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News
International Middle East Media Center
Rajoub:
“US Threatened Fateh of Boycott Should It Reconcile With Hamas”
IMEMC 20 Jan 2010 -
Thursday January 21, 2010 - 06:05, Deputy-head of the Central Committee
of Fateh movement, Jibril Rajoub, stated that the movement and its
presidents, Mahmoud Abbas, were threatened on boycott by the United
States should they achieve reconciliation with the rival Hamas movement.
El
Khodary Welcomes Two Medical Delegates In Gaza
IMEMC 20 Jan 2010 -
Thursday January 21, 2010 - 01:58, Palestinian Legislator, Jamal El
Khodary, welcomed on Wednesday two medical delegates, from France and
Switzerland, who came to Gaza to perform orthopedic, neurological and
plastic surgeries in the Gaza Strip.
Qassam
Fighter Dies In Exile
IMEMC 20 Jan 2010 -
Thursday January 21, 2010 - 00:16, The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed
wing of Hamas, reported that one of its fighters, from the northern
part of the Gaza Strip, died at age 50, in the United Arab Emirates.
The fighter was deported by Israel in 1989.
Israeli
military kidnaps two civilians from central West Bank
IMEMC 20 Jan 2010 -
Wednesday January 20, 2010 - 17:44, Two Palestinian civilians were
kidnapped on Wednesday by Israeli troops during an invasion targeting
the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israel
to Stop Issuing Work Permits for NGOs in the West Bank
IMEMC 20 Jan 2010 -
Wednesday January 20, 2010 - 16:56, Israeli media is reporting that the
Ministry of Interior has made the decision to stop issuing work permits
for internationals working for non- governmental organizations in the
West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel's
Jerusalem municipality hands out demolition orders to Palestinian
families
IMEMC 20 Jan 2010 -
Wednesday January 20, 2010 - 16:29, The Israeli municipality of
Jerusalem handed out demolition orders, on Wednesday, to five
Palestinian families living in Al-Bustan neighborhood.
Qaraqi:
Case of Palestinian prisoners to be taken to the Hague
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian Minister of Prisoners and ex-Detainees'
Affairs Issa Qaraqi announced on Wednesday that a professional
committee has been established to prepare the case of Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails to be taken to the International Criminal
Court at the Hague. The file in question relates to Palestinian
prisoners considered Prisoners of War under the Third Geneva
Convention. Qaraqi made the announcement during a meeting with the UN
Commissioner for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories
Eva Tomitch at the UN headquarters, where he and a delegation from the
Ministry discussed the legal mechanism to employ within the UN's
framework. Recently, a delegation of lawyers visited Cairo and met with
committees in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to construct a
case for the Hague, in cooperation with Arab League, which has endorsed
the move.
Local:
Settlers attack cemetery in West Bank village
1/20/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - Israeli settlers attacked a cemetery on Wednesday in the Orta
Village, southeast of Nablus, and vandalized graves, officials said.
Ghassan Doghlas, official for the settlement file in the West Bank,
said additionally that Israeli settlers broke the gate to the village
school and left graffiti on the walls. Abu Salam Awad, 38, and a
teacher in Orta, told Ma'an that dozens of settlers raided the village
at 10pm on Tuesday, accompanied by Israeli troops, saying they were
visiting a Jewish holy shrine in the village. Awad said that graves had
been vandalized and property was damaged. Doghlas confirmed that the
settlers visited a Jewish site in the Orta village. . . . .
AIDA:
Gaza blockade places Palestinians’ health at risk
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Association of
International Development Agencies (AIDA) on Wednesday highlighted the
impact of the blockade of Gaza on the health of its population and its
health services and called for an immediate opening of Gaza's
crossings. Max Gaylard, the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for the
occupied Palestinian territories said during a news conference in Gaza
City "The continuing closure of the Gaza Strip is undermining the
functioning of the health care system and putting at risk the health of
1. 4 million people in Gaza. ""It is causing on-going deterioration in
the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. It is
hampering the provision of medical supplies and the training of health
staff and it is preventing patients with serious medical conditions
getting timely specialized treatment outside Gaza. "
Israeli
forces raid homes in Hebron
1/20/2010 - Hebron -
Ma'an - Israeli forces raided overnight on Tuesday a number of homes in
the Ras Al-Jora neighborhood of Hebron, according to Palestinian
Authority security sources. Five homes belonging to the Al-Haimuni
family were stormed and thoroughly searched, the sources said. An
Israeli military spokeswoman said that this was part of the Israeli
army's regular security activity in Hebron. Local sources added that
Israeli forces performed an incursion in Yatta , south of Hebron, and
swept the area searching for Israeli license-platted vehicles. A number
of cars with Israeli plates were impounded by the soldiers, the sources
added. [end]
Israeli
forces shut down container road checkpoint in Bethlehem
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hundreds of Palestinians faced delays on Wednesday
morning on the Container Road between Bethlehem and Abu Diss, occupied
East Jerusalem, as Israeli forces carried out extensive searches and
closed the checkpoint. Bethlehem Governor Abdul Fattah Hamayal was
among those affectedby the closure, who commented that such actions are
a means to provoke Palestinians, adding that internal checkpoints have
been subject to prolonged closures recently. Governor Hamayal further
said that such practices are often based on the mood of the solider and
"is not a personal issue, but one experienced by all the Palestinian
people. " He called on the international community to work at bring an
end to such "repressive" Israeli practices at checkpoints, and that the
lives of Palestinians should be affected by the mood of an Israeli
soldier.
Woman
detainee marks 10 years in Israeli prison
1/20/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - The de facto Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs said that a woman
detaineemarked her tenth year in an Israeli prison on Wednesday. Muna
Jawad, 34, from Jerusalem, was detained on 20 January 2001 and was
sentenced to life imprisonment, accused of luring an Israeli settler to
her home over the internet and manslaughter. Jawad is one of the
longest serving Palestinian prisoners and is a representative of
Ar-Ramla prison's women detainees. The report issued by the Ministry
added that Jawad's name had not been placed on the prisoner swap list.
She has been harshly treating during her sentence and her health has
deteriorated but was not provided access to treatment, the Ministry's
statement said. The de facto ministry of prisoners' affairs added that
Jawad had been placed in solitary confinement on many occasions, for
which she went on a hunger strike, in turn forcing the Israeli Prison
Administration from removing her.
Reporters
Without Borders questions Malsin expulsion
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday condemned
the suspicious circumstances surrounding Israel's expulsion of US
journalist Jared Malsin, chief English editor at Ma'an. "The journalist
was expelled after giving up his right of appeal. This decision was
taken in dubious circumstances in that the journalist's lawyer was not
present," the worldwide press freedom organization said. "Did the
journalist come under pressure? "it asked, "It is reasonable to
question the legality of this expulsion in the absence of transparency
on the part of the Israeli authorities," it added. Malsin was detained
on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on 12
January and was interrogated for eight hours about his work and
visa-related issues before being transferred to the airport's detention
center. Related: RWB:
Lack of transparency on Israel’s expulsion of US journalist
Projectile
lands in Eshkol Regional Council
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Qassam projectile was launched from Gaza into
Israel on Wednesday morning, an Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed.
The projectile landed in Ein Shlosha, south of Kissufim, in the Eshkol
Regional Council, southern Israel, the spokeswoman said. "Blasts were
head in Kissufim," she added. No injuries were reported. The Israeli
military added that the projectile was launched from the central Gaza
Strip. [end]
Worker
injured in settlement east of Bethlehem
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestinian construction worker was injured
whilst working on the illegal settlement of Tko'a, southeast of
Bethlehem on Wednesday. Khalil Ahmad Al-Tanh, 34, from the Tko'a
village, was transferred to Hadassah-Ein Kerem hospital after a
concrete pump fell on him, his brother Imad told Ma'an. Sources at the
Red Crescent further told Ma'an that one of their ambulances was
dispatched to the scene but Israelis present prohibited them from
obtaining access to Khalil. An Israeli ambulance transferred him to
hospital and could not identify his injuries, Imad said. The family has
been unable to contact Khalil, he added. [end]
Two
Gaza crossings opened, limited fuel supplies transferred
1/20/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Israeli authorities opened on Wednesday the Kerem Shalom and
Karni crossings in the south and north of Gaza respectively, to allow
the transfer of aid and fuel. Palestinian border crossing official,
Raed Fattouh, said that between 69 and 79 truckloads of humanitarian
aid for the commercial and agriculture sector will be transferred into
Gaza via Kerem Shalom. Additionally, limited quantities of industrial
diesel and cooking gas will be allowed through the same crossing.
Aproximately 98 truckloads of wheat and animal feed will enter Gaza
through the Karni crossing. On Tuesday, Israeli authorities opened the
Nahal Oz fuel terminal for the first time since it announced its closer
in December. Around 259 tons of domestic gas and 752 tons of fuel were
transferred into the Strip for the population's use, while 40 tons of
petrol was allowed in for the UN.
After
heavy rains, well collapses in Barka village
1/20/2010 - Tulkarem
- Ma'an - A water reservoir in Baqa Ash-Sharqiya village overflowed and
collapsed Wednesday,flooding the area north of Tulkarem and prompting
Palestinian Civil Defense forces to declare the area around the flood a
danger zone. Heavy rainfall throughout Palestine caused floods in
dozens of low-lying areas, with some municipalities reporting
overflowing aquifers and several Gaza districts under evacuation orders
as homes are covered in floodwater. In a press statement, the Civil
Defense forces said the reservoir was under watch on Tuesday night, and
noted that it collapsed in the early hours of the morning, flooding the
adjacent agricultural areas. The area will be cordoned off until the
rains subside. . . . .
Two
more settlers arrested for Yasuf mosque arson
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The arrest of two more settler teens from
the Yitzhar colony brings up to 12 the number of Israelis detained for
their role in the torching of a mosque in Yasuf village in December,
Israeli media reported. Israel's daily Ma'ariv newspaper printed a
report Wednesday saying the two were detained following the release of
six of the 10 previously arrested settlers. All the settlers are said
to be in their teens and early twenties. [end]
PA,
Mitchell to push for settlement halt in East Jerusalem
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Palestinian Authority is urging Israel
to approve a complete standstill on settlement construction in occupied
East Jerusalem, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. The halt would be
for a period of between three to six months and will not be approved by
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Israeli
daily The Jerusalem Post. "This is not going to happen; it goes against
everything Netanyahu says and believes in," a source in the prime
minister's office told the daily. US Middle East envoy George Mitchell
is set to raise the issue during talks with Netanyahu on Thursday, who
will arrive on Wednesday following talks in Syria and Lebanon. The PA
has repeatedly rejected all calls to resume negotiations while
settlement expansion remains unhindered in East Jerusalem, while
Netanyahu has deemed the 10-month halt in the West Bank a gesture,
mandating a return to talks.
Vatican
memo: Occupation, conflict cause of Christian emigration
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A Vatican memo released on Tuesday blamed
the Israeli-Palestine conflict and the occupation, as well as numerous
other conflicts in the region for driving out Arab Christians in the
Middle East, according to the Associated Press and Israeli media. The
document was produced as a guideline for discussions for a conference
of bishops in the Middle East in October on the plight of the Christian
minority in Muslim countries, AP reported. Approximately 150 bishops,
largely from Eastern denominations, are due to attend the conference,
which will be convened by Pope Benedict XVI, Synod organizer Monsignor
Nikola Eterovic said. In addition to identifying the Israeli-Palestine
conflict as the root of several conflicts in th region, the document
highlighted the rise of political Islam and the extortion of the
Israel-Palestine conflict for radical terrorism as causes of Christian
emigration and Discrimination.
Haniyeh
calls for urgent meeting with Mubarak
1/20/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that
an official letter detailing the means of handling the recent outbreak
of tensions at the Rafah crossing has been received by Egyptian
President Husni Mubarak. During an interview with Al-Quds TV, Haniyeh
said that he awaits a response from Mubarak and has requested an urgent
meeting between the Gaza government and Egyptian leaders to take in
hand the recent crisis in relations between Hamas and Egypt. Haniyeh
added that he has spoken with many Egyptian officials, among them
Mustafa Al-Feqi, head of Foreign Relations Department of the Egyptian
parliament and considers Egyptian-Hamas relations as strategic. The
deposed prime minister described the underground steel wall under
construction on the Egypt-Gaza border as "harmful," tightening the
siege on Gaza, which in turn violates Palestinian-Egyptian relations,
as well as international and human rights law, he said.
Palestinian
families evacuated from Haiti
1/20/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - Twelve members of three Palestinian families in Haiti were
evacuated from the earthquake stricken country with the assistance of
the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
The family members were taken to Jordan by a Jordanian aircraft, where
they were received by members of staff from the Palestinian Embassy.
The evacuation was carried out in conjunction with the Jordanian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Bureau and the Palestinian
Embassy in Jordan. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh Al-Maliki called
on the Palestinian ambassador to Cuba Akram Samhan to travel to Haiti
with a delegation of Palestinian and Cuban doctors to follow up on the
current situation of the Palestinian community in Haiti. . . . .
Hamas:
PA security forces detain 5 in the West Bank
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Hamas movement accused the Palestinian Authority
security forces of detaining five of the movement's affiliates
throughout the West Bank, in a statement issued on Wednesday. The five
were detained in Nablus, Bethlehem and Qalqiliya, the statement said.
[end]
Masha’al
renews invitation to meet with Abbas
1/20/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Masha'al on
Wednesday renewed his call meet with President Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi
media reported. "My stance remains the same: I am ready to meet [Abu
Mazen] to achieve conciliation," In an interview with the Saudi daily
newspaper of U'kath. Abbas had rejected an invitation by Kuwait's
Foreign Minister to host a meeting between Masha'al and the president
to discuss the standstill in reconciliation talks, stating that they
would not meet until the Egyptian document is ratified by Hamas.
Masha'al said that Hamas still has amendments to the Egyptian-backed
reconciliation document, and emphasized that the process should be
speeded up to achieve Palestinian goals. While he told the Saudi daily
that he is compelling Egypt to review its construction of an
underground steel wall on the Gaza-Egypt border, Masha'al stressed the.
. .
Abu
Samhadaneh: Gaza is not a hotel to leave as one chooses
1/20/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council Minister Abdullah Abu
Samhadaneh called on the movement's leadership to enter Gaza
immediately and witness the situation first hand, he said in statement
issued on Wednesday. Abu Samhadaneh, Mayor of Wusta, said "Gaza is not
a hotel where one can come and go as one pleases. ""I feel sorry to see
Fatah members leave Gaza to live in Ramallah, Egypt, Jordan and other
Arab states. " "This is not nationalism; nationalism is when we commit
and stick to our places and we don't leave, no matter the consequences.
"While calling on members of the movement to either return or remain in
Gaza, Abu Samhadaneh stressed that internal division will destroy
Palestinian national aspirations and called on Hamas to sign the
Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation document.
Al-Oury
appointed legal advisor to Abbas
1/20/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas appointed on Wednesday Hassan
Al-Oury, LLM, as his personal legal advisor. Al-Oury received an
undergraduate degree in Law from the University of Alexandria in Egypt
and a master's degree from Al-Quds University, Abu Diss Campus, and was
one of the founds of the Palestinian Bar Association. His career spans
25 years and was a member of the investigation committee into the Gaza
war, and has participated in a number of local and international
conferences on international law. Al-Oury told Ma'an that he accepted
the position. [end]
Hamas
brigades founder dies in exile
1/20/2010 - Gaza-
Ma'an - Hamas' armed wings the Al-Qassam Brigades announced the death
of its co-founder in exile Mahmoud Al-Mabhuh died of terminal cancer in
a hospital in the UAE on Wednesday. The Al-Qassam leader, a refugee
living the Jabalia Refugee Camp until he left Gaza for the UAE, was
behind a mission that successfully captured two Israeli soldiers, a
statement from the brigades said. Al-Mabhuh was captured two Israeli
soldiers, Elan Sa'dun and Avi Sbortas who were captured at the in the
early 1990s by Al-Qassam fighters, the soldiers were killed in military
action following their capture," the statement said. [end]"
Ramallah
MoH sends blood to replenish Gaza stocks
1/20/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - The Ministry of Health shipped blood transfusion supplies from
its Ramallah warehouse to Gaza on Wednesday, in coordination with the
International Committee and the Red Cross. Ministry spokesman Omar Nasr
said the blood was transferred on order of the caretaker government's
Minister of Health Fathi Abu Moghli, based on reports of a shortage in
Gaza hospitals. The recent floods south of Gaza city have increased
traffic to the hospitals, as staff treat Palestinains injured by
torrents of floodwater. [end]
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - The Shin Bet has reported several attempts by militant groups to contact IDF soldiers via networking sites.
30 countries joined Israel in mass bio-terror drill
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Drill simulated scenario in which terrorists infected with a virus entered Tel Aviv posing as tourists.
'Iron Dome rocket defense system will take years to deploy'
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - 'Watch your step,' Barak warns Hamas over rockets; Hamas: Palestinian attacks are response to Israeli aggression.
MI Chief: Israel's success battling terror has turned world against us
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Yadlin tells Knesset panel the PA has encouraged international community to question Israel's legitimacy.
Israel razes West Bank caravan built after settlement freeze
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Elon Moreh caravan set up as 'Zionist response' to freeze; forces dismantle foundations for 2 other buildings.
Court extends remand of settlers suspected of mosque arson
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Two months ago assailants torched furniture at Yasuf mosque, sprayed derogatory slogans.
Police arrest 10 in raid on West Bank settlement
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Five people, including two minors, detained for alleged involvement in mosque arson last month.
IDF soldier seriously hurt when comrade's hammer falls on his head
Ha'aretz 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 Jan 2010 - Jordanian minister: Attack on Israeli diplomatic convoy was primarily an attack on Jordan.
ANALYSIS / Jordan bombing: Good intelligence, poor execution
Ha'aretz 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 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 20 Jan 2010 - Two others injured; Palestinian sources initially claimed casualties were caused by IAF missile strike.
GAZA
IS NOT ALONE; THE ENTIRE WEST BANK IS UNDER SIEGE
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - In a new effort to discourage, in fact stop, foreign nationals
from volunteering in Humane organisations in the Occupied Territories,
Israel has stopped issuing work permits to them. Israel has been
successful in maintaining the siege on Gaza by not allowing foreigners
to enter the area with much needed medical and building equipment.
That, apparently is...
"Humanity
cannot be divided": Gaza shows solidarity with Haiti
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - "We have been living a man-made disaster actually for the past
62 years," said Palestinian parliamentarian Jamal al-Khudari, a
chairman of the Gaza-based Committee to Break the Siege. "We would like
to send out a message of solidarity to the people of Haiti, who are now
facing a natural disaster. Despite the harsh conditions Gaza people...
Haiti
2010: An Unwelcome Katrina Redux
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - President Obama's response to the tragedy in Haiti has been
robust in military deployment and puny in what the Haitians need most:
food; first responders and their specialized equipment; doctors and
medical facilities and equipment; and engineers, heavy equipment, and
heavy movers. Sadly, President Obama is dispatching Presidents Bush and
Clinton, and thousands of Marines and...
Aid
workers ‘being pushed out’ of Palestinian areas
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - Israel has stopped issuing work permits to foreign aid workers
in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, sparking fears about the future of
relief operations in the Palestinian territories. The Israeli Interior
Ministry has issued only tourist visas to aid groups such as Oxfam,
Médecins sans Frontières and Save the Children since before Christmas.
They say...
And
on the Eighth Day…
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - The Americans have landed, or as they used to say of the GIs in
the UK during WWII, 'they’re overfed, over sexed and over here’. So
now, in spite of protestations that air-dropping supplies would cause a
riot, on the eighth day of this catastrophe (one that the BBC still
continues to call a "humanitarian catastrophe")...
IOA
demolishes Jerusalemite home without prior notice
Uruknet January 20,
2010 -- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed on Tuesday the home
of Hasan Ka'abne in the southern area of Juba'a village to the
northwest of occupied Jerusalem without prior notice. Ka'abne said that
the IOF soldiers came unexpectedly and ordered all his family members
out of the house in order to knock it down. He affirmed, however,...
Reporters
Without Borders: Iranian regime accused of crimes against humanity
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - Condemning the continuing arbitrary arrests and illegal
detention of journalists, many of whom are being held incommunicado for
long periods, Reporters Without Borders today accused the Iranian
regime of "crimes against humanity" and urged the international
community to speak out. "The systematic suppression of all criticism of
the regime’s political and religious institutions is creating a...
AIDA:
Gaza blockade places Palestinians' health at risk
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - The UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Association of International
Development Agencies (AIDA) on Wednesday highlighted the impact of the
blockade of Gaza on the health of its population and its health
services and called for an immediate opening of Gaza’s crossings. Max
Gaylard, the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied
Palestinian territories said during a news conference...
The
Zionization of Disaster Relief
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - Didn’t know there was anything particularly Zionist about
providing disaster relief? You learn something new every day. This is a
story of exploiting the suffering of poor, defenseless Haitians on
behalf of Israeli triumphalism. Sol Salbe translated an eye-opening
column from Yediot by an Israeli doctor who was an integral member of
all Israeli international disaster...
Harsher
Gaza War Looming on Horizon?
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - According to several prominent Palestinians and Israelis another
major Israeli military assault on Gaza, even harsher than last year’s
Operation Cast Lead, is imminent. But will this change anything and
have the underlying causes behind the previous bloody war been
addressed? During the last week the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have
carried out a series of...
Palestinian
Prisoners Society: “More Sick Detainees In Deteriorating Conditions”
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - A lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) visited a
number of sick detainees imprisoned by Israel at a number of detention
facilities, and stated that there is an increasing number of detainees
who need medical attention but are deprived from this internationally
guaranteed right. The lawyer said that detainee Firas Yousef Qadri, 29,
from Salfit,...
Video:
Israel's assassination policy TRNN interviews relatives of recently
assassinated men in Nablus, Occupied Palestinian Territories
Uruknet January 20,
2010 - In recent weeks Israel has escalated its practice of
assassinations in the West Bank and Gaza. At the end of December,
Israeli special forces broke into the Nablus homes of Anan Subih, Raed
Surkaji, and Ghassan Abu Sharekh and killed them. Official Israeli
sources linked the three to the killing of Israeli settler Meir
Avshalom Hai...
Ramallah, January 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces detained 2 Palestinians from Ramallah in the West Bank in operations carried out Wednesday dawn. The detainees were transferred to Israeli investigation centers for questioning. In the last 48 hours, Israeli occupation forces invaded different governorates in West Bank and broke into some houses claiming that they were searching for "...
The Gaza flood losses estimated 1M$ USD
Gaza, January 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Yesterday, Israel opened the floodgates of one of its dams in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip, flooding Palestinian houses and causing severe damage. Hamas-led government decided to provide the afflicted families with the needed supplies in addition to 200$ US dollars. Dr. Mohammed Agha, the Minister of Agriculture Ministry of Hamas-led...
Livni: I Am Ready To Face Arrest Over UK Warrant
Washington , January 19, 2009, ( Pal Telegraph) - Tzipi Livni, Israeli opposition leader and former foreign minister, expressed on Monday during an interview on CNN that she is ready to face UK arrest warrant for investigation in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip last winter. It is worth noting that the British court issued arrest warrant against Tzipi Livni last...
Israel detains 10 Palestinians
West Bank, January 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces detained 10 Palestinians in the West Bank in operations carried out Monday night and lasted till Tuesday morning. The detainees captured in different parts of the West Bank were transferred to Israeli investigation centers for questioning. Israeli occupation forces invaded Berqeen village, in Jenien, and broke into some houses...
Israel opens Dam so Gaza submerges
Gaza, January 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Many Palestinian houses were under water in Central Gaza after Israel opened a closed dam on Tuesday. Israeli authorities opened the "Al-Wadi" dam without prior notice after heavy rainfall on the area. Seventy citizens were rescued by Civil defense staffs. Medical sources said that 9 citizens were injured and transferred to Gaza hospitals....
The National 20 Jan 2010 - Delegates at a three-day forum in Doha review how desperate living, working and health conditions have become in Gaza after the three-year blockade by Israel.
US could tip its hand on peace plan during West Bank visit
The National 20 Jan 2010 - When George Mitchell arrives in the West Bank today, he will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders under pressure to stand their ground.
Israel eases ban on Gaza's strawberry exports
The National 20 Jan 2010 - UN estimates a total loss of $268m to region's farming sector, which it says is impossible for farmers to recover because of other restrictions.
Alternative Information Center
The World Cup, the Olympics and the OccupationAlternative Information Center 20 Jan 2010 - A New York City-based organization, Adalah-NY, recently led an effort to get the New York Mets and Major League Baseball to cancel a fundraising event at Shea Stadium for the pro-settler Hebron Fund. The world of...
An Important Lesson for Knesset Member Zahalka
Alternative Information Center 20 Jan 2010 - In the moment of truth in the television drama played out on Erev Hadash , the Israeli liberal becomes an aggressive racist—an obvious product of the nationalistic model dubbed “Jewish democratic state” which denies the question of...
Israel Suddenly Expels Detained Ma'an Journalist
Alternative Information Center 20 Jan 2010 - For the first time in a week, journalist Jared Malsin was allowed to use his mobile phone on Wednesday morning to inform Ma'an that he was being placed onto an El Al flight to New York....
Changing Israeli Visa Regime for Humanitarian Workers
Alternative Information Center 19 Jan 2010 - Background International staff of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) working in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) have, until now, been provided B1 visas by the Government of Israel in its role as the occupying power. A B1...
PNN 20 Jan 2010 - Associated Press is reporting that 3 of the 22 defense industry contractors arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada and Miami, Florida this week during a bribery sting are of Israeli origin, and were working for Israeli-based firms. he sting was part of an FBI operation targeting corrupt contractors who were attempting to bribe who they believed was a procurement officer from an African...
The case of Jared Malsin - expelled by Israel
PNN 20 Jan 2010 - It probably has not made the headlines in most press around the world, but Israel has recently decided to expel an American journalist working for the respected Ma'an News Agency, based out of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For the first time in a week, journalist Jared Malsin was allowed to use his mobile phone on Wednesday morning to inform Ma'an that he...
Israel withholding NGO employees' work permits
PNN 20 Jan 2010 - The Interior Ministry has stopped granting work permits to foreign nationals working in most international nongovernmental organizations operating in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, Haaretz has learned. In an apparent overhaul of regulations that have been in place since 1967, the ministry is now granting the NGO employees tourist visas only, which bar them from working. Organizations affected by the apparent...
Floods in the Gaza Strip force hundreds to flee
PNN 19 Jan 2010 - Flooding has forced more than 100 people from their homes and farms in Gaza after heavy rains hit the area. Security services worked through the night to evacuate families from the area of Wadi Gaza, south of Gaza city. At least 12 people were injured in the flooding which destroyed scores of homes and inundated animal pens. Hamas, in control of the...
American journalist enters week 2 in detention
PNN 19 Jan 2010 - American journalist Jared Malsin will wrap up his first week of detention at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport tomorrow. At the request of Justice Kobi Vardi, Ma'an lawyer Castro Daoud filed additional information in response to allegations by the Israeli Attorney General's Office, and insisted that Jared be brought out of the airport to attend a hearing on the matter. The attorney...
Earthquake Impact on Palestinian Haitian Community Unknown
PNN 19 Jan 2010 - With the total impact of the earthquake not yet determined, Palestinians with relatives in Haiti are making every effort to contact family members who reside in the island nation. Estimates of total deaths on the island of Haiti from the range from 100,000 to 200,000, approximately 1-2% of the island’s total population, with an additional 1.3 million being left homeless. While no...
Israeli settlers arrested in mosque arson investigation
PNN 19 Jan 2010 - Israeli police have arrested 10 people as part of investigations into an arson attack on a West Bank mosque. Police carried out a pre-dawn raid on the Yitzhar settlement, near the Palestinian town Yasuf, where the mosque was attacked last month. They are investigating whether there is a link between those arrested and the arson attack, police sources said. The floor of...
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - 'Movement has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be ready to nullify call for its destruction.'
Livni takes hard line against advancing Kadima leadership reace
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - The three candidates who ran against Livni for the Kadima leadership in September 2008 all support holding another primary by the end of the year.
IDF delegation provides communications
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - Doctors, journalists and volunteers in Haiti granted access to critical internet, phone lines.
UN, US ask Israel to send cops to Haiti
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - Police will undergo brief period f physical, mental preperation before taking part in int'l contingent.
TAU scholar to advocate Israel boycott
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - Dr. Anat Matar to support move at London university event commemerating year since 'attack' on Gaza.
NGO Monitor turns to EU court for transparency
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - J'lem watchdog filed suit against European Commission, demanding it disclose funding documents.
Jordan court will hear suit against MKs
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - Jordanian lawyers sue Rivlin, Eldad, for allegedly saying Jordan should become a Palestinian state.
Young siblings treated by IDF in Haiti
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - Israeli military doctor at scene: Maybe it's a miracle, someone upstairs loves them very much.
Ariel University still without accreditation
Jeruslalem Post 20 Jan 2010 - Council for Higher Education says university status years away, after Barak orders IDF to recognize college's decision to change name to 'university center.'
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.
Q&A: 'Religious State, Recipe for Disaster'
IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 19 (IPS) - When Omar Abdel-Razeq was appointed finance minister following the election of Hamas in January 2006, the BBC characterised the post as the "least enviable job in the new Palestinian government."
MIDEAST: Harsher Gaza War Looming on Horizon?
IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 19 (IPS) - According to several prominent Palestinians and Israelis another major Israeli military assault on Gaza, even harsher than last year’s Operation Cast Lead, is imminent. But will this change anything and have the underlying causes behind the previous bloody war been addressed?
LEBANON: Spy On Thy Neighbour
IPS NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, Jan 18 (IPS) - Recent inter-factional clashes in Lebanon's Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp once more illustrated the fragile security situation in some of its Palestinian camps. Lebanese plans to take over security within the camps are rejected by the Palestinians.
PCHR
International Solidarity Movement
Israel expels top Ma’an journalist1/21/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Ma'an News Agency, 20 January - For the first time in a week, American journalist Jared Malsin was allowed to use his mobile phone on Wednesday morning to inform Ma'an that he was being placed onto an El Al flight bound for New York. He sounded shaken and confused. He said he did not know why he was not being flown to Prague, where he was expected to be sent, saying only that flying there "would create problems. "He said he was in an armored vehicle en route to the airport gate. On Tuesday, Tel Aviv District Judge Kobi Vardi ordered that a hearing be scheduled to consider the Israeli Ministry of the Interior's decision to deport the journalist. Following the call, lawyer Castro Daoud went to the airport detention facility where Malsin has been kept for the past week to deliver the news. At about 2:30 pm, Daoud left the detention center and filed a motion requesting that Jared be permitted. . . .
Israel crushes local dissent, attacks global criticism
1/21/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Mel Frykberg, Inter Press Service - Israel is lashing out at international criticism and attempting to crush local dissent in what appears to be growing sensitivity to reproach of its policies. Several recent incidents have dominated media headlines, including the arrest of a Jewish-American journalist on the grounds of security, threats by an Israeli minister against international diplomats and the arrest of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. The raid on a foreign activist´s home in Ramallah, supposedly under full Palestinian control, by a large Israel Defence Forces (IDF) contingent allegedly for a visa infringement, and her subsequent arrest at gunpoint and deportation has also raised eyebrows. "We will not allow a situation where every country will kick us. If there will be an attack on Israel, we will leave all options open, including the expulsion of ambassadors,". . .
Israel withholding NGO employees’ work permits
1/21/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Amira Hass, Ha'aretz, 20 January - The Interior Ministry has stopped granting work permits to foreign nationals working in most international nongovernmental organizations operating in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, Haaretz has learned. In an apparent overhaul of regulations that have been in place since 1967, the ministry is now granting the NGO employees tourist visas only, which bar them from working. Organizations affected by the apparent policy change include Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Terre des Hommes, Handicap International and the Religious Society of Friends (a Quaker organization). Until recently, the workers would register with the international relations department at the Social Affairs Ministry, which would recommend the Interior Ministry to issue them B1 work permits.
Tree-planting action to be held in At-Tuwani
1/20/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Team - On Saturday 23 January Palestinians will demonstrate against the recent destruction of a grove of olive trees and plant new trees, in order to show their determination to continue accessing and cultivating their land. On the afternoon of 14 January Palestinians discovered that a family-owned olive grove in Khoruba valley had been destroyed. Twenty mature olive trees were broken at their trunks. The family believes that Israeli settlers from the Ma'on settlement and Havot Ma'on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. This is the fifth time since 1997 that settlers have destroyed the olive trees in this grove. This most recent attack on Palestinian agriculture follows a month of Israeli settler violence and harassment aimed at preventing Palestinian farmers from plowing their fields and thus earning their livelihoods.
We must not renege on war crime laws
1/20/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Letters, The Guardian, 16 January, various undersigned - We are shocked at suggestions by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Ivan Lewis and foreign secretary David Miliband that Britain may consider changing its laws to avoid any future attempts to prosecute suspected war criminals, Israeli or otherwise. The UK must not renege on its international treaty obligations, particularly those under the fourth Geneva convention to seek out and prosecute persons suspected of war crimes wherever and whoever they are, whatever their status, rank or influence, against whom good prima facie evidence has been laid. We reject any attempt to undermine the judiciary's independence and integrity. A judge who finds sufficient evidence of a war crime must have power to order the arrest of a suspect, subject to the usual rights to bail and appeal. The power to arrest individuals reasonably suspected of war crimes anywhere. . .
Late Israel spy Eli Cohen to be immortalized in U.S. movie
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Cohen penetrated Syria's power hubs in the 1960s and became part of the ruling establishment in Damascus.,
George Mitchell to meet with Abbas in Ramallah
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Mitchell likely to try to persuade the PA to renew negotiations on a final-status agreement.,
U.S. Jew indicted as possible spy for Israel
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Court documents reveal ties between Israel Aerospace Industries and the man accused of spying for Israel.,
Obama's lost senate seat is a victory for Netanyahu
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Republican Scott Brown wins U.S. Senate seat held for nearly half a century by Edward M. Kennedy.,
Report: Sarkozy promises to 'rein in' Israel
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Asharq Al-Awsat: Sarkozy vow comes after Lebanese president expressed concern over possible IDF attack.,
Abbas to U.S.: Negotiate with Israel on our behalf
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Proxy arrangement could provide a way around current deadlock over reviving Israeli-Palestinian talks.,
Netanyahu: Israel must have West Bank presence after peace deal
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - PM says Israel can't risk rocket attacks from the center of the country, such as those from Gaza border.,
Muslim cemetery in West Bank vandalized hours after Jews seen in area
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Awarta cemetery is believed to be burial site of prominent Jewish Biblical figures.,
MKs furious over Netanyahu Holocaust reference in political row
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Premier slams no-confidence motion, which was submitted on same day of historic Berlin cabinet session.,
Mitchell: Syria, Lebanon key to Mideast peace
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Mitchell visits Beirut, Damascus as part of U.S. effort to normalize ties between Israel and Arab world.,
Jordan's prosecutor accepts case against two Israeli MKs
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Lawyers accuse MKs Reuven Rivlin and Aryeh Elad of committing 'a crime' against Jordan.,
Detained U.S. journalist of Palestinian news agency opts to leave Israel
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - English-language editor of Maan news agency leaves after week-long detention by Israel authorities.,
Iran representative shakes hands with Israeli tourism minister in Madrid
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Iran tourism rep. gives Tourism Min. Misezhnikov warm welcome at Madrid trade fair, invites him to visit Iran.,
Egypt riled by Syria's increasing role in the region
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - As Assad's influence and ties to Europe grow, Cairo may find itself progressively marginalized.,
Israel set to become OECD's poorest member
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Report: Israel has lower salaries, wider social gaps than any country in group; membership vote set for May.,
The Guardian 20 Jan 2010 - Israeli and Egyptian blockade means nearly one-fifth of requests to leave for treatment are refused or delayed, report says The health of 1.4 million people is being put at risk by the ongoing Israeli and Egyptian...
Israel deports US journalist
The Guardian 20 Jan 2010 - News editor for Palestinian agency put on flight to New York Israeli authorities today deported an American journalist who was working as an editor for a Palestinian news agency. Jared Malsin, who is Jewish and in...
Palestine's occupation tourism | Seth Freedman
The Guardian 20 Jan 2010 - Palestinian protesters are often joined by international tourists who see their struggle as an entertaining spectacle On any given Friday in Bil'in , the local Palestinian protesters are joined by scores of Israeli and international activists, who...
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Shahar Peer's first-round match at the Australian Open passed without incident Wednesday despite threats of a pro-Palestinian protest. Israel's top tennis talent woke up to headlines in Melbourne's The Age newspaper claiming that protesters were planning to target her match against Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic on an outside court. ...
Greek patriarch seeks pardon for convicted Shas minister
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Convicted former minister Shlomo Benizri got a show of support recently from an unexpected source: No less a person than the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, submitted a request for Benizri's pardon to President Shimon Peres and Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman. ...
Barak under fire for granting university status to West Bank college
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday ordered a college in the West Bank town of Ariel to be recognized as a "university center," thereby winning praise from the right but an outraged response from both the political left and many academics. ...
Attorney general to leave decision on Lieberman indictment to successor
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - Outgoing Attorney General Menachem Mazuz apparently will leave the decision on whether to indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to his successor, Yehuda Weinstein. This means that no decision is likely to be made for months, as Weinstein will first have to study the voluminous material. ...
Peres slams media coverage of Netanyahu wife-nanny scandal
Ha'aretz 20 Jan 2010 - President Shimon Peres criticized Wednesday what he called excessive coverage of a lawsuit filed against the wife of Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it was preventing the prime minister from concentrating on affairs of state. ...
Relief Web 20 Jan 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse
OPT: Secretary-General Appoints Filippo Grandi of Italy Commissioner-General of UNRWA
Relief Web 20 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Secretary-General
Committee on Rights of Child examines report of Israel under Optional Protocol on children and armed conflict
Relief Web 20 Jan 2010 - Source: UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
World Report: Abusers Target Human Rights Messengers
Relief Web 20 Jan 2010 - Source: Human Rights Watch
OPT: UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA): "The closure of the Gaza Strip puts at risk the health of people in Gaza and undermines the functioning of the health care system."
Relief Web 20 Jan 2010 - Source: Association of International Development Agencies, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the oPt
Gaza Health Fact Sheet 20 JANUARY 2010
Relief Web 20 Jan 2010 - Source: World Health Organization
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - Palestinians claim Jewish worshippers, IDF escort responsible for vandalizing cemetery. Military says past complaints turned out to be deliberate Palestinian provocations, but will look into allegations
Netanyahu demands Israeli presence in West Bank
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - For first time, Bibi declares that Israel must have presence in West Bank even after signing of future peace deal
Livni girds for Kadima battle
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - Tensions high in Kadima ahead of Thursday's debate on pushing primaries forward; Livni says she is facing threat of being ousted, associates tell Ynet archrival Mofaz can leave party if he doesn't accept Kadima chairwoman's leadership
Report: Israel deported US editor
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - Palestinian news agency says head of its English department refused entry by Israel
PA wants US to negotiate in its place
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - Mahmoud Abbas proposes Obama administration heads negotiations on final borders between Palestinian state, Israel. Says arrangement is a way around current deadlock
IDF to cut fattening pastries from refreshment menu
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - In effort to curb over-weight problem, promote healthy lifestyle among officers, instead of Burekas, Rogalach – army to offer fresh fruit, vegetables
IAEA: Iran offer still on table
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - IAEA will continue to work in good faith as impartial intermediary, spokeswoman says
Livni: Don't attack Kadima's Jewishness
YNet News 20 Jan 2010 - Tzipi Livni slams attacks on Kadima's commitment to Judaism Wednesday, says no one has right to take Judaism away from Israeli citizens; earlier, Deputy Minister Porush says 'religious person cannot be member of Kadima'
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel must have a presence in the West Bank even after a peace agreement is achieved, dealing a fresh blow to the visiting US Middle East envoy's effort to restart peace talks. Netanyahu said the experience of rocket attacks from the Lebanese and Gaza borders means Israel must be able to prevent.
Diplomats say Iran rejected nuclear-fuel deal
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 VIENNA: Iran has effectively rejected a UN-brokered nuclear fuel-supply deal, diplomats said Wednesday, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) insisted the offer was "still on the table." Diplomats said Tehran had effectively rejected the deal because it refused to accept some of the conditions called for by the West and insisted on a simultaneous exchange of fuel, which Western states have deemed unacceptable.
Sanaa strikes at Al-Qaeda as Britain stops Yemen flights
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 SANAA: Yemeni war planes struck at the rural home of an Al-Qaeda leader Wednesday, pressing a government offensive against militants whose presence in the Arab country has alarmed Western governments. In London, the British government said it was suspending Yemenia airline flights to London over security concerns.
Aid groups urge Israel to lift Gaza blockade
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 GAZA STRIP: The UN said on Wednesday Israel's blockade of Gaza undermines the enclave's health-care system and puts patients at risk. Max Gaylard, resident Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said Israel was to be commended for letting Palestinians from Gaza access specialist medical care but could save more lives by allowing more timely treatment.
Israel boots out US journalist after week-long detention
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 CONCORD, New Hampshire: After over a week in Israeli detention, American journalist Jared Malsin was expelled from Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Malsin was refused entry to Israel and subsequently detained after returning from a one-week trip to the Czech Republic while his employer - Bethlehem-based Ma'an News Agency - sought to appeal his case in the Israeli court system.
2009 saw Iran's 'most widespread crackdown' in decade - HRW
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 Iran launched "the most widespread crackdown" in a decade after its disputed presidential election in June, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday, a day after Iran's supreme leader gave warnings ahead of possible new anti-government protests next month."Following the disputed June 12 presidential election and the massive protests it provoked, the government unleashed the most widespread crackdown in a decade."
Suspect in US killing spree surrenders to police
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 WASHINGTON: Police on Wednesday arrested a man suspected of shooting to death eight people in the southern state of Virginia. The suspect, Christopher Speight, 39, surrendered without incident to police after being cornered in woods west of the historic town of Appomattox, a police statement said. "At 7:10 EST this morning, Christopher B. Speight walked in the security perimeter and turned himself in without incident.
Dutch lawmaker in dock for 'incitement' against Muslims
Daily Star 20 Jan 2010 AMSTERDAM: Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders on Wednesday appeared in an Amsterdam court for the first time in connection with charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims. Wilders, who has compared the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf," "has always made his statements in his capacity as a public representative," his lawyer Bram Moszkowicz argued at the start of the hearing, held amid heavy security
Palestinian Information Center
Larijani: Iran proud to support the Palestinian and Lebanese resistancePIC 20 Jan 2010 - Speaker of the Iranian parliament Ali Larijani expressed his country’s pride to support resistance movements in the region including the Lebanese resistance and the Movement of Hamas.
Rejoub: Washington threatened Fatah with siege if reconciliation reached
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - The US administration threatened Fatah faction that it would face a siege if it signed a reconciliation agreement with the Hamas Movement, Jibril Al-Rejoub revealed.
IOF troops round up three Palestinians, one wanted by PA
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up two Palestinians in Ramallah city at dawn Wednesday at the pretext they were wanted for interrogation.
Resheq: Egypt should exercise its sovereignty over its land by opening crossings
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - Ezzat Al-Resheq said that Egypt has to exercise sovereign right over its territory through opening the Rafah border crossing instead of exercising this right through building the steel wall.
IOA starts plan to raze Bustan suburb in occupied Jerusalem
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - Israeli police and border guards on Wednesday distributed demolition notifications to five families in the Bustan suburb in occupied Jerusalem.
European MPs raise issue of Gaza siege in their parliaments
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - The European lawmakers, who visited Gaza during this month, started their moves to convey the suffering of Gaza people to their parliaments and peoples in order to end the blockade imposed on them.
Haneyya: The reconciliation won't succeed until there is free Palestinian will
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya stated that the national reconciliation efforts will not succeed until the Palestinian will becomes independent and free from external pressures and dictates.
Released prisoner insists on visiting the Aqsa Mosque before his family
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - Jerusalemite ex-prisoner Ali Shalade, who was released from Israeli occupation jails on Tuesday after 20 years of captivity, insisted on visiting the Aqsa Mosque before heading to his family home.
IOA demolishes Jerusalemite home without prior notice
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed on Tuesday the home of Hasan Ka'abne in the southern area of Juba'a village to the northwest of occupied Jerusalem without prior notice.
Aqsa Mosque sustains serious fissures in its walls
PIC 20 Jan 2010 - The Islamic-Christian authority catering for Jerusalem and holy places warned that the Aqsa Mosque has sustained serious cracks and fissures in its walls that may lead to its collapse.
LA Times 19 Jan 2010 - The Foreign Ministry's move to shame Turkey's ambassador over an objectionable TV program backfired, says Israel's former envoy to Ankara. We 'took a beating for it,' says Alon Liel. Angry over a Turkish TV show that portrayed Israelis as ruthless killers, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon summoned Turkey's ambassador to his office this month for a dressing-down.
New York Times 20 Jan 2010 - The country's secretive weapons trade, patent-bending drug industry and occupation of Arab lands are raising questions about its accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
World Briefing | Middle East: Gaza: Palestinians Push Hamas for Inquiry Over War Crimes Against Israel
New York Times 19 Jan 2010 - Rights groups said an investigation into Hamas’s actions last winter was needed to maintain the credibility of Palestinians who want to see Israel punished for its actions during the war.
World Briefing | Middle East: Iran: Vow of Revenge for a Killing
New York Times 19 Jan 2010 - Iranian officials have blamed an exiled opposition group for the killing of a physics professor in a bomb attack last week, accusing it of acting on behalf of Israel and the United States.
Observatory: Desert Spider Discovery on Jordan-Israel Border
New York Times 19 Jan 2010 - In a cross-border study, biologists from Israel and Jordan found a new spider species, Cerbalus aravensis, living in Arava Valley sand dunes.
Israeli Defense Minister Visits Turkey to Mend Frayed Ties
New York Times 18 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.
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.
Palestine Monitor - 19 Jan 2010 - In Hebron, 31 km south of Jerusalem, Palestinians are victims of harassment and acts of violence, both from the settlers and the Israeli soldiers. The city, under Israeli control- administrative and military, is surrounded by three large settlements added to those built inside the old city...
Port-au-Hasbara
Mondoweiss - 20 Jan 2010 - Lots o’ Haiti hasbara. O, where to begin? –" Very interesting piece on ABC News the other night. Diane Sawyer and their medical correspondent did an extended and unflattering comparison between the activities of the Israeli medical team in Haiti and the lack of same by...
‘We struck the civilian population consciously’ (Gaza’s historical pedigree)
Mondoweiss - 20 Jan 2010 - Commenters have pointed out that the best defense of the Goldstone Report has been published by a friend of this site, Jerome Slater, at his new blog (Jerome Slater: On the U.S. and Israel): Part I , and Part II . In which Slater goes after Moshe Halbertal’s...
The rabbi’s heart goes out to Haiti
Mondoweiss - 20 Jan 2010 - One of the puzzles of Jewish life is that you see incredible generosity of spirit to strangers in many situations, per the Talmudic understanding that all men are made in the image of God, then jack-diddly when it comes to Palestinians. Everyone else is part of...
2 more deportees: ‘nonviolent peacemaking is a threat’
Mondoweiss - 20 Jan 2010 - Yet another sign of Israel’s fear of nonviolent activism and journalism: The two leaders of a Christian Peacemaker Team to Israel/Palestine were deported by Israel 3 weeks ago following an interrogation. On Earth Peace reports that the two were repeatedly asked, "What’s the purpose of your...
11 Palestinian human rights orgs call for investigation of Palestinian violations alleged by Goldstone
Mondoweiss - 20 Jan 2010 - Where are the Palestinian Gandhis? They are all over, seeking light. The great Amira Hass has this report on burgeoning Palestinian civil society: Eleven Palestinian human rights organizations have called on the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza to endorse the Goldstone report by...
The World Cup, the Olympics and the Occupation
Alternative Information Center - 20 Jan 2010 - A New York City-based organization, Adalah-NY, recently led an effort to get the New York Mets and Major League Baseball to cancel a fundraising event at Shea Stadium for the pro-settler Hebron Fund. The world of athletics regularly crosses paths with the occupation in public protests...
An Important Lesson for Knesset Member Zahalka
Alternative Information Center - 20 Jan 2010 - In the moment of truth in the television drama played out on Erev Hadash , the Israeli liberal becomes an aggressive racist—an obvious product of the nationalistic model dubbed “Jewish democratic state” which denies the question of 1948.
Israel Suddenly Expels Detained Ma'an Journalist
Alternative Information Center - 20 Jan 2010 - For the first time in a week, journalist Jared Malsin was allowed to use his mobile phone on Wednesday morning to inform Ma'an that he was being placed onto an El Al flight to New York. He sounded shaken and confused. He said he did not...
Changing Israeli Visa Regime for Humanitarian Workers
Alternative Information Center - 19 Jan 2010 - Background International staff of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) working in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) have, until now, been provided B1 visas by the Government of Israel in its role as the occupying power. A B1 visa is a work permit—usually multiple entry and issued for...
Articles
’We struck the civilian population consciously’ (Gaza’s historical pedigree)
Jerome Slater, Mondoweiss 1/20/2010
Commenters have pointed out that the best defense of the Goldstone Report has been published by...Jerome Slater, at his new blog [links follow], in which Slater goes after Moshe Halbertal’s attack on Goldstone in the New Republic and fully supports Goldstone’s conclusion that the three weeks of intensive Israeli attacks that began in December 2008 were “designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish its economic capacity to work and to provide for itself, and force upon it an ever increasing sense of dependency and vulnerability.”
Slater distinguished himself as an academic by helping to bring the Israeli New Historians to the U.S., and in the following incisive excerpts he expands Goldstone’s analysis by linking recent Israeli policy to historical policies of the Jewish settlement vis-a-vis the Palestinians and so reveals a pattern of "deliberate attacks on civilians." This is very helpful indeed, and the last paragraph is deadly:
"That the Israeli military attacks on Gaza have massively violated the just war principles of proportionality and discrimination is beyond serious dispute. Moreover, it could well be argued that the Israeli attacks were so indiscriminate as to erase any meaningful distinction between indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians.
"Still, let us for the moment maintain the distinction: so far as I am aware there is no current proof that intentionally killing civilians as a matter of state policy was part of Israel’s strategy in its attack in 2008-09.
"That said, the previous history of Israel’s attacks not only on crucial civilian infrastructures but on civilians directly at least justifies the suspicion that it did the same in Gaza. While space considerations preclude such an in-depth review, here is a brief summary of the most important events...." Full Articles: Moshe Halbertal and the Goldstone Commission Report and The Goldstone Commission Report, Part 2: Did Israel Deliberately Attack Gazan Civilians? -- See also: Moshe Halbertal and the Goldstone Commission Report and The Goldstone Commission Report, Part 2: Did Israel Deliberately Attack Gazan Civilians? more.. e-mail
Israel withholding NGO employees’ work permits
Amira Hass, Ha’aretz 1/21/2010
The Interior Ministry has stopped granting work permits to foreign nationals working in most international nongovernmental organizations operating in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, Haaretz has learned.
In an apparent overhaul of regulations that have been in place since 1967, the ministry is now granting the NGO employees tourist visas only, which bar them from working.
Organizations affected by the apparent policy change include Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Terre des Hommes, Handicap International and the Religious Society of Friends (a Quaker organization).
Until recently, the workers would register with the international relations department at the Social Affairs Ministry, which would recommend the Interior Ministry to issue them B1 work permits. Although the foreign nationals are still required to approach the Social Affairs Ministry to receive recommendations to obtain a tourist visa, the Interior Ministry is aiming to make the Ministry of Defense responsible for those international NGOs and also requiring them to register with the coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT), which is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense.
Foreign nationals working for NGOs had understood they would receive a stamp or handwritten note alongside their tourist visa, permitting them to work "in the Palestinian Authority." Israel is refusing work visas to most foreign nationals who state that they wish to work within the Palestinian territories, such as foreign lecturers for Palestinian universities and businessmen. more.. e-mail
The Merchants of Fear: Israel’s Profiting from Homeland Insecurity
Maidhc Ó Cathail, Uruknet 1/20/2010
In the wake of the weird Christmas Day "underwear bomber" incident on Northwest Flight 253, former Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, as if on cue, was all over the mainstream media touting whole-body scanners as the answer to America’s airline security problems. Since leaving public office in 2009, Chertoff had co-founded the Chertoff Group, a security and risk-management firm whose clients include a manufacturer of body-imaging screening machines. While some in the media noted this rather commonplace conflict of interest, ignored by all was a far more significant abuse of the American public’s trust.
In a CNN interview, Chertoff cited the Detroit incident as "a very vivid lesson in the value of that machinery." One lesson that he hasn’t drawn, however, was about the unreliability of the security firm which allowed the young Nigerian Muslim without a passport to "slip through" Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
ICTS International N.V., the Dutch-based security firm, was established in 1982 by former members of Israel’s secret police, the Shin Bet, and El Al security. Menachem Atzmon, who holds the controlling shares in the firm, was convicted in 1996 for campaign finance fraud while co-treasurer of the Likud party. The other co-treasurer Ehud Olmert, who was acquitted of those charges, resigned as Israeli Prime Minister in 2008 amid multiple corruption charges.
Although the rapid worldwide expansion of ICTS was no doubt helped by the much vaunted reputation of Israeli aviation security, its record abroad is less reassuring. In December 2001, the so-called "shoe bomber" Richard Reid also slipped through ICTS security at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to board a flight to Miami. And it was an ICTS subsidiary, Huntleigh USA, that shared security duties at Boston’s Logan Airport, where two of the four hijacked planes originated on September 11, 2001. more.. e-mail
"Humanity cannot be divided": Gaza shows solidarity with Haiti
Electronic Intifada: 20 Jan 2010 - "We have been living a man-made disaster actually for the past 62 years," said Palestinian parliamentarian Jamal al-Khudari, a chairman of the Gaza-based Committee to Break the Siege. "We would like to send out a message of solidarity to the people of Haiti, who are now facing a natural disaster." Rami Almeghari reports from the occupied Gaza Strip.
Zionism's destabilizing force: "Israeli Exceptionalism" reviewed
Electronic Intifada: 20 Jan 2010 - In his new book Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism , M. Shahid Alam successfully argues that the moral force behind the Zionist movement is a sense of Jewish, and consequently Israeli, exceptionalism. This claim of exceptionalism underpins what he calls the "destabilizing logic of Zionism." According to Alam, Zionism "could advance only by creating and promoting conflicts between the West and the Islamicate." Ahmed Moor reviews for The Electronic Intifada.
Israel steps up arrests of grassroots activists
Electronic Intifada: 20 Jan 2010 - While prominent protest and boycott organizers from the Palestinian organization Stop the Wall Jamal Juma' and Mohammad Othman were released last week after nearly one and four months of detention respectively, nightly arrests continue in the West Bank, with eight more arrests on 18 January in the West Bank village of Nilin.
Santana: Don't entertain Israeli apartheid!
Electronic Intifada: 20 Jan 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel to musician Santana, scheduled to perform in Israel this summer: "Your gig in Israel will be a clear contribution to Israel's well-oiled campaign to whitewash its persistent violations of international law and basic Palestinian rights through 're-branding' itself as an enlightened and cultured country."
In Gaza: 19 Jan 2010 - The long-awaited rains came full force. Dehydrated Gaza was suddenly awash. And while farmers are overjoyed –they can finally plant their crops; their water wells and cisterns were destroyed during the Israeli massacre of Gaza; they must plant before the end of the month or there will be no point [we got a call right away to accompany farmers close to the border fence]–the rains brought disaster to families in flooded areas of Gaza. In the low-lying Wadi Gaza region, between Gaza City and Khan Younis, the combination of sudden and great rains with Israel’s opening of dam floodgates caused a surge of water which swept through the villages in...
Palestine Chronicle: 20 Jan 2010 - By George S. Hishmeh – Washington The row that took place recently between Israel and Turkey when the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon undiplomatically “rebuked” the Turkish ambassador to Israel during a humiliating encounter over a Turkish television program critical of Israel reminds me of the saying, “The (black Israeli) pot calls the (shiny Turkish) kettle black.” The Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, was led to a low-level seat in the ambassador’s office while the Israeli deputy foreign minister and a colleague sat on higher chairs. The coffee table between them had only an Israeli flag on it and his remarks were in Hebrew, a language the ambassador does not know. The Israeli media recorded the event and the photos were circulated world-wide. After a few tense days, Israel apologized for its outrageous action – its first backhanded response was rejected by Turkey – only after the Ankara government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to take serious countermeasures. Relations between Turkey and Israel took a nose dive after Israel’s drastic assault on Gaza more than a year ago when 1400 Palestinians were killed including hundreds of women and children. The Gaza Strip, often described as an open-air prison, is still under siege with no sign that Israel and Egypt would open their borders to the impoverished and densely populated region on the East Mediterranean. Israel needs to examine itself in the looking glass for its deplorable actions in recent times. Turkey has been a close Muslim ally...
Contested Histories – Book Review
Palestine Chronicle: 20 Jan 2010 - By Jim Miles The Israel-Palestine Conflict - Contested Histories. Neil Caplan. Wiley-Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons), Malden, MA. 2010. There are obviously multiple stories concerning any act or incident, and any series of acts or incidents, until the overall view becomes large enough that they are distilled into a national or international narrative. These national narratives often serve as rationalizations of not so much the particular occurrence of any given event, but the reasons behind the event, with the reasons stretching from a basic cause and effect (he hit me back first) to the more irrational rationalizations of cosmic mythology. The Israel-Palestine Conflict attempts to work history within a discussion of how the two narratives of Israel and Palestine conflict with each other. As such, it serves more as a university level text with some history, some philosophy of history, some discussion of different perspectives taken by writers without satisfying any of these. For himself, Neil Caplan says he has worked generally from English language "accounts of what happened from people who were actually present when it happened." He sees himself in the genre of the "sometimes criticized...ivory tower intellectuals...content to provide useful and credible raw material, leaving it to other academics and commentators to explore and exploit. They prefer to keep a low profile and not venture into public debates or take stands on controversial issues." For those of you who have read my work, you can see that is not the tack that I would advocate - and...
I Am Going Back to Gaza: Interview with Ewa Jasiewicz
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jan 2010 - By Frank Barat A year ago, Israel launched 'Operation Cast lead' in Gaza. It started on 27th of December 2008 and finished on 18th of January 2009. Those 22 days were the most brutal and violent the Palestinians had seen since 1967. More than 1400 Palestinians died including more than 400 children. More than 5000 Palestinians suffered serious injuries. 13 Israelis died. Ewa Jasiewicz was one of a handful “internationals” on the ground. A year later, she remembers and shares her reflections with me. Frank Barat: You were in Gaza a year ago during “Operation Cast Lead”. Why and how did you and other activists get to the Gaza Strip? Ewa Jasiewicz: Myself and several solidarity activists from Lebanon, Spain, Canada, Australia, Italy, UK, Ireland and Greece managed to get into Gaza aboard the Free Gaza Movement’s Dignity boat. FGM (1) has sailed five successful missions to Gaza between August-December 2008 bringing in human rights workers to build political solidarity activism, to break the isolation of ghettoized communities and directly confront Israel’s illegal and brutally collectively punishing siege. FGM’s missions are political – we know Palestine is not a charity case, and that the solutions to 60-year policy of ethnic cleansing, apartheid and militarised ghettoization are not extra bags of flour, medicine, new tents and millions in aid, but, political will and direct action – currently un-forthcoming from governments around the world, so our actions are about directly applying international law from the grassroots up because it isn’t being respected...
Criminal Complicity of a Senile Leadership
Palestine Chronicle: 19 Jan 2010 - By Mohamed El Mokhtar Sidi Haiba The autocratic regime of Egyptian leader Mubarak is more and more overtly complicit in aiding and abetting the inhumane strangulation and criminal blockade of the Gaza strip. It has used all kinds of phony pretexts to prevent international aid from reaching Gaza. Under the preposterous disguise of “national security” and “state sovereignty”, it has invented new measures aimed at further tightening Israel’s illegal embargo of the territory, thus contributing to the suffering of an already gravely battered population. Moreover, the Egyptian regime has continuously stoked up the chauvinistic sentiments of its populace in order to further its criminal policies and, more insidiously, disguise its failures of leadership and lack of political legitimacy. A task at which the Mubarak regime seems expertly adept at as revealed by the recent trivial incidents involving soccer games with Algeria or its utter opposition to any role played by the state of Qatar to further rapprochement among Palestinian factions. Even Turkey did not escape it wrath for just trying to help the Palestinians or bridge gaps with the Syrians, to say nothing of Iran whose bashing appears an officially-sanctioned hobby. Since June 2007, Israel has, with some rare exceptions, stopped almost everything from entering Gaza. Hamas, the Islamist party which won the parliamentary elections against Fatah in January 2006, took control of the territory in order to pre-empt an upcoming Fatah coup engineered by Israel, the US, Jordan and Egypt. In addition to the interdiction of imports, all exports...