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International Middle East Media Center
MK
Tibi: “We Are The Natives Of This Land”
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 14, 2010 - 01:27, Arab member of Knesset,
Ahmad Tibi, slammed the statements of Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister,
Danny Ayalon, who called for swapping areas inhibited by the Arab
population in Israel with settlements. Tibi stated that the Arabs are
the natives of the country and are not immigrants.
Gaza
Power Plant To Cease Functioning Due to Israel’s Siege
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Sunday February 14, 2010 - 00:51, The Energy Authority in
the Gaza Strip reported Saturday that Gaza’s sole power plant will case
functioning in a matter of hours due to the ongoing Israeli blockade,
preventing basic supplies including fuel needed to run the generators,
from entering Gaza.
Medical
Aid Convoy Makes It Into Gaza
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 13, 2010 - 23:22, The Arab Physicians
Union’s Committee of Relief and Emergency in Egypt stated Saturday that
a convoy filled with medical aid, estimated by 2.5 Million USD, made it
into the besieged Gaza Strip.
Clinton:
“Blair and Mitchell To Intensify Efforts To Resume Middle East Talks”
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 13, 2010 - 01:12, U.S. Secretary-of
State, Hilary Clinton, stated Friday that U.S. Middle East Peace Envoy,
George Mitchell, and Middle East Envoy, Tony Blair, will intensify
their efforts to ensure the resumption of the stalled peace talks
between Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinian
Man Killed By Israeli Fire In Hebron
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Saturday February 13, 2010 - 00:55, Palestinian medical
sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that
a Palestinian man, 41, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers on
Friday evening in Bab Al Zawiya area, in the center of the city.
Two
Injured at the Weekly Bil’in Protest
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 18:22, A journalist and a
villager were injured by Israeli fire when troops attacked the weekly
anti-wall protest at the village of Bil’in, central West Bank.
The
Israeli military detains two civilians at the Nil‘in weekly protest
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 18:21, A Palestinian teen and
an Israeli supporter were detained by Israeli soldiers during an
anti-wall protest at the village of Nil’in near the central West Bank
city of Ramallah.
Israeli
Troops Attack Protester Near Bethlehem
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 18:19, Israeli soldiers
attacked anti-wall protesters on Friday near the southern West Bank
city of Bethlehem using tear gas and sound bombs.
250
Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Grab
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 17:10, Following the beginning
of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military
base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers
gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the
land, planting 250 olive trees.
Army
Bombards Al Maghazi Refugee Camp in Gaza
IMEMC
13 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 12:09, Palestinian sources
reported that the Israeli army bombarded on Friday morning an area east
of the Al Maghazi refugee camp, in the central district of the Gaza
Strip.
Authorities:
Gaza Power Plant to cease functioning within hours
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's sole power plant will cease to function within
hours, the Gaza Energy Authority said on Saturday. In a statement, the
Energy Authority reported that one generator had already been shut down
and the remaining amount of fuel in the Strip was only sufficient to
continue the plant's electricity output for a few hours, putting
shut-down at just after sunset. The power plant's output decreased to
30 megawatts from more than 60 last week, the statement said, noting
Gaza will experience blackouts as a result of an energy deficit of 50%,
authorities added. The announcement of an immanent power outage is the
second in two weeks, with an announcement of closure on 4 February,
prompting an emergency delivery of fuel on the following Friday, when
Gaza crossings are frequently shut. A generator was shut down on 6
February, but then re-started later in the week.
Rafah
crossing closed for 40 days, 267 people stranded
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto border crossing administration said 267
people remain stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, most
of whom are patients, a statement said on Saturday. "The [Rafah]
crossing remained closed in both directions for the last 40 days until
recently. . . 40 of those who recently travelled were coordinated, in
addition to an UNRWA delegation which was allowed to exit," the
statement said. Additionally, the administration said the Erez crossing
into Israel has been partially functioning over the past week, with a
total of 696 people leaving Gaza, among them 464 residents, 188
international passport holders and 45 from Israel. The number of people
entering the Strip via Erez was 703, 201 of whom were internationals
and 48 from Israel. As for the Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza's southern
border, the Gaza administration said that between 4 February. . .
Peace
activists rally in Shiekh Jarrah
2/13/2010
- Jerusalem - Ma'an - Dozens of peace activists from around the world
joined Palestinian residents in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of
Sheikh Jarrah and rallied on Friday, denouncing the Israeli policy of
confiscating Palestinian homes provided with a cover of the government.
"Jerusalem will not be as easy for you as Hebron," and "No to settler
terrorism in Sheikh Jarrah," the signs of protesters read, marched
around in Arabic, English and Hebrew in the face of dozens of Israeli
border guards. Circling the activists, Israeli border guards filmed the
participants and prevented residents from accessing their homes on the
Al-Ghawi family road, while blocking off the protest tent. Several of
the demonstrators began a sit-in at the Hanun family home, taken over
by a settler group last year. There were no reports of injuries or
detentions, despite high tensions.
PSP:
5 international activists suffer tear-gas inhalation
2/13/2010
- Hebron - Ma'an - Five international activists suffered tear-gas
inhilation as they assisted Palestinian farmers tend to their trees on
Saturday in the village of Saffa, north of Hebron, the
Palestinian-founded popular resistance organization the Palestine
Solidarity Project said. PSP spokesman, Mohammad Awad said "Israeli
authorities prevented 70 peace activists who came to show solidarity
with the farmers and forced them to return, escorted by an Israeli
patrol. " Awad added that while a number of activists were able to
reach the village, Israeli soldiers prevented farmers and activists
from reaching all the land by declaring a closed military zone. The
spokesman added that Israeli forces made use of sound bombs and
tear-gas canisters to deter the activists. The five injured were
treated at the scene, he said. The spokesman added that the attempt to
access the land was undertaken. . .
Rights
orgs call Goldstone implementation ’challenge to UN system’
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - A group of 18 rights groups sent a letter to the
UN General Assembly expressing "concerns about the effectiveness of the
endeavors undertaken" in order to ensure the allegations brought up in
the Goldstone report are justly considered. The letter, made public
Thursday, follows what rights organizations said was a disappointing
response from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to the progress reports
handed over to the UN by the Israeli and Palestinian governments. The
group of 18 Palestinian, Israeli and international organizations said
they were "concerned that the investigations were not 'independent,
credible and in conformity with international standards [required for]
serious violations of international humanitarian and international
human rights law', as requested by the General Assembly resolution
adopted on 5 November 2009. "
Ayalon
proposes Palestinian population transfer
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A peace deal could include a population
swap in addition to a land swap, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny
Ayalon said told the London-based Arabic daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat on
Saturday. An alternative, put forward by Ayalon would see the transfer
the Palestinian minority in Israel with citizenship, as well towns and
villages still populated with significant numbers of Palestinians in
the north, in exchange for sovereignty over Israeli settlement blocs in
the West Bank, the daily reported. This swap would not include
Nazareth, he said. "I am talking about land that has territorial
contiguity. . . We don't want to get into surgical operations at this
stage, but what is important is that the acceptance of this idea will
give Jews a message of goodwill toward peace, since a majority of Jews
will live in Israel and a majority of Palestinians will live in
Palestine," he told the daily.
Egyptian
navy arrests 4 Palestinian fishermen off Rafah’s shore
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Egyptian naval forces arrested four Palestinian
fishermen Friday night, trawling for a late night catch on the Gaza
shore south of Rafah, witnesses said. The men were taken to an unknown
location and remain out of contact with family, sources confirmed.
Witnesses identified the men taken as Khalid Al- Hesi, Marwan
Al-Se'eidi, Khader Murad and Fathi Ar-Reba'i. The reasons behind their
detentions remain unclear. [end]
2.5
years after Supreme Court order, Israel moves wall
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Infrastructure work began last week to reroute
the path of Israel's separation wall on lands of Bil'in village, in
accordance with an Israeli Supreme Court decision made two and a half
years ago, local activists announced. "The Supreme Court had already
ruled this should happen almost three years ago and it should not have
taken so long. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the only
reason that this is finally happening now are the five years of
persistent struggle and the scarifies the people of my village have
made," Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator of the West Bank-wide Popular
Struggle Coordination Committee and a member of the the Bil'in Popular
Committee, said in a statement. Construction of the wall in the village
started in February 2005, shortly after which Bil'in residents
organized weekly popular protests against the barrier, which cut off
hundreds of dunums of agricultural land from the village.
Report:
Projectile lands in western Negev, no injuries
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel Radio reported a projectile landing in
western the Negev late on Friday, with no injuries or structural
damages. The report said the projectile was launched from Gaza, but no
Palestinian faction operating in the Strip claimed the attack. On
Friday morning Israeli forces aimed artillery fire at a group of what a
spokesman called "armed men detonating an explosive device" near the
border wall, and fired in their direction. The Israeli daily Haaretz
reported two men were killed in the attack but the report remained
unconfirmed as of Saturday. On Thursday, one Gaza man was killed and
another injured in an Israeli airstrike that followed an early morning
exchange of fire between an unknown militant group and Israeli forces.
The Israeli fire injured three girls on their way to school.
DC:
Blair-Mitchell cooperation to join economic, political threads
2/14/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Assistant White House Secretary Philip Crowley
gave details around the announced increased cooperation between US
Middle East Envoy George Mitchell and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair at a
Washington briefing on Friday. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
announced the two would be working closely in a statement Thursday,
noting a focus on support for the Palestinian economy over an earlier
push to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestine Liberation
Organization under President Mahmoud Abbas. Reporters in DC asked for
clarification around the revised roles of the two envoys, and were told
that cooperation was an effort to "put every thread into a tapestry
that is able to support and advance Middle East peace. The new program
will apparently see increased cooperation between Blair, whose
portfolio consists mostly of economic support for Palestine and
ensuring. . . .
Gaza
official sends EU parliament open letter
2/13/2010
- The Honorable Jersey Buzek, President of the European Parliament -
Dear President Buzek: Please accept a belated congratulation on your
election as president of the European Parliament. In our faith-based
tradition the weighty task of holding public office is considered a
trust and a responsibility. In that vein we duly registered your pledge
to make human rights a priority during your term of office. As a number
of your colleagues have embarked on an historical visit to the Gaza
Strip we trust that they will fully report to you the destruction
wrought upon the Strip and the humanitarian affects on the people of
Gaza. With the progression of contemporary geo-political order human
rights are basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.
The doctrine of human rights aims for a "universal" minimal standard of
justice, tolerance and human. . .
Abbas
lashes out at ’Israeli attacks’ against him
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - "When Israel wants to defame someone or some
party, they launch accusations against him from all directions,"
President Mahmoud Abbas told a Dubai satellite channel Friday. While
speaking on the issue of resuming peace talks under the auspices of an
American plan, Abbas referred to "Israel's attack" on him via a media
interest in hundreds of leaked document and a sex tape allegedly used
in a corruption scandal involving land sales of Palestinian property to
Zionist Israelis. Abbas added that the attacks were not all in relation
to the corruption files, noting the Israeli newspaper Israel Today
quoted Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landao last week saying,
"There is no difference between former Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat, and president Abbas since both had the same goal of destroying
Israel. "
Police:
Allenby traffic down over last week
2/13/2010
- Jericho - Ma'an - Numbers of travelers entering and leaving the West
Bank last week were down slightly over the previous week, with 6,474
entering and 8,099 leaving, a police report said. The numbers,
down1,290 and 1,312 respectively, included lower numbers of
internationals and Israeli ID holders passing the Allenby Bridge border
as well. Last week 54 (previously 73) internationals and 20 Israeli ID
card holders left, and55 (76) internationals and 20 (58) men and women
with Israeli ID cards entered. Of those exiting the West Bank,
Palestinian security forces arrested 13 men they said were fugitives
last week, attempting to escape to Jordan, the report said. Most of the
men were allegedly wanted by the attorney general for fraud cases
already filed in Palestinain courts.
Fayyad:
PA committed to settlement produce ban
2/13/2010
- Tulkarem - Ma'an -Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad spoke of the
Palestinian Authority (PA)'s enforcement of a ban on settlement goods
in the Palestinian market during an opening speech at a conference on
the settlement issue in Tulkarem. The Saturday conference, hosted by
Al-Quds Open University, was titled "Settlements: Either bridges of
peace and economic development or the destruction of people and the
environment. "The Ramallah-based government is following up with
countries committed to the Hague's decision on the illegality of
Israeli settlements in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention,
Fayyad told conference goers, adding that the PA placed great
importance on working to replace settlement goods in the global market.
Fayyad further said the PA is strengthening cooperation and partnership
in the private sector to advance Palestinian economy.
Palestinian
group rejects peace talks until references are clarified
2/13/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - A group of prominent Palestinian academics and
personalities have organized a campaign calling for the rejection of
resuming peace talks until appropriate terms of reference are put
forward, and national reconciliation is achieved, a statement issued on
Saturday read. "Outside pressures, particularly from the US, and Israel
are escalating to leading the Palestine Liberation Organization toward
resuming negotiations with Israel without obliging it to define clear
terms of reference and a settlement freeze. " "We see the resumption of
talks under the current situation as a danger to the Palestinian cause.
. . Resuming these negotiations, directly or indirectly, on any level,
will provide a cover for the policies of the Israeli occupation in
Jerusalem, settlement expansion and the construction of the wall. This
will create cantons and ghettos in the West Bank, while the tightening
siege continues to be imposed on Gaza. "
Medical
convoy worth $2.5 million enters Gaza via Rafah
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - The Union of Arab Doctors announced that a medical
convoy transporting 2. 5 million US dollars worth of medical aid
entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing on Saturday. The convoy consists of
medicine for cancer and heart patients, 20,000 of fabric for operating
rooms and equipment and supplies for heart surgeries. Muhammad
Al-Majdalawi, UAD manager, said"the Egyptian authorities allowed the
convoy into Gaza through Rafah. The convoy was sent by the Emergency
Relief Committee in the Federation of Arab doctors in Egypt.
"Al-Majdalawi said that the medical convoy is the largest Gaza has seen
since Israel's war on the costal enclave in 2009. [end]
Al-Aqsa
TV yet to air PA sex scandal tape
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV has yet to air a
videotape Israeli Channel 10 TV released Tuesday, which allegedly
reveals Palestinian Authority corruption in a sex scandal tape. On
Thursday, Fatah official in charge of Jerusalem affairs Hatim Abdul
Qader was quoted praising de facto government Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh for his decision not to air the videotape, though it was not
clear whether the decision to avoid airing the clip came directly from
the Hamas leader. Israel News One said the alleged ban was a result of
Hamas officials trying to avoid the appearance of cooperating with
Israeli media. The clip reportedly shows a PA sting operation where
head of the president's office Rafik Al-Husseini propositions a job
applicant for sex in a Ramallah hotel room. The footage was provided by
Fahmi Shabana, the former head of the PA's anti-corruption department.
Hamas
to honor Al-Mabhouh in public ceremony
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - A ceremony to honor Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, co-founder of
Hamas' Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, allegedly assassinated by Israeli
intelligence agents in Dubai last month, will be held in Gaza city
shortly, officials announced Saturday. The ceremony will take the form
of an A'had Ar-Rijal, or a pledge of committment to the men of the
party, where the party's community will celebrate the acts of
Al-Mahbbouh, including the kidnapping and slaying of Israeli soldier
Avi Sasportasin the 1980s, officials said, adding they would be
"honoring Al-Mahbbouh's blood. "The Hamas member died in Dubai in
January, with Hamas officials saying he was assassinated by Israeli
Mossad agents, and Israeli media alleging he was killed by agents in
the arms dealing ring he was allegedly part of. . . . .
Hamas:
Affiliates, Islamic Jihad members detained by PA
2/13/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Security officers with the Palestinian Authority
detained two West Bank residents from Qabatiya village in the northern
West Bank on Friday night, Hamas officials said, adding that the men
were targeted for their political affiliation. One of the men was
affiliated with Hamas, a party statement said, while the second was a
member of the Islamic Jihad. Hamas officials regularly report the
detention of members by West Bank government police, accusing officials
of targeting the party's supporters because of an ongoing rivalry
between the Fatah-run West Bank government and the Gaza-based
Hamas-lead governments. [end]
Hamas
organizes rallies in Gaza for Jerusalem
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas organized a number of rallies in the Al-Breiji
and An-Nusseirat Refugee Camps to protest Israeli violations in
occupied East Jerusalem, the group said Saturday. Hamas supporters and
leaders participated, in addition to members of the Palestinian
Legislative Council, calling for an end to Israeli policies across
Jerusalem, and in particular at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Yousef
Farahat, Hamas spokesman, said "Jerusalem is being brutally abused and
violated by Israel," and called on all institutions and Arab countries
to bring an end to attempts to Judaize Jerusalem. . . . .
Palestinian
student senates threaten action over transfer of grants
2/13/2010
- Nablus - Ma'an - The Union of Student Senates in Palestinian
universities will take steps to ensure the closure of West Bank
universities if demands for the retention of student grants, rather
than a transition of loans, are not met by the Ministry of Education.
Makram Daraghmeh, president of the An-Najjah University in Nablus'
student senate and spokesman for the USS in the West Bank, said
Saturday that a decision on action undertaken by student senates in the
West Bank will be announced in the coming days "because of the failure
to transfer the outstanding amount of grants to Palestinian university
students. "Daraghmeh said the Ministry of Education had failed to
address the issue since December 2009. The grant money, which is paid
by the ministry, is provided to students from lower-income families.
However, Daraghmeh said the ministry is considering changing the status
of the grant into a loan, placing students in debt.
5
factions call on Hamas to sign Egyptian proposal
2/13/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinian factions called on Hamas to sign the
Egyptian reconciliation document during a meeting at the Popular
Struggle Front's Gaza headquarters on Saturday. The factions in
attendance included the Palestinian Liberation Front, Fida, the Arab
Liberation Front, the Palestinian-Arab Front and the Popular Struggle
Front. Members of the various factions demanded that Hamas sign the
proposal as it represents "a lifeline" for the Palestinian people.
Additionally the Palestinian factions discussed the latest political
developments including what affiliates termed the radicalization of the
Israeli-right wing government, working to Judaize Jerusalem through
settlement expansion. President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to return to
negotiations until a full settlement standstill is enforced and the
terms of reference are clearly identified was applauded.
PA
security confiscates 1 million ’sexual stimulant’ pills
2/13/2010
- Hebron - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority Preventative Security Services
in Hebron confiscated 1 million pills advertised as sexual stimulants,
worth an estimated 20 million Shekels, from a warehouse in the city.
According to the Ministry of Health, the pills originated from China
and entered the West Bank without a required permit from the ministry.
The warehouse raid followed a tip-off and was carried out in the
presence of prosecutor Ashraf Al-Qawasmi, the general manager of tax
and customs, Fawzi Abu Dayyah, and representatives of the Ministry of
Health. Khaled Seder, Ministry of Health manager in Hebron, said the
pills confiscated were unusual, a variety he has not encountered before
during his 28-year career as a doctor, he said. "These are not sexual
stimulants; they are poisons. Samples will be sent to the laboratory
for examination, to discover the chemical composition of. . . "
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Dan Halutz says Israel should not take it upon itself to be the flag-bearer of the West against Tehran.
Egypt official: Israel assassination policy inflaming entire Mideast
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - PA source to London Times: Other countries won't agree to turn into Israel-Palestinian killing field.
Gaza sources: Sole power plant to halt over Israel fuel blockade
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Ma'an report: Strip's officials appeal international groups, Arab nations to end ongoing electricity deficit.
IDF thwarts knife attack on soldier in Hebron
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinians: IDF kills two militants near Gaza; IDF soldiers on alert for Hamas kidnap attempts.
Hamas: Next war with Israel will be regional conflict
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Political leader Meshal accuses Israel of making threats against Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.
Is Israeli society strong enough to face the future?
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - At the base of Netanyahu's worldview is profound anxiety over Israel's fortitude in the face of external threats.
Hundreds attend funeral of IDF officer killed in West Bank Attack
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Ihad Khatib, stabbed to death by a member of PA security, laid to rest in Druze community of Maghar.
Shin Bet: We foiled Hamas attempt to abduct and kill Israeli soldier
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Israel arrested two Hamas men in Dec. who allegedly tried to murder soldier, perform terror attacks.
IDF says jihadi terrorist killed in Gaza air strike
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Air force targets terror squad allegedly planning attack near Karni humanitarian aid crossing.
Work starts to reroute West Bank security fence at Bil'in
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Newly routed barrier will hand 700,000 square meters of agricultural land back to Bil'in village.
Palestinian policeman who killed soldier 'had personal problems'
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Israel general suggests suicidal motive for Wednesday's stabbing in West Bank.
IDF twice raids Ramallah office of pro-Palestinian group
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Army confiscates computers, T-shirts and bracelets from International Solidarity Movement.
West Bank attack victim Ihab Khatib 'had a heart of gold'
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Family describes victim's enthusiasm for service in the IDF, his desire to contribute.
2/13/2010 - Al-Haq - Jointly with petitioners whose human rights have been violated and non-governmental human rights organisations, Al-Haq co-petitioned on 10 February 2010 a complaint sent to various experts of international human rights law within the United Nations, such as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the issue of destruction and desecration of an ancient Muslim cemetery by the Occupying Power. The Occupying Power has permitted the construction of a “Center for Human Dignity - Museum of Tolerance” on the holy site by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Undoubtedly, the construction of such a facility on a holy site violates the right to respect for freedom of religion and its manifestation, as well as the right to protection of cultural heritage and cultural property. Related: Full Petition (PDF)
Costco discontinues sale of Israeli beauty products
2/13/2010 - Palestine Note - Popular US wholesaler Costco has agreed to discontinue sale of Ahava Dead Sea Salt products, International Middle East Media Center reports. Israeli cosmetics company AHAVA manufactures its products on an illegal settlement, Mitzpe Shalem. Stolen Beauty has called for a boycott of Ahava products, citing Ahava's use of Palestinian resources is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Stolen Beauty is a campaign against Ahava products, supported by CODEPINK advocacy group. Excerpt: "AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories is an Israeli cosmetics company whose manufacturing plant is in an illegal settlement on Palestinian land. The settlement, Mitzpe Shalem, was built near the shores of the Dead Sea in 1970. Activists with the Stolen Beauty campaign argue that Ahava’s use of Palestinian natural resources from the Dead Sea is patently illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention. . . "Related: IMEMC: US Store discontinues Ahava dead sea products after boycott call
VIDEO - 'Settlements' in Palestine and how they happen
2/9/2010 - Axis of Logic - Anne Baltzer - Apartheid – Israel Builds Racist Colonies On Stolen Palestinian Land & US Taxpayers Pay For It. "Apartheid – Israel Builds Racist Colonies On Stolen Palestinian Land & US Taxpayers Pay For It. [end]"
ACTION ALERTS! Muslim students threatened with expulsion, and more
2/11/2010 - Anna In Palestine - Dear friends, There's been a lot going on lately. Here's just a sampling. I'll be sending my Spring Tour schedule very soon. . . MSU STUDENTS ARRESTED AT UCI: On Monday, eleven members of the Muslim Student Union at the University of California at Irvine were arrested after repeatedly interrupting a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren co-sponsored by the UCI Law School and Political Science Department. Following the disruption, the students were arrested and are now being threatened with punishment as severe as expulsion. Watch a short clip of the event at www. democracynow. org/2010/2/9/headlines (skip to minute 10:25). Towards the end you'll see an angry man announcing to each one, "You are failing your exams. "You can read why they chose to interrupt Mr. Oren [link follows]. Please write UCI Chancellor Michael Drake (chancellor@uci. edu) and the Dean of Students (deanstu@uci. edu), who will be determining the punishment. Here are some important points to bring up:. . . .
Israel reroutes separation barrier at Bilin
2/12/2010 - Palestine Note - Acting on a two-and-a-half-year old court rulling, Israel has begun the process of rerouting the separation wall near Bilin, a village in the West Bank, Al-Jazeera English reports. The awarded concession effectively freezes building in the neighboring Israeli settlement Modiin Ilit. Work on the project began Thursday, and once the new section is built, the original section will come down, returning roughly 700,000 square meters to Bilin. The appeal to the Israeli courts changing the route of the wall came from Palestinians who insist the wall cuts them off from arable farmland. Excerpt: "It's a small victory," Mohammad Khatip, an anti-wall activist, told Al Jazeera. "We win a round of the game but we didn't win the game yet so we will continue in our struggle. . . to dismantle this wall and this settlement," he said, referring to the Jewish settlement of Modiin Ilit which lies on the other side of the barrier. . . Related: Aljazeera: Israel acts on West Bank wall order
Israel is accused of waging covert war across the Middle East
2/13/2010 - Times of London - Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign across the Middle East in an effort to stop its key enemies co-ordinating their activities. Israeli agents have been targeting meetings between members of Hamas and the leadership of the militant Hezbollah group, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They are also suspected of recent killings in Dubai, Damascus and Beirut. While Israel’s Mossad spy agency has been suspected of staging assassinations across the world since the 1970s, it does not officially acknowledge or admit its activities. The current spate of killings began in December when a “tourist bus” carrying Iranian officials and Hamas members exploded outside Damascus. The official report by Syria claimed that a tyre had exploded but photographs surfaced showing the charred remains of the vehicle — prompting speculation that a much larger explosion had taken place.
British MP tells Allston audience its time end to Gaza Strip blockade
2/5/2010 - Axis of Logic - Allston/Brighton TAB - Alston, MA - George Galloway slammed the collective punishment Israel imposed on Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip during a speech on Monday night at the Palestinian Cultural Center of Peace in Allston. Galloway, who is a member of the British Parliament, was the featured speaker at a benefit for Viva Palestina. Israel began the blockade of Gaza to punish citizens for the way they voted in a democratic election, said the MP. Supporters calling for an end to the blockade gathered at the Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace to listen to Galloway, the founder of Viva Palestina, a charity that aims to break the siege of Gaza by bringing convoys of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Galloway is no stranger to controversy. In 2005, he defended himself in the United States Senate from accusations of profiting from Iraqi oil sales.
Gaza: BBC Takes Obama To The Streets
2/11/2010 - Palestine Note - BBC has raised banners across Gaza asking Palestinians, "[After] one year of Obama. . . What has changed? ""[After] one year of Obama. . . What has changed? " The BBC has raised this question 430 times in banners featuring U. S. President Barack Obama in key locations across Gaza. The banners confront Gazans on morning and evening commutes, and as a result Obama has become the talk of the town. Gaza’s BBC correspondent Shohdy Al-Kashef explains the banners are part of an ad campaign for a recent a BBC Arabic-language program, and the Obama banners have gone up in cities across the Palestinian territories. The BBC called on Palestinians to interact with the program, especially asking for comments about the Obama presidency one year later, via text and interactive internet forum. . . . . I did not find any positive response to the Obama presidency.
Lib Dem frontbencher Jenny Tonge sacked over call for Israeli soldier inquiry
2/13/2010 - The Guardian - Nick Clegg asks health spokesperson to step down after she called for inquiry into organ-trafficking allegations in Haiti - The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, has sacked his health spokeswoman in the House of Lords after she called for an inquiry into allegations that Israeli soldiers were involved in organ trafficking in Haiti. Clegg described Baroness Jenny Tonge's remarks about Israeli troops sent to the earthquake-stricken country as "wrong, distasteful and provocative". It is the second time Tonge has been fired as a Liberal Democrat frontbencher for making controversial comments about Israel. The latest row followed accusations in the online Palestine Telegraph - of which she is a patron - that members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had been harvesting body parts in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.
Gilani likens Kashmir to Palestine
2/13/2010 - The Indian Express - Islamabad - Equating the Kashmir issue with the Palestine problem, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has claimed that peace will remain elusive in South Asia and the Middle East unless these matters are resolved. Gilani made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here last evening. The resolution of the Palestine issue "finds resonance in the just and peaceful struggle of Kashmiri people for self-determination," Gilani claimed. " People of Palestine and. . . Kashmir are fighting for their just right of self-determination," he said. Gilani assured Abbas that Pakistan will continue to have a principled stance of absolute support to Palestinian people for their right to self-determination and a sovereign state. Pakistan wants the total withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, stoppage of all measures like construction. . . .
Lee presidential office: ’Korea supports Fatah’
2/11/2010 - Palestine Note - After arriving in South Korea Wednesday, PA President Mahmoud Abbas and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak discussed the stalled peace process and Palestine's future, reports JoonAng Daily. South Korea recognizes the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate governing body of the Palestinian territories, but it does not recognize Palestine as a "sovereign nation. "Though consistently neutral in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a presidential official gave a surprisingly partisan statement, saying: “The Korean government supports Fatah, which maintains a peaceful and moderate line. Abbas had won the presidency on the Fatah ticket, and his trip to Korea is to seek the Lee administration’s backing for the Middle East peace negotiations as well as internal conflicts against Hamas. ” Excerpt: At the meeting, Lee expressed hope that peace talks between Palestine and Israel will resume soon. . . . Related: JoonAng Daily: More aid to rebuild Palestine offered
Husseini’s turn: PA sex scandal continues
2/12/2010 - Palestine Note - Abbas chief of staff Rafiq al-Husseini, accused of sexual misconduct by former PA intelligence officer Fahmi Shabaneh, will be on Palestinian TV's "All in the Open" Friday to respond to the allegations aired against him on Israeli channel 12 earlier this week, says a report from the International Middle East Media Center. The Palestinian Authority continues their line that these allegations are an Israeli ruse aimed at discrediting the Abbas government. Excerpt: "Nimir Hammad, political advisor to president Mahmoud Abbas, told the Palestine Radio that Al Husseini will present details on the issue and the accusations made by Fahmi Shabana, an official at the Palestinian General Intelligence Service. Hammad said that this issue is a campaign targeting the credibility of President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (P. A). . . . "Related: IMEMC: Dr. Husseini On TV To Talk About “Scandal Report” Targeting Him
Ayalon
proposes Palestinian population transfer
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - A peace deal could include a population swap in
addition to a land swap, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon
said told the London-based Arabic daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.
An alternative, put forward by Ayalon would see the transfer the
Palestinian minority in Israel with citizenship, as well towns and
villages still populated with significant...
Bosnia
and Clinton’s Radical Islamists
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - In all wars you have distortions and of course no
single ethnic group or religious group is immune from slaughtering
others during times of war. Yet the wars in the former Yugoslavia were
distorted to the point of national shame, and this national shame
applies to so-called democratic leaders, like former US President Bill
Clinton, and...
Rafah
crossing closed for 40 days, 267 people stranded
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 – The de facto border crossing administration said
267 people remain stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing,
most of whom are patients, a statement said on Saturday. "The [Rafah]
crossing remained closed in both directions for the last 40 days until
recently ... 40 of those who recently travelled were coordinated, in
addition to an...
Gaza:
Life in the "Buffer Zone"
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - The Israelis call it the "buffer zone." Gazan NGOs
often call it the "hot zone." But to the Palestinians who live near
this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and
Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a
decent living by raising wheat and olives. That...
The
new McCarthyism sweeping Israel
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - It's hard, sitting on the other side of the office
table from which Naomi Chazan is picking at her modest hummus and salad
snack lunch, to believe that the amiable 63-year-old university
professor with a self-deprecating sense of humour has suddenly become
the most discussed, not to say demonised, woman in Israel. Ms Chazan is
president...
Israel
is accused of waging covert war across the Middle East
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign
across the Middle East in an effort to stop its key enemies
co-ordinating their activities. Israeli agents have been targeting
meetings between members of Hamas and the leadership of the militant
Hezbollah group, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They are also
suspected of recent killings in Dubai, Damascus and...
The
Wiesenthal Center
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - The Wiesenthal Center is notorious for its
pro-Israeli propaganda. It publishes flagrant lies, exaggerations and
half-truths which are often presented as "academic and objective
facts." However, in truth, many of these findings are actually
fabrications. This recently came to light with the publication, in June
2009, of Hunting Evil, by British Author Guy Walters, in which...
Authorities:
Gaza Power Plant to cease functioning within hours
Uruknet
February 13, 2010 - Gaza's sole power plant will cease to function
within hours, the Gaza Energy Authority said on Saturday. In a
statement, the Energy Authority reported that one generator had already
been shut down and the remaining amount of fuel in the Strip was only
sufficient to continue the plant's electricity output for a few hours,
putting shut-down...
Israeli
soldiers kill Palestinian in cold blood in Al-Khalil
Uruknet
February 13, 2001 -- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed in cold
blood on Friday evening a Palestinian citizen from Al-Khalil city,
south of the West Bank, alleging that he tried to stab one of their
soldiers. Medical sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC)
that Fayez Faraj, 41, was shot dead without warning by Israeli soldiers
during his presence...
Mum's
the word on Gaza probe Is the UN preparing to bury the damning findings
of the Goldstone Report on Israel's Gaza assault of one year ago?
Uruknet
February 12, 2010 - Critics are accusing the UN of stalling legal
action against Israel after an independent fact finding mission accused
Israel of possibly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in
its December 2008 to January 2009 assault on Gaza. Dubbed after the
name of the head of the mission, the 575-page long Goldstone Report
submitted to the...
Why
is the PA so reticent about Shabaneh's revelations?
Uruknet
February 12, 2010 - Sexual and financial corruption is "rampant"
throughout the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to Fahmi Shabaneh.
The former PA intelligence official has made these grave allegations in
an interview in the Jerusalem Post, and again on Israeli TV Channel 10.
The leadership, claims Shabaneh, knows about this but is doing nothing
about it. Such revelations appear to...
Losing
patience with squabbling '2-rump' Palestine
Uruknet
February 12, 2010 - ...It is obvious that Fatah must face down threats
from the US, forge unity with Hamas and agree clear objectives based on
what has already been set out in UN resolutions and international law.
Both camps need to behave impeccably, hold new elections instead of
overstaying their term, and co-operate if they are to earn respect...
West Bank, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Twenty Palestinians, including six journalists, were wounded this week, while dozens were arrested in the West Bank's Sha'fat refugee camp, said the Ramallah-based UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Palestinian territories in its weekly report on Saturday. The report said that Israelis established a new settlement in...
Palestinian police officer arrested for allegedly stabbing Israeli soldier
West Bank, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A Palestinian police officer has been arrested after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier, who subsequently died. Israeli army Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), Sergeant 1st class Ihab Chattib (pictured) was killed Wednesday when a Palestinian man approached the soldier who was sitting in his car at Tapuach Junction, just south of Nablus. Chattib, who...
Israel abducts more than 150 Palestinians in 2 days
West Bank, 13 February, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- The Palestinian Ministry of Detainee Affairs said that the occupation authorities have stepped up recently abductions of Palestinians from various parts of the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, where more than 150 residents were abducted during the past two days. Riyad Al-Ashqar, director of the information department in the ministry, said...
Egyptian soldiers shoot Palestinian fishermen
Gaza, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Four Palestinian fishermen were shot at then kidnapped Friday afternoon by Egyptian security forces off the Gaza coast, Palestinian sources reported. The sources confirmed that the Egyptian soldiers opened fire at the Palestinian fishermen while they were fishing and then kidnapped them. They kidnapped Khaled Al-Hams, Mirwan Al-Saidy, Khader Morad and Fathi Al-Rabai,...
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in Hebron
Hebron, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 41-year-old Palestinian resident of Hebron in the West Bank on Friday afternoon. Fayez Farraj was critically wounded after Israeli soldiers opened fire at him in the neighborhood of Bab el- Zawya in the old city of Hebron. He died in a hospital a few hours later. The Israeli...
Archaeologists Uncover Byzantine-era Jerusalem Street
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Archaeologists digging under a busy Jerusalem crossroads have unearthed a section of a stone street from Byzantine times, thus confirming the city's depiction in a 6th century mosaic map. Digging up a busy city crossroad isn't...
Lebanon Marks Fifth Anniversary of Hariri Assassination
The Media Line 10 Feb 2010 - Tensions in Lebanon are running high as the country prepares to remember its former Prime Minister. The 14th of February will mark five years since the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In 2005...
AlJazeera 12 Feb 2010 - White House expresses doubt over claim that Iran has achieved higher-level enrichment.
Israel acts on West Bank wall order
AlJazeera 12 Feb 2010 - Decision to reroute part of separation barrier near Bilin follows court ruling.
Not guilty plea in Egypt Copt trial
AlJazeera 13 Feb 2010 - Three men plead not guilty to charges of killing Coptic Christians in southern Egypt.
Alternative Information Center
Right to Return to the Middle EastAlternative Information Center 13 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, Many years ago, my friend Rachel showed me a photograph of a transit camp in the center of Israel and a picture of a refugee camp in Jordan, and asked me to...
Jerusalem Diaries Episode 34: Once Upon a Time... and Again in Oush Grab
Alternative Information Center 13 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Since the first days of February, Israeli soldiers and bulldozers have occupied the area of Oush Grab, Beit Sahour Municipality, in the Bethlehem district. The area, which was a former Israeli military...
2.5 Years after Israeli Supreme Court Order: Path of the Wall in Bil'in to Be Moved
Alternative Information Center 13 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Five years into anti-Wall struggle in Bil'in, Infrastructure work began yesterday to reroute the path of the barrier on the village's lands in accordance to an Israeli Supreme Court decision. Two and...
PNN 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinian protesters have added a colorful twist to demonstrations against Israel's separation barrier, painting themselves blue and posing as characters from the hit film Avatar. The demonstrators also donned long hair and loincloths Friday for the weekly protest against the barrier near the village of Bilin. The demonstrators compared their struggle with the Na'vi race portrayed in Avatar, who find themselves having...
British academics urge Elton John to cancel Israel concert
PNN 13 Feb 2010 - A group of British academics have called on singer Elton John to cancel his scheduled performance in Israel this June. Political or not political, when you stand up on that stage in Tel Aviv, you line yourself up with a racist state, the British Committee for Universities of Palestine wrote in an open letter to John on Monday. Do you want to...
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinian armed with knife dies after soldiers open fire; no troops hurt.
PM to focus on Iran in Moscow
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Netanyahu leaves for Russia as Mullen arrives for talks with Ashkenazi.
Ground forces to get satellite dishes
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - IDF to increase communications capabilities of infantry, armored brigades.
Senior J'lem prosecutor apologizes for bad-mouthing judges
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Capital's deputy district attorney was quoted by students as saying “a large number of judges in Israel are big asses."
Absentee ballot bill to be voted on
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Sunday's vote puts majority parties Likud and Israel Beiteinu at odds with Shas and Labor.
Iran to be focus of PM’s talks in Moscow, Mullen's visit
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - PM leaves for Russia on Sunday as US army chief arrives for talks with Ashkenazi.
'Israel waging secret war on terrorists'
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - UK paper: Arab diplomats "aware" that Israel continually targets Hamas, Hizbullah all across the Middle East.
'Population swap as part of peace'
Jeruslalem Post 13 Feb 2010 - Ayalon: Demand to freeze settlements is like demanding PA give up right of return.
Khamenei lauds rally, warns West
Jeruslalem Post 12 Feb 2010 - Enemies must abandon futile efforts to subjugate Iran, supreme leader warns.
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 5 (IPS) - Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel’s indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 - which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead - could be waiting in vain.
JORDAN: Palestinians Unfairly Stripped of Citizenship - Report
IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (IPS) - The Jordanian government should halt the arbitrary revocation of nationality from its citizens of Palestinian origin, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Monday.
MIDEAST: U.S. Non-Profit Targeted Rights Group over Goldstone
IPS WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (IPS) - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a U.S.-based progressive organisation that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and U.S. media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and non-governmental organisations in influencing...
MIDEAST: Gaza Energy Crisis Averted - For Now
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 9 (IPS) - Pressure exerted on the Palestinian Authority (PA) by international and regional officials has given Gazans a last minute reprieve, albeit temporary, from plunging into darkness and plummeting temperatures.
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
PCHR Release Genuinely Unwilling: Israel’s Investigations into Violations of International Law including Crimes Committed during the Offensive on the Gaza Strip, 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009PCHR 10 Feb 2010 - Ref : 15 / 2010 Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip, 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009, resulted in the killing of over 1,400 Palestinians, the overwhelming majority of whom (82%) were civilians. At least 5,300 Palestinians were also injured, and public and private property throughout the Gaza Strip was extensively targeted and destroyed. Investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and numerous other organisations, including the UN Board of Inquiry, the Independent Fact Finding Mission mandated by the League of Arab States, and the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (the Goldstone Mission), concluded that Israel committed numerous violations of international law, many of which give rise to individual criminal responsibility.
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
PCHR 10 Feb 2010 - Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilians during clashes in Shu'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem 04 – 10 February 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
International Solidarity Movement
250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Grab2/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - International Middle East Media Center, 12 February - Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees. The former military base at Osh Grab was abandoned by the Israeli military in April 2006, and part of the site was transformed into a public park and centre for the residents of Beit Sahour by the town's municipality. The land private land reverted to its original owners, including the sites worked on today. Part of the site has remained abandoned, though, as it falls inside of zone C, as designated by Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, also referred to as Oslo 2, signed in 1995. Part of the accords divided the land in the West Bank into 3 sections; areas A, B and C.
Israel clampdowns on non-violent protest
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Jonathan Cook, Middle East Online, 12 February - The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human-rights lawyers warn has become a wide-ranging clampdown by Israel on non-violent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists. The arrest of the two women during a nighttime raid on the Palestinian city of Ramallah has highlighted a new tactic by Israeli officials: using immigration police to try to deport foreign supporters of the Palestinian cause. A Czech woman was deported last month after she was seized from Ramallah by a special unit known as Oz, originally established to arrest migrant labourers working illegally inside Israel. Human rights lawyers say Israel's new offensive is intended to undermine a joint non-violent struggle by international activists and Palestinian villagers. . .
Ma’asara Demonstration Takes a New Route to Settler Road
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 12 February - Activists in Ma'asara village near Bethlehem changed their demonstration route today and marched to the "settler only" road outside the village. Once they reached Highway 60 the demonstration was surrounded by Israeli soldiers and the area was declared a closed military zone. Demonstrators were then besieged by tear gas as they made their way back to the village. Soldiers began following people into the village once the activists crossed the razor wire fence that the military uses to block the progress of weekly demonstrations. Many people suffered from tear gas inhalation at today's demonstration, and many children were terrified once the military invaded the village. At the beginning of 2010 the Israeli military began intensifying the level of violence used in their methods to repress non-violent demonstrations in villages opposing the apartheid wall and settlements.
VIDEO - Bil’in weekly demonstration reenacts the Avatar film
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Friends of Freedom and Justice, 12 February - The village of Bil'in reenacted James Cameron's new film Avatar during today's weekly demonstration. Five Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were painted blue, with pointy ears and tales, resembling the Avatar characters. Like Palestinians, the Avatars fight imperialism, although the colonizers have different origins. The Avatars' presence in Bil'in today symbolizes the united resistance to imperialism of all kinds. Today's non-violent demonstration was again met with excessive violence by the Israeli army. Sound bombs and tear gas were used, leaving four people directly injured by the canisters. The canisters were shot directly at the protesters, which is in violation with the IOF's firing regulations. Many other activists suffered from tear gas inhalation. Related: Palestinians dressed as the Na’vi from the film Avatar stage a protest against Israel’s separation barrier and YouTube: Bilin Reenacts Avatar Film
CNN: West Bank wall still triggers weekly protests in village
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - CNN, 12 February - Tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and rocks: It must be Friday afternoon in the West Bank village of Bil'in. It's billed as a nonviolent protest against what Israel calls its security barrier, what the Palestinians call the apartheid separation wall. The barrier separates the villagers from their farmlands. Protesters come from all over the world to support the Palestinian cause. A few Palestinian youths covering their faces with scarves throw stones at a couple dozen Israeli soldiers in full riot gear and armed with tear gas, stun grenades and bullets. The protest soon degenerates into chaos as it has nearly every week for the past five years. Six protesters have been killed in Bil'in and the neighboring village of Na'alin since July 2008, according to the Palestinian group, Popular Struggle, one of several organizers of the weekly protests.
Peaceful Protest in Al Masara Halted
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM, 12 February - Peaceful Protest in Al Masara Halted with Tear Gas and Sound Bombs - Yesterday around 1pm, a peaceful demonstration at Al Masara was stopped by the Israeli army when tear gas and sound bombs wereunexpectedly thrown into the crowd. The protest comprised of around 20 Palestinians, 8 internationals and 7 Israeli activists. Three mini busses of approximately 75 Palestinians from neighboring villages were stopped at a nearbycheckpoint and prohibited from attending the protest. Palestinian demonstrators at this protest werecompletely nonviolent, both verbally and physically. The crowd at once obeyed theorders from the commander of the army to move off the spontaneously demarcatedclosed military zone. The first tear gas was fired soon after two youths waved Palestinian flags in front of a military vehicle as the crowd was movingback according to the orders from the commander.
Collective Wall-Building Effort Baffles IOF in An-Nabi Salih
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM, 12 February - Israeli army and border police used tear gas, stungrenades, rubber- and plastic-coated bullets, live ammunition and "stinky water"to disperse close to 150 Palestinians who tried to reach their village wellin An-Nabi Salih. The villagers were accompanied by over 20 Israeli and international solidarity activists. Following mid-day prayers, protesters marched towards thewell and their agricultural lands but were immediately confronted with tear-gasand rubber-coated bullets. A group of 50 settlers from the neighboring settlement of Halamish watched as theIsraeli Occupation Forces attacked the Palestinians. In total, 14 protesters were injured, including one hit in the face with a tear gas canister. The march began in its usual fashion. Villagers, Israelis and internationals descended the hillside to attempt to plant olive trees in the settler-occupied land.
Almond Tree Planting Interrupted by IDF
2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM - Saturday morning around 9am, Palestinian residents of the Jubbet adh Dhib Village, south east of Bethlehem, were planting almond trees ontheir limited land when settlers from the nearby illegal outpost of Noqedim called the IDF to stop them from doing so. The soldiers arrived quickly, but didn't doanything before their commander arrived half an hour later with a paper stating that thearea was a closed military zone. Meanwhile, the settlers tried to herd theirgoats out on to the field, but the Palestinians verbally herded them back anddemanded that the soldiers tell the settlers to leave the area as well. Afteranother half an hour of discussion about who started the trouble and whose landthis is, the soldiers made the settlers go back to their road and thePalestinians proceeded back to their village as well.
India police: Pune bomb likely meant for Chabad House
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Explosion in Pune restaurant popular with foreigners near famed meditation center kills 9, wounds 53.
Israel to boost efforts to launch new Iran sanctions
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen to arrive in Israel Sunday for talks on Iranian nuclear program.
'If Mideast peace isn't realized now, it may never come'
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Senator John Kerry: Region cannot endure another generation growing up knowing only conflict.
Eight dead in suspected bomb attack near India Jewish center
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Four foreign women among the dead at a Pune restaurant, their nationality has not yet been made known.
Ex-IDF chief: Israel can't handle nuclear Iran alone
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Dan Halutz says Israel should not take it upon itself to be the flag-bearer of the West against Tehran.
Obama names Rashad Hussain as envoy to the Muslim world
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - In Cairo speech last June, the U.S. president called for a new beginning in ties with Muslim nations.
Neo-Nazis mark 1945 Dresden bombing with 'mourning' march
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - German extreme rightists have equated the 1945 Allied Forces' bombing of the German city to the Holocaust.
NATO attack on Afghanistan Taliban going 'without a hitch'
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - U.K. army spokesman: Efforts by British troops in south of country have thus far been successful.
Israeli rights group sues North Korea over 1972 terror attack
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Lawsuit alleges North Korea trained, funded terrorists that killed more than 20 at Ben-Gurion airport.
Ayalon touts population swap in peace deal
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Deputy FM says peace deal with Palestinians would maintain territorial, demographic integrity.
U.S. official: We want to boost ties with Syria
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Report: Syria has accepted nominee for the first U.S. ambassador to Damascus in five years.
Ultraconservative jihadists challenge Hamas rule in Gaza
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Groups known as Jihadi Salafis are inspired by al-Qaida but are not formally affiliated with it.
A day in the life of the Palestinian Ben-Gurion
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Salam Fayyad is one of the few people who wakes up in the morning to work to build a state for his people.
Danish artist: gold teeth used in Auschwitz work
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Sculptor bought teeth and fillings from Austrian who claimed they were from Nazi death camp.
The Guardian 12 Feb 2010 - Footage of naked Rafiq Husseini broadcast on Israeli TV Palestinian officials yesterday rallied around a top aide to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas amid other calls for him to step down after a video surfaced showing him...
Clean-shaven partners for peace | Yousef Munayyer
The Guardian 12 Feb 2010 - The west's endless attempt to find someone it can 'work with' leaves Palestinians without strong leadership After the failure of talks at Camp David in 2000, a new narrative about moving the peace process forward began...
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - People in Beit Sahur believe the Israeli settlers who claim that the Israel Defense Forces was responding to the settlers' pressure when it started erecting a new guard tower last week in the eastern part of this largely Christian West Bank town. Locals do not, however, accept the army's claim that the tower was added for professional, military reasons. The settlers vow to keep up the pressure - and Beit Sahur residents know all too well what they mean. In the last 18 months, settlers from the Gush Etzion area have been holding increasingly frequent protests against the "Arab construction" in Beit Sahur. ...
U.S. Army chief to visit Israel for talks on Iran, defense issues
Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Military is set to arrive in Israel on Sunday for a meeting with the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff to discuss the situation in Iran. ...
Dear Haredim, while you were sleeping, secular Jewish culture was thriving
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - A response to Aryeh Deri's claim that secular Judaism has given us education but no culture.
Israel upholds legality of Jews-only housing complex in Jaffa
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition this week against a decision to lease land in Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood for the exclusive use of members of the religious Zionist community. ...
While America shivered, Israelis spent the day at the beach
Ha'aretz 12 Feb 2010 - Summery weather has returned after a few weeks of rain and cold, with a spate of especially hot days in store beginning tomorrow. In some areas, the mercury will rise as high as 28 degrees, and in Tel Aviv, it will hit 29 on Monday. ...
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Department of Public Information, UN General Assembly
Pivotal Role of Each Permanent Status Issue Assessed as Starting Point For Talks, at Malta Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: UN Department of Public Information, UN General Assembly
Secretary-General Says 'Daunting Challenges' Remain in Shared Quest for Middle East Peace, in Message to Malta Meeting
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General
Israeli, Palestinian clashes erupt in Maghazi camp
Relief Web 12 Feb 2010 - Source: Kuwait News Agency
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - US military chief arriving in Israel Sunday, will discuss implications of Iran sanctions, other options with senior IDF officials; meanwhile, PM Netanyahu heading to Moscow in effort to boost Russian support for sanctions
Jaffa graffiti protests 'Jewish building'
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - Residents of Ajami neighborhood step up protest, spray slogans reading 'settlers be gone', 'Jaffa is not Hebron'. 'Local residents feel they are fighting for their home, council chairman says
Arab woman pours water on rightist MK
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - Elderly woman targets National Union's Michael Ben Ari in east Jerusalem, flees scene
Fayyad takes on settlement products
YNet News 13 Feb 2010 - PA prime minister calls for Palestinian, global ban on goods produced in settlements
10 Feb 2010 - Following the intervention of Yesh Din and B'Tselem, the Chief Military Police Officer announced that the Military Police will improve the treatment of Palestinians arriving in military courts in Israel to testify in trials of security forces charged wit
Stop The Wall13 Feb 2010 - February 8th, 2010, Late last night Occupation forces raided the Stop the Wall offices in Ramallah. Part of the mounting repression of the anti-Wall movement, this attack on the Campaign offices comes after arrests of Stop the Wall staff and an dramatically increasing number of grassroots activists struggling against the Wall.
Join the second Global BDS Day of Action!
Stop The Wall13 Feb 2010 - February 7th, 2010, The BDS National Committee (BNC) is calling on you to unite in your different capacities and struggles for a Global BDS Day of Action on 30 March 2010 in solidarity with the Palestinian people and for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 SANAA: Houthi rebels shot at an Interior Ministry official and killed a soldier in northern Yemen on Friday, violating a truce announced hours earlier. Sanaa and rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi agreed late on Thursday to a truce that began at midnight. The truce was welcomed on Friday by Iran, which has criticized Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the fighting on the government side.
US, France dismiss Iran claims on high-enrichment capability
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 The United States and France do not believe Iran’s claim that it is capable of enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, the White House spokesperson and France’s foreign minister said. On Friday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told Europe 1 radio that the “Americans don’t believe, not any more than us, that Iran is currently capable of enriching uranium to 80 percent.
Clinton: Blair to ‘intensify’ work on Middle East peace
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 WASHINGTON: Middle East envoy Tony Blair will “intensify” his work with US negotiator George Mitchell to broker peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. The former British premier represents the “Quartet” of Middle East negotiators made up of the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
Hamas conducts own probe into Dubai murder of commander
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 DUBAI: Hamas is conducting its own internal inquiry into the killing in Dubai last month of one of its top militants, the Palestinian Islamist group’s exiled head said in an interview published Friday. “We are carrying out an internal investigation, within our own procedures,” Khaled Meshaal, whose movement accuses Israeli agents of having assassinated Mahmud al-Mabhuh, told the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.
Khamenei lauds state rally, warns domestic, foreign foes
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader praised the mass turnout at the government-backed rally marking the 1979 Islamic Revolution and warned the West to stop putting obstacles in his country’s path, state Press TV reported Friday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei thanked the “tens of millions” across the country who celebrated Thursday’s anniversary, saying the turnout at rallies reflected the nation’s strength.
Al-Qaeda fuels security, criminal woes in Sahara states
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 DAKAR: Al-Qaeda’s Sahara wing has raised its profile with hostage-takings and cocaine smuggling, threatening already weak West African states with crippling criminality but not large-scale terror attacks. Revenues from ransoms and involvement in the drugs trade in countries like Mauritania, Mali and Niger are providing funds and could lure recruits.
Bill Clinton leaves NYC hospital after heart operation
Daily Star 13 Feb 2010 NEW YORK: Former President Bill Clinton has left the Manhattan hospital where he underwent a heart procedure, a close friend said Friday. Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe said on CBS’ “The Early Show” that Clinton had left New York Presbyterian Hospital. Clinton lives in Chappaqua, a hamlet about 55 kilometers north of New York City.
Palestinian Information Center
The Wiesenthal CenterPIC 13 Feb 2010 - There is no doubt that lying is the modus operandi at the Wiesenthal Center. In recent years, the center has spearheaded a campaign to build “a Museum of Tolerance” right on top of a Muslim cemetery.
Israeli policemen desecrate Aqsa Mosque
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Al-Quds media center revealed that the Israeli policemen deliberately desecrate the sanctity of the Aqsa Mosque and urinate in its different courtyards and areas especially at its gates.
Mishaal: We are ready for any honest, transparent elections
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal has asserted that Hamas was ready to contest any election in the Palestinian arena provided it is held in normal conditions, and must be honest.
Al-Qassam: Olmert’s confessions in his book disclosed Israel’s ugly face
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Al-Qassam Brigades said the confessions made by Ehud Olmert in his book about the experience of the war he waged on Gaza unveiled the ugly face of Israel and the disintegration of its leadership.
Homes of 32 Palestinian families in Jerusalem face the nightmare of demolition
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Jerusalem-based Jerusalemite Foundation for Community Development has confirmed that the IOA had notified 32 Palestinian families to vacate their homes before next week.
Occupation soldiers beat up youth, police raise alert at Akka beach
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Israeli occupation soldiers manning the Container road barrier east of occupied Jerusalem beat up a Palestinian youth on Friday night, local sources said.
Agriculture ministry condemns Egyptian arrest of Palestinian fishermen
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian agriculture ministry has expressed dismay at the Egyptian detention of four Palestinian fishermen in which it described as a "serious precedent".
Israel escalates its restrictions on pro-Palestinian activists
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Jason Koutsoukis, an Australian correspondent for the Age newspaper, said that Israel escalated its restrictions on foreign activists because of their role in exposing its violations of human rights.
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in cold blood in Al-Khalil
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed in cold blood on Friday evening a Palestinian citizen from Al-Khalil city, south of the West Bank, alleging that he tried to stab one of their soldiers.
Abu Zuhri: Let resistance retaliate
PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Dr. Sami Abu Zurhi has said that the escalating IOA aggression on the Palestinian people reflected its aggressive nature and necessitated unshackling resistance to retaliate to such escalation.
LA Times 14 Feb 2010 - Former inmates describe the horrors they endured during five days in Kahrizak prison in Tehran after their arrests during postelection unrest. "What is this place?" the guard shouted.
Was Kahrizak prison doctor a victim or villain?
LA Times 14 Feb 2010 - It may be impossible to know. The young Iranian doctor, Ramin Pourandarjani, was found poisoned late last year. During a visit to the Tehran military courthouse one day last fall, Hossein and Hamid spotted the doctor.
Pro-government demonstrators overshadow opposition in Iran
LA Times 12 Feb 2010 - Despite weeks of calls to action, protesters fail to derail a rally marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad gives a defiant keynote speech. A huge crowd of government supporters filled Tehran's Azadi Square on Thursday to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, overshadowing the smaller groups of nearby anti-government protesters confronted by plainclothes and uniformed security forces.
Israel begins rerouting West Bank barrier
LA Times 12 Feb 2010 - In the village of Bilin, Palestinians will regain 170 acres. Residents celebrate, but foes of the barrier say they'll continue to protest until it's completely gone. The Israeli military has begun rerouting a hotly disputed section of the West Bank security barrier, marking a victory for Palestinians who fought for five years to win back access to their land, officials said Thursday.
New York Times 13 Feb 2010 - More than two years after a Supreme Court ruling, Israel has started work to reroute its security barrier near Bilin, a Palestinian village in the West Bank.
U.S. Envoys Head Out on a Mission to Rally Iran’s Neighbors
New York Times 13 Feb 2010 - Tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions have forced visits by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other diplomats to Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Feb. 11: Updates on Demonstrations in Iran
New York Times 12 Feb 2010 - On Thursday, The Lede is tracking news of fresh protests in Iran posted online, as the country celebrates the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Peace Initiative by Israeli Soccer Fans Fails
New York Times 12 Feb 2010 - The coach of Egypt's national team told an Egyptian newspaper this week, "I'd rather die of hunger than entertain the possibility of coaching Israel."
Atomic Agency Views Iran’s Stepped-Up Enrichment of Uranium as a Violation
New York Times 12 Feb 2010 - An International Atomic Energy Agency report is likely to give the United States more evidence that Iran is not meeting commitments on its nuclear program.
World Briefing | Middle East: Airstrike Kills Palestinian Militant
New York Times 11 Feb 2010 - A Palestinian militant was killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike, according to Israeli officials.
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - Dexter Filkins, New York Times , yesterday from Afghanistan: And then, almost invariably, they [US and NATO troops] have cleared out, never leaving behind enough soldiers or police officers to hold the place on their own. And so, almost always, the Taliban returned — and, after a...
‘LA Times’ gives Wiesenthal Center a platform to spin falsehoods about Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - Yesterday, and somewhat shockingly, the Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece by Rabbi Martin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) defending the desecration of the Mamilla Cemetery in Jerusalem so that the SWC can build its "Center for Human Dignity– Museum of Tolerance" there....
Israel tracks the ‘delegitimizers’
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - The Reut institute, a Tel Aviv thinktank, has presented a report on the delegitimizers of Israel to the Israeli cabinet. Some of the language recalls the "loose coalition" language of Walt and Mearsheimer, accurately describing the Israel lobby. The Reut Institute was praised by Arianna Huffington...
New site defends Goldstone
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - It’s called Goldstone Facts , and is very attractive. Related posts: U.S. government publishes Goldstone hit that defends… apartheid Goldstone: ‘If Gaza isn’t collective punishment, what is?’ Goldstone commission sees evidence of ‘persecution’
Slater: ‘Times’ self-censorship on Israeli ‘catastrophe’ recalls mum on Holocaust
Mondoweiss - 13 Feb 2010 - Jerry Slater : The Bronner affair is but one example of the many ways in which in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Times fails to meet its most basic responsibilities as the world’s most influential newspaper: to fully and truthfully report on issues of the...
Right to Return to the Middle East
Alternative Information Center - 13 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, Many years ago, my friend Rachel showed me a photograph of a transit camp in the center of Israel and a picture of a refugee camp in Jordan, and asked me to distinguish between them. I couldn’t. The tents were the same...
Yes, We Objected to the War on Gaza
Alternative Information Center - 13 Feb 2010 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010, Despite the irresponsibility with which (Israeli reporter) Ben Caspit published the report of the radical right wing group Im Tirtzu, we wish to thank him for the exposure he provide to the opposition of citizens in Israel to “Operation Cast Lead.” Caspit...
Italian NGO Opposition to Statements Made by Italian PM Berlusconi in Israel
Alternative Information Center - 13 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Following the three-day visit last week (1-3 February) of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories, many voices of protest were raised against his declarations and unconditional support for Israeli government policy. On 9 February, Berlusconi's...
2.5 Years after Israeli Supreme Court Order: Path of the Wall in Bil'in to Be Moved
Alternative Information Center - 13 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Five years into anti-Wall struggle in Bil'in, Infrastructure work began yesterday to reroute the path of the barrier on the village's lands in accordance to an Israeli Supreme Court decision. Two and a half years after an Israeli Supreme Court decision deeming...
Jerusalem Diaries Episode 34: Once Upon a Time... and Again in Oush Grab
Alternative Information Center - 13 Feb 2010 - Thursday, 11 February 2010, Since the first days of February, Israeli soldiers and bulldozers have occupied the area of Oush Grab, Beit Sahour Municipality, in the Bethlehem district. The area, which was a former Israeli military base, was abandoned in 2006. In 2008 the Municipality of...
Articles
Sunset on the highway, not a day at the sea
JB, Ma’an News Agency 2/11/2010
I am a young Palestinian Christian woman in my early twenties. I was excited to receive my holiday travel permit, allowing me to visit lands occupied by the military in 1967, and Palestinian areas in Israel. Most other months of the year I am not allowed to go into Jerusalem, or to Yaffa or Haifa or Nazareth, because I am a Palestinian.
Mostly, Palestinian ID holders can only get permit for special cases like visiting a hospital when they are sick. Workers also get permits from their employers, via Israel, but they have to return to the West Bank before evening. As a Christian though, I get permits at Christmas, and sometimes Easter, so I can visit religious sites that I am usually barred from.
Twice! I went through the checkpoint only twice even though the permit was for a whole month. I still had to work and life carried on, so for the 31 days of permission I only had two where I managed to pass through the checkpoint. My first time was to get to Jerusalem and visit holy sites with the scout troop I guide.
On the second day, I was going to go to the sea.
It was 10 January 2010, and it started off as a normal day. I woke up, had breakfast, watched TV and waited for lunch. The phone rang. My aunt was on the line and said they were going to Yaffa. I thought: the sea!!
It’s been time since I’ve been to the sea and since I have permission I thought I should take the opportunity. I sent a message to all my friends. Some of them agreed to join me, and since we cannot drive Palestinian cars into Israel, we decided to navigate the Israeli sherut system. That was the first mistake. more.. e-mail
Israel Violates Economic Sanctions Against Iran
Grant Smith, Antiwar.com 2/11/2010
Israel’s Rich -- but nutty -- history
The Obama administration is escalating economic sanctions against Iran. Administered by a secretive unit within the US Treasury Department, they will freeze the assets of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Rostam Qasemi as well as four subsidiaries of a construction firm that he leads. These sanctions build upon existing U.S. unilateral sanctions targeting shippers, financial institutions, and elements of the Guard Corps some believe are promoting Iran’s missile and nuclear programs.
Economic warfare expert R. Thomas Naylor extensively documents that such sanctions create black markets and spread corruption while doing relatively little to deter rogue regimes. Obvious economic dynamics create vast margins for smugglers and traders willing to bust embargoes. Unless the economy of a target country is particularly dependent upon the influence or volume of goods from any single international partner, profiteers quickly step into the breach. Sanctions typically punish legitimate traders while favoring corruption around the world.
That corrupting nature of sanctions reaches far into the US. One example is Marc Rich, indicted in the United States on federal charges of illegal oil deals with Iran during the Iran hostage crisis. Rich broke US embargoes by purchasing Iranian crude under special deals with Ayatollah Khomeini. Rich then sold them at healthy margins to legitimate traders locked out of the market by US sanctions. Forbes ranked the intrepid Rich as the 242nd richest American in 2006 with a net worth of US $1.5 billion. more.. e-mail
Army Used to Deport Anti-Wall Activists
Jonathan Cook, CounterPunch 2/12/2010
Israel’s War on Protest
Jerusalem - The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human-rights lawyers warn has become a wide-ranging clampdown by Israel on non-violent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists.
The arrest of the two women during a nighttime raid on the Palestinian city of Ramallah has highlighted a new tactic by Israeli officials: using immigration police to try to deport foreign supporters of the Palestinian cause.
A Czech woman was deported last month after she was seized from Ramallah by a special unit known as Oz, originally established to arrest migrant labourers working illegally inside Israel.
Human rights lawyers say Israel’s new offensive is intended to undermine a joint non-violent struggle by international activists and Palestinian villagers challenging a land grab by Israel as it builds the separation wall on farmland in the West Bank.
In what Israel’s daily Haaretz newspaper recently called a “war on protest”, Israeli security forces have launched a series of raids in the West Bank over the past two months to detain Palestinian community leaders organising protests against the wall.
“Israel knows that the non-violence struggle is spreading and that it’s a powerful weapon against the occupation,” said Neta Golan, an Israeli activist based in Ramallah. “Israel has no answer to it, which is why the security forces are panicking and have started making lots of arrests." more.. e-mail
PACBI: All Israeli academic institutions complicit in apartheid
Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - In response to the recent decision by the Israeli government to upgrade the status of the so-called Ariel University Center of Samaria to a full university, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel reiterates its call for a boycott of AUCS and all other Israeli academic institutions due to their complicity in maintaining Israel's occupation, colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people.
Israel wields iron fist against nonviolent resisters
Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - Wael al-Faqeeh has been held without charge by the Israeli military since his arrest on 9 December 2009. The 28 January hearing that lasted approximately three minutes here in Salem court resulted in the extension of his detention by a further ten days. Bridget Chappell writes for The Electronic Intifada.
Israeli immigration police abducting international activists in West Bank
Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human rights lawyers warn has become a wide ranging clampdown by Israel on nonviolent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists. Jonathan Cook reports.
UN called on to investigate repression of human rights defenders
Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - A joint report submitted by Addameer, The Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) to Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council examines the ongoing, systematic campaign of repression levied by Israel against Palestinian human rights defenders active against the Annexation Wall.
Palestine Monitor: 13 Feb 2010 - Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined demonstrations in villages up and down the West Bank yesterday. Creativity distinguished Bi'lin and Sheikh Jarrah protests, with activists playing blue creatures from James Cameron's last film, Avatar. Here's what happened. Photo by Brady Ng Bi'lin Activists in Bi'lin reenacted James Cameron's last film Avatar. Five Palestinian, Israeli and international activists were painted blue, with pointy ears and tails, resembling the Avatar characters. Like Palestinians, the Avatars fight imperialism, although the colonisers have different origins. Israeli army dispersed protesters with sound bombs and tear gas, resulting in injuries to four people. Many other activists suffered from tear gas inhalation. Dr Mustapha Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, condemned these tactics, stating; "attacks on demonstrators, will not discourage us from continuing the popular struggle against the apartheid system created and carried out by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory." Before coming to Bil'in,...
Life in the "Buffer Zone"
Palestine Monitor: 13 Feb 2010 - The Israelis call it the “buffer zone.” Gazan NGOs often call it the “hot zone.” But to the Palestinians who live near this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a decent living by raising wheat and olives. That is, until Israel declared it off limits. The so-called ‘buffer zone' is a military no-go area that extends along the entire northern and eastern Gazan border with Israel, as well as its southern border with Egypt (known as the Philadelphi Corridor).) The creation of a 50-meter-wide buffer zone was agreed to as part of the security arrangements included in an interim Palestinian-Israeli agreement signed in 1995. Following the start of the second Intifada in September 2000, the area of the buffer zone was increased to 150 meters wide. In May 2009, the Israeli military...
Palestine Chronicle: 13 Feb 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood – London 'O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us!' A few weeks ago, on the annual Robert Burns Night, these immortal lines from 1786 were being recited all over the world, but probably not in Palestine. The leadership there aren’t blessed with the gift of seeing themselves as the rest of the world sees them… a bit like the Israelis that way. The consequences for the Palestinians are tragic. Fatah especially would do well to learn the lines off by heart. The next two go 'It would from many a blunder free us, And foolish notion!' The poem addresses a louse, which seems appropriate enough. We’ve heard a great deal about Fatah spreading security chaos, almost provoking a civil war, then collaborating with the US to recruit sinister battalions of “security” thugs with orders to crush all opposition, silence dissent, destroy Hamas and the welfare structure it provides, and force Palestinians to bend to Israel’s will. This vile scenario is topped off with unjustified arrests, torture and lack of due process. It sounds like Fatah’s brave “security” forces have been trained in terror tactics by the Gestapo and are working for the enemy. Who is the enemy these days? Palestine’s external enemy we know about. But the ‘enemy within’ is always more dangerous. Since I first visited the Holy Land nearly 5 years ago I have tried to keep my promise to tell the story of those wonderful people...
The High Cost of Israeli Demolitions of Palestinian Homes
Palestine Chronicle: 13 Feb 2010 - By Heidi Schramm - Washington On February 4, Nir Barakat, the mayor of Jerusalem, announced that he would accept a 2007 ruling issued by an Israeli High Court ordering the Jerusalem municipality to evacuate and seal an illegally constructed Israeli settlement building in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Barakat then insisted that complying with this ruling would compel him to demolish 200 Palestinian homes that were built without Israeli permits in the same neighborhood. He argued that such steps were necessary in order to assure that the law was not being applied in a way that could be considered “discriminatory” against the settlers. But, as Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD) pointed out, “In the past fifteen years, there have been more than a thousand Palestinian homes demolished in East Jerusalem versus absolutely no settler homes.” This imbalance has enormous human and political consequences, and seriously undermines the credibility of ostensible U.S. efforts to advance peace between Palestinians and Israelis. The negative human consequences of home demolitions are significant. According to ICAHD, over 24,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished since 1967. And according to the Applied Research Institute, in 2009 alone, the Jerusalem municipality issued over 900 new demolition orders to buildings under its jurisdiction. Israel’s government claims that many of these homes were or will be destroyed because they were “built without the proper permits.” But the necessary permits are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. In fact, a 2008 report released by the...
Chutzpah, thy Name is Zionism
Palestine Chronicle: 13 Feb 2010 - By Maidhc Ó Cathail Chutzpah, a Yiddish word meaning 'shameless audacity,' has been famously defined as 'that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.' Considering Israel’s increasingly outrageous behaviour, perhaps it’s time for a new definition. The one that springs to mind is “that quality enshrined in a state, which having induced its ‘allies’ into a disastrous invasion of Iraq, then urges them to attack Iran.” At a recent dinner in honour of visiting Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took yet another rhetorical swipe at Tehran. “Humanity stands before one of its most difficult tests since World War II,” Netanyahu intoned. “The radical Islamic regime threats [sic] the well-being of the state of Israel, the region, and all of humanity.” Sounding more like an Israeli envoy than the head of a sovereign nation, Berlusconi responded, “My job is to make sure that world leaders do not commit the same error of the past, the error of indifference that brought about the greatest tragedy in history.” In Defamation, a highly revealing 2009 documentary on anti-Semitism by Israeli filmmaker Yoav Shamir, Professor Norman Finkelstein noted this strategy of invoking past Jewish suffering to justify future wars. “The irony is that the Nazi holocaust has now become the main ideological weapon for launching wars of aggression,” said Finkelstein, the author of The Holocaust Industry. “Every time you want to launch a...