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International Middle East Media Center
Ultra-Orthodox
Jewish sect enter Gaza to show support for Palestinians
IMEMC 3 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 03, 2010 - 09:32, Members of the ultra-Orthodox Neturei
Karta Jewish sect celebrated the Jewish Sabbath in Gaza City on
Saturday, after having entered the besieged Gaza Strip as part of a
solidarity caravan in support of the Palestinian people suffering under
Israeli occupation.
PA
May Reconsider Security Relations With Israel
IMEMC 3 Jan 2010 -
Saturday January 02, 2010 - 10:55, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
stated that the Palestinian Authority may reconsider its security
cooperation with Israel, after Israeli military forces assassinated
three Fatah activists in Nablus on December 26 of last year,
Palestinian media sources reported.
Dexia
Bank Refuses Grant For Jewish Settlements
IMEMC 3 Jan 2010 -
Friday January 01, 2010 - 22:42, The Belgian-French Group, Dexia,
refused to finance grants meant for the construction of property in
Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The decision came after a
Palestinian and a Belgium groups filed a petition against financing
settlement constructions.
PFLP
member sentenced to Five Life-Terms
IMEMC 3 Jan 2010 -
Friday January 01, 2010 - 20:27, An Israeli Court in Jerusalem
sentenced on Friday Ahed Abu Ghalama, head of the military wing of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), to five
life-terms and five additional years after indicting him of leading the
cell the assassinated the Israeli Tourism Minister on October 17, 2001.
Simultaneous
Solidarity Marches Held On Northern And Southern Borders Of Gaza Strip
IMEMC 3 Jan 2010 -
Friday January 01, 2010 - 17:07, As a group of Israeli peace activists
gathered near the Erez crossing on the northern border of the Gaza
Strip, 1200 international activists with the 'Gaza Freedom March' held
a rally in Cairo to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Israeli
invasion of Gaza. The Cairo march was attacked by Egyptian police,
injuring several demonstrators.
Army
Bombards Northern Gaza
IMEMC 3 Jan 2010 -
Friday January 01, 2010 - 00:01, Israeli soldiers fired, on Friday
evening, a number of shells at the Izbit Abed-Rabbo area, east of
Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip., Local sources also
reported that at least one surface-to-surface missile was fired into
the area.
’I
swear to you that I saw this with my own eyes’
1/3/2010 - Part
eight of a series recounting the findings of South African jurist
Richard Goldstone's UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict. -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - At least 15 people were killed and around 40
injured - many seriously - when Israeli forces struck the Al-Maqadmah
Mosque northwest of Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp with a missile on 3
January 2008. Almost all the victims were inside the mosque at the time
of the strike. One of the casualties was a boy who had been sitting at
the entrance. His leg was blown off by the missile strike and found
afterward on the roof of the mosque. "On the day of the event I went to
the mosque to pray the evening prayer," said Moussa Al-Silawi, 91, the
mosque's sheikh, during testimony to South African jurist Richard
Goldstone's UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict. "If we hear
any aircraft, any bullets, if we hear anything, usually we run to the
mosque to take refuge. "
Israel
opens one Gaza crossing; Produce exported
1/3/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday
into the Gaza Strip while all other terminals remain closed,
Palestinian border crossing official Raed Fattouh said. Fattouh
explained that between 64 and 74 truckloads of commercial merchandise
and humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza. He added that, for the
first time, four truckloads of strawberries would be exported from the
besieged Gaza Strip to Israel and abroad. Furthermore, one truck
carrying flowers for export will be allowed to transit. The Palestinian
official pointed out that limited quantities of domestic fuel and
industrial diesel, needed for the functioning of the sole power plant
in Gaza, would be shipped through Kerem Shalom. All other Gaza Strip
border crossings will remain closed, Fattouh confirmed. . . . .
Egypt
opens Rafah crossing; 180 Gazans enter Egypt
1/3/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing between Egypt
and the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday morning. The crossing point will
remain open for three days. Ma'an's reporter in Gaza said about 180
passengers left the waiting halls at the Palestinian side of the
crossing for Egypt. Earlier on Sunday, Palestinians in Gaza wishing to
enter Egypt awaited approval at the Rafah crossing, hoping the border
crossing would be opened to allow transit. According to sources in
Rafah, approximately ten buses carrying Palestinians from Gaza began
arriving early at the crossing point and remained at the Abu Yousin
An-Najjar and Sa'd Sayil waiting halls. One hundred buses are expected
to be allowed to cross into to Egypt via Rafah on Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday. Egyptian authorities announced last week that the border
crossing would be closed until the New Year. . . . .
Egypt
detains African migrant trying to enter Israel
1/3/2010 - Al-Arish
- Ma'an - Egyptian authorities detained an illegal African migrant on
Sunday as he attempted to enter Israel two kilometers south of the
Kerem Shalom crossing, Egyptian sources said. The detained, 25, from
Eritrea, told interrogators he intended to cross into Israel to seek
work after he paid 1,000 US dollars to people traffickers who said they
could guarantee his entry into Israel. Additionally, Egyptian
authorities thwarted a drug smuggling operation into Israel in the
Sinai Peninsula, following an exchange of fire between the drug
traffickers and Egyptian forces where 170 kilograms of hashish was
confiscated. However, sources added, the smugglers fled the scene. [end]
Galloway
Gaza convoy leaves Syria
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - A British-led aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip is on its
way to the Egyptian port of Al-Arish after departing Syria by boat,
organizers said on Sunday. The Viva Palestina convoy, led in part by
firebrand British MP George Galloway, loaded 210 truckloads of food and
medical supplies onto a ferry in the Syrian port of Latakia. The group,
which set out from London nearly a month ago and drove through Turkey
and Syria, spent five days stranded in Jordan after Egypt denied it
permission to travel to the Red Sea port of Nuweiba, insisting that aid
convoys should transit through the port of Al-Arish, on the
Mediterranean. The convoy had originally planned to enter Gaza on 27
December, the one-year anniversary of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip
which left more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. In a
message released on an affiliated website on Sunday, Viva Palestina's
organizers said they received verbal assurances from Egypt that they
would be allowed to dock in Al-Arish on Monday.
Israeli
police arrest 2 in Beer Sheba following scare
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli police arrested two young men in the central
bus station of the city of Beer Sheba on Sunday after an alert was
declared. The men were reported by bystanders as carrying a bag that
appeared suspicious, Israeli media reported. Shots were reportedly
fired during the arrest. Police sappers determined that the bag
contained nothing indicating an attack, while the two men were held for
interrogation. A state of high alert declared in the city was called
off following the arrest. The alert saw police, aided by helicopters
scouring the city. Last week an Israeli soldier shot dead another
soldier at a shopping mall in Beer Sheba. [end]
In
photos: Anti-Zionist Jews in Gaza
1/3/2010 - American
members of Neturei Karta, an international organization of anti-Zionist
Jews marched on the Erez crossing to Gaza on 31 December 2009, to
protest against Israel's ongoing blockade against the Gaza Strip, which
prevents 1. 5 million Palestinians from receiving sufficient aid and
stifles both economy and population. The march coincides with the
anniversary of Israel's deadly assault against the Gaza Strip last
winter, which killed over 1,400 Palestinians. A delegation of 1,400
international activists were set to march towards the Erez crossing
from Gaza on the same day but were prohibited from entering Gaza via
the Rafah crossing by Egyptian authorities. Only 86 members of the
group, organized by CODEPINK, were allowed entry. The Erez crossing,
between the north of Gaza and Israel, was closed in 2007 following
Hamas' takeover of the coastal Strip.
One
injured in clashes in Palestinian camp in Lebanon
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - Two Palestinian militant groups clashed on Saturday
in a refugee camp in southern Lebanon, according to local and
international news agencies. "The Fatah Movement and Jund al-Sham
Islamist militants used all kinds of machine guns during the clashes in
the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in southern Lebanon," the
National News Agency in Lebanon reported. One person was injured
following 30 minutes of fighting, the Lebanese news website Naharnet
reported. "The joint security committee intervened to stop the fighting
as contacts managed to put an end to the clashes amid a state of
tension that prevailed in the camp with the remaining of rival fighters
in the streets," Naharnet said. Tayyar news website identified the
wounded person as a member of Fatah Al-Islam. According to Mounir
Maqdha, commander of the Palestinian police force. . .
Abbas
begins Middle East tour in Jordan
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas began his tour of the Middle East
with a meeting on Sunday in Jordan with King Abdullah II and senior
Jordanian officials, Palestinian sources told Ma'an. Abbas and the King
of Jordan are expected to discuss Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's suggestions to restart peace negotiations. The second leg
of Abbas' tour will be in Egypt for similar talks with Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak. After Egypt, Abbas will leave for Qatar, then
to Kuwait before arriving in Ankara, Turkey, for similar discussions.
However, Abbas's tour may be interrupted should he decide to return to
the occupied Palestinian territories to join Christians who follow the
Eastern Orthodox calendar, celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem on 6
January. Ahead of his arrival, the Kuwaiti newspaper Ar-Rai published
on Sunday an interview with Abbas in which he. . .
Lieberman
says Abbas '˜problematic’
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman cast
doubt on Sunday on President Mahmoud Abbas' capacity to fully represent
Palestinians, given Hamas' hold on the Gaza Strip. "Our Palestinian
partner Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] is problematic. Does he represent all
of the Palestinian people? It is clear that he does not represent Gaza
and that his legitimacy in the West Bank is in doubt," Lieberman told
public radio and quoted by AFP. "To sign an accord with Abu Mazen would
be to sign a deal with the leader of Fatah," the president's political
party, he added. "That said, I hope there will be a meeting with Abu
Mazen. It is important that there be political negotiations, and we are
ready for that - as long as there are no preconditions. "We don't have
to buy an entry ticket for talks," Lieberman said in reference to the
Palestinian stance that a. . . "
Netanyahu
vows to react ’aggressively’ to Gaza fire
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to
strike "aggressively" at Gaza in reaction to any fire from the
territory. "Our policy is clear to all and I think it also became clear
over the weekend - to respond aggressively to any firing at our
territory and at our communities," he said at the opening of his weekly
Cabinet meeting. "There is no doubt that this policy, in addition to
Operation Cast Lead, has increased deterrence against attack on our
communities," he said, referring to Israel's name for the three-week
offensive Israel waged on Gaza last winter that left 1,400 Palestinians
dead. Before dawn on Saturday Israeli warplanes struck targets across
the Gaza Strip in the most intense bombardment in weeks. Witnesses also
reported Israeli tank and artillery fire in several locations.
Hamas
urges clerics to reverse Gaza wall edict
1/3/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Hamas on Sunday urged leading Islamic clerics in Egypt to
reverse a recent edict supporting the construction of a metal wall
cutting off smuggling tunnels under the border with the Gaza Strip. It
emerged late last week that scholars at Cairo's Al-Azhar University,
Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, issued a fatwa in favor of the
wall. "It is one of Egypt's legitimate rights to place a barrier that
prevents the harm from the tunnels under Rafah, which are used to
smuggle drugs and other [contraband] that threaten Egypt's stability,"
the newspaper Al-Masri Al-Yom quoted the scholars as saying, according
to AFP. "Those who oppose building this wall are violating the commands
of Islamic law," they added, after a meeting attended by Egypt's top
cleric Sheikh Muhammad Said Tantawi, who is a government appointee.
PFLP:
Peace talks are an ’endless maze’
1/3/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The Leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) on Sunday denounced what it said was international pressure on
Palestinians to resume negotiations with Israel. "Various pressures the
Palestinians are trying to drag them again to the fruitless maze of
negotiations and to go chasing the illusion of misleading American and
Israeli solutions," the PFLP said in a statement issued from its
offices in Gaza. The secular PFLP has joined Islamists historically in
opposing the peace process with Israel, which it sees as slanted toward
coaxing Palestinians to make more concessions. The group called on the
international community, "if they are interested in justice and peace,
to move responsibly and urgently to lift the siege of Gaza and rebuild
tens of thousands of homes and establishments and release thousands of
prisoners from Israeli jails. "
Abbas,
Egypt intel chief discuss peace push
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas met on Sunday evening with Egyptian
intelligence chief Omar Sulaiman, the powerful official in charge of
Hamas-Fatah reconciliation talks, among other issues. The Palestinian
Authority's (PA) official news agency WAFA reported that the meeting in
the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm Ash-Sheikh focused on Egypt's
"efforts" to push forward the peace process. " On Monday Abbas is
scheduled to meet with Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, according to
WAFA. The meetings come amid renewed activity on at least two fronts
for Abbas: a possible resumption of negotiations with Israel and a
possible reconciliation with Hamas. Earlier on Sunday Hamas Political
Bureau chief Khalid Mash'al announced, after weeks of political
stalemate, that the Palestinian rival parties were in the "final
stages" of reconciliation. "
Mash’al:
Hamas, Fatah in ’final stages’ of reconcilliation
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - Hamas leader Khalid Mash'al said on Sunday the group
was in the final stages of ending a power struggle with the rival Fatah
movement after he held talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh. "We
achieved great strides toward achieving reconciliation," Mash'al told
reporters at the Foreign Ministry during a visit to the Saudi capital,
according to Reuters news agency. "We are in the final stages now. " He
also reiterated that Hamas has points that it wants revised in an
Egyptian proposal for reconciliation with Fatah. "We all agree that the
signing of the [reconciliation] will take place in Cairo," he said.
Reuters quoted Saudi officials saying Mash'al met with Foreign Minister
Prince Saud Al-Faisal in connection with reconciliation efforts. Fatah,
led by President Mahmoud Abbas, signed the Egyptian proposal in October.
Ramallah
MoH: Hamas bans surgical society elections
1/3/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - The Ramallah-based Ministry of Health accused Hamas on Sunday
of preventing the elections for the Palestinian Surgeons' Society (PSS)
by taking over its Gaza headquarters. The Ministry said in an official
statement that the shutdown was a result of Hamas' "rejection of
democratic processes" and unions' freedom as defined by the Palestinian
law, adding that the prevention of elections for the PSS was considered
an obstruction of scientific development in Gaza, which is vitally
needed in the besieged Strip. The statement added that Hamas had
escalated disturbances against professional and medical unions in order
to prevent elections at a time when Hamas' popularity is in decline, it
said, alleging that the movement appoints its affiliates as members of
these societies in order to take control.
Hamas,
Fatah trade arrest accusations
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Hamas and Fatah traded accusations on Sunday of politically
motivated arrests in their respective territories. Fatah said that
Hamas security forces arrested 13 members in northern Gaza. Hamas also
issued a statement saying Palestinian Authority security forces
arrested 527 members of the party in December. It also accused the PA
of dismissing Hamas members from their jobs, including teachers and
other government workers. Separately Hamas accused PA security forces
of arresting four of the movement's affiliates on Sunday from the West
Bank districts of Nablus and Jenin. "PA security forces summoned Hamas
affiliates over the past few days particularly in the district of
Qalqylia," Hamas said in a statement. . . . .
PSE
rises: Al-Quds index up by 1.11%
1/3/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Stocks increased on the Palestine Securities Exchange in the
West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday. At the close of trading, the
Al-Quds Index stood at 498. 46 increasing by 5. 46 points (1. 11%),
compared with the last trading session. Trading volume was 336,886
shares traded for a total value of 409,729. 79 US dollars, in 183
trades. The shares of 17 companies were traded. The share prices of 12
companies rose, and three declined. The top five gainers were BPC by 4.
75%, AHC by 4. 55%, PLAZA by 4. 29%, NSC by 3. 70%,andNCI by 3. 45%.
[end]
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Two suspects carrying suspicious bag detained for questioning; shots apparently fired during arrest.
IDF dependence on technology spawns whole new battlefield
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - In the new battlefield of cyberspace, the war is against terrorist hackers.
Airport tragedy averted as civilian, military aircrafts nearly collide
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Second incident in 2009 at Ovda airport nearly ended in frontal collision between the 2 planes.
Anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate Sabbath in Gaza
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Neturei Karta: Gazans must understand that Israel's offensive was not done in the name of Judaism.
Abbas considers scaling back security ties with Israel
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - PA president contemplates move following an IDF raid on Nablus that killed three militants.
Israel strikes Gaza targets after Grad rocket attack
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Witnesses report several injured; PFLP claims responsibility for firing two Grad rockets at Netivot Thursday.
Orders were to capture militants alive - so why were they killed?
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Three wanted Palestinians who were killed by IDF were not armed and did not try to escape.
Mubarak to Netanyahu: Accept Hamas' demands for Shalit deal
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Egypt can guarantee deal and possible Gaza calm if Israel shows flexibility, according to Saudi paper.
Yeshiva students to Court: Give IDF status back to Har Bracha
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Students appeal ousting of school from hesder over rabbi's encouragement to refuse settlement evacuation orders.
Gaza militants fire Grad rocket into Netivot
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - No injuries or damage reported; rocket strike is first such attack on Netivot in nine months.
Envoy to U.S.: Washington and Israel not discussing Iran strike
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Michael Oren: Our main focus is on formulating, applying sanctions against Iran in 2010.
Settler teen arrested over West Bank mosque arson, then freed
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Parents and grandfather of main suspect in attack on Yasuf mosque were killed in Palestinian terror attack.
Al-Hayat: Hamas ready with final response on Israel's offer for Shalit
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Delegates conclude Damascus debate and head to Cairo to meet with German mediator, paper reports.
Israel's 10 worst errors of the decade
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - In no decade of the modern Middle East has the roll of failure been so democratic.
Hamas: Shalit mediator to start new round of talks next week
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Hamas awaiting German mediator's return to Mideast to give its official response to proposed deal.
Shin Bet: 2009 had lowest terror levels in Israel this decade
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - 15 Israelis were killed in terror attacks in past year, down from 36 fatalities in 2008.
Two Jerusalem Palestinians jailed for plotting to kidnap IDF soldiers
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Ayad Avid and Abdullah Avid planned to use tractor to ram IDF jeep, then kidnap soldiers inside at gunpoint.
Amid protests, Egypt defends right to build Gaza wall
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Regional critics accuse Egypt of aiding in blockade of Gaza by building wall to curb smuggling.
Israel can't launch strike against Iran on its own
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - It's doubtful whether Israel can allow itself to ignore U.S. wishes and stand alone against Iran's response.
Lebanon's Druze leader urges Israeli Druze not to serve in IDF
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Walid Jumblatt: Service as Israel's 'border guards' clashes with Druze membership in the Arab nation.
Gaza, January 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Egyptian authorities declared that it will open Rafah crossing today for the people who have visas. The total number of the people who want to leave the Gaza Strip is 6000 including 700 students. Rafah crossing was opened 2 months ago for patients and students. Thousands of patients, students and people who...
Abbas to Meet Mubarak in Cairo
Ramallah, January 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Barakat Al-Farra, the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, announced that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas plans to meet Monday in Cairo with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the latest development on Palestinian arena He pointed out that Mr. Abbas would arrive in Cairo, as well as the accompanying delegation Sunday afternoon, explaining that the meeting...
Abbas Threatens to Stop Security Liaison with Israel
Ramallah, January 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to stop the progress of security liaison with Israel following the December 26 Israeli raid in Nablus. The Israeli troops killed three Palestinians who were members of Fatah in the West Bank. "The coordination and cooperation with Israel aims at protecting the Palestinian interest," Abbas said in...
Israeli Warplanes Attack Gaza
Gaza, January 2, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - On Saturday midnight, Israeli warplanes carried out attacks across the Gaza Strip, damaging residential areas and leaving number of Palestinians wounded. The Israeli airstrikes which targeted residential areas in northern and central Gaza Strip caused panic among children. The civilian citizens were scared as these attacks reminded them of the war they lived...
For Publication: A week of Actions to Remember Gaza victims
London, December 31, (Pal Telegraph) - Several Organizations are preparing for a memorial week for the Palestinian victims over the past 60 years. The organizations are picking the last week of the barbaric attacks on Gaza “Gaza genocide-war” to be the yearly annual week to mark the suffering thousands of Palestinians who passed the mayhem and exile. The actions are...
The National 3 Jan 2010 - Tehran defiantly sets its own end-of-January deadline for world powers to agree to its already rejected counter proposals on a nuclear agreement.
Israel calm but ready to pull trigger, analysts say
The National 3 Jan 2010 - A year after the Israeli offensive on Gaza, the ceasefire continues to hold and a report says 2009 saw the lowest number of violent incidents in decades.
Kurdish dissidents arrested in Syria
The National 3 Jan 2010 - As members of party demanding autonomy for Syrian Kurds earlier this month are arrested, opposition groups criticise the move as counterproductive.
AlJazeera 3 Jan 2010 - Court backs decision to ban university students from wearing niqab during exams.
Iran to try Ashoura rally detainees
AlJazeera 3 Jan 2010 - Judiciary snubs request for seven unidentified defendants to be tried in open court.
Palestinian reconciliation 'close'
AlJazeera 3 Jan 2010 - Hamas and Fatah in "final stages" of agreeing Egypt-brokered deal, Hamas official says.
Egypt opens Gaza border crossing
AlJazeera 3 Jan 2010 - Cairo announces three-day opening as Gaza march activists begin to head home.
Alternative Information Center
Beyond Commemoration: Operation Cast Lead One Year AfterAlternative Information Center 29 Dec 2009 - Three hundred and sixty five days after the beginning of the Operation “Cast Lead,” what characterizes these days is silence. The silence of those who didn't survive—those 1,400 people killed by bombings in Gaza. Three hundred...
PNN 2 Jan 2010 - Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the military to let Palestinians use a road that runs through the West Bank. Palestinians were barred from the Jerusalem to Tel Aviv Highway 443 in 2002 when militants shot dead a number of Israelis in their cars. The case was brought by Palestinians who live in the villages along the 12.5-mile (20-km) West Bank section of...
Anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate Sabbath in Gaza
PNN 2 Jan 2010 - A small group of ultra-Orthodox Jews were preparing Friday to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath in Gaza, in an unlikely show of support for Palestinians in the Hamas-run coastal territory. Bearded and wearing black hats and coats, the four members of a tiny Jewish group vehemently opposed to Israel's existence were a rare sight in the poverty-stricken Palestinian territory. Members of the Neturei...
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Jordan asks Canada to seize scrolls; Lieberman rebuffs Amman's claim of theft, but doesn't intervene.
Committee to discuss MK 'loyalty oath'
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Israel Beiteinu's Rotem: All MKs should swear loyalty to "Israel as a Jewish, Zionist, democratic state."
Beersheba terror alert proves to be false alarm
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Brief terror alert at the Beersheba central bus station is lowered early Sunday afternoon.
Israel greeting costly for Iran official
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Iranian Football Association foreign relations head forced to resign over New Year's Day e-mail.
Column One: A low and dishonest decade
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - How is it possible that in 2010, Israel continues to embrace policies that have failed it?
Mashaal claims progress in unity talks
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Hamas leader: Egypt-brokered negotiations have made "big strides," there are still issues to work out.
Watch: Iran police shoot at protesters
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - In this amateur video, a police officer opens fire on opposition activists during Muslim holiday Ashura.
Settlers warn of imminent demolitions
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Local, regional councils in W. Bank begin one-day strike against settlement construction freeze.
Hamas approve $540 million budget for Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 3 Jan 2010 - Up to $60 million stems from local taxes and the rest from "gifts and outside assistance."
IPS NAHR AL-BARED (North Lebanon), Dec 29 (IPS) - The hip-hop beats ringing through the muddy, unlit streets of this burnt-out Palestinian refugee camp seem incongruous. But the rhymes are camp-grown - and courageous.
MIDEAST: 'Prince of Peace' - Obama or Netanyahu?
IPS JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (IPS) - United States President Barack Obama’s intended broad Mideast policies are running into the complexities of peacemaking - especially after the ‘Prince of Peace’ began insisting on the necessity of, sometimes, fighting for peace.
MIDEAST: ‘’What About the Mailboxes?’’
IPS OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM, Dec 22 (IPS) - The sun is about to set over Jabel Mukaber. The call of the muezzin envelops the valley beneath Naim Aweisat’s balcony and, rolling from the mosques of Abu Dis across the wall in the West Bank, rebounds from the stark concrete Israeli security...
Q&A: ''Israeli Settlements Killing Two-Nation Solution''
IPS JERUSALEM, Dec 30 (IPS) - In the absence of any progress towards peace between Israelis and Palestinians, leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) are adopting a reasonable approach as a way of building up international pressure on Israel to get it back to the negotiating table.
PCHR
International Solidarity Movement
Settler tunnel causes another road collapse in Silwan, East Jerusalem1/3/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - At around 4pm, on Saturday 2 January 2010 part of a main road in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan collapsed. The section of road runs above tunneling work carried out by the Elad settler organisation. Despite the road collapsing in the mid-afternoon, it was not until 8pm that Israeli police arrived at the scene, after an Israeli bus serving the settler population drove into the hole in the road. Silwan is a Palestinian village on the hills south of the Old City of Jerusalem, captured in 1967 by the Israeli army. It is one of several neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem where the Israeli state and settler organisations are forcing Palestinians from their homes. Almost 90 houses in the area are currently threatened with demolition, potentially displacing 1,000 – 1,500 residents and no construction permits have been issued for Palestinians in the area since 1967.
Two young men from Bil’in arrested on 29 December 2009 still held by Israeli military
1/3/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Hamouda Imad Yassin (16) and Ibrahim Khalil Yassin (16), two young men from Bil'in, who were arrested on 29 December 2009 during a night raid on the West Bank village, are still being held by the Israeli military. The boys were arrested at 2am on Tuesday, 29 December 2009, when the Israeli army, composed of a number of military jeeps and approximately 50 soldiers on foot, invaded the village and raided their houses. They are still being held by the military, while their relatives are being kept in the dark as of when they will be released and the legal reasons for their detention. The only explanation given by the Israeli authorities was that they detained Hamouda and Khalil in order to ensure their presence as witnesses at a hearing with Mohammad Khatib, member of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, that was scheduled to take place later that day, 29 December 2009 at the Ofer military prison.
U.S. to search all air travelers from 'terrorist' states
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - The U.S. government announced on Sunday new security screening procedures for passengers from countries listed as "state sponsors of terrorism" and selected others as part of a crackdown following the botched Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner. ...
Fatah to Hamas: Want to reconcile? Sign deal
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - A senior member of the Fatah movement on Sunday dismissed Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal's remarks that the warring Palestinian factions were close to deal for reconciliation. ...
Report: Obama backs Egypt plan for Mideast peace
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Barack Obama's administration supports Egypt's vision for a Middle East peace plan that would include a complete halt of construction in West Bank settlements as well as the release of senior Palestinian officials from Israeli prisons, the Qatar-based news network Al-Jazeera reported on Sunday. ...
CIA catches Iranian trying to buy arms 'for war against U.S.'
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - An Iranian businessman was caught on tape by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency attempting to purchase weapons and military systems during a clandestine deal in Georgia. ...
Dubai to open world's tallest building amid financial worries
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12,000 laborers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis. ...
The Guardian 3 Jan 2010 - Egyptian-backed talks intended to bring together Palestinian factions divided since Hamas seized control of Gaza Strip The leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, today said significant progress had been made in Egyptian-sponsored talks aimed at reconciling the...
Hung out to dry in the West Bank | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 3 Jan 2010 - Severely-restricted access to water is one of Israel's main weapons against the Jahalin nomads At first glance, the bedouin community of Ras al-Awja seem unaffected by the political turbulence that engulfs the rest of the region....
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - A 28-year-old man found stabbed to death in his Rishon Letzion apartment on Sunday was apparently killed two days before his mother discovered his body, police said. ...
Autopsy results indicate 7-year-old boy wasn't raped before murder
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - The 7-year-old Ashdod boy who was murdered over the weekend was not raped before his death, according to results of his autopsy transferred to the police on Sunday. ...
Former PM Ariel Sharon still comatose four years after stroke
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - Ariel Sharon, the tough army general turned premier who shocked his hawkish supporters by pulling Israel out of Gaza in 2005, is still lying unconscious in a hospital bed, friends said Sunday on the fourth anniversary of the massive stroke that put him in a coma. ...
Will Arab MKs be required to swear loyalty to a Jewish state?
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - The Knesset ministerial legislative committee was set to vote Sunday on a bill requiring MKs to take a "loyalty oath" to the Jewish state before taking office. ...
Israel rejects bill allocating equal land to Jews and Arabs
Ha'aretz 3 Jan 2010 - The Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday rejected a bill proposed by MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am-Ta'al) proposing that the state enforce equal allocation of land to Jews and Arabs. ...
Relief Web 3 Jan 2010 - Source: Reporters sans Frontières
A new year for Gaza? Waiting for a miracle
Relief Web 2 Jan 2010 - Source: Oxfam
One injured after clash in Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon
Relief Web 2 Jan 2010 - Source: Deutsche Presse Agentur
Red Crescent continues sending aid to Gaza Strip
Relief Web 1 Jan 2010 - Source: Government of Egypt
Israeli warplanes hit Gaza after rocket attack
Relief Web 1 Jan 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: Abbas may review security ties after Israeli raid
Relief Web 1 Jan 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
YNet News 3 Jan 2010 - As Palestinian president travels to Egypt in hopes of restarting peace talks, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad tells conference future Palestinian state will be 'free of fences', says 'it's time for transition period to end'
Hamas video: Settlers drink Palestinians' blood
YNet News 3 Jan 2010 - (Video) Cartoon broadcast by Islamist organization's TV portrays Palestinian officer named Bahlul humiliated by IDF soldiers, shining their shoes, defending settlers and willing to arrest his own family members
Hamas says in final stage of Fatah reconciliation
YNet News 3 Jan 2010 - Politburo chief Khaled Mashaal travels to Saudi Arabia for mediation efforts, says 'great strides made' toward reconciliation with rival Fatah faction
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 The United States and Britain closed their embassies in Yemen on Sunday over security concerns about possible militant attacks after the failed bombing of a US-bound plane on Christmas Day. The US Embassy said it had received a threat by Al-Qaeda, which US intelligence agencies believe has a growing presence in the poor Arab country.
Meshaal: Hamas in final stage of Fatah reconciliation
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Hamas said on Sunday the Islamist group was in the final stages of reconciling with the rival Palestinian Fatah party after its leader met Saudi officials to try to narrow the rift. "We made great strides toward achieving reconciliation," Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told reporters at the Saudi Foreign Ministry during a visit to Riyadh. "We are in the final stages now."
Iran makes new threat over uranium swap deal
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Iran said on Sunday the West has given it until the end of January to accept a uranium swap deal, stressing it will press on with plans to produce higher enriched nuclear fuel if there is no agreement. Tehran has already ignored a US-set December 31 deadline to accept a UN-brokered deal aimed at allaying fears about its nuclear drive by shipping most of its low enriched.
Saudi foreign minister says world lets Israel act like 'spoiled child'
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 The Saudi foreign minister on Saturday criticized Israel's settlement construction and said the country acts like a "spoiled child" because the international community is not tough enough in pressuring it to make concessions. Prince Saud al-Faisal said Washington and other players in Mideast peace efforts should take a "firm and serious" stand to put an end to Israeli construction on land Palestinians want for a future state.
Lieberman says Israeli diplomats should 'stop groveling'
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Israel's outspoken Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told the country's ambassadors to stop "groveling" and defend its national honor, an official at his ministry said on Sunday. "I have seen that some ambassadors identify themselves with the other side to such an extent that they are all the time trying to justify and explain," the ultra-nationalist thundered during a closed meeting.
Iran MPs reject govt call for subsidy bill withdrawal
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Iran's Parliament rejected on Sunday the government's request to withdraw a bill aimed at gradually cutting energy and food subsidies, state radio said. The president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Parliament disagree over control of the money saved through the reform.
Top Iranian dissident cleric stripped of religious title
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 The leading dissident marja in Iran has been stripped of his title by the authorities, Iranian news agencies announced on Saturday. A top clerical body in the holy city of Qom declared that Grand Ayatollah Yousuf Sanei - a vocal member of the opposition in Iran - no longer qualified to be a marja al-taqlid, or source of emulation, the highest clerical rank in Shiite Islam
Sleiman, Sarkozy stress need to implement Resolution 1701
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Lebanon's Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to tackle a series of pending issues in what is likely to be its first controversial meeting following its formation. Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman, who returned from France on Sunday, is expected to start planning for the national dialogue to be held starting in March. Sleiman and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy stressed.
Venezuela's Chavez accuses Colombia, US of rebel plot
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Khaled Meshaal, who has long been portrayed as the ultimate spoiler in any effort to secure a negotiated peace deal to end the Middle East conflict, was on Sunday the unlikely bearer of good news for the people of this region, especially the Palestinians. The Hamas leader announced from Riyadh that his party was in the final stages of reaching a reconciliation agreement with the rival Palestinian Fatah party.
Foreign parties 'exporting' extremists to camps: Fatah
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 Fatah commander in Lebanon Brigadier Sultan Abu al-Aynayn on Sunday accused external parties of seeking to "export" fundamentalists to refugee camps across Lebanon. "We have taken measures to prevent Al-Qaeda from infiltrating Palestinian refugee camps after we received information that external parties were seeking to export extremists, particularly from Iraq," Abu al-Aynayn said in an interview with AFP.
Government broadband bungling has left Lebanon in the Dark Ages
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 The absence of a proper broadband network in Lebanon is affecting the flow of investments to the country according to Lebanese Information Technology (IT) professionals. "Many foreign investors are reluctant to establish businesses in Lebanon due to low speed of broadband connectivity which affects their production capacity," said Amer Tabsh, a professional technical adviser.
American Task Force celebrates final days of 2009 in style
Daily Star 3 Jan 2010 What more fitting event to mark the final installment of this column for 2009 than the reception for the American Task Force in Lebanon, hosted at the Achrafieh residence of Nadine Moussa on December 3. A select group of less than 100 people attended the seasonal occasion, not least George Kody, Alfred Tueni, Philippe and Diane Abdeni, Joanna and Richard Seikaly, Salima al-Rassi and, Sam Hamra.
Palestinian Information Center
Arab and Muslim activists launch a signature campaign against Egypt’s steel wallPIC 3 Jan 2010 - Arab and Muslim activists launched a campaign to collect million signatures on a statement condemning the steel wall being built by Egypt on its borders with the Gaza Strip.
IPA deprives 10 Jerusalemite detainees of family visits
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - The Israeli prisons authority is depriving ten Jerusalemite detainees in Ramon desert prison including a blind prisoner from family visits without giving any reason.
Abu Halabiya appeals for holding emergency summits on serious situation in J’lem
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - Dr. Ahmed Abu Halabiya appealed to Arab and Muslim countries to hold emergency meetings to discuss the Israeli escalation against occupied Jerusalem.
Khudari warns of Israeli interception of lifeline sea voyage
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari has warned of a possible Israeli piracy at sea targeting the international aid convoy Lifeline-3 while en route from Latakia, Syria, to El-Arish, Egypt, then to Gaza.
Mishaal to Saudi FM: Hamas keen on security of Arab and Islamic countries
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - Political bureau chairman of Hamas Movement Khaled Mishaal conferred on Sunday with Saudi foreign minister prince Saud Al-Faisal on Palestinian developments and reconciliation efforts.
Abu Hilal: The steel wall building is a crime against humanity
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - Khalid Abu Hilal, the secretary-general of Al-Ahrar Movement, said that the persistence of the Egyptian regime in building its steel wall on the borders with Gaza is a crime against humanity.
IOF troops detain 6 Palestinians, settlers assault woman in O. Jerusalem
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up six Palestinians at dawn Sunday three of them in Al-Khalil's Arub refugee camp and three in Bethlehem city.
Third Viva Palestina convoy sails for Egypt
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - The third Viva Palestina international aid convoy, which was forced by the Egyptian authorities to turn around, sailed off Saturday from the Syrian port of Latakia to the Egyptian port of Arish.
Bahar warns of resumption of "futile negotiations"
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the first deputy speaker of the PLC, has warned of resuming negotiations with the Israeli occupation authority (IOA), describing such talks as "futile".
Hamas slams Abbas’s confession to his security coordination with Israel
PIC 3 Jan 2010 - Hamas said that Mahmoud Abbas’s threat to sever the security ties with Israel is evidence that the arrests and security campaigns carried out in the West Bank are coordinated with the occupation.
LA Times 2 Jan 2010 - In his first public comments since the recent protests, Mir-Hossein Mousavi calls for a restoration of civil liberties and says threats against his life will not deter him. Defiant amid demands for his execution, Iran's leading opposition figure on Friday issued a scathing denunciation of the government's violent crackdown against his supporters, calling for a restoration of civil liberties to end what he called a "serious crisis" that has destabilized the nation.
New York Times 3 Jan 2010 - Setbacks in its nuclear program and protests in the streets are making Iran’s leaders vulnerable to strong new sanctions, the Obama administration says.
Iran Gives West One-Month ‘Ultimatum’ to Accept Nuclear Counterproposal
New York Times 3 Jan 2010 - Iran’s foreign minister said the country could begin further enriching its nuclear stockpile on its own.
Standoff in Iran Deepens With New Show of Force
New York Times 2 Jan 2010 - Security forces filled Tehran streets to deter protests, as the opposition leader said he did not fear to give his life to his cause.
World Briefing | Middle East: West Bank: Teenager Suspected in Fire at Mosque
New York Times 1 Jan 2010 - The Israeli police said Thursday that they had arrested a teenager at a Jewish settlement as a suspect in the arson attack on the central mosque in the West Bank.
Hundreds Demonstrate on Border With Gaza
New York Times 1 Jan 2010 - Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on both sides of the Israeli-Gazan border to mark a year since Israel’s three-week war in Gaza.
A Mideast Bond, Stitched of Pain and Healing
New York Times 31 Dec 2009 - The friendship between two children in a hospital — a Palestinian and an Israeli — has drawn their parents into a kinship that defies national struggle.
Palestine Monitor - 2 Jan 2010 - Addameer * Al-Haq – Law in the Service of Man * Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights* Al Dameer Association for Human Rights * BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights* DCI – Palestine Section * ENSAN Center * Jerusalem Legal Aid Center * Women's Centre for Legal Aid and...
Gaza Freedom Marchers refuse to be silent
Palestine Monitor - 2 Jan 2010 - Several international demonstrators were injured by Egyptian riot police during demonstrations with the Gaza Freedom March in Cairo on Thursday and Friday. The organisers declared from Cairo that “ It was quite the brutal scene ”. Hundreds of people protested on Friday in front of the...
Erez Crossing: a peaceful protest against the blockade on Gaza
Palestine Monitor - 2 Jan 2010 - Palestine Monitor takes a look at the demonstration organised at Erez crossing point (Israeli side) on December 31, as part of the Freedom March event. Some 1000 protesters called on Israel to lift the ongoing blockade of Palestinians in Gaza. Protesters, predominantly Palestinians now living in...
Jewish American organizations aid Somali human rights abusers in effort to protect Israel
Mondoweiss - 3 Jan 2010 - The mere mention of Somalia often brings up visions of great violence for many, especially Americans still reeling from the Black Hawk Down incident. And given the current state of affairs in southern Somalia (where most of the fighting occurs), this image will like remain for...
From the pyramids to the checkpoints, we have had many victories in Egypt
Mondoweiss - 3 Jan 2010 - "The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class–it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of freedom." –Anna Julia Cooper, page 27, my US passport The Gaza Freedom March announced the Cairo Declaration to...
Now wait, who’s censored??
Mondoweiss - 3 Jan 2010 - Last night in Tel Aviv there was a great demonstration against the Gaza slaughter of a year ago. 1000 people marched through the middle of the city, from Rabin square to the Defense Ministry. They carried signs showing a blood-soaked land. Anarchists against the wall denounced...
Naked in Abu Ghraib/Naked in Gaza– the U.S. press’s double standard
Mondoweiss - 3 Jan 2010 - Nakedness, humiliation, and torture made Abu Ghraib an important story in the American media five years ago. The abuse of Iraqi detainees damaged the American reputation across the Arab world; and exposing Abu Ghraib distinguished 60 Minutes, the New Yorker, and Seymour Hersh. The New York...
Israeli journo longs for the segregation of days past
Mondoweiss - 2 Jan 2010 - After publishing an op-ed from a settler comparing herself to Rosa Parks , Haaretz is back at it with one of its writers trying to explain why democracy and civil rights are too dangerous to implement in modern society (and this is the liberal Israeli newspaper). From...
Articles
The iron wall
Uri Avnery, Ma’an News Agency 1/3/2010
Something odd, almost bizarre, is going on in Egypt these days.
About 1,400 activists from all over the world gathered there on their way to the Gaza Strip. On the anniversary of the Cast Lead War, they intended to participate in a non-violent demonstration against the ongoing blockade, which makes the life of 1.5 million inhabitants of the Strip intolerable.
At the same time, protest demonstrations were to take place in many countries. In Tel-Aviv, too, a big protest was planned. The "œmonitoring committee" of the Arab citizens of Israel was to organize an event on the Gaza border.
When the international activists arrived in Egypt, a surprise awaited them. The Egyptian government forbade their trip to Gaza. Their buses were held up at the outskirts of Cairo and turned back. Individual protesters who succeeded in reaching the Sinai in regular buses were taken off them. The Egyptian security forces conducted a regular hunt for the activists.
The angry activists besieged their embassies in Cairo. On the street in front of the French embassy, a tent camp sprang up which was soon surrounded by the Egyptian police. American protesters gathered in front of their embassy and demanded to see the ambassador. Several protesters who are over 70 years old started a hunger strike. Everywhere, the protesters were held up by Egyptian elite units in full riot gear, while red water cannon trucks were lurking in the background. Protesters who tried to assemble in Cairo"™s central Tahrir (liberation) Square were mishandled. more.. e-mail
Israel Rules
Paul Craig Roberts, CounterPunch 12/30/2009
The Votes of the Morons will Prevail
On Christmas eve, the New York Times delivered forth a call for war. “There’s only one way to stop Iran,” declared Alan J. Kuperman, and that is “military air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
Kuperman is described as the “director of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Program at the University of Texas at Austin,” but his Christmas eve call to war relies on disinformation and contradiction, not on objective scholarly analysis.
For example, Kuperman contradicts the unanimous report of America’s 16 intelligence agencies, the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Russian intelligence with his claim that Iran has a nuclear weapon program. Astonishingly, it does not occur to Kuperman that readers might wonder how an academic bureaucrat in Austin, Texas, has better information than these authorities.
Kuperman is so determined to damn President Obama’s plan to have other countries enrich Iran’s uranium for Iran’s nuclear energy program and medical isotopes that he commits astounding blunders. After claiming that Iran has a “bomb program,” Kuperman claims that “Iran’s uranium contains impurities” and that Ahmadinejad’s threat “to enrich uranium domestically to the 20 per cent level . . . is a bluff, because even if Iran could further enrich its impure uranium, it lacks the capacity to fabricate the uranium into fuel elements.”
What was the New York Times op ed editor thinking when he approved Kuperman’s article?.... more.. e-mail
Tactics of desperation: using false accusations of 'anti-Semitism' as a weapon to silence criticism of Israel’s behaviour
Ulli Diemer, Redress 12/30/2009
Ulli Diemer argues that as world public opinion turns against Israel, its racist apartheid regime and its occupation, the Zionist state and its lobbies have turned to attempts to outlaw criticism of Israel by labelling it as “anti-Semitism” – attempts that need to be exposed and challenged as a serious threat to basic freedoms.
”At the same time as it attempts to crush internal resistance, the Israeli state, aided by its supporters in the United States and Canada, has launched extremely aggressive and well-financed propaganda campaigns abroad whose goal is to counteract the decline in support for Israel.
“A telling characteristic of these campaigns is that they by and large do not focus on attempting to justify Israel’s behaviour...
“Instead, the focus has shifted to attempting to shut down criticism of Israel by targeting the most outspoken critics with crude smear tactics and outright censorship.”
For more than 60 years, Israel has engaged in an unceasing campaign to dispossess Palestinians of their land and their rights. Its ability to do this has depended on three factors in particular:
* overwhelming military superiority;
* keeping public opinion, especially in North America and Europe, on its side; and
* making ordinary working-class Israeli Jews believe that it is in their interest to support Israel’s Zionist elite rather than making common cause with ordinary Palestinians. more.. e-mail
Saber, patience
In Gaza: 3 Jan 2010 - “I haven’t been on my land since we harvested the wheat last August. It’s too dangerous. There was an Israeli operation here yesterday…6 tanks and 4 bulldozers. I could see them from my rooftop in the village, but didn’t know if they’d destroyed my land.” Abdul Nasser Abu Taima has 15 dunams of agricultural land roughly 400 m from the Green Line border dividing Gaza and Israel. Until a few years ago, he had a home on and lived off the land. Israeli bulldozers destroyed his house and razed his land. “That was our home,” he says, picking up a piece of piping with a chunk of foundation still attached,...
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Jan 2010 - By Uri Avnery – Israel Something odd, almost bizarre, is going on in Egypt these days. About 1400 activists from all over the world gathered there on their way to the Gaza Strip. On the anniversary of the “Cast Lead” War, they intended to participate in a non-violent demonstration against the ongoing blockade, which makes the life of 1.5 million inhabitants of the Strip intolerable. At the same time, protest demonstrations were to take place in many countries. In Tel-Aviv, too, a big protest was planned. The “monitoring committee” of the Arab citizens of Israel was to organize an event on the Gaza border. When the international activists arrived in Egypt, a surprise awaited them. The Egyptian government forbade their trip to Gaza. Their buses were held up at the outskirts of Cairo and turned back. Individual protesters who succeeded in reaching the Sinai in regular buses were taken off them. The Egyptian security forces conducted a regular hunt for the activists. The angry activists besieged their embassies in Cairo. On the street in front of the French embassy, a tent camp sprang up which was soon surrounded by the Egyptian police. American protesters gathered in front of their embassy and demanded to see the ambassador. Several protesters who are over 70 years old started a hunger strike. Everywhere, the protesters were held up by Egyptian elite units in full riot gear, while red water cannon trucks were lurking in the background. Protesters who tried to assemble in Cairo’s central...
The Israel Lobby's War on Al Manar TV
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Jan 2010 - By Franklin Lamb - Beirut Having inherited the Bush administration's rising stack of terrorism lists, President Obama's team had expressed interest in culling them 'so they are more accurate and manageable and Americans experience less stress', according to Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano. These lists, plus the reported existence of others that have not been made public, are supposed to reduce the fear and stress on Americans just knowing there are such lists and that someone is ‘watching out’. In many cases travelers experience more stress because they never know when Transportation Security Authority (TSA) agents at airports might eye a ‘hit’ on a computer screen, lunge into action and ruin a trip. Duplicate names on various lists plus the difficulty of getting oneself off the lists have led to increasing pressure on the Obama administration to refine the concept of who really is a terrorist. The various “T” and watch lists are swelling annually by thousands of names-some quite similar leading to confusion and uncertainly who really is and isn’t on and who is on but shouldn’t be and vice versa. As of Christmas Eve, the ‘Terrorism Watch List’ reportedly included some 900,000 names with a "selectee" list with somewhere close to 30,000 people within the higher-risk category, and a "no-fly" list with an estimated 10,000 names of people who are not allowed to board planes. Today it’s anyone’s guess who is on but shouldn’t be and who is off but should be on. All passengers departing the US...
Israel's East Jerusalem Linked Settlement Expansion
Palestine Chronicle: 3 Jan 2010 - By Stephen Lendman On February 1, 2009, the International Solidarity Movement reported that Israel continues its E 1 area homes and infrastructure work that includes linking its Ma'ale Adummim settlement with East Jerusalem and other settlements around it. It said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, while in office, promised to expand E 1 development - the land northeast of Jerusalem, west of Ma'ale Adummim comprising about 12 square kilometers, all of it illegally annexed. On November 15, 2009, the International Middle East Media Center reported that construction began in Ras al-Amud, Pisgat Ze'ev and elsewhere in East Jerusalem as part of Israel's scheduled 3,000 unit project. On November 18, Al Jazeera headlined, "Israel moves to expand settlement," saying approval was given to construct 900 housing units in East Jerusalem's Gilo settlement. Overall, Israel's E 1 Plan involves building about 15,000 new homes, a large industrial zone, hotels, other recreational facilities, a police station, garbage dump and more to be shared by Occupied Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adummim settlers. Israel's 121 West Bank/East Jerusalem official settlements, another 100 so-called "unauthorized outposts," and 12 Israeli (de facto settlement) neighborhoods annexed to Jerusalem's municipal area are illegal under international law, including Fourth Geneva's Article 49 stating: "Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupied Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of the motive." In addition, UN Resolutions 446, 452, 465 and others condemned Israel's...