israel, would reward aggression.
German FM to arrive on 1st trip in post
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - Members of Westerwelle's Free Democratic Party have had problematic entanglements with Israel.
Barak: 'Iron fist' for insubordination
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - In closed-door meeting, defense minister calls for action on refusing IDF orders from Left and Right.
Barak criticized over lack of territories coordinator
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - The COGAT is responsible for civilian and defense affairs with the Palestinians.
'Gilo is not a settelment, it's part of Jerusalem'
Jeruslalem Post 22 Nov 2009 - Neighborhood was Golda's response to US pressure not to build past Green Line.
Rivlin pledges solutions for Gaza evacuees
Jeruslalem Post 21 Nov 2009 - Evacuation a 'national trauma'; those who suffered need be to reimbursed.
IPS WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (IPS) - As Barack Obama arrives home from his weeklong tour of East Asia, he confronts a growing list of ever more urgent problems in the Greater Middle East that he inherited from George W. Bush's "global war on terror".
MIDEAST: West Is East, When Israel Decides
IPS JERUSALEM, Nov 18 (IPS) - Along a wall not about to come down - a hotel no longer a hotel, but an outpost.
Stop The Wall 22 Nov 2009 - 58 days since his arrest, Mohammad remains imprisoned and under interrogation. He has not been charged, and the military courts continue to renew his period of detention. Following a two-week ban on any lawyer visits, which serve as Mohammed’s only contact with the outside world, contact has been reinstated. Today, Mohammed was finally been allowed to contact his family. [
Two protestors shot and injured with live ammunition in Ni'lin
Stop The Wall 22 Nov 2009 - Last week, the popular committee of Ni’lin received information that the Israeli army would ‘step up’ their operations against Ni’lin’s resistance against the illegal Apartheid Wall. This information was confirmed when the demonstration reached the Apartheid Wall yesterday. The fence was expanded with additional concrete blocks and upon arrival, demonstrators were ‘warned’ by the Israeli army that if they would not leave, they would be fired upon with live ammunition again. [
PCHR During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child and wounded 6 civilians, including two children, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
International Solidarity Movement
Demonstrators call for the end of settlement expansion and arrest campaign on Bil’in residents11/21/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 20 November 2009 - Residents of Bil'in gathered in a demonstration today, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and condemning the ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. After the Friday midday prayers, about 150 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists raised dozens of Palestinian flags and posters with the picture of the late Yasser Arafat and chanted slogans calling for the national leadership to keep fighting for the national principles. In a reaction to recent announcements from the Israeli government regarding plans to continue with the construction of 900 new housing units in the settlement of Gilo, they protested against the expansion of illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the threat this expansion poses for the future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Palestinian goes on hunger strike over denial of medical treatment
11/21/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Ibrahim Burnat, a resident of Bil'in, who was shot in the thigh with live ammunition during an anti-Wall protest in the village on 13 June 2008, went on hunger strike last Thursday, after he was denied a permit to attend medical treatment in a Tel Aviv hospital. After being refused a permit to enter Israel for the sake of receiving medical treatment for the First time, Bil'in activist Ibrahim Burnat went on a hunger strike last Thursday, in a desperate attempt to breach bureaucratic indifference. On 13 June 2008, Burnat was shot with live ammunition during a demonstration against the wall in his village. Three bullets penetrated his thigh and caused extensive injuries, including a massive fracture, and long-term nerve damage. On 1 November this year, Burnat was scheduled to undergo medical examinations at the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv, where he hoped a treatment plan to recover sensation in his leg could finally be established.
Israeli forces shoot at Gaza bird-catchers, farmers
11/21/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Eva Bartlett, The Electronic Intifada, 20 November - On 15 November at 8:30am, a number of young men went as usual to the land near Gaza's northern border with Israel planning to catch birds. Amjad Hassanain, 27, was among the bird-catchers hunting near the border fence when Israeli soldiers began shooting. The shots which missed the other bird-catchers hit Hassanain, grazing his shoulder. Cameraman Abdul Rahman Hussain, filming in the vicinity, reports having seen the group of bird-catches head north. "We were near the former Israeli settlement of Doghit," said Hussain, referring to the area northwest of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. 8220;I had gone to the border area to photograph a young bird-catcher. We were about 400 meters from the border fence, but when we heard the shooting, we moved back to around one kilometer. ”.
A demonstration will be held in the West Bank village of Salim, near Nablus
11/21/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Demonstration to be held in Salim village in condemnation of Israel's continued occupation and violation of international law. The village of Salim will host a demonstration this Sunday, 22 November, marking two causes: one, in support of the UN Security Council's recently adopted resolution to protect women in conflict situations; the other, in protest of the Israeli occupation and the devastation it continues to wreck on West Bank villages such as Salim. Demonstrators plan to march from the village to Road 557, in display of opposition to Israel's continued occupation and violation of international law. Protesters will meet will meet in the Duwar (main circle) of Nablus at 11am, where buses are provided to travel to Salim at 11:30, to meet with local protesters at the municipality building in Salim at midday. Background: Salim and its people have suffered greatly from Israel's
Obama must deal with important questions of the Mideast conflict
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - For 41 years, Washington turned a blind eye. It protested a bit, scolded a bit, and mostly made do with periodically stating that its policy has not changed - it still opposes settlements in the territories and does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. Suddenly, it gave us a resounding slap, but one of the frustrating kind that misses the cheek and flies through empty air. Because the American demand that we freeze construction in the settlements, that "strong message" containing a threat, has become a personal duel between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, in place of a clear policy presented by the latter. ...
Israel and Hamas inch toward completion of Shalit swap
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - After so many false hopes, it's hard to believe that this time the story of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit will end differently. And yet it seems that in the coming days negotiations over Shalit's release are again reaching a crucial juncture. The reports by the foreign media, along with mounting tension among political officials, show that negotiations may be close to a resolution. ...
Peres to discuss Middle East peace with Mubarak
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - President Shimon Peres is to make an official visit to Egypt Sunday for a working meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. ...
French FM: I came to Israel pessimistic and left optimistic
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that only the creation of a democratic Palestinian state will ensure Israel's security, Army radio reported on Saturday. ...
Israel wants Turkey back on board as mediator with Syria
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, is expected to propose to Turkey that it resume its mediation role in peace talks between Israel and Syria, in exchange for a return to more cordial relations between Israel and Turkey, according to sources in Jerusalem. ...
The Guardian 21 Nov 2009 - Colleagues laughed when a young journalist in Palestine announced his intention to tell the story of that region though cartoons. Twenty years later, Joe Sacco is one of the world's leading exponents of the graphic novel...
Israel Is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and its History by Rich Cohen | Book review
The Guardian 20 Nov 2009 - Antony Lerman takes issue with a lop-sided critique of Israel With its laboured, punning title, you might expect Rich Cohen's book to be a propagandistic defence of Israel, perhaps arguing that, despite its detractors, the Jewish...
The pro-Israel lobby and antisemitism | Antony Lerman
The Guardian 20 Nov 2009 - C4's Dispatches has been branded 'antisemitic', but surely Britain's Jewish community can cope with reasoned scrutiny? The serious charges levelled by critics at the Dispatches documentary investigating the UK pro-Israel lobby amount to accusations of gross...
Letters: Feedback on Israel lobby inquiry
The Guardian 19 Nov 2009 - David Cesarani ( A frisson of conspiracy , 18 November), is absolutely right that our investigation for Channel 4, Inside Britain's Israel Lobby , was followed by a deluge of pretty horrible antisemitic comment on a range of websites....
A UDI won't mean Palestinian statehood | Victor Kattan
The Guardian 19 Nov 2009 - The Palestinian Authority lacks the support to issue another unilateral declaration of independence it should not be hasty The Palestinian Authority has been making some rather strange decisions lately. In October, it opposed the Goldstone report...
Israel's ultra-Orthodox out of sync | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 19 Nov 2009 - The Haredi community's legal challenge against Intel for operating on Shabbat is putting jobs at risk Following this year's summer of discontent in Jerusalem, trouble looks set to flare again in the capital in the wake...
Obama declines to set Guantnamo closure date in Fox News interview
The Guardian 19 Nov 2009 - President criticises Afghan government and Israeli settlement building, and says he won't read Sarah Palin's book Barack Obama has backed away from his pledge to close the US prison at Guantnamo Bay by the end of...
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - The outgoing commander of the Ephraim brigade, Col. Eran Niv, has ordered soldiers at roadblocks in his sector to detain settlers who verbally abuse them during inspections at the crossing points, and turn them over to the police. ...
Why is Israel laying claim to an Arab home in Jaffa?
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - Tziona Tajer Street in Jaffa, off the main thoroughfare, Yefet, begins with a lush park and ends in a narrow picturesque alleyway bounded by refurbished old homes. One of these houses, behind a heavy blue gate, belongs to the Shaya family. Hanging by the entrance is a large portrait of the family patriarch, Salim Khoury Shaya, a priest who served in the 1920s as the spiritual leader of the Christian Arab (Greek Orthodox) community. Around that time he also built the house on a hill in Jaffa. ...
Study: 12 percent of Israeli teens have a mental health disorder
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - A new Health Ministry study by researchers from Israel, Britain and the United States has found that 12 percent of adolescents in Israel suffer from a recognized psychological disorder. ...
Ultra-Orthodox pressure stalling mosque, church at Ben-Gurion airport
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - Ultra-Orthodox political pressure has stalled the construction of a church and a mosque at Ben-Gurion International Airport for the past five years, aviation sources told Haaretz. ...
The Netanyahu paradox: All-powerful except in one area
Ha'aretz 21 Nov 2009 - "Governance? What kind of governance problem? There is one-person rule in Israel. The prime minister decides everything. He is a lot stronger than the president of the United States." ...
Relief Web 21 Nov 2009 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Acting on 20th anniversary of Child Rights Convention, Third Committee approves annual resolution on rights of the child by consensus
Relief Web 21 Nov 2009 - Source: UN General Assembly
Gaza water unfit for human consumption, Palestinians say
Relief Web 21 Nov 2009 - Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: Israeli planes strike targets in Gaza
Relief Web 21 Nov 2009 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
OPT: Week in review - Settlements stir Palestinian, American ire
Relief Web 21 Nov 2009 - Source: MIFTAH
OPT: Gazan farmers unable to work their land in buffer zone'
Relief Web 20 Nov 2009 - Source: Oxfam
YNet News 22 Nov 2009 - Egyptian president criticizes Israel's plan to 'populate Jerusalem with Jews'
Israeli planes strike targets in Gaza
YNet News 22 Nov 2009 - Palestinian medical workers say seven injured in attack on number of targets in Strip. IDF spokesperson says strikes targeted weapons factories, smuggling tunnel, in response to rocket fired on Israel Saturday
Iran: We'll hit Tel Aviv if attacked
YNet News 21 Nov 2009 - Iranian cleric says ballistic missiles would be fired at heart of Tel Aviv should Israel strike Islamic republic; Iran army official charges Russian delay in supplying advanced missile system to Tehran result of pressure by 'Zionist lobby'
Barak: End insubordination with iron fist
YNet News 21 Nov 2009 - Defense minister talks tough, to meet officials next week to discuss fight against disobedience
Hamas: Rocket deal finalized
YNet News 21 Nov 2009 - Hours after Qassam lands in south, Hamas announces finalization of agreement with Gaza factions that would put an end to rocket attacks; according to deal, rockets to only be fired in response to Israeli operations within Strip
Terror conspiracy in Texas?
YNet News 21 Nov 2009 - Growing signs that shooting at Texas base a terror conspiracy rather than lone gunman attack
Diplomat: Iran needs uranium for hospitals
YNet News 21 Nov 2009 - Senior official: Iran desperately needs uranium to produce isotopes for medical purposes
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said presidential and legislative elections scheduled for January will be postponed, confirming that he has accepted advice not to hold the vote. Abbas, speaking to BBC Arabic, said the Palestinian leadership would take measures to avoid a constitutional vacuum - although he did not spell these out.
35 Egypt police hurt as soccer violence simmers
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Protesters hurled stones and firebombs at riot police near the Algerian Embassy in Cairo on Friday, leaving dozens of officers injured and triggering a diplomatic spat following a crucial soccer match. Several hundred demonstrators took to the streets following reports of attacks on Egyptian fans in Khartoum soon after their team missed out on a place at the 2010 World Cup finals to bitter rivals Algeria.
Iran has 'not responded positively' to nuclear offer
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Major world powers expressed disappointment Friday that Iran has "not responded positively" to a plan for resolving the standoff over its nuclear program or agreed to new talks. "We are disappointed by the lack of follow-up" to understandings reached when the six powers met with Iranian officials in Geneva on October 1, they said in a statement after a meeting in Brussels.
Winter of discontent ahead for Gazans living in damaged homes and tents
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Tens of thousands of Gazans living in tents and damaged homes face a wet, cold and miserable winter as Israel's blockade of the coastal territory continues to prevent the importation of building and reconstruction material. During the last few weeks Gazans were given a brief reprieve from the oncoming winter as an unseasonal snap of warmish.
Torture and killings rife in Yemen, says UN watchdog
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 The United Nations Committee against Torture called on Yemen on Friday to end the widespread torture of detainees and investigate allegations of unlawful killings by its security forces. It voiced concern at reports of grave violations "committed in the context of [Yemen's] fight against terrorism."
Mediating role wins kudos for Ankara among Arabs
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Turkey's efforts to solve regional problems such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the dispute over Iran's nuclear program have enhanced its standing among its Arab neighbors, a report said on Friday. About three-quarters of Arabs believed Turkey should be more active in tackling the region's problems, according to the study by the Istanbul-based Turkish Economic., Turkey's efforts to solve regional problems such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the dispute over Iran's nuclear program have enhanced its standing among its Arab neighbors, a report said on Friday. About three-quarters of Arabs believed Turkey should be more active in tackling the region's problems, according to the study by the Istanbul-based Turkish Economic.
Baroud boycotts committee meeting over ISF, police row
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Another conflicting issue between the opposition and the majority emerged over the course of the week; however, this time over arguments between police and the Internal Security Forces (ISF), which invoked the disapproval of Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud. On Friday, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud boycotted the meeting of the ministerial committee tasked., Another conflicting issue between the opposition and the majority emerged over the course of the week; however, this time over arguments between police and the Internal Security Forces (ISF), which invoked the disapproval of Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud. On Friday, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud boycotted the meeting of the ministerial committee tasked.
Hariri welcomes economic benefits of stronger EU ties
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Prime Minister Saad Hariri renewed on Friday Leba non's commitment to its partnership with Europe. "Lebanon has always been the portal of Europe to the Mediterranean and the portal of the Mediterranean to Europe as well," Hariri said. "Thanks to its strategic geographic position and historical openness to the countries bordering the Mediterranean., Prime Minister Saad Hariri renewed on Friday Leba non's commitment to its partnership with Europe. "Lebanon has always been the portal of Europe to the Mediterranean and the portal of the Mediterranean to Europe as well," Hariri said. "Thanks to its strategic geographic position and historical openness to the countries bordering the Mediterranean.
Last of the glass-blowing Phoenicians joins country's best-kept secrets
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 During the hey-day of the Phoenician civilization, the trading post of ancient Serepta would have had a thriving artisan community with glass makers, potters and timber merchant selling their wares to sea-farers. Today Serepta is better known as Sarafand - a sleepy run-down village in southern Lebanon with pot-holed roads where no one seems to loiter too long., During the hey-day of the Phoenician civilization, the trading post of ancient Serepta would have had a thriving artisan community with glass makers, potters and timber merchant selling their wares to sea-farers. Today Serepta is better known as Sarafand - a sleepy run-down village in southern Lebanon with pot-holed roads where no one seems to loiter too long.
Islam's first superheroes taking the world by storm
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Pow! Forbes names "The 99" as one of the top 20 pop culture trends sweeping the globe. Shazzam! "The 99" theme park opens. Kerboom! Endemol begins work on an animated television series featuring "The 99" superhero characters. Slam! "The 99" creator Dr. Naif al-Mutawa is described as one of the 500 most influential Muslims by Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center., Pow! Forbes names "The 99" as one of the top 20 pop culture trends sweeping the globe. Shazzam! "The 99" theme park opens. Kerboom! Endemol begins work on an animated television series featuring "The 99" superhero characters. Slam! "The 99" creator Dr. Naif al-Mutawa is described as one of the 500 most influential Muslims by Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.
Rival camps abandon confrontation following cabinet formation
Daily Star 22 Nov 2009 Lebanon's new national-unity Cabinet signals that the March 14 and March 8 political camps have retreated from the tactics of confrontation which led the country to the brink of civil war in May 2008, a number of analysts told The Daily Star. Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government will almost certainly not alter the status quo on the most divisive issues such., Lebanon's new national-unity Cabinet signals that the March 14 and March 8 political camps have retreated from the tactics of confrontation which led the country to the brink of civil war in May 2008, a number of analysts told The Daily Star. Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government will almost certainly not alter the status quo on the most divisive issues such.
Palestinian Information Center
Zionist propaganda body seeks volunteers to distort Wikipedia input on MEPIC 22 Nov 2009 - A Zionist hasbara (propaganda) body based in North America is trying to recruit “volunteers” whose main job is to distort the input of the internet’s most visited websites in Israel’s favor.
Radwan: Marini's statement best proof of the mistaken policy of isolating Hamas
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Dr. Ismail Radwan has said that the statement by French Senator Philip Marini that called for ending the political boycott of Hamas was an indication that Hamas could not be sidestepped.
Prisoner’s center for studies: Israel uses excessive force against detainees
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - The prisoners’ center for studies said that the Israeli prisons authority commits serious violations of international law regarding the use of excessive force against Palestinian prisoners.
Barghouthi calls on Abbas to stop depending on the option of negotiation alone
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Marwan Al-Barghouthi, a member of Fatah's central committee, called on Mahmoud Abbas to stop depending on the option of negotiation alone to achieve an independent Palestinian state.
Hammad: Blocking firing of rockets after unanimous endorsement of all factions
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Fathi Hammad, the interior minister, has said that his ministry would not block firing of resistance rockets at Israeli targets unless all Palestinian factions unanimously endorsed such a step.
Jerusalemites, foreign activists march in protest against IOA demolition policy
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Tens of Jerusalemites and foreign activists marched in the streets of occupied Jerusalem to protest the IOA policy of demolishing Palestinian homes in the occupied holy city.
Zahhar denies Abbas’s claims about Hamas involvement in talks with Israel
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar categorically denied Mahmoud Abbas’s recent remarks to the BBC in which he alleged that the Movement of Hamas negotiates with Israel through American mediation.
Salah: Razing homes in J’lem aimed to pave the way for more tunnels and temples
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Sheikh Ra’ed Salah said that the Israeli escalation of demolishing Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem is aimed to pave the way for the building of more tunnels and synagogues.
IOF troops detain 5 citizens from Jayyus village, settler runs over child
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Israeli occupation forces rounded up five citizens from the Jayyus village at dawn Saturday while an Israeli settler ran over a Palestinian child in Nablus district on Friday, locals reported.
Abu Zuhri: Hamas will not negotiate with Israel
PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, has described former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas's talk about Hamas having secret negotiations with Israel as "political hallucination".
LA Times 20 Nov 2009 - The move follows attacks on Egyptian fans after Algeria's victory in a World Cup qualifying match in Sudan. Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Algeria after Egyptian soccer fans were attacked by their Algerian counterparts following the two countries' playoff match in Sudan in the 2010 World Cup qualifications, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.
New York Times 19 Nov 2009 - The conundrum of Jerusalem was fully in evidence as a Brooklyn lawmaker talked of buying into a Jewish apartment complex in a Palestinian neighborhood.
Mideast Peace Talks Hang in Balance Over Abbas
New York Times 19 Nov 2009 - The Israeli security establishment is alarmed over the possible departure of President Mahmoud Abbas, whom it considers a true moderate.
Alternative Information Center - 19 Nov 2009 - Israeli Occupation Forces have escalated their systematic campaign against Palestinian civilian construction activities in areas under their full control according to the Oslo Accords signed by the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993. Areas classified as Areas C in the West...
The situation, in a nutshell
Mondoweiss - 21 Nov 2009 - Anna Baltzer, author, and Haithem El-Zabri, founder of the Palestine Online Store . Austin, TX, November 2008. [Photographer unknown] Related posts: Pia’s ‘As You Like It’ Hummus Inability of Palestinians to Travel to Sea Smacks of ‘Jim Crow’
J Street seeks to undermine BDS
Mondoweiss - 20 Nov 2009 - We’ve been following J Street’s attempts to counteract the growing BDS movement. First there was its aborted release of a public letter criticizing the Toronto Declaration . Then there was the workshop at its student conference called “ Reckoning with the Radical Left on Campus: Alternatives to...
The Atlantic gets Einstein wrong, twice
Mondoweiss - 20 Nov 2009 - " How Einstein Divided America’s Jews ," an article by Walter Isaacson in the current Atlantic magazine is a curious little piece, inaccurate by what it says and perhaps moreso by what it omits. The headline is simply untrue (Einstein did not divide America’s Jews) —...
When the Mets support the Hebron Fund the terrorists win
Mondoweiss - 20 Nov 2009 - (NY1 reports on Wednesday’s protest outside the baseball commissioner’s office ) Jews Against the Occupation’s Aaron Levitt writes in Electronic Intifada about how the Hebron settlers should be considered terrorists, and the work on the Hebron Fund is supporting terrorism: I have witnessed this behavior by men...
the public interest?
Mondoweiss - 20 Nov 2009 - From the JTA : Canada’s opposition Liberal Party is crying foul after the ruling Conservatives mailed out flyers extolling themselves as stronger supporters of Israel. Related posts: The National Interest, and the Israeli interest Shocker: ‘New York Public Library’ to Become ‘Schwarzman Public Library’ Leading lobbyist says...
Articles
Eyeless in Gaza
Rachel Cooke, The Observer, The Guardian 11/22/2009
Colleagues laughed when a young journalist in Palestine announced his intention to tell the story of that region though cartoons. Twenty years later, Joe Sacco is one of the world’s leading exponents of the graphic novel form.
In his books, Joe Sacco always draws himself the same way: neat and compact, a small bag slung across his body, a notebook invariably in his hand. At a single glance, the reader understands that he is both reporter and innocent abroad, an unlikely combination that propels him not only to ask difficult questions, but to go on asking them long after all the other hacks have given up and gone home. You sense in this black-and-white outline, too, a certain taut, physical alertness. Should there be trouble, he is, it seems, ready to run.
The expression on his face, however, is more difficult to read. Sacco keeps his eyes permanently hidden behind the shine of his owlish spectacles; anyone wishing to gauge his deeper emotions must rely instead on his bottom lip. Basically, this lip has two modes. When he is frustrated, bewildered or angry, it moves stubbornly forward and its corners droop. When he is happy, contentedly drinking beer, say, or mildly flirting, it peels back to reveal his teeth, which are big and rabbity and exceedingly un-American, as if crafted from a piece of old orange peel.
Is his eyelessness intended to send some kind of subtle message regarding the reliability of the reporter-narrator? Sacco, who in real life has elfin features and brown eyes, and is sitting next to me at a gleaming white table in the offices of his London publisher, winces. "It is deliberate now," he says. "But it certainly wasn’t in the beginning. If you look at the first few pages of [my first book] Palestine, you’ll see that I didn’t used to be able to draw at all! Also, back then, I really was more like a tourist than a reporter and I suppose the way I drew myself reflected that. I was this naive person who didn’t know where he was going or what he was doing. Since then, I’ve learned how to behave; nowadays, it would be a lie to make myself seem too bumbling. more.. e-mail
What’s Next After the Goldstone Report?
Ian Williams, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 11/1/2009
Of course there is prima facie evidence that Judge Richard Goldstone is biased. He is Jewish, chair of Friends of the Hebrew University, president emeritus for the World ORT Jewish school system, and has a devoted Zionist daughter who made “aliyah” to Israel. But Hamas somehow neglected to make the allegations, even though Goldstone’s Sept. 15 report devoted over 70 pages to considering allegations of Hamas war crimes—compared with some 350 pages to allegations against Israeli forces, which the report suggested may have committed “acts amounting to war crimes and perhaps, in certain circumstances, crimes against humanity.”
Bearing in mind the more than 100:1 ratio of Palestinian to Israeli casualties during Operation Cast Lead and in the months leading up to it, it shows remarkable forbearance on Hamas’ part not to have accused him in advance. They waited until afterwards to complain of the “imbalance” in the report. In fact, if Israel had deigned to present evidence to the U.N. Human Rights Council inquiry, Goldstone almost certainly would have devoted many more pages to Israeli allegations.
However it was pro-Israel sources that pre-emptively and retroactively calumniated Goldstone, his committee and his report for being “one-sided” and, even more hilariously, “anti-Semitic.”
It has long been a tactic of Israel and its apologists to refuse to cooperate with investigations, judicial or journalistic, and then to pounce on the result and declare it to be “one-sided,” or “biased.” Of course one breathlessly awaits any report from the Anti-Defamation League, NGO Monitor, Zionist Organization of America, U.N. Monitor, etc., ad nauseam, that has ever, ever, found an action of Israel worthy of investigation, let alone condemnation.
“One-sided” in this libelous lexicon means any criticism of Israel whatsoever, as is indicated by the criticism of the Goldstone report, which concluded quite correctly that “the government of Israel had not carried out any credible investigations into alleged violations.” But then, it said the same thing about the Hamas-controlled authorities in Gaza. If that’s not even-handed, one wonders what is. more.. e-mail
POEM - Cry Out
Fares Khouri, Occupation Magazine 11/20/2009
Cry out in Arabic, Ahmed, and contaminate their ears
Stand at Habima square, and cry out to your friend, who`s on Hertzel street, to bring you the shovel
Disturb all those sitting in Rothschild boulevard with their coddled dogs
Disturb them as they speak about yesterday’s party
About this evening’s Macabi Tel-Aviv match
About the (stinky) orthodox Jew that just got on the bus
About the right-wing government that they aren’t a part of
And about the intelligent Arab they met lately
Cry out, ya Ahmed
Defile their ears with your language
They don’t like it
They fear it
They don’t like to hear your friend’s name
It scares them, disturbs them as they read the leftist paper
Cry out Ahmed, with all the voice that god gave you
Cry out, don’t fear, cry out!
After all, you need this shovel… No?!
You need this shovel.
Cry out, they won’t notice your existence until you cry out..... more.. e-mail
Electronic Intifada
Tribute to terror leader Kahane planned by Israeli legislators
Electronic Intifada: 20 Nov 2009 - A plan by right-wing legislators in Israel to commemorate the anniversary this month of the death of Meir Kahane, whose banned anti-Arab movement is classified as a terrorist organization, risks further damaging the prospects for talks between Israel and the Palestinians, US officials have warned. Jonathan Cook reports.
Israeli forces shoot at Gaza bird-catchers, farmers
Electronic Intifada: 20 Nov 2009 - On 15 November at 8:30am, a number of young men went as usual to the land near Gaza's northern border with Israel planning to catch birds. Amjad Hassanain, 27, was among the bird-catchers hunting near the border fence when Israeli soldiers began shooting. Eva Bartlett reports for The Electronic Intifada.
The New York Mets and the business of terrorism
Electronic Intifada: 20 Nov 2009 - When I first learned that the New York Mets were hosting a fundraiser for the nonprofit Hebron Fund in support of the Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, I honestly assumed it was a joke, albeit a poor one. When I realized this was an actual, planned event, I still found it almost impossible to believe. This is because, even aside from the devastating impact of settlement expansion on the prospects for peace in the region, I have had the misfortune to see the fruits of the Hebron Fund's labors. Aaron Levitt comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Book review: A Palestinian century in a poet's life
Electronic Intifada: 20 Nov 2009 - My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness bills itself as "A Poet's Life in the Palestinian Century." To better understand Adina Hoffman's biography of the Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali, however, consider it: "A Palestinian Century in a Poet's Life." But this syntactical slip doesn't discredit Hoffman's work. By deftly stacking shattered recollections atop dusty stones of history Hoffman has built a literary landmark -- not only is My Happiness the first English-language biography of a Palestinian writer, it offers an evocative biography of pre-1948 Palestine. Mya Guarnieri reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
In Gaza
lost
livelihoods
21 Nov 2009 - East
of Gaza city, on some of Gaza’s most fertile land, little to nothing is
growing, and what had grown has been repeatedly mowed down over the
years by Israeli military bulldozers and tanks. I am re-visiting the
region to record farmers’ words on a vital issue: water. Their wells
and cisterns have also been bulldozed, pumps and motors destroyed. In
some areas there is a complete lack of water; in another region east of
Beit Hanoun there’s just one water source. We see the remains of pumps,
some destroyed in prior Israeli invasions, the majority destroyed
(again) in the last Israeli attack, the winter massacre of Gaza. A
cascade...
Palestine Chronicle
Tribute
to Kahane Planned by Israeli Legislators
20 Nov 2009 - By
Jonathan Cook - Nazareth A plan by right-wing legislators in Israel to
commemorate the anniversary this month of the death of Meir Kahane,
whose banned anti-Arab movement is classified as a terrorist
organisation, risks further damaging the prospects for talks between
Israel and the Palestinians, US officials have warned. A move to stage
the commemoration in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, is being led by
Michael Ben-Ari, who was elected this year and is the first
self-declared former member of Kahane's party, Kach, to become a
legislator since the movement was banned 15 years ago. The US Embassy,
in Tel Aviv, has sent a series of e-mails to Reuven Rivlin, the
parliamentary speaker, asking that he intervene to block the event.
According to US officials, pressure is being exerted on behalf of
George Mitchell, the US president Barack Obama's envoy to the region,
who is concerned that it will add to his troubles as Israeli and
Palestinian leaders clash over a possible move by the Palestinians to
issue a unilateral declaration of statehood. Some Israeli legislators
have warned that Mr Ben-Ari and his supporters are gaining a stronger
foothold in parliament, in an indication of the country's increasing
lurch rightwards. "Ben-Ari and the advisers he has brought with him are
unabashed representatives for Kach and Kahane's ideas," said Ahmed
Tibi, an Arab legislator and the deputy speaker. "What we have is in
effect a terrorist cell in the parliament." Kahane, a US rabbi who
emigrated to Israel in the early...