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News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli
Navy Kidnaps Six Palestinian Fishermen In Southern Gaza
IMEMC 17 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 17, 2010 - 10:16, The Israeli Navy kidnapped on Sunday
at dawn six Palestinian fishermen in Palestinian territorial waters in
the Rafah area, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Navy also
opened fire at the fishermen and boarded two boats.
Palestinian
Security Forces Arrest 12 Hamas Members, Including A Senior Qassam
Fighter
IMEMC 17 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 17, 2010 - 09:56, The Security Forces of Palestinian
President, Mahmoud Abbas, arrested on Sunday 12 Hamas members in the
occupied West Bank, including a senior fighter and leader of the Al
Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
Turkish
President, Prime Minister, Refuse To Meet Barak
IMEMC 17 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 17, 2010 - 02:30, Turkish media sources reported on
Saturday that the Turkish President, Abdullah Gül, and Prime Minister,
Receb Tayyip Erdogan, will not hold a meeting with Israel’s Defense
Minister, Ehud Barak, who will be visiting the country on Sunday.
EU
Parliamentarians Leave Gaza
IMEMC 17 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 17, 2010 - 00:27, European Parliamentarian, who managed
to enter the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip on Friday, left the
coastal region on Saturday afternoon via the Rafah Border Terminal, in
the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Current
Status of Detained Maán Journalist - Jared Malsin
IMEMC 17 Jan 2010 -
Saturday January 16, 2010 - 23:23, Ma'an have issued a press release
concerning the current status of chief English editer, Jared Malsin.
Arguments will be heard tomorrow at Tel Aviv District Court to
determine his possible deportation.
Israeli
Officials Arrive In Jordan After Attack On Embassy
IMEMC 17 Jan 2010 -
Saturday January 16, 2010 - 09:35, Following a bombing that was meant
to target Israeli diplomats in Jordan two days ago, a number of senior
Israeli security officials arrived in Amman to review the security
measures used to secure the Israeli embassy in the country.
Experts:
Egypt’s wall will destroy Gaza’s aquifer
1/17/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Experts in Gaza determined on Sunday that Egypt's underground
steel wall will lead to the destruction of Gaza's aquifer, during a
symposium entitled The Metal Wall between Egypt and Gaza: Impacts,
Environmental and Human Consequences, held in Gaza. Experts and
specialists called on universities and research centres to partake in
studies of the impact of Egypt's steel wall on the Gaza border.
Underwater storage and soil erosion - Water expert Nezar Al-Weheidi
noted that the metal wall threatens Gaza's underground water storage
system and will cause the destruction of the aquifer, resulting from
pollution. This, in turn, will have devastating environmental, economic
and social impacts for both Egyptians and Palestinians, namely the
destruction of drinking wells and those used for agriculture and other
industries.
Ma’an
urges hearing for detained US journalist
1/17/2010 - District
Judge Kobi Vardi heard arguments on Sunday from the Israeli Attorney
General's Office against two requests filed by Ma'an on Wednesday
seeking to delay the imminent expulsion of journalist Jared Malsin. A
comprehensive translation from Hebrew into English is underway, but a
preliminary reading indicates that the attorney general requests there
be no hearing because it would make it more difficult for the Ministry
of the Interior to deport Malsin. Bringing Malsin out of the airport
would necessitate improving the terms of his visa status, the attorney
general maintained. Furthermore, the attorney general argues that the
Interior Ministry denied Malsin entry for legitimate reasons, and that
the chances of a successful appeal are so slim that the court should
not bother intervening. The papers conclude by saying Malsin is
responsible for the cost of his detention and expulsion.
Witnesses:
Israeli navy detains 4 off Gaza coast
1/17/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The Israeli navy detained four Palestinian fishermen and held
two boats off the Rafah coast of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to
witnesses. Witnesses say Israeli naval boats approached the fishermen,
opened fire, and detained four members of the As-Sa'idi family. Israeli
navy detained four Palestinian fishermen and held two ships off Rafah
coast in the south of the Gaza Strip. Additionally, the Israeli navy
dispersed fishermen in Rafah, Khan Younis and the An-Nusseirat Refugee
Camp, as Deir Al-Balah saw intensive shooting, witnesses say. An
Israeli military spokesman was unable to verify the incidents
presently. [end]
Two
Palestinians beaten by Israeli forces near settlement
1/17/2010 - Hebron -
Ma'an - Israeli forces attacked two Palestinians near the Betar Elite
settlement near Husan village west of Bethlehem on Sunday morning. Both
were hospitalized for serious injuries. Security sources said that
Israeli soldiers stopped and beat Muhammad Halahleh, 35, and Mahmoud
Ramadan, 15, both from Kharas in the Hebron governorate. Both were
transferred to the Beit Jala Public Hopsital in Bethlehem to undergo
treatment for their injuries. An Israeli military spokesman was unable
to verify the incident presently. [end]
Israeli
forces detain seven in Nablus
1/17/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - Israeli forces detained seven Palestinian from the Al-Ein
Refugee Camp and Al-Sikkah Street in Nablus on Sunday, following an
incursion. More than 15 Israeli military vehicles entered the city,
raided a number of homes and detained Muntaser Hamdi, Samer As-Salhi,
Raed Al-Khatib and Mu'tasim Saleh, witnesses said. Three brothers were
detained in Al-Sikkah Street before Israeli troops withdrew from at
8am, witnesses say, identifying those detained as Shadi, Muhannad and
Maher Shalabi. [end]
PSF:
Movement against settlements must begin
1/17/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - The Popular Struggle Front denounced the recent use of Israeli
bulldozers to create an entrance to a settlement in the West Bank city
of Nablus. "Israeli forces and settlers' actions near Shave Shomron
including bulldozing and expanding settlement roads thwarts all efforts
undertaken by Arabs, the international community and the EU to revive
the peace process," said Munadel Hanani, PSF central committee media
officer. "The latest acts in Tene [Hebron], Yaqir [Salfit], and most
recently in Shave Shomron constitute a clear challenge to the
international community and the Quartet in particular. "Hanani further
called for a popular movement to confront settlement expansion. "The
popular movement should not be delayed any longer. All factions,
organizations and activists should begin this movement immediately. "
Report:
Shin Bet told Abbas to defer Goldstone vote
1/17/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - President Mahmoud Abbas postponed the the
vote on the Goldstone report after a meeting with head of the Shin Bet
security services, Yuval Diskin, according to Israeli media reports on
Sunday. Diskin had reportedly told Abbas to defer the vote on the
findings of last year's devastating war on Gaza or "Israel would turn
the West Bank into a 'second Gaza'," the Israeli daily Haaretz said.
Among the threats included rescinding freedom of movement in the West
Bank and the withdrawal of permission to operate the Wataniya mobile
company by the Palestinian Authority, the daily said. According to a PA
official, Diskin, with a foreign diplomatic delegation, visited the
presidential compound in Ramallah in October to make similar threats,
the daily reported. A Palestinian commission broadcast on Al-Watan TV
revealed a convoluted timeline in the order of events. . .
Fatah:
Abbas won’t attend Kuwait talks until Hamas signs document
1/17/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Members of Fatah's Central Committee told
Ma'an on Sunday that President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet with
senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al until Hamas signs the Egyptian
reconciliation document. Their statements follow news that the Kuwaiti
Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad As-Sabah said that a reconciliation
meeting will be held within the next ten days between Abbas and
Mash'al, Kuwaiti media reported on Sunday. "A meeting will join Abbas
and Mash'al, aimed at accomplishing the reconciliation proposal backed
by Egypt. Hamas rules itself and all discussions concerning
affiliations to other sides are false," Sheikh As-Sabah told the
Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabs. Efforts to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry have been
stonewalled, as Hamas demands that its amendments be taken into
consideration. Meanwhile, Fatah officials say that the reconciliation
document is finalized and have accused Hamas of attempting to stay
general elections by delaying the ratification of the agreement.
Barghouti:
Israel using negotiations as cover for expansionism
1/17/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative
Mustafa Barghouti said on Sunday that returning to negotiations with
Israel is not possible until a complete settlement standstill,
including in occupied East Jerusalem, is enforced, as well as
population growth, during a reception for the European Council. A
timeline for negotiations, Barghouti added, must be identified in order
to resume talks. "The Israeli government is trying to deceive the world
with talks of its settlement freeze [in the West Bank] while
construction is plainly increasing in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
"Barghouti called on the EU to end Israeli practices in Jerusalem aimed
at Judaizing the city, which he considered as an attempt to liquefy the
Palestinian cause. Settlements and peace, he said, cannot coincide.
"Israel is working to return to the negotiating table, which it is
using as a cover for expansionism," Barghouti added.
Hamas:
PA forces detained 12 members across the West Bank
1/17/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas reported on Sunday that Palestinian Authority
security services detained 12 of the Islamist movement's affiliates
across the West Bank on Saturday, including a leader of the Al-Qassam
Brigades, a statement issued by the movement said. Al-Qassam Brigades
leader Ayoub Al-Qawasmi was apprehended in Hebron after being pursued
by PA security forces, the statement said. The remaining members were
detained in Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin and Bethlehem governorates.
[end]
Muhammad
Dahlan’s mother passes away in Gaza
1/17/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The mother of Fatah leader and Palestine Legislative Council
deputy Muhammad Dahlan has passed away in the Al-Amal neighborhood of
Khan Younis in Gaza on Sunday. Siriya Dahlan, 80, was diagnosed with
renal failure six months prior. Dahlan saw his mother five months ago
whilst she was undergoing medical treatment in the West Bank. Relatives
of Dahlan expressed that he has lost his biggest supporter and that
today would prove particularly painful as he would not be able to
attend his mother's funeral in Gaza. [end]
Hamas
offers condolences for Dahlan’s loss
1/17/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Salah Al-Bardawil, a senior Hamas leader, extended the Islamic
movement's condolences for the loss of Fatah strongman Muhammad
Dahlan's mother on Sunday. Al-Bardawil said Hamas backed the de facto
government's decision to allow Dahlan into the Strip, although Dahlan
apparently declined. Earlier, the de facto government said it would
view favorably any humanitarian request to visit Gaza. Ehab Al-Ghusein,
spokesman for the de facto Ministry of the Interior, said "the
Palestinian government takes into consideration the humanitarian
aspects of such situations. "He added, "Any person who asks to visit
Gaza for humanitarian reasons, we'd consider his request positively. "
Al-Ghusein also said contacts were underway to allow Dahlan to enter,
restricted to Khan Younis, his hometown, and for a limited time.
PICTI
opens branch in Gaza
1/17/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Information and Communication
Technology Incubator (PICTI), an organization that assists technology
entrepreneurs to commercialize their ideas, announced on Saturday that
it will be opening a branch in Gaza. The new Gaza branch has begun to
hire staff able to offer services to clients in the IT and
communications sector to support the Palestinian economy by creating
job opportunities of IT graduates in Gaza, as well as those interested
in establishing a company in the field, its representatives said. Hasan
Omer, head of PICTI said that "since its establishment in 2004 the
Incubator has placed Gaza at the top of its priorities, carrying out
its activities within the available possibilities and general
circumstances. " He added that "having PICTI in Gaza was a necessity
and an urgent priority in order to facilitate communication and for
Palestinians. . . "Related: PICTI
Palestinian
laborer killed in work accident
1/17/2010 - Hebron -
Ma'an - A Palestinian worker from the district of Hebron died after
being crushed by a block of cement that fell on him while he was
working near the Israeli city of Ashdod, initial reports indicated.
Other details were not immediately clear, although reports said the
unidentified worker was employed by Bani Darum kibbutz, near the
southern Israeli city of Ashdod. Israeli medics were dispatched to the
scene but were unable to revive the man. Israeli police and Labor
Ministry officials were also on the scene to investigate. [end]
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Five IDF soldiers have died in the last four months during routine training while on duty.
Shin Bet: 2009 was first year in decade without suicide attacks
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Israel registered 15 casualties in 2009 - 9 of them during the Gaza operation - as opposed to 36 in 2008.
Hamas lets Fatah strongman into Gaza, after two years in exile
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Death of Mohammed Dahlan's mother sparks new row between rival Palestinian movements.
IDF nabs Palestinian cell allegedly planning terror attack
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - IDF, Shin Bet arrest 2 separate groups of Palestinians in possession of explosive devices.
Jordan: Israel not part of probe into attack on its convoy
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Jordanian minister: Attack on Israeli diplomatic convoy was primarily an attack on Jordan.
ANALYSIS / Jordan bombing: Good intelligence, poor execution
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Attackers had knowledge of embassy's routine activities; Al-Qaida and Hezbollah are prime suspects.
Report: Jordan arrests suspect in attack on Israeli convoy
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Convoy transporting 3 Israeli diplomats targeted by remotely detonated roadside bomb; no casualties.
Three hurt in blast in Hezbollah south Lebanon stronghold
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Lebanon officials: Bomb exploded at entrance of building, wounded three students waiting for school bus.
Hamas to Gaza militias: Stop firing rockets at Israel
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Ismail Haniyeh says adhering to cease-fire with Israel protects Gazans from IDF attacks.
Barak tells Hezbollah: War with Israel not worth your while
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Defense minister makes remarks to soldiers during a tour of the northern border on Tuesday.
Hezbollah denies drug trafficking to fund Israel attacks
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Lebanon-based group deems Der Spiegel report 'false fabrication' and 'tool manipulated by Zionists.'
Report: 8 IDF troops fell asleep while patrolling Lebanon border
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Battalion troops, which included two commanding officers, had in the past complained of sleep deprivation.
Hamas: Gaza bombmaker killed in work-related blast
Ha'aretz 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 Jan 2010 - Balad's Said Naffaa says meetings in Syria arguing fall under his duties as a member of Knesset.
Bank of Israel forecasts 3.5% growth rate for 2010
Ha'aretz 17 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 17 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 17 Jan 2010 - Netanyahu approves plan to prevent migrant workers from infiltrating and 'ensure Jewish character' of Israel.
Jewish
settlers beat up Palestinian child
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - Tens of fanatic Jewish settlers on Saturday night assaulted a
Palestinian child in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem
under the very eyes of the Israeli occupation police who did nothing to
stop the assault. Eyewitnesses told the PIC that the settlers severely
beat up Amna Al-Nashashibi, 16, during their provocative march, adding
that they pulled...
Disgusting
War Criminals Peddle “Humanitarian” Aid for Haiti
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - On Sunday, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush mounted the corporate
media propaganda platform and complained about the politicization of
the Haitian relief effort. Clinton said the devastating earthquake
offers a chance to put aside politics and help people in despair. "I’d
say now is not the time to focus on politics," said Bush in an...
ISRAELI
OCCUPATION ON FILM….. JANUARY 2010 ….. WHAT THE ZIONISTS DON’T WANT YOU
TO SEE
Uruknet
The
Origin of The Palestine-Israel Conflict
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - As the periodic bloodshed continues in the Middle East, the
search for an equitable solution must come to grips with the root cause
of the conflict. The conventional wisdom is that, even if both sides
are at fault, the Palestinians are irrational "terrorists" who have no
point of view worth listening to. Our position, however, is...
Israeli
Navy Kidnaps Six Palestinian Fishermen In Southern Gaza
Uruknet January 17,
2010- The Israeli Navy kidnapped on Sunday at dawn six Palestinian
fishermen in Palestinian territorial waters in the Rafah area, in the
southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Navy also opened fire at the
fishermen and boarded two boats. Local sources reported that the Navy
opened fire at the Palestinian fishing boats before the army boarded
them...
Ministry
of prisoners: IOA trying to recruit Gazan fishermen as agents
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - The ministry of prisoners in the Gaza Strip on Sunday charged
that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) was repeatedly trying to
recruit agents in lines of the needy Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Riyadh Al-Ashqar, the ministry's spokesman, said in a press release
that the Israeli navy boats on Saturday night abducted six Palestinian
fishermen along...
Two
Palestinians beaten by Israeli forces near settlement
Uruknet January 17,
2010 – Israeli forces attacked two Palestinians near the Betar Elite
settlement near Husan village west of Bethlehem on Sunday morning. Both
were hospitalized for serious injuries. Security sources said that
Israeli soldiers stopped and beat Muhammad Halahleh, 35, and Mahmoud
Ramadan, 15, both from Kharas in the Hebron governorate...
Haiti:
U.S. Puppets, Intrigues and Dreams of Sweatshops
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - We need to talk about Aristide — the Haitian political leader
associated with the poor and with radical change. U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton said that the tragedy of this earthquake was that
Haiti had been doing so well. What she referred to was an imperialist
campaign (spearheaded by her husband Bill Clinton) to consolidate...
Experts:
Egypt's wall will destroy Gaza's aquifer
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - Experts in Gaza determined on Sunday that Egypt's underground
steel wall will lead to the destruction of Gaza's aquifer, during a
symposium entitled The Metal Wall between Egypt and Gaza: Impacts,
Environmental and Human Consequences, held in Gaza. Experts and
specialists called on universities and research centres to partake in
studies of the impact of Egypt's...
Diskin
to Abbas: Defer UN vote on Goldstone or face 'second Gaza'
Uruknet January 17,
2010 - The request by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the United
Nations Human Rights Council last year to postpone the vote on the
Goldstone report followed a particularly tense meeting with the head of
the Shin Bet security service, Haaretz has learned. At the October
meeting in Ramallah, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told Abbas that if...
The
Perpetual Process for Impossible Peace
Uruknet January 16,
2010 - ...But if Washington thinks that they can placate public opinion
in the Arab and Muslim world by being semi-engaged in a never ending
on-again off-again process, while providing the weapons to Israel that
ultimately kill Palestinian civilians, they are tragically mistaken.
Very few people have faith left in this process and many never did. The
Arab...
Fears
of unrest over price rises in Iran
Uruknet January 16,
2010 - Critics of the government’s recently approved subsidy reform
plan warn that it will probably cause Iran’s high inflation rate to
skyrocket and may lead to social unrest at a time when the country is
in the midst of a political crisis. "The rate of inflation may increase
by as much as 60 per cent. In such...
Palestine, January 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 14 Palestinians off the coast of Gaza Strip and West Bank, Palestinian witnesses and security sources said today. At dawn on Sunday, the Israeli navy stopped a Palestinian fishing boat in the waters of Rafah city, in southern Gaza Strip, and ordered the four fishermen to swim towards the gunboat,...
Gaza: 4 injured in blaze in tunnel
Gaza, January 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Four Palestinian work in smuggling tunnel were injured on Saturday in a fire in one of the tunnelunder the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt, medics and witnesses said. Witnesses said the fire broke out in tunnel used to smuggle fuel after a fuel leak. Rescue teams, firefighters and ambulances arrived at the...
British MP calls Gaza blockade “evil”
Gaza, January 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A lawmaker from Britain's Labour Party is visiting the Gaza Strip and says the blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt is "evil." Gerald Kaufman also spoke in support of attempts by pro-Palestinian groups in Britain to have arrest warrants issued against Israeli politicians involved in Israel's war on Gaza last year. The...
Abbas will decline US pressure for talks
Ramallah, January 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will reject renewed US pressure to resume peace talks unless Israel first fully halts settlement building in the occupied West Bank. Abbas was due to meet Jim Jones, US President Barack Obama's national security adviser, later on Thursday in Ramallah. Jones was also meeting Israeli Prime Minister...
UNRWA opens up healthcare for Palestinians refugees in Lebanon
Lebanon, January 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -An agreement signed on Wednesday between the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) will strengthen healthcare for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and add to the number of facilities where they can receive treatment, the organizations said. Salvatore Lombardo, the director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, said "...
The National 17 Jan 2010 - Authorities in Tehran are in a quandary over how to negate the growing force of women protesters.
Muslim Brotherhood has new leader
The National 17 Jan 2010 - Mohammed Badie faces struggle to unite Egypt's largest opposition organisation, while advocating gradual reform of country'.
Hollow ring to Hamas celebration of triumph'
The National 16 Jan 2010 - Comment Commemorations of Israel's invasion of Gaza seem misplaced, given that the war was neither completely imposed nor entirely unwelcome for Hamas.
AlJazeera 17 Jan 2010 - Israeli defence minister visits Ankara days after diplomatic feud between two nations.
Egypt's Brotherhood gets new leader
AlJazeera 16 Jan 2010 - Choice of supreme guide seen as victory for conservatives in largest opposition group.
No deal reached on Iran sanctions
AlJazeera 17 Jan 2010 - Diplomats from six key powers fail to agree on new sanctions against Iran.
Alternative Information Center
Second Palestinian Activist—Mohammed Othman—Freed by IsraelAlternative Information Center 15 Jan 2010 - Amnesty International has welcomed the release from detention of Palestinian human rights activist Mohammed Othman — but is concerned that the Israeli authorities have imposed conditions which will prevent him exercising his human rights. Mohammed Othman...
PNN 16 Jan 2010 - In the small dusty money-changing shop where he works in the Jabalia refugee camp, 28-year-old Mohammed Abu Qamar draws on a cigarette, limps toward me and rolls up his trouser leg. Pink scars surround his ankle. He leans forward and places my hand on the back of his head. I feel an unnatural rough lump beneath his hair. Mr Abu Qamar was...
Israel restricts Palestinian lawyers' access to West Bank detainees
PNN 16 Jan 2010 - Israel is prohibiting Palestinian lawyers and the relatives of Palestinian detainees from reaching a military tribunal via the Beitunia checkpoint west of Ramallah. The prohibition, which has been in effect for the past three days, means that Israeli police are requiring Palestinians to use the Qalandiyah crossing 20 kilometers away, where they must produce an entry permit to Israel - which can...
West Bank land sales by Church spur uproar
PNN 16 Jan 2010 - The Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem is once again being rocked by controversy over alleged land sales to Israeli investors in the West Bank. So incensed is the local Palestinian orthodox community that Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, had to be accompanied by security guards in full riot gear when he arrived in Bethlehem last week to celebrate Christmas. Many in...
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Amnesty slams Israel as Defense Ministry cites 28% rise in humanitarian goods entering Strip in 2009.
121-member IDF medical and rescue team saves Haitian government worker
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - More than 100 survivors have been treated.
Analysis: Barak welcomed in Ankara as an Israeli the Turks can work with
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Defense minister's 12-hour visit characterized by pleasantries and long conversations, in clear attempt by both countries to broadcast that the past is behind them.
Haiti: Woman gives birth in IDF emergency field hospital
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Mother names boy 'Israel'; Israeli search teams to stop looking for survivors in 24 hours, Jpost's E.B. Solomont reports from Port-au-Prince.
FM: Gestures towards PA are over
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - After "good" meeting with Norwegian counterpart, Lieberman calls for gestures by the Palestinians.
Israel drops in press-freedom ranking
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Israel (93) loses top spot among ME countries to fall behind Kuwait (60), Lebanon (61) and the United Arab Emirates (86).
Court releases 17 Sheikh Jarrah protesters without charges
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Executive-director of The Association for Civil Rights (ACRI) in Israel calls police behavior at protests "a moral outrage."
Four Tel Aviv policemen indicted in abuse case
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Suspects allegedly dumped cigarette butts on young Palestinian's head, shoved rifle into his buttocks.
10 IDF soldiers convicted of mutiny
Jeruslalem Post 17 Jan 2010 - Israel Radio: Nahal troops sentenced to military prison terms of 20 to 45 days for refusing orders.
IPS JERUSALEM, Jan 13 (IPS) - One year after the devastating attack on Hamas in Gaza a new wave of reports castigating Israel for war crimes has emerged.
MIDEAST: Israel Cannot be Sultan
IPS JERUSALEM, Jan 14 (IPS) - A bizarre diplomatic incident - even by the Byzantine-like standards of the old near East - has threatened already strained relations between Israel and Turkey.
MIDEAST: Will You Marry Poor Me
IPS GAZA CITY, Jan 14 (IPS) - "If we had money we'd get married right away," says Samir*, 23. He has found his bride, but not the money to hold the wedding.
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.
PCHR
International Solidarity Movement
Palestinian film forum breaking the cultural siege on Gaza1/17/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bianca Zammit & Rada Daniell, ISM Gaza - The Palestinian Film Forum (the Forum) was established in 2004 as a branch of the Pal estinian Artists Union covering both Gaza and the West Bank. In the last couple of months it has intensified its activities aiming to achieve an ambitious list of tasks and ensure development of Palestinian cinematography and its networking with the other world cinematographies. The Forum recently organised the first film festival in Gaza in many years. The International Al Quds Film Festival took place between 21 and 23 December ‘09 and film makers from 11 Arab countries showed 52 documentary and feature films, two of which were made in cooperation with Spanish and Dutch filming associations. All films focused on Al Quds or Palestine and explored issues of life under siege and occupation and five of them were awarded Gold Olive prices.
Netanyahu heads to Berlin for long-awaited joint cabinet session
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Netanyahu to meet with Chancellor Merkel, tour Holocaust memorial and visit the Jewish musuem in Berlin.,
UN warns 250,000 Palestinians 'vulnerable' to settler violence
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - New report: Settlers may employ a "price tag policy" in response to terror attacks or settlement evacuation.,
Israel's aid to Haiti won't save Gaza
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Even the images of Israel's doctors working tirelessly in Haiti cannot blur our ugly face in Gaza.,
Israeli field hospital reflects Haiti's despair
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Staff work day and night to save lives at the hospital, which has treated 87 children and delivered a baby boy.,
Israeli team to halt Haiti search efforts Monday
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Baby born in Israel's Haiti field hospital; aid trickling through; death toll estimated at 50,000.
Palestinian activists urge Hamas to probe own Gaza war crimes
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Groups call on Hamas, PA to probe Goldstone report claims; Ex-Supreme Court judge urges Israeli inquiry.,
Turkey: Israel is strategic ally with shared interests
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Israel-Turkey ties strained following Deputy FM's snub of Turkey's ambassador to Israel.
At Rome synagogue, Pope defends Nazi-era Vatican
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Israel asks pontiff to open Vatican archives in light of Jewish anger over moves to canonize Pius XII.,
Berlin activists denounce fashion show near anti-Nazi memorial
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Bebel Platz, with the State Opera, university and a cathedral fronting on it, is often rented out for festivals.,
Abbas to U.S.: Peace talks won't work until Israel given red lines
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Lieberman: Palestinians must stop 'inciting against' Israel before asking for goodwill favors.,
Ex-Iraqi FM Tariq Aziz suffers from a stroke
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Aziz' son says his 73-year-old father was rushed to hospital in Balad, about 40 miles north Baghdad.,
U.S. official: Arming of Hezbollah could spark Israel-Syria war
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Official to Kuwaiti paper: Hezbollah operatives training in Syria on batteries of SA2 anti-aircraft missiles.,
Iran says its "nuclear rights" must be recognised
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Comments came after six powers met to discuss prospects of further sanctions against Iran.,
Minister becomes first Israeli official to ever visit Abu Dhabi
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - UAE official: Israel's attendance at renewable energy event has no implications for bilateral links.,
Kuwaiti FM: Israel's prime minister is 'stupid and insane'
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Palestinian peace with Israel still unlikely but Hamas and Fatah 'close to reconciliation.',
Israel braces for one of winter's stormiest days
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Monday is expected to be one of the stormiest and rainiest of the winter, with large quantities of rain expected even in the Arava Desert and in Eilat. According to the meteorological services company Meteo-Tech, the rain, which was forecast to begin overnight, could amount to between 50 and 100 millimeters. The rain will let up Tuesday but will resume on Wednesday. ...
At least 10 dead, 30 hurt in single day on Israel's roads
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - A spate of separate road accidents throughout Israel on Saturday night and Sunday morning left at least 10 people dead and 30 injured. ...
Netanyahu aides blast maid for spreading 'lies' about PM's wife
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Aides to Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed as "lies and slander" on Sunday an employment lawsuit filed by a former maid against the Israeli prime minister's wife. ...
Policemen charged with abusing Palestinian detainee
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Four Israel Police officers were indicted on Sunday for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee, arrested on suspicion of having stolen a motorcycle. ...
Israeli delegation to Haiti rescues top local official
Ha'aretz 17 Jan 2010 - Ban Ki-moon confirms UN mission chief in Haiti died in the quake; Death toll could top 100,000.
Relief Web 17 Jan 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Quarterly Regional Humanitarian Funding Update, Oct - Dec 2009
Relief Web 17 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OPT: Refugee Stories: Damascus Circus School Kicks Off
Relief Web 17 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Letter to President Mahmoud Abbas: Calling for immediate commencement of internal investigations in compliance with UN GA Resolution A/RES/64/10
Relief Web 17 Jan 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
OPT - Cast Lead Aggression 1st Anniversary, Day 20: Fleeing Tel Al-Hawa
Relief Web 17 Jan 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
OPT - Cast Lead Aggression 1st Anniversary, Day 21: Left to Bleed to Death, the Shurrab Family, Khan Younis
Relief Web 17 Jan 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
YNet News 17 Jan 2010 - Lone baby and young girl with broken leg among many injured being treated at IDF hospital. Staff: So many orphans arrive here but where will they go afterwards? Adults also find themselves homeless. Yedioth Ahronoth reports from Port-au-Prince
Lebanese protest Egypt's Gaza barrier
YNet News 17 Jan 2010 - Some 200 people in Beirut to protest against construction of underground wall along Egypt-Gaza border; burn US, Israeli flags
Death of Palestinian ex-security chief's mother sparks tiff
YNet News 17 Jan 2010 - Dahlan misses his 80-year-old mother's funeral despite being authorized by Hamas to enter Gaza
IDF soldier struck by hammer, seriously wounded
YNet News 17 Jan 2010 - Five-kilo hammer falls on Armored Corps soldier during routine activity near Gaza; soldier airlifted to Beersheba hospital
Israel, Turkey ministers overcome diplomatic row
YNet News 17 Jan 2010 - Defense minister, Turkish counterpart Gonul tell reporters in Ankara they are working to boost relations, advance joint security projects. Barak: We apologized for humiliation of Turkish envoy
Lieberman: Humiliation of Turkish envoy a mistake
YNet News 17 Jan 2010 - FM addresses Jerusalem-Ankara row for first time; says, 'I hope we can bring things back to the way they were,' but claims protest against anti-Israel comments and TV shows was justified. On Palestinian issue: Israel's gesture arsenal drained
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Turkey and Israel pledged Sunday to maintain military cooperation as the Israeli defense minister visited Ankara after a serious diplomatic row, eager to mend fences with a key Muslim ally. Ehud Barak's one-day trip was the highest-level bilateral visit since Israel's ar on the Gaza Strip last year prompted an unprecedented barrage of criticism from the Islamist-rooted.
Yemen's security chief warns against harboring Al-Qaeda
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Yemen's chief of central security warned the country's tribes on Sunday that if they harbor suspected members of Al-Qaeda they could face dire consequences, days after an air-strike killed six top Al-Qaeda leaders. General Yahya Saleh, nephew of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, said "we broadly tell citizens in the concerned regions that they should not accept the presence of Al-Qaeda elements among them.
Israeli minister visits Abu Dhabi for first time
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Israel for the first time sent a Cabinet minister to the United Arab Emirates, a country with which it doesn't have relations, to attend a conference on alternative energy. National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau told the Associated Press on Sunday he did not meet with any Emirati officials while attending a conference of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), based in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
Abbas urges 'endgame' or settlement halt
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Washington on Sunday to declare an "endgame" to resolve the decades-old Middle East conflict if Israel does not agree to halt settlement growth. Abbas said in a statement carried by the official Wafa wire service that Arab states and the Palestinians would present a unified position to the United States offering two options.
Israel 'collectively punishing' people of Gaza: Amnesty
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of "collectively punishing" the population of the Gaza Strip with border closures tightened after the Islamist Hamas movement's bloody 2007 takeover. The British-based rights group said the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants - which the Israeli military says has dropped by about 90 percent since its war on Gaza last year - did not justify the sanctions.
Iran suspends Saudi pilgrimages over religious police
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Iran has suspended pilgrimages to the Muslim holy places until Saudi religious police end their "appalling behavior" toward Iranian Shiite pilgrims, an official said Sunday. "The reason for the suspension is because the way the agents of the Saudi Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have been dealing with our pilgrims," the head of public relations of the Iranian hajj.
Kuwait 'needs security,' not money from Iraq
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Kuwait is not asking its former occupier Iraq to repay a multi-billion-dollar debt but only for assurances on security and good neighborly ties, the Kuwaiti foreign minister has said. "What we need from Iraq is security and assurances. We don't want money which is the last thing on our mind," Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah told Al-Qabas newspaper in an interview due to appear on Sunday.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood chooses new leader
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Egypt's largest opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, announced Saturday it has chosen a new leader, a conservative academic who looks unlikely to challenge the government's relentless crackdown on the group. The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood managed to make a strong showing in 2005's parliamentary election with candidates who ran as independents.
Tehran insists its 'nuclear rights' must be recognized
Daily Star 17 Jan 2010 Major powers will only achieve results in their meetings on Iran if they adopt a "realistic approach" and recognize its nuclear rights, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday. Ramin Mehmanparast made the comment a day after the six powers met to discuss prospects of further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
Palestinian Information Center
Experts warn of negative impacts of Egypt’s steel wall on life in GazaPIC 17 Jan 2010 - Environmentalists and economists warned of the negative environmental and economic impacts of building the steel wall, affirming that the wall would destroy Gaza aquifer.
Resheq: We are concerned with retaining good relations with Egypt
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - Ezzet Al-Resheq, member of Hamas's political bureau, has said that his Movement is keen on maintaining good relations with Egypt regardless of passing crises.
Palestinian government invites Arab MPs to visit war-torn Gaza
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - The government committee to break the siege invited Arab lawmakers to visit Gaza to break the political isolation of the government and report about the humanitarian suffering of Gaza people.
Ministry of prisoners: IOA trying to recruit fishermen as agents
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - The ministry of prisoners in Gaza Strip on Sunday charged that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) was repeatedly trying to recruit agents in lines of the needy Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas supports gov't decision allowing entry of Dahlan into Gaza
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - Hamas Movement announced that it supports the Palestinian government's decision to allow the entry of Fatah MP Mohammed Dahlan into Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons.
Abu Tir: Sheikh Salah last defense line of the Aqsa
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - Hamas lawmaker in Israeli jails Mohamed Abu Tir deplored the imprisonment sentence issued against Sheikh Ra’ed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands.
Haaretz: Abbas’s meeting with Diskin led to the deferral of Goldstone report
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - The Haaretz newspaper revealed that Mahmoud Abbas took his decision to defer the UN vote on Goldstone report after his meeting with Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin in his headquarters in Ramallah.
Jewish settlers' attempt to storm village foiled, IOF detain 8 Palestinians
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - Palestinian citizens of the Iraq Burin village, Nablus district, on Saturday night repelled a group of Jewish setters who came from the nearby Yitzhar settlement to attack the village.
IOF detain six Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza beach
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - The agriculture ministry warned of the Israeli piracy in the Palestinian territorial waters after six fishermen were detained by the IOF gunboats off the Rafah coast on Saturday night.
Abbas’s militias kidnap senior Qassam leader in Al-Khalil
PIC 17 Jan 2010 - The Hebrew radio reported that Ayoub Al-Qawasma, one of Israel’s most wanted resistance leaders of Al-Qassam Brigades was kidnapped at an early hour Sunday by Abbas’s militias in Al-Khalil.
LA Times 17 Jan 2010 - A Spanish lawmaker was horrified to learn that the FBI had used an online photograph of him to create an image showing what Osama bin Laden might look like today.
New York Times 17 Jan 2010 - Ehud Barak traveled to Turkey on Sunday to try to smooth over recent tensions that have further frayed the traditionally strong ties between the two countries.
Lonely Trek to Radicalism for Terror Suspect
New York Times 17 Jan 2010 - Behind Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s journey from gifted student to terrorism suspect was a struggle between an investment in this life and a longing for the next.
6 Major Powers Move Closer to Considering More Iran Sanctions
New York Times 17 Jan 2010 - China, however, kept to its position that it opposed new sanctions from the United Nations Security Council over Iran’s nuclear program.
The Iranian Exile’s Eye
New York Times 16 Jan 2010 - A reporter, driven out of Iran, returns via the Internet and finds herself freer to write about the meaning of events back in her homeland.
Iran Warns Protesters Era of ‘Mercy’ Is Over
New York Times 16 Jan 2010 - Iran’s national police chief warned that authorities would crack down more harshly not only on street protests but on anyone who used cellphone and e-mail messages to publicize them.
Envoys to Meet on Possible Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program
New York Times 16 Jan 2010 - The five permanent Security Council members, plus Germany, will try to reach agreement on new restrictions aimed at swaying Tehran.
Palestine Monitor - 16 Jan 2010 - “I was detained in a tiny, narrow guardhouse, sleeping on a mattress less than 15 cm thick. 24 hours a day a yellow light was on. It was impossible to fall asleep because every hour I was awakened by noises, someone knocking on the door or...
For Israel, a reckoning
Palestine Monitor - 16 Jan 2010 - The farce of the climate summit in Copenhagen affirmed a world war waged by the rich against most of humanity. It also illuminated a resistance growing perhaps as never before: an internationalism linking justice for the planet with universal human rights, and criminal justice for those...
200 of us demonstrated outside the courthouse all night long, shouting to be heard by the 17 in the lockup
Mondoweiss - 17 Jan 2010 - My report from two demonstrations on Friday and their aftermath: 1. Al Masara. The military raided the Palestinian village on Thursday night (around 2 a.m.), entering homes with force and threatening people to stop the demonstrations "or things will get much worse… a child will be...
Detained American journalist Jared Malsin goes to court today to fight deportation from Israel
Mondoweiss - 17 Jan 2010 - Jared Malsin Four days ago we posted on the the case of Jared Malsin , the chief English editor at the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency. Malsin was detained at the Ben Gurion Airport for the past four days and is in danger of deported from Israel/Palestine today....
Obama capitulates to the Israeli side
Mondoweiss - 17 Jan 2010 - Haaretz : His [Mitchell's] main message will be the need to apply pressure, especially from the Arab states, on the Palestinian Authority to resume negotiations with Israel. At last week’s meeting of the Quartet, Mitchell told the delegates there was no prospect of Israel agreeing to a...
Why was I silent about my politics in the Holocaust survivor’s house?
Mondoweiss - 17 Jan 2010 - A week ago I went to three weekly demonstrations in Israel/Palestine, winding up in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Much of the day was spent discussing anti-Zionism with Israeli Jews. I found two camps among the Israeli Jews who were demonstrating. One camp was those who...
A slice of life in Tel Rumaida
Mondoweiss - 16 Jan 2010 - Tel Rumaida checkpoint (Photo: Reham Alhelsi) This is the checkpoint at the entrance to the Tel Rumaida neighborhood in the old city of Hebron. This section of Hebron used to be the center of Palestinian life in the city. It is now effectively ethnically cleansed. This...
Articles
Rebuffing the optimists
Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah, Al-Ahram Weekly 1/14/2010
Any notion that Israel might be ready for peace has been shattered by its far-right premier.
Discounting recent suggestions that he might have moderated his extremist views vis-à-vis major contentious issues with the Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has reasserted the rejectionist orientation of his government, saying that Israel would neither withdraw from East Jerusalem, return to the 1967 borders, nor allow Palestinian refugees to be repatriated to their homes in what is now Israel.
Netanyahu issued the statement in response to criticisms from his far-right colleagues who charged that he had crossed the government’s political redlines during his recent visit to Cairo. According to some reports, the Israeli premier told his Egyptian interlocutors that he would be willing to discuss "all outstanding issues in a spirit of good will".
Netanyahu privately explained that his words in Cairo were misconstrued and misunderstood by the Egyptians and that he was only willing to merely "discuss", not "concede on" issues. "Discussion doesn’t mean concession," he reportedly told his critics.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit last week aroused some hope when he suggested that Netanyahu was retreating from his erstwhile position and that he was willing to discuss making East Jerusalem the capital of a prospective Palestinian state.
The Egyptian official’s remarks, coupled with renewed diplomatic activities in Washington and several Arab capitals, gave a certain impression that the stagnant waters of the stalled peace process were being stirred up. However, stirring the peace process is one thing, getting tangible results another. more.. e-mail
Behind The Der Spiegel Tirades
Ali, Political Theatrics 1/17/2010
"...it seems obvious that [the] effort to communicate fully, will continue to be blocked [...] so long as the possessors of power continue to carry on with impunity their policy of collective imbecilization through … the mass media” - Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America
At the beginning of the new year, German weekly magazine Der Spiegel ran a controversial report claiming that the Lebanese movement Hezbollah was involved in drug trafficking to finance its “terrorist operations against Israel”. The article proceeded to allege that individuals involved in the cartel had contacts with the central nexus of the resistance movement including its Secretary-General. Needless to state, no factual evidence was cited in support of the claims as in the case of a growing list of previous smear-campaigns.
In his widely acclaimed book, ‘Resistance is the Essence of the Islamist Revolution’, director of Conflicts Forum, Alastair Crooke, argues that the West not only suffers from a “blind spot” when it comes to comprehending ‘political Islam’, but that it regularly employs an historically potent association of Islam with violence to drive in a perception of “reason capsized into madness” when depicting present-day resistance groups. As such, these groups come to symbolise everything that an idealised West isn’t; a big-toothed bogeyman of sorts. The recent allegations made by Der Spiegel touch on these historical stereotypes, and in tune with age-old precedent, they aim to influence policy patterns in one form or another.
Before examining potential policy implications, a brief survey of Der Spiegel’s coverage of Hezbollah over recent years is instructive:
“Again and again [Nasrallah] seeks to provoke: No mention is made without any incitement against Jews.” (18.08.2006); “Hezbollah’s high-tech weapons endanger Germany Navy” (15.09.2006); “Hezbollah is not Suppenküche! It is a war party that wants to destroy Israel!” (23.03.2007); “Israel must adjust to a new wave of terrorist attacks against “Jewish targets” overseas … Hezbollah [has] activated its “sleeper” cells.” (21.07.2008), et al. more.. e-mail
Lebanon’s rivals make up
Omayma Abdel-Latif in Beirut, Al-Ahram Weekly 1/14/2010
Political archrivals are reaching out towards national reconciliation in Lebanon.
One of the greatest challenges facing the Lebanese government is how to bridge the deepening communal rifts that have resulted from years of sectarian mobilisation. A series of national reconciliation gatherings, spearheaded by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt this week, brought together yesterday’s archenemies and left many Lebanese with a sense of guarded optimism.
Many hoped this would mark the end of the sectarian-inspired tension and political polarisation that defined the Lebanese political scene during the past five years following the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri in 2005.
A series of events, however, paved the way for this dramatic leap from near civil war to much-celebrated scenes of national reconciliation amongst different political forces, including the signing of the Doha Agreement in May 2008. The agreement that ended nearly 18 months of political conflict outlined new rules for the political game in Lebanon based on the national unity government formula whereby the opposition enjoys veto power. Without such a formula the new Lebanese government could not have seen the light of day.
But most importantly it was Jumblatt’s abandoning of March 14 in August of last year and the landmark visit by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri to Damascus on 19 December that opened the way to national reconciliation. Hariri, from day one, constantly accused Syria of killing his father. Shortly before he embarked on his Damascus visit, Hariri admitted that the charge was "politically inspired". For his part, Jumblatt has been championing efforts towards national reconciliation with various political forces, including archrivals like Weaam Wahaab. Wahaab managed to mobilise a Druze constituency opposed to Jumblatt’s policy choices after 2005. more.. e-mail
“This is life:” remembering earlier massacres in Gaza
In Gaza: 14 Jan 2010 - Ahmad Hammad Electronic Intifada, Live from Palestine It’s a sunny day in the border region east of Beit Hanoun. Aside from a glaring absence of the citrus and olive trees which for decades abounded on this fertile land, finally razed by Israeli military bulldozers, all seems idyllic. “This is the first time I’ve returned here since my friends were killed,” Ahmad Hammad says. He stands at the edge of a vacant plot and gestures to its far end which lies over 1 km from the border separating Israel and the Gaza Strip. “They were over there, I was standing here,” he explains. Hammad, 24, recalls the day two years...
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Jan 2010 - By Jeremy Salt Early in the 20th century the Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky wrote of the 'iron wall' that would have to be built between the settlers and the indigenous people of Palestine, whom he knew would resist the attempt to take their land to the end. What he meant by an 'iron wall' was the force the Zionists would have to use to subdue the Palestinians if they were to take their land. He did not actually mean a wall according to the dictionary definition of such a structure but that is what has now been built across the West Bank to pen the Palestinians up like the wild animals the Israeli historian Benny Morris says they are. Indeed, the Palestinians have been ghettoised by a variety of walls and 'fences'. There is the monstrous 'separation ' wall weaving in and out of the rapidly disappearing 'green line' separating Palestinian land which had been occupied before the 1967 war from that which was occupied during it. The Gazans live in what has been described as the world's largest open air prison. It could also be likened to a game reserve. Every season is open season and no weapon is banned. The Gazans are enclosed by the sea on one side, patrolled by the Israeli navy so that that fishing boats cannot get out and relief boats cannot get in. They face an Israeli fence on two other sides and a concrete barrier on the border with Egypt. This is now...
Gaza: What Are Promises of Humanitarian Aid Worth?
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Jan 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood – London We keep hearing from the British government that they have spent £millions in humanitarian aid for Gaza. But nobody is saying exactly where the money has gone and who benefited. Of course, if they had done what they were supposed to and (with the rest of the international community) made sure the Palestinians were left in peace to run their own affairs with their homeland intact, there would be no need to endlessly raid taxpayers’ pockets for aid. Here’s the text of a letter to foreign secretary David Miliband… “Some two months ago, on 10 November, Lord Brett announced that the British Government had "pledged £30 million at the Sharm el-Sheikh conference, of which £20 million was allocated for reconstruction and £10 million for early recovery. We are already funding a number of early recovery projects, such as cash for work schemes employing people to clear rubble and repair agricultural roads, and expect to spend the full £10 million allocated for this purpose by March 2010. However, due to restrictions on the entry of building materials into Gaza, the UK has not yet been able to spend any of the funding earmarked for reconstruction. We stand ready to provide support as soon as the situation improves, and continue to press the Israeli Government for improved access to Gaza for aid, aid workers and reconstruction materials. "The UK has spent £16.9 million in the West Bank and Gaza so far this financial year, including £5.2 million...
Provoking Turkey is Not a Good Idea
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Jan 2010 - By Uri Avnery – Israel I tried to resist the temptation to tell the same classical Jewish joke a second time, but circumstances delivered a plausible excuse. Almost every Jew knows the sentence “Kill a Turk and rest.” The whole story goes like this: In Czarist Russia, a Jewish boy is called up for the war against the Turks. His tearful mother takes leave of him at the railway station and implores him: “Don’t overexert yourself! Kill a Turk and rest. Kill another Turk and rest again…” “But mother!” the boy interrupts her. “What if the Turk kills me?” “Kills you?!” the mother exclaims in sheer disbelief, “But why? What have you done to him?” Jewish jokes reflect Jewish reality. So this joke became true this week. Unfortunately the joke is on us. It happened like this: Turkish television aired a rather series, in which Mossad operatives kidnap Turkish children and hide them in the Israeli embassy. Valiant Turkish agents free the children and kill the evil ambassador. One can ignore such a story altogether or protest mildly. But our illustrious Foreign Minister thought that this was the right occasion to demonstrate to all and sundry that we are no longer abject ghetto Jews who take everything lying down, but proud, upright Jews of a new breed. So the Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, summoned the Turkish ambassador to the Foreign Office in Jerusalem for a carefully staged exhibition of national pride. When the ambassador arrived, he was surprised to...