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International Middle East Media Center
Soldiers
Invade Ramallah, Kidnap a Czech Peace Activist
IMEMC 11 Jan 2010 -
Monday January 11, 2010 - 22:34, The Israeli Army invaded on Monday at
night the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah, and kidnapped a
Czech citizen, identified as Eva Nováková, who started her activities
as the media coordinator of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
three weeks ago.
Non-violent
protest at the northern Gaza borders with Israel
IMEMC 11 Jan 2010 -
Monday January 11, 2010 - 16:56, Palestinians organized a nonviolent
protest this Monday at the northern Gaza borders Israel.
One
injured three kidnapped during military invasions targeting West Bank
areas
IMEMC 11 Jan 2010 -
Monday January 11, 2010 - 15:28, One man was injured and three other
civilians were kidnapped, among them two children, on Monday during
separate military attacks targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Israel's
Siege Kills Another Child. Man Reported Dead At A Tunnel Site
IMEMC 11 Jan 2010 -
Monday January 11, 2010 - 15:08, A Palestinian child was reported dead
on Monday after he was unable to leave the Gaza Strip for the medical
care he urgently needed.
Israel
Approves Construction Of Wall Along Egypt Border
IMEMC 11 Jan 2010 -
Monday January 11, 2010 - 11:31, The Israeli government has officially
approved on Sunday at night the construction of a Wall along its border
with Egypt.
Israel
Demolishes 30 Structures Near Nablus
IMEMC 11 Jan 2010 -
Monday January 11, 2010 - 06:28, Israeli soldiers demolished on Sunday
morning 30 structures in Khirbit Tana, a small village near Beit Forik,
east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The destruction caused
by the latest Israeli violation rendered more than 180 villagers
homeless.
Medics:
Israeli fire kills 1 in north Gaza
1/12/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - A Palestinian was killed and three injured in Israeli shelling
in northeastern Gaza early Tuesday, medics said. Muawiya Hassanein, the
Gaza Health Ministry's director of ambulance and emergency services,
said the deceased and injured were taken to Gaza City's Kamal Adwan
Hospital. An Israeli military spokeswoman said forces were not
operating in the area of the blast, which came 24 hours after three
operatives from Islamic Jihad's military wing were killed in an
airstrike in Gaza City. Meanwhile, a security source told Ma'an that
Israel was aware of an explosion near Beit Hanoun, "but as far as we
can tell, it was an internal blast. " Earlier Monday, a projectile
fired from Gaza landed in the western Negev, causing no damage or
injury. "We will not tolerate the firing of rockets by terrorists into
Israel, or any attempt to disrupt the calm in Israel's southern. . . "
Czech
national detained in overnight incursion
1/12/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Czech national was seized by the Israeli military
during a late-night raid in Ramallah's city center on Monday. Eva
Nováková, 28, the International Solidarity Movement's media
coordinator, was taken from her Manara square apartment at 3am,
witnesses said and Israel's army confirmed. During the raid, soldiers
deployed on rooftops adjacent to the Palestinian Authority police
headquarters, while three APVs patrolled the central urban area.
Onlookers counted at least 20 soldiers participating in the operation,
which lasted less than half an hour. Also participating were forces
belonging to Israel's special "Oz" immigration task force, according to
Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak, among others. Pollak said immigration
police broke down Nováková's door, checked her passport, and took her
away. "I don't know why it would be worthwhile for them to do that,"
Pollak told Ma'an. "It's really alarming because she wasn't charged
with anything. "
Activists:
Army prevents tree-planting near Hebron
1/11/2010 - Hebron -
Ma'an - Israeli forces reportedly prohibited Palestinian farmers from
planting 1,500 olive trees in the Abu Ar-Rish area of the Beit Ummar
village near Hebron on Monday. "Despite the decision by an Israeli
court allowing Palestinian farmers to work on their lands, Israeli
troops banned farmers today from planting [olive trees]," said Muhammad
Awad, media spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project. "The troops
said that it is a closed military area," Awad said. The spokesman added
that four journalists and three American activists were detained, as
Israeli forces used stun grenades and closed off the area leading to
the agricultural land in question. An Israeli military spokesman said
he had no knowledge of the incident. . . . .
Sheikh
Saleh banned from entering Jerusalem
1/12/2010 -
Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israeli military authorities issued on Monday an
order banning Sheikh Raed Saleh, leader of Israel's Islamic movement,
from entering Jerusalem for six months. Saleh was summoned to the
police station in Wadi Ara where he was handed the order. He was
presented with a similar order limiting his freedom of movement three
weeks prior, which expired on Monday. The new order was attached with a
colored map designating the areas off-limits for the sheikh. "We will
reserve the permanent and perpetual right to enter the city of
Jerusalem at any moment, without permission from anyone. At the same
time, the evidence gathered confirms that 2010 will be a year of a
fateful decision on the present and future of occupied Jerusalem and
the Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially if we connect these orders with the
occupation's false attacks, aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem and their
plans to destruct Al Aqsa Mosque," Saleh said in a statement.
Al-Aqsa
detainees ask for their cases to be clarified
1/11/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Nine members of Fatah detained in the Palestinian
Authority prison of Juneid in Nablus have demanded that the reasons for
their detention be brought to light. The detainees said on 7 January
2010 they were told to turn themselves in to Palestinian security
forces to guarantee their personal safety, according to a statement
issued by the detained. On 8 January 2010 media spokesman for the PA
security forces, Adnan Ad-Dameeri, denied that Israel had called for
their detention, asserting that security concerns prompted the arrest.
"This has made us and our families confused especially as some of us
are threatened to lose their jobs and we all have family duties," the
nine's statement read. . . . . The men were once "wanted" members of
the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's paramilitary wing, until they
entered into an amnesty program and received pardons from Israel.
Jerusalemite
sentenced to two life terms for murder
1/11/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Father of the Palestinian accused and
sentenced for heading a terrorist cell in Jerusalem on Monday described
the Israeli court's decision as "unjust and oppressive. "Mohammad
Khalil Adnan Abu Sneina, 21, was given two life sentences by the court,
in addition to 40 years, for the murder of police officer Rami Zuari
near the Shuafat Refugee Camp and border policeman David Shriki near
the Old City in East Jerusalem in 2008. Abu Sneina's father denied all
the charges brought against his son, describing them as "null and
fabricated" and claimed that the judge who handed out the verdict had
been taking directives from Israeli intelligence officers. During the
hearing the representative of the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office,
Sagi Ophir demanded the court deliver the longest term possible to Abu
Sneina.
Lawyers
to boycott military courts in Ofer prison
1/11/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Lawyers representing Palestinian prisoners in
Israel announced on Monday that they will boycott all legal proceedings
held at the Ofer prison, in a statement issued by the Palestinian
Prisoners' Society. The boycott is a response to a military order which
prohibits the entry of the detainees' families and West Bank lawyers to
be present at any of Ofer's military courts. Israeli authorities had
told the lawyers concerned that the decision had been overturned but
relatives and West Bank lawyers hoping to attend a hearing on Monday at
Ofer were refused entry, the statement said. The Israeli authorities'
decision constitutes a clear violation of international law, the
statement concluded, highlighting that it contravenes all laws
guaranteeing the right to a public hearing and appropriate pleading.
Activists
enter Gaza buffer zone
1/11/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Dozens of Palestinian and foreign activists began on Monday the
first of weekly demonstrations against Israel's creation of a buffer
zone between the Green Line and the northern and eastern borders of the
Gaza Strip. Saber Az-Za'aneen, coordinator of the local committee that
organized the protests, said they were joined by foreign participants
in the intended "security zone," reaching approximately 100 meters of
the separation wall in Beit Hanoun. Az-Za'aneen told Ma'an that the
committee hopes to see participation grow, in order to protect farmers,
who are most affected by the decision, and to assist them in gaining
entry to their agricultural land. The Israeli army dropped leaflets
across Gaza, informing its residents of the new areas that are no
longer accessible to the population. . . . .
Hamas:
Seven detained by PA security
1/11/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority security
services of detaining seven of the movement's affiliates across the
West Bank, in a statement issued on Monday. The seven were detained
from Qalqiliya and Hebron, the statement added. Hamas identified the
detainees as the following: From Qalqiliya: Muhammad Subhi Daoud Freij,
Omar Melhem (detained prior for six months), Muhammad Samhan (detained
more than once), Walid Al-Hutari (detained four times), Hassan
Hassanein (detained four times), Zaki Daoud (detained three times),
From Hebron: Usama Shaheen. [end]
Islamic
Jihad warns of impending Israeli incursion into Gaza
1/11/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The Islamic Jihad movement warned on Monday of a major Israeli
incursion in the Gaza Strip after the recent escalation in Israeli air
raids and artillery fire, in which three of the movement's operatives
were killedon Sunday evening. Senior Islamic Jihad leader Khalid
Al-Batsh in a statement said the Israeli assault clearly indicated that
Israel's was in preparation for a major military operation in the Strip
by using political and media campaigns to foster international support
for "such aggression. " Current political pressure to restart
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians "increases Israel's
opportunity to cover up for its aggression," Al-Batsh said. "It
provides Israel with the chance to escape the toll they should pay for
war crimes," he added, speaking of Israel's Operation Cast Lead last
winter, following which South African jurist Richard. . .
Unrecognized
Bedouin village opens day care center
1/12/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Regional Council for the Unrecognized Bedouin
Villages in the Negev (RCUV) inaugurated a day care center in
As-Shahabi on Monday, the first of its kind for the village's Bedouin
population. The site of the new Day Care and Community Center, formally
a mosque, was donated by a member of the village. Additional funds were
raised by communities in the Negev to help with the renovation and the
cost of running it. "For the last four years the government of Israel
has been demolishing every new structure built in the unrecognized
villages, making the available standing structures rare, and in strong
demand for young couples wishing to marry. In this context, the
donation of the structure is even more astounding," said Dr Yeela
Livnat Raanan in a statement. As-Shahabi is an unrecognized village of
approximately 2,000 residents located on their historical land.
Israel
opens two Gaza crossings; no exports allowed
1/11/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israel opened the Kerem Shalom and Karni border crossings into
Gaza on Monday in the south and north respectively, Palestinian border
official Raed Fattouh told Ma'an. Approximately 64 truckloads of
humanitarian aid will be transferred into Gaza from Kerem Shalom,
Fattouh said, in addition to limited quantities of domestic gas and
industrial diesel, vitally needed for the sole power plant currently
working under capacity. Fattouh added that 89 truckloads of wheat and
fodder would be allowed through Karni. [end]
Egyptian
delegation to enter Gaza Strip
1/11/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - A delegation of Egyptian politicians and actors is due to reach
Gaza next Friday, the de facto government's Anti-Siege Committee
announced on Monday. Under the banner "No Siege and No Wall," the visit
was organized by the Egyptian Labor and Karama parties as well as the
Kifaya movement, a statement from the committee said. The delegation
reportedly will include Dr Diyaa Sawi, Dr Muhammad Sab'awi, Dr Najla
Qayloubi, wife of detained Labor leader Majdi Hussein, as well as
Sheikh Abu Omar Al-Masri. Egyptian actors Abdul Aziz Makhyoun and
Muhsina Tawfiq were also scheduled to join the delegation. The group
awaits permission from the Egyptian authorities but will enter with a
"symbolic gifts" for the people of Gaza, the statement read. Meanwhile,
dozens of Palestinian and foreign activists began on Monday the first
of weekly demonstrations against Israel's. . .
PA
police: 100 detained over Bethlehem violence
1/11/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority police, reinforced by
security forces, resolved spats of clan disputes last week in the
Bethlehem governorate and arrested 100 suspected of involvement in the
incidents, the police reported on Monday. The PA police reported being
"terrified" at the number of different family clashes that erupted
across Bethlehem villages. Disputes in Husan and Battir to the west
commenced five months prior and culminated last week, when numerous
relatives were transferred to hospital to undergo treatment for their
injuries. Extensive property was damaged during the exchange of blows.
Fights relating to family and clan rivalry also took place last week in
Beit Fajjar, Al-Ubayyat, Beit Sahour, Bethlehem, Beit Jala and
Al-Khader/The police responded by imposing restrictions to ensure the
safety of the remaining residents in the governorate, in spite. . .
Shalit
captors ’should release him on humanitarian grounds’
1/12/2010 - Part 16
of a series recounting the findings of South African jurist Richard
Goldstone's UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict - Bethlehem -
Ma'an - On 11 January 2009, Hamas deputy Moussa Abu Marzouq stated that
as of a result of Israel's then-ongoing assault on Gaza, captured
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit "may have been wounded, and he may not
have been. The subject no longer interests us. ""We are not interested
in his well-being at all, and we are not giving him any special guard
since he is as good as a cat or less," Abu Marzouq added, in an
apparent effort to intimidate Israeli forces who were still pounding
the coastal enclave for the 18th day straight. Shalit, a member of the
Israeli military, was captured in June 2006 when a squad drawn from
three groups - the Popular Resistance Committees, the Al-Qassam
Brigades and the until. . .
Fatah
leaders review peace prospects
1/12/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - Fatah's Central Committee began discussions with party leader
and President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday concerning the latest
developments on the resumption of negotiations with Israel. The
meetings, according to sources within the committee, are due to end
Monday evening, before discussing the Egyptian and Jordanian
delegations' visit to Washington, calling for further efforts on the
Middle East peace process. Committee members will remain by their
stance of calling for a halt to settlements before returning to the
negotiating table and are committed to signed agreements with the
objective of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state, the party
sources added. Members further discussed recent Israeli comments,
accusing the Palestinian Authority and Abbas of incitement. It is
anticipated that the committee will issue a statement on Monday evening.
Israel
to build wall along Egyptian border
1/11/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israel approved on Sunday the construction
of a barrier along its border with Egypt, Israeli media reported on
Monday. "I took the decision to close Israel's southern border to
infiltrators and terrorists. This is a strategic decision to secure
Israel's Jewish and democratic character," said Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement. In recent weeks, the number of
African migrants detained by Egypt whilst trying to enter Israel has
increased. On Sunday, Egyptian security sources revealed thatsecurity
forces thwarted two attempts by African migrants to enter Israel
through Egypt's Sinai border. Many have been shot dead at the border by
Egypt. "We cannot let tens of thousands of illegal workers infiltrate
into Israel through the southern border and inundate our country with
illegal aliens," Netanyahu added.
PA
police: 2 arrested for drug possession
1/11/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - Palestinian Authority police (PA) arrested two accused of
narcotics' possession in Nablus, according to a report issued on
Monday. The suspects were detained following an ambush, where the
police confiscated 34. 2 grams of hashish, an unspecified amount of
cocaine and four bottles of methadone, the report said. The detained
will be transferred to general prosecution to continue legal procedures
against them, the police report added. [end]
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Two others injured; Palestinian sources initially claimed casualties were caused by IAF missile strike.
IDF denies reports it attacked northern Gaza
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Palestinians say three militants killed in IAF strike on Strip; Gaza rocket hits Israel for fifth consecutive day.
'Iron Dome rocket defense system will take years to deploy'
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - 'Watch your step,' Barak warns Hamas over rockets; Hamas: Palestinian attacks are response to Israeli aggression.
Egypt says Israel's plan for border fence 'not our concern'
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Cairo denies link between Israel's barrier and its own wall now being constructed between Egypt and Gaza.
Druze MK seeks immunity in indictment over Syria meeting
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Balad's Said Naffaa says meetings in Syria arguing fall under his duties as a member of Knesset.
Mubarak to Netanyahu: Accept Hamas' demands for Shalit deal
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Egypt can guarantee deal and possible Gaza calm if Israel shows flexibility, according to Saudi paper.
Bank of Israel forecasts 3.5% growth rate for 2010
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Bank says global recovery upped demand for Israeli goods; cautions that could scale back the forecast.
Palestinian terror cell head gets 2 life sentences
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Mohammed Abu-Sneina convicted of heading group that murdered two Jerusalem cops in 2008.
Israel to build NIS 1.5b fence along Egypt border
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Netanyahu approves plan to prevent migrant workers from infiltrating and 'ensure Jewish character' of Israel.
Palestinian attempts to run over Israeli cops at West Bank checkpoint
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - In October, an Israeli security guard was wounded after Palestinian woman stabbed him at Qalandiya checkpoint.
IDF solider killed in training accident due to oxygen poisoning
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - IDF investigation finds lead into death of Gal Azoulay, 19, who died at Ashdod Port last month.
Islamic Jihad: Israel wants to drag us into war
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Spokesman: Iron Dome rocket defense system won't stop resistance; 3 Qassams hit southern Israel.
Study: Gaza militants fall short trying for al-Qaida link
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Al-Qaida may be waiting for Gaza terror group to establish itself by attacking a Western target.
Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas must wait until Israel is ready
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Iron Dome defense systems will go a long way to protecting Israel's citizens, but it will take time to get them in place.
Israel to UN: Investigate bomb cache in Lebanon
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - UNIFIL discovered explosives near Israel border last week; thought to belong to Hezbollah.
Will IDF insignia be 'Made in China'?
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Israeli factory: Conflict-area families will lose their livelihoods, national pride is injured.
Israel hits Gaza for second time in 24 hours after mortar barrage
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Explosions rock Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah; medics: Three Palestinians killed in the attacks.
Ahmadinejad: Iran and Syria will create a new world order
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Report: Syria President Assad urges Washington to play a stronger role in Mideast peacemaking.
Galloway-led aid convoy enters Gaza following border strife
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Border crossing remains open another day to allow Palestinians stranded on either side to cross.
Are IDF dogs trained to pounce all who say 'God is great' in Arabic?
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Following expose, MK Ahmed Tibi tells Knesset plenum: 'I say here Allah Hu Akbar. Any dogs here to attack me?'
PFLP:
Arab and international pressure to return to negotiations plays into
the hands of the Zionist enemy
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - Comrade Jamil Mizher, member of the Central Committee of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, called for a total
rejection of Arab and international pressure to return to negotiations,
saying that such negotiations only play into the hands of the Zionist
enemy. Comrade Mizher, speaking with Aljazeera.net on January 4, 2009,
said that a...
Appeals
Court Extends President’s Wartime Powers, Limits Guantánamo Prisoners’
Rights
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - On the eighth anniversary of the opening of the "War on Terror"
prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the implications of a ruling last week
in the Court of Appeals (PDF) have added another layer of uncertainty
to the prisoners’ future, in a week that was notorious for a barrage of
lies and misinformation, and a promise...
125,000
Jerusalem residents “could lose residence rights”
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - The Jerusalem Centre for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER) has
claimed that over 125,000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem could
eventually have been stripped of the right to live in their city
because of the separation wall and the Judaisation policies adopted by
successive Israeli governments. JCSER warns that Jerusalem is being
subjected to the most dangerous...
US
to store more weapons, ammunition in Israel: official
Uruknet January 11,
2010 — The US military plans to expand its stockpiles of weapons in
Israel under a recent agreement with Jerusalem, a Pentagon spokesman
said Monday. The deal will double the value of military equipment kept
on Israeli soil from 400 million to 800 million dollars, Major Shawn
Turner told AFP. Tensions with Iran over its nuclear program were...
Israeli
forces demolish 17 buildings in northern West Bank
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - Israeli military forces have demolished 17 buildings in the
Palestinian community of Khirbet Tana for the second time. This is the
only the most recent chapter in a long struggle for the small
agricultural community to keep their lands. The Israeli army arrived
this morning to the village in a convoy of jeeps and bulldozers and...
Israel's
countdown to another war on Gaza
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - As the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) highlights the human cost of
Operation Cast Lead (War Diaries), Israel has during the last two weeks
intensified its air strikes at civilian targets in the Gaza Strip, once
again killing a number of Palestinians and causing extensive damage to
properties. Media and military analysts in the region have discerned...
Amnesty
International: Iran's 'Mourning Mothers' must be released
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - Amnesty International has urged the Iranian authorities to
release a group of women who were beaten and arrested during a peaceful
vigil in Tehran at the weekend. The 33 women, members of a group known
as the 'Mourning Mothers', were seized during their weekly meeting in
Laleh Park, Tehran on Saturday, according to media reports. Several...
Nablus
executions: Shoot first, ask questions later
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - The brutal killing of three Palestinian men by Israeli military
forces in Nablus last week on 26 December 2009 sparked grief and
outrage across Palestine and brought the northern West Bank city to a
standstill as thousands mourned the lethal attack. However, their
voices are drowned out yet again by a well-played hand of Israel's
propaganda...
Israeli
media defending the murder of children because of "rockets"
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - Years 1948-2010 Total number of People killed in Israel by
Rockets ...15. Five were soldiers and two were Palestinian. More people
die from suicide....
Gaza:
a child dies because of the siege and a man reported dead at a tunnel
site
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - A Palestinian child was reported dead on Monday after he was
unable to leave the Gaza Strip for the medical care he urgently needed.
Three year old Mayisarah Mussa had a hart condition, but doctors were
unable to treat him in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing siege. Doctors
said that he needed an operation...
Israel
considers giving legal status to two illegal West Bank outposts
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - After four and a half years of government promises to destroy
the two West Bank settlements of Hayovel and Harsha, the High Court of
Justice said yesterday that it intends to examine conditions on the
ground there, potentially paving the way for their formal recognition.
The High Court of Justice's deliberation over these settlements has
become...
One
Year After Israeli Assault on Gaza, Survivors from Samouni Family
Remember the Tragedy that Killed 29
Uruknet January 11,
2010 - One year after Israel’s assault on Gaza, we go back to a deadly
attack that took place on one Gazan neighborhood. The Samouni family,
who live in an agricultural area in the Zaytoun area of Gaza City, lost
twenty-nine members of their family in the attack. Anjali Kamat and
Jacquie Soohen visited the surviving members of...
Gaza, January 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The ministry of tourism and antiquities in Gaza on Monday declared the discovery of ancient artifacts in Rafah near the Egyptian border. Mohammed Al-Agha, tourism and antiquities minister in Hamas-led government said, "The most important of the findings are 1,300 antique silver coins, both large and small," He said archaeologists had also uncovered...
Siege Death Toll Rises to 368
Gaza, January 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The child Maisara Ibrahim Moussa, 3 years, passed away on Monday which rises the number of people who died as a result of the Israeli siege on Gaza to 368. The child was prohibited from traveling for treatment outside the besieged Gaza Strip. The child who suffered deformation in his heart, passed away...
Amnesty: Israeli Detention of Palestinian Activists Must End
Palestine, January 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli authorities must immediately release, or bring before a fair trial, three Palestinian human rights activists detained in Israel following their protests against the construction of the West Bank fence/wall, Amnesty International said on Friday. In a letter sent to Ehud Barak, Israeli Defence and Deputy Prime Minister on Thursday, Amnesty International...
Palestinian dies in tunnel near Rafah
Gaza, January 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A young Palestinian lost his life on Monday when he accidentally fell into a tunnel south of the border town of Rafah. Dr. Muawiya Hassanain, the director of Emergency in the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, declared that Fadi Mahmoud Khalil, 20, died when he fell into one of the smuggling tunnels...
Israel Kills 3 Palestinians in Gaza
Gaza, January 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli warplanes killed three Palestinian resistance men Sunday night. The airstrike struck a group of Palestinian resistance men in the central Gaza Strip, killing them with an air-to-ground missile, Palestinian medics said. The three martyrs are Awad Abu Nasir from Dair Al Balah, Hasan Al Qatrawi from Al Nosairat camp and Hozyfa Al...
The National 11 Jan 2010 - Abbas defiant as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urges Palestinians and Israelis to look at bigger picture'.
Hamas cannot stop rockets into Israel
The National 11 Jan 2010 - Analysts say Hamas is struggling to rein in militants, which Israel could use to justify resisting pressure to begin negotiations.
Oman's historic homes under threat
The National 10 Jan 2010 - Villagers are abandoning or being forcibly removed from isolated settlements that the government says are too costly to maintain.
AlJazeera 11 Jan 2010 - Hamas admits fighters mishandled explosives after initially blaming Israel for blast.
Israel plans wall for Egypt border
AlJazeera 11 Jan 2010 - Israel's premier authorises new barrier on part of the Egyptian-Israeli border.
Alternative Information Center
Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International JusticeAlternative Information Center 9 Jan 2010 - Al-Quds University Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic Cordially invite you to: Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International Justice Tuesday, 12th January 2010 2-4pm, Main Theater, Abu Dis Campus, Al-Quds University On occasion of the...
PNN 11 Jan 2010 - Israel's government has approved plans for the construction of a barrier along its border with Egypt in a bid to keep out illegal migrants and militants. It will be built along two parts of the border - near the Red Sea city of Eilat and on the edge of the Gaza Strip. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision was taken to secure...
Gaza student holds graduation party at church
PNN 11 Jan 2010 - Palestinian student Berlanty Azzam has never thought that her graduation ceremony would take place in a small church far away from her university and friends. After spending four years studying in Bethlehem University in the West Bank, and two months before her course finishes, Israeli soldiers kicked her to the Gaza Strip since her ID tells that she is a Gazan. I...
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Israeli officials go to Egypt to prod PA back to negotiations two days before Quartet meeting.
Labor minister hopes Kadima crisis was wake-up call for Barak
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Kadima and Labor are both "undemocratic parties" the leaders of which could get away with dictatorial rule, minister complains.
Analysis: Planned southern border fence turns the screws on Hamas in Gaza
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Escalation in rocket attacks said to be terror group's response to pressure.
Police: Fence along Sinai border vital
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Israel needs fence to prevent drug, arms smuggling, human trafficking, Southern District chief says.
'Iron Dome reduces chances of Gaza war'
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Barak says system will significantly reduce attacks, warns Hamas against launching rockets.
Israel to Turkey: We can fight back
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Jerusalem slams Erdogan's "unbridled tongue-lashing"; Ayalon outraged at new Turkish TV show.
Israel Beiteinu, Shas bang heads over Ukraine visa cancellation
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - The Tourism Ministry believes that the cancellation of visas would lead to a 200 percent increase in tourists from the former Soviet republic.
6-nation meeting on dealing with Iran's defiance being planned
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Officials say talks likely in NYC Sat.; Clinton says US believes best way to pressure Teheran is to impose sanctions aimed at ruling elite.
IDF nearly done with Goldstone counter-report
Jeruslalem Post 11 Jan 2010 - Internal investigation results to be released to the public, respond to Goldstone findings.
IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 11 (IPS) - Two separate bomb attacks on Internet cafes in Gaza last week have served as an uncomfortable reminder that extremist groups within the coastal territory may be stronger than the moderate Hamas organisation which rules the strip.
MIDEAST: Israel Cool to New U.S. Pressure
IPS JERUSALEM, Jan 11 (IPS) - In the past, whenever there was even a semblance of pressure from Washington on Israel, nerves in Jerusalem went all a-jangle.
MIDEAST: Route May Open, But Not to Peace
IPS ROUTE 443, Occupied West Bank, Jan 8 (IPS) - Just beyond the main Israeli checkpoint, ten kilometres short of Jerusalem, a white Nissan station wagon is abruptly edging to the side of the road. It comes to a halt on the shoulder.
MIDEAST: Sale of Land to Israel Threatens to Split Church
IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 8 (IPS) - Israel’s bid to keep occupied East Jerusalem under its sovereignty and prevent its incorporation into a future Palestinian state has been boosted over the years with the acquiescence of the Greek Orthodox Church.
PCHR
International Solidarity Movement
Israel stages night-time Ramallah raid to arrest an international solidarity activist1/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - A raid was conducted in Ramallah’s city centre tonight to apprehend Eva Nováková, a Czech citizen, who took on the role of the International Solidarity Movement’s media coordinator three weeks ago. Israeli soldiers raided the Ramallah home of Eva Nováková tonight at 3 am near the Manara square. The operation to apprehend Nováková, the ISM’s new media coordinator since three weeks ago, was carried out by a force of both soldiers and members of the “Oz” immigration police unit. During the raid, the army occupied a number of rooftops at a location adjacent to the Palestinian Police Ramallah headquarters. She is currently being held in Givon detention center awaiting deportation to the Czech Republic. This recent military raid into Palestinian-controlled Area A comes amidst Palestinian discontent over continued incursions and arrests.
Israeli forces demolish 17 buildings in northern West Bank
1/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 January - Israeli military forces have demolished 17 buildings in the Palestinian community of Khirbet Tana for the second time. This is the only the most recent chapter in a long struggle for the small agricultural community to keep their lands. The Israeli army arrived this morning to the village in a convoy of jeeps and bulldozers and razed 17 buildings to the ground. The demolished structures included family homes, children's classrooms and shelters for the village's livestock. Several olive trees were also razed to the ground. In a statement issued by the Israeli military, the buildings were had demolished due to the fact they were "illegally constructed structures" built on a military training ground, "endangering the lives of those present". Khirbet Tana centered around two natural springs, lying 7km east of Beit Furik in the Nablus area of the West Bank.
FBI and Shin Bet began tracking 'Jewish terrorist' year before arrest
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Teitel refuses to cooperate with his attorney, saying he does not recognize court's authority.,
Foreign Min. official: Lieberman wants to keep Israel-Turkey ties cold
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Turkey PM says Israel endangering world peace; Foreign Ministry: Turkey can't lecture us on morality.
Aluf Benn / Israel alone can't be blamed for failing Turkey ties
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Erdogan has not missed an opportunity to direct harsh criticism at Israel since Operation Cast Lead.,
Yoel Marcus / Obama blowing threatening winds at Israel
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - We can deny it all we like, but the U.S. can use Israel loan guarantees to influence Jerusalem's policy.,
Egypt: Netanyahu willing to see East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Arab foreign ministers: Palestinians agree to ease preconditions for reopening negotiations with Israel.,
State Dept.: U.S. not planning to withhold Israel loan guarantees
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Asst. Sec. of State says Mitchell's suggestion last week was just 'historical' fact, not threat of action.,
Israel's U.S. envoy: Obama peace plan unrealistic
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Special Mideast envoy Mitchell reaffirms support for two-state solution, as well as Israel-Syria peace.,
Tashkent releases Israeli detained for carrying M16 bullets
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Tamar Yagudayev was arrested last Thursday upon landing, said bag with bullets belongs to a friend.,
Holocaust survivors to Rome rabbi: Tell Pope how we suffered
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Survivors send message of shock to Vatican after decision to advance candidacy of Pius to sainthood.,
The looming war in Gaza: Can Obama stop it before it starts?
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - The countdown to the Second Gaza War has begun in earnest.Washington, take note.,
Radical Muslim leader banned from Jerusalem for 6 months more
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Sheik Ra'ad Salah tells top Turkish religious figures Israel's occupation in E. Jerusalem must end.,
Why Oliver Stone believes Hitler was an 'easy scapegoat'
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Director's new documentary seeking to put historical villains 'into context' has viewing world up in arms.,
Report: Obama backs Egypt plan for Mideast peace
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - U.S. administration trying to convince Abbas to resume peace talks in exchange for series of Israeli gestures.,
CIA catches Iranian trying to buy arms 'for war against U.S.'
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - Amir Hussein Aldabili allegedly sent to Georgia by Tehran to buy parts for fighter jets and missile systems.,
Report: Iran slows down nuclear program in gesture to West
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - UN Security Council members mull new sanctions targeting Tehran's Revolutionary Guard, Iran economy.,
The Guardian 11 Jan 2010 - In making an enemy of Hosni Mubarak's regime, George Galloway has taken a lead western governments should follow George Galloway was deported from Egypt on Friday as "persona non grata" by the Egyptian authorities, accusing him...
Israel to build surveillance fence along Egyptian border
The Guardian 11 Jan 2010 - Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu says £170m project will close border to 'infiltrators and terrorists' Israel is to build a fence equipped with advanced surveillance tools along part of its border with Egypt to keep out African...
Letters: No link to Hamas
The Guardian 10 Jan 2010 - In reply to our letter of 5 January , Robin Stamler ( Letters , 9 January) invokes the statements of a "documentation centre" established in 2009 by the Hamas government as the basis for his claim that British human...
I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother: A Palestinian story about Palestinians
The Guardian 11 Jan 2010 - In the war of 1948, thousands of Palestinians were uprooted from their homes never to return, and playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi is determined to tell their stories It was six decades ago, but the fallout from...
The best way to help Palestine | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 11 Jan 2010 - Combatants for Peace's joint Israeli-Palestinian protests value constructive bond-forging over antagonistic posturing The stage was set, the cast assembled. On one side, heavily armed Israeli soldiers, police and private security guards. On the other, scores of...
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - The Kadima party's No. 2, Shaul Mofaz, campaigned this week for a leadership primary and is scheduled to meet Thursday in Kiryat Malakhi with several mayors and members of the Knesset. ...
Israeli water consumption down 9 percent in 2009
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - The water consumption of the average Israeli household declined by more than 9 percent over the past year, primarily due to efforts to encourage conservation, the Mekorot Water Company said in a new report. ...
Bat Yam shooting leaves one dead, another wounded
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - One young man was killed and another seriously wounded on Monday when unknown gunmen opened fire on their car in the central Israeli town of Bat Yam. ...
Druze MK seeks immunity in indictment over Syria meeting
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - MK Said Naffaa asked the Knesset on Monday to enforce his immunity as to protect him from a recently submitted indictment accusing him of contacting enemy agents. ...
Negev man gets 9 years in jail for trying to bomb police officer
Ha'aretz 11 Jan 2010 - The Be'er Sheva District Court on Monday sentenced a man to nine years in prison for rigging a hand grenade at the entrance to the home of a prison intelligence officer. Yaniv Zaguri was also convicted for extortion and arms trading ...
Relief Web 11 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Gaza hopes earthen brick homes will be temporary
Relief Web 11 Jan 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
IFC to Help Bank of Palestine Strengthen Risk Management Systems
Relief Web 11 Jan 2010 - Source: International Finance Corporation
FUND FOR GENDER EQUALITY ANNOUNCES MORE THAN US$9 MILLION IN GRANTS TO ADVANCE WOMEN'S ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT WORLDWIDE
Relief Web 11 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Development Fund for Women
Lebanese refugees wait for their due
Relief Web 11 Jan 2010 - Source: Medical Aid for Palestinians
OPT: UNRWA signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Organization for Peace, Care and Relief
Relief Web 11 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
YNet News 11 Jan 2010 - Deputy foreign minister reprimands ambassador for Turkish TV show depicting Mossad agents as baby snatchers, tells reporters he wants it to be seen that ambassador 'is seated below him'
Clinton says Iran sanctions should target elite
YNet News 11 Jan 2010 - US secretary of state says best way to pressure Tehran to come clean on nuclear ambitions is to impose sanctions on 'relatively small group of decision makers with political, commercial ties.' Adds: We're still interested in engaging with Iran
Iranian FM, Assad talk of 'Zionist regime's crimes'
YNet News 11 Jan 2010 - Mottaki to Syrian president: Support for armed struggle against occupier is moral and human duty. FM also passes on warm greetings from Iranian president, meets terror group leaders
Palestinians: Masked settlers assaulted farmers
YNet News 11 Jan 2010 - Umm a-Tin farmer says IDF joined forces with Gilad Farm settlers, ordered them to evacuate agricultural lands. Settler: Arabs from village of Par'ata arrived at the scene without authorization to provoke us
Turkey lashes out at Israel
YNet News 11 Jan 2010 - In joint press conference with Lebanese counterpart, PM Erdogan calls on Israel to 'stop violating Lebanese airspace, territorial waters.' On airstrikes in Gaza: What's Israel's excuse this time?
Mazuz sums up 6-year term as attorney general
YNet News 11 Jan 2010 - Six turbulent years have passed since current attorney general took office. After Sharon, Ramon, Katsav and Olmert Mazuz concludes term with criticism towards 'oppositional ministers'
Daily Star 11 Jan 2010 Prominent Yemeni cleric Sheikh Abdulmajeed al-Zendani denied on Monday having links with US-Yemeni imam Anwar al-Awlaqi who is suspected of being behind the botched Christmas Day US plane bombing. Zendani, whom the US government has identified as a "global terrorist," also told a press conference that any US military deployment in Yemen.
Israel urges Hamas to rein in Gaza militants
Daily Star 11 Jan 2010 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers on Monday to rein in militant groups behind a surge in attacks on Israel, coupling his appeal with a veiled threat of Israeli action. "I think the recent days reflect the inability of Hamas to control the dissident groups, the Popular Committees or Islamic Jihad, who are trying to break the tranquility," Barak told Reuters.
Syria, Iran urge Palestinians to settle differences
Daily Star 11 Jan 2010 Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called on Monday for Palestinian unity and the lifting of the Gaza Strip siege, the official news agency SANA reported. The two men highlighted "the importance of reunifying Palestinian ranks," a reference to ongoing differences between Hamas and Fatah, and called for "intensified international efforts to lift the siege of Gaza" that Hamas controls.
Israel OKs fence on Egyptian border to halt refugee flow
Daily Star 11 Jan 2010 srael will construct fences on its long and porous southern desert border with Egypt in a bid to halt a growing flood of African refugees and asylum seekers who have poured into the country in recent years, officials said Monday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said two fences would run along parts of the 250-kilometer southern border with Egypt.
Iran's top prosecutor wants action against opposition
Daily Star 11 Jan 2010 Iran's top prosecutor called on Monday for firm action against those behind street unrest after the Islamic Republic's disputed election in June, in a clear warning that senior opposition figures may face trial. General Prosecutor Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei made the call for measures against "elements behind the recent sedition" in a statement to Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the ISNA news agency reported.
Scant care for Egypt's tuberculosis infected workers
Daily Star 11 Jan 2010 For years, Mohammad Mustafa inhaled the soft dust that used to come out of the machines in the cement factory south of Cairo where he worked, but he never thought those small particles would end his career. A few years ago, the 55-year-old former cement worker developed a chronic cough with blood-tinged sputum, fever and night sweats, and he began losing weight.
Palestinian Information Center
Jamaat-e-Islami reiterates support for Palestinians, Al QudsPIC 11 Jan 2010 - Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan has reiterated that Palestinians were fighting for the liberation of Al-Quds urging entire Muslim Ummah to continue its support to them in this holy mission.
Pakistani clerics slam Cairo for constructing steel wall with Gaza border
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - Noted Pakistani Islamic scholars joined their counterparts elsewhere in the Muslim world to condemn Cairo for constructing a huge metal and concrete wall along its border with Gaza..
IOA bans entry of Sheikh Salah into Jerusalem for six months
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - The IOA issued a military order banning entry of Sheikh Raed Salah from entering Jerusalem for six months unless he was summoned for interrogation or any other legal procedure.
Death of a sick child brings the number of siege victims to 368
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - The Palestinian health ministry announced on Monday the death of a three-year-old child in Gaza because he could not travel abroad for medical treatment.
Hamas: Israeli decision to build wall with Egypt reveals scheme
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - Hamas on Monday said that the Israeli decision to build an electronic wall along its borders with Egypt revealed that the construction of Egypt's steel wall had nothing to do with Egyptian security.
Masri warns IOF of occupying Salahuddin axis
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri has warned the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) of the consequences of occupying the Salahuddin (Philadelphia) axis in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
Abu Halabia asks Jerusalemites to defend the Aqsa
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - Dr. Ahmed Abu Halabia, the head of the international Quds institution – Gaza branch, has denounced the Israeli policewomen for storming the Aqsa yards along with a group of Jewish fanatics on Monday.
Mishaal confers with UAE president on Palestinian developments
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - Khaled Mishaal met on Monday with Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, the president of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi for a discussion of Palestinian developments.
IOF holding wounded child in shackles
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) are holding a Palestinian child in hospital while both his feet and hands are shackled despite the seriousness of his condition.
Israeli municipality orders demolition of Palestinian home in Yafa
PIC 11 Jan 2010 - The Israeli municipality of Yafa city, occupied in 1948, has issued orders to demolish the two-story home of Mousa Daka, 28, south of Yafa city at the pretext of building without permit.
LA Times 11 Jan 2010 - Several of the plaintiffs say they were told the firm, now called Xe, was in danger of bankruptcy and that they might not get any damages at all. They want the agreements nullified. Several victims of a 2007 shooting involving American private security guards employed by the firm formerly known as Blackwater alleged Sunday that they were coerced into reaching settlements, and they demanded that the Iraqi government intervene to have the agreements nullified.
Iran's opposition spreads to heartland
LA Times 10 Jan 2010 - Though organizing opposition to the government is more difficult in smaller cities that don't afford the anonymity of Tehran, activists in the provinces say they're making progress. Mohammad knew he had to be careful in approaching his old classmate Hamed, the one from the conservative Iranian family. They come from a small city, after all, and word gets around.
In West Bank, conditions 'not ripe' for Palestinian uprising
LA Times 10 Jan 2010 - Israelis and Palestinians point to a weak, fractured Palestinian leadership that has disavowed violence, the tight Israeli control and a budding West Bank economy that discourages a new intifada. Born in a refugee camp in this restive West Bank city, Ammar Arafat threw his first stone at 13. At 15, he was jailed for scaling the fence at an Israeli military camp with explosives under his shirt. Upon release, he took up arms again and landed back in prison.
Iran's supreme leader tells militias not to meddle
LA Times 10 Jan 2010 - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attempts to ease tensions, while Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Naghdi says his Basiji militiamen are prepared to clamp down on the opposition movement. Iran's supreme leader Saturday told shadowy pro-government militias not to interfere in the nation's postelection unrest even as the head of the notorious Basiji militia warned that his forces would "jump into the fray" if authorities didn't act strongly against the opposition movement.
New York Times 11 Jan 2010 - A Palestinian militant was killed Monday in an accidental bomb explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas said.
Panel Ties Ally of Iran Leader to Protester Deaths
New York Times 11 Jan 2010 - A parliamentary panel said Tehran’s prosecutor was responsible for the beating deaths of three imprisoned protesters last summer.
Israeli Planes Kill 3 Militants in Gaza Strike
New York Times 11 Jan 2010 - The airstrike struck a group of gunmen in the central Gaza Strip who Israel said was preparing rocket fire.
Christians and Muslims in Egypt Trade Attacks After Fatal Shootings
New York Times 10 Jan 2010 - Sectarian violence in Egypt between Muslims and Christians is rare, but disputes over issues including land or women occasionally erupt.
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: Suspects in Shooting at Coptic Church Surrender
New York Times 9 Jan 2010 - Three suspects in a drive-by shooting that killed six Christians in southern Egypt surrendered to the police on Friday.
World Briefing | Middle East: Gaza: Israeli Airstrikes Kill 3
New York Times 9 Jan 2010 - The strikes came in retaliation for a rocket and mortar barrage launched into Israel on Thursday.
Palestine Monitor - 11 Jan 2010 - Israel's relentless drive to establish "facts on the ground" in the occupied West Bank, a drive that continues in violation of even the limited settlement freeze to which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed himself, seems finally to have succeeded in locking in the irreversibility of its...
Seven Days From a Gaza Diary
Palestine Monitor - 11 Jan 2010 - In December 2008 and January 2009, Khulood Ghanem, a 27 years old girl, kept a diary and described the ordeal in Gaza during the Israeli military assault. The diary was adapted by Edward Mast into a performance for three voices entitled Seven days from a Gaza...
U.N. memo: Israel’s ‘provocative’ actions in Jerusalem could ‘derail’ peace process
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was prepared to tell George Mitchell, the U.S. special envoy on the Middle East, that Israel’s house evictions in East Jerusalem are "provocative" and "that the volatile situation in East Jerusalem is capable of de-railing a [peace] process," according to a...
Support Ahmad Mesleh & support independent media in Israel/Palestine
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - (Photo: Ahmad Mesleh ) Last week I posted on the kick off of a new website from Israel/Palestine called The Daily Nuisance . The post featured an incredibly striking photo of a Palestinian protester holding an enormous Palestinian flag jumping off the stumps of a destoyed olive tree...
One-state solution is debated in California congressional race
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - Here’s a fine piece by Linda Milazzo in the LA Progressive , showing how viciously the lobby responds to talk of a one-state solution. LA Congressman Henry Waxman, chairman of Energy and Commerce and a big liberal, goes haywire against Marcy Winograd, the challenger to Congresswoman Jane...
A war of values
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - The video above was shot by Max Blumenthal a year ago today. I wonder if any of the people in it have changed their views? I’ve finally gotten around to reading the Goldstone Report . It’s an amazing document. In addition to the legal analysis and incredible...
Gaza Freedom March: Why I went to Cairo
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb at a demonstration outside the French Embassy in Cairo. (Photo: Anne Paxton ) Operation Cast Lead was a massacre filled with thousands of heart breaking stories. Each of the 1400 persons killed represents an entire world. Yes, it is also a war crime to...
Articles
Israel resembles a failed state
Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada 12/27/2009
One year has passed since the savage Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, but for the people there time might as well have stood still.
Since Palestinians in Gaza buried their loved ones -- more than 1,400 persons, almost 400 of them children -- there has been little healing and virtually no reconstruction.
According to international aid agencies, only 41 trucks of building supplies have been allowed into Gaza during the year.
Promises of billions made at a donors’ conference in Egypt last March attended by luminaries of the so-called "international community" and the Middle East peace process industry are unfulfilled, and the Israeli siege, supported by the US, the European Union, Arab states, and tacitly by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah, continues.
Amid the endless, horrifying statistics a few stand out: of Gaza’s 640 schools, 18 were completely destroyed and 280 damaged in Israeli attacks. Two-hundred-and-fifty students and 15 teachers were killed.
Of 122 health facilities assessed by the World Health Organization, 48 percent were damaged or destroyed.
Ninety percent of households in Gaza still experience power cuts for four to eight hours per day due to Israeli attacks on the power grid and degradation caused by the blockade.
Forty-six percent of Gaza’s once productive agricultural land is out of use due to Israeli damage to farms and Israeli-declared free fire zones. Gaza’s exports of more than 130,000 tons per year of tomatoes, flowers, strawberries and other fruit have fallen to zero. more.. e-mail
Viva Palestina’s bumpy road
Dr Hanan Chehata, AlJazeera 1/11/2010
By placing obstacles, Egypt is succeeding in diverting attention away from the Israelis.
In an international effort to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, Viva Palestina (VP) volunteers from around the world have left their families and in some cases resigned from their jobs in order to take part in this humanitarian undertaking.
They have done this for no other reason than that they feel strongly about the crisis in Gaza. The images that they saw flash across their television screens during the assault on Gaza in 2008-9 has been seared into their minds.
It is sad that it took such a horrific tragedy to wake people up but one inevitable consequence of the Israeli attacks and their cruel blockade was certainly to educate the world as to the reality of the situation.
Civil action
Until that point many people could not even pinpoint Gaza on a map. Now they are spending their time and risking their personal safety to defend Gaza and its people.
Seeing the images of the chaos and destruction during the Gaza assault certainly mobilised a lot of people into civil action.
Immediately following the atrocities, those who were appalled by the number of civilians killed, who had seen the UN buildings, schools, mosques and hospitals deliberately targeted decided that they could no longer sit back or pretend that they did not know what was taking place.more.. e-mail
Peace process’: Round two
Ayman Mohyeldin, AlJazeera 1/9/2010
If the US takes the same soft-handed approach in 2010 as it did in 2009, the chances for peace in the Middle East this year don’t seem much better.
George Mitchell, the US special envoy, is returning to the Middle East to once again try and resuscitate the so-called "Peace Process" following a difficult first year for the Obama administration.
In a recent interview, Mitchell tacitly acknowledged the failure of his efforts in securing a complete settlement freeze, saying what the Americans got was "far less than what they had requested".
Instead, Mitchell now says the 10-month Israeli moratorium - which by the way excludes occupied East Jerusalem and does not include construction already underway on thousands of homes and plans for new public buildings - is "more significant than any other measure taken by previous Israeli governments".
Its tragic that in the 40-year Israeli enterprise of illegally settling Jewish residents on Palestinian lands, this is the best the Americans can wrestle from their stalwart ally.
Well, if Mitchell and the Americans are going to have any success this time around, Henry Siegman, the former National Director of the American Jewish Congress says its time for the US, and third parties to impose peace in the Middle East and abandon the utterly wrongheaded idea that a Palestinian state can arise without forceful outside intervention. The international community has shown signs of exasperation with Israel’s deceptions and stonewalling. more.. e-mail
Nablus executions: Shoot first, ask questions later
Electronic Intifada: 11 Jan 2010 - The brutal killing of three Palestinian men by Israeli military forces in Nablus last week on 26 December 2009 sparked grief and outrage across Palestine and brought the northern West Bank city to a standstill as thousands mourned the lethal attack. However, their voices are drowned out yet again by a well-played hand of Israel's propaganda machine and repeated by the mainstream media. Bridget Chappell writes from Nablus.
Uphill battle for academic freedom in US universities
Electronic Intifada: 11 Jan 2010 - Despite the expanding and momentous student-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, open dialogue around the reality of the situation in occupied Palestine continues to be an uphill battle for many professors inside the classrooms. Nora Barrows-Friedman reports on recent cases of academic freedom infringement for The Electronic Intifada.
Church in hot water over Jerusalem land sales
Electronic Intifada: 11 Jan 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Israel's bid to keep occupied East Jerusalem under its sovereignty and prevent its incorporation into a future Palestinian state has been boosted over the years with the acquiescence of the Greek Orthodox Church. The church's sale of politically sensitive land in East Jerusalem under dubious circumstances and amidst charges of political blackmail have caused outrage amongst Greek Orthodox Palestinians and threatened to split the church.
Interview: Disabled activist continues struggle in Bilin
Electronic Intifada: 11 Jan 2010 - The Electronic Intifada contributor Jody McIntyre interviews disabled Palestinian grassroots activist Rani Bornat: "These are peaceful protests; if we don't fight for our land, then who can? If we don't fight for the truth, then who can? If we don't stand side by side and resist this occupation together, then who can? Peaceful demonstrations don't hurt or kill anybody; they are only there to serve the oppressed. We must tear down this wall, so that we can live with peace ... and freedom."
In Gaza: 9 Jan 2010 - With over 90% of Palestinian children in Gaza suffering PTSD, and over 80% severe poverty in the Strip, Nidal Abu Leila is but one of many children dramatically affected by the 23 days of Israeli warfare on Gaza. Prior to the December 27 to January 18 Israeli massacre of Gaza–during which Israel used its power as the 4th largest military, unleashing an arsenal of F-16 bombing, Apache and tank shelling and machine gun fire, shelling from Israeli warships in Gaza’s sea, bulldozing and explosive– Nidal was a normal boy of 10 years. He ran, he played, he studied, he was as mischievous and energetic as life in Gaza under siege...
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Jan 2010 - By Ershad Abubacker 'Today, we bear witness to an extraordinary act in one of history's defining dramas,' said the then US president Bill Clinton as a prelude to Oslo Peace Process, 'a drama that began in the time of our ancestors when the word went forth from a sliver of land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. That hallowed piece of earth, that land of light and revelation is the home to the memories and dreams of Jews, Muslims and Christians throughout the world.' The world looked forward to Oslo with great hope that it would bring peace and stability to the consecrate piece of land that has been drenched in warfare, hatred and conflicting claims of history etched so deeply in the souls of the people in the Middle East. Though Clinton had apprehensions about the Oslo process evident when he mentioned Oslo accords as a ‘brave gamble,’ he did express the confidence that the future can be better than the past must endure. But the post-Oslo Palestine has been a deep scar running deep in to the map of humanity. The tenacity and vision of world leaders behind Oslo and Camp David did promise a new beginning, but for ordinary Palestinians, it was the beginning of a new form of Israeli domination over the Palestinians. The Oslo Process begins officially with the handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat at the White House loan. After the first Intifada that saw more than 1100 Palestinian civilians and...
The Quiet American
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Jan 2010 - By Uri Avnery The quiet American was the hero of Graham Greene's novel about the first Vietnam War, the one fought by the French. He was a young and naïve American, a professor’s son who had enjoyed a good education at Harvard, an idealist with all the best intentions. When he was sent to Vietnam, he wanted to help the natives to overcome the two evils as he saw them: French colonialism and Communism. Knowing absolutely nothing about the country in which he was acting, he caused a disaster. The book ends with a massacre, the outcome of his misguided efforts. He illustrated the old saying: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Since this book was written, 54 years have passed, but it seems that the quiet American has not changed a bit. He is still an idealist (at least, in his own view of himself), still wants to bring redemption to foreign and faraway peoples about whom he knows nothing, and still causes terrible disasters: in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now, it seems, in Yemen. The Iraqi example is the simplest one. The American soldiers were sent there to overthrow the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein. There were, of course, also some less altruistic objectives, such as taking control of the Iraqi oil resources and stationing an American garrison in the heart of the Middle Eastern oil region. But for the American public, the adventure was presented as an idealistic enterprise to topple a bloody dictator who...
What Next, Viva Palestina?
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Jan 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood - London Mere words cannot express my admiration for Viva Palestina and those who devote their efforts to it. I love the way they shamed – and not for the first time – the great powers and their gutless leaders. And for his pains the British MP George Galloway has been declared 'persona non grata' in Egypt. How heartbreaking for him. Given past disagreements, and the stubborn refusal of this latest convoy to be derailed, it was never going to end in hugs and kisses from President Mubarak's henchmen, or fond messages of "Come ye back soon, George." What really matters is that they delivered the life-saving goods when the armies and navies of the so-called Free World wouldn’t even think about it. And they did it with style in the face of Egypt’s tantrums. The nervous Egyptian authorities allowed exhausted convoy members only 30 hours inside Gaza to say hello, distribute their aid and take a rest. Sad and wobbly regimes simply cannot handle a few hundred humanitarians so they accuse them of "incitement" and “hostile acts”, and throw them out. Now we hear grumbles from some activists that criticising Egypt diverts attention from the real culprit. But Israel's evil machinations would find little success without the Egyptian government's co-operation. There should of course be free movement of goods and people through the Gaza/Egypt border. Instead, Mubarak signed up to the US-Israel-EU conspiracy to keep the 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip bottled up and...
Shadow Boxing at Sharm al-Sheikh
Palestine Chronicle: 11 Jan 2010 - By Iqbal Jassat As the media focus fades away from Egypt and the unprecedented brawl that occurred in the streets of Cairo, it is likely that the world will yet again be treated to Mubarak's routine antics at Sharm al-Sheikh. The Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh often serves as the setting for Mubarak to distract global attention from his political failures. It is here that he usually appears in a fake mask to don the appearance of a “peace-maker”, ostensibly to pursue “peace” on behalf of the Occupied Palestinians. To add further mockery he usually has Mahmoud Abbas in tow to keep nodding his head in approval. Of course the seat on his right is usually reserved for whichever butcher in Israel may have been elected leader of the colonial-settler state. And peeping over his shoulder will be the incumbent US Secretary of State, ensuring that the American puppet does not stray from the carefully worded pro-Israeli script. After all, the script would be prepared by a bunch of neo-conners or their hangers-on who share the view most recently expressed by New York’s Ed Koch, that Muslims are terrorists. Thus room only for pliant betrayers such as the PA’s American-backed Fatah elite – not for movements such as Hamas listed by the US as terrorists! They and the rest of Palestine’s freedom fighters who are not exiled or are in the dungeons of Israel and the West Bank, courtesy of Abu Mazen, are in fact the target of...