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International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian
Child Wounded By Settlers in Hebron
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 02:13, A group of
fundamentalist settlers attacked on Wednesday a Palestinian child in
the southern West Bank city of Hebron causing concussions and bruises
that required hospitalization.
Soldiers
Invade Salfit village, Break Into Municipality Building
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 02:02, Israeli soldiers
invaded on Wednesday afternoon the village of Kufr Ad Deek village,
near the central West Bank city of Salfit, and broke into its local
council building.
Awad:
“Reconstruction Donations Never Reached Gaza”
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 01:47, Dr. Mohammad Awad,
secretary-general of the Council of Ministers at the Palestinian
Authority in Gaza, stated that the promised Arab and international aid
donations, allocated for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, never made it to
the coastal region.
Al
Qassam Vows Retaliation For The Assassination Of Al Madbouh
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 00:50, Abu Obaida,
spokesperson of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, vowed
retaliation for the assassination of Mahmoud Al Madbouh, who was killed
in Dubai, and said that the response will be “as big as the crime
carried out against Al Madbouh”.
Two
Soldiers Wounded By Settlers In Yitzhar Settlement
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Thursday February 18, 2010 - 00:02, Israeli sources
reported Wednesday that a border-guard officer and an Israeli soldier
were lightly wounded on Wednesday after a group of young Jewish
settlers from the Yitzhar settlement, in the West Bank, hurled stones
at them.
The
Israeli army orders the demolition of two houses near Bethlehem city
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 16:07, The Israeli military
handed out on Wednesday demolition orders against homes in the village
of Al Khader near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The
Israeli Military Detains 11 Palestinian Civilians From The West Bank
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 14:45, Eleven Palestinian
civilians were detained by Israeli troops on Wednesday during invasions
targeting a number of West Bank communities.
Israeli
settlers injures a Palestinian child at the southern West Bank city of
Hebron
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 13:00, A Palestinian child
was injured on Wednesday when Israeli settlers attacked her at the old
city part of Hebron, southern West Bank.
Hamas
To Release 20 Fateh Prisoners
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 12:46, Ismail Haniyya,
Prime Minister of the dissolved Hamas-led government in Gaza, stated
Wednesday that his government would release 20 Fateh political
prisoners as a gesture of good will towards the visiting Arab
parliamentarians.
New
Details On Al Madbouh Assassination Could Lead To Crisis With Israel
IMEMC
17 Feb 2010 - Wednesday February 17, 2010 - 11:22, The ongoing
investigation conducted by the authorities in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) on the assassination of Hamas leader, Mahmoud Al Madbouh,
revealed that Israeli agents used European passports, while at least
three used Irish Passports.
Israel
stops construction in West Bank town
2/18/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Armed Israeli soldiers seized construction
materials in the West Bank town of Al-Khadr on Wednesday after
delivering stop work orders for two unfinished houses. One of the
houses belongs to Ali Salim Mousa, the other belongs to the village's
mayor Ramzi Salah. According to the stop work orders, the two houses
are being built in an area under full Israeli military control, a claim
Palestinian authorities and residents dispute. Officials from the
Al-Khadr Municipality told Ma'an that Israeli soldiers arrived on
Wednesday in the Abu Sud area in the southern part of the village,
close to the separation wall which runs alongside a settler bypass
road. Once in the area, the officials said, soldiers handed over a stop
work order for Ali Salim Mousa's house. According to Mousa's son,
soldiers also confiscated construction equipment.
Palestinian
workers protest at checkpoint
2/18/2010
- Nablus - Ma'an - Palestinian trade unions staged a demonstration at
the Sha'ar Efraym crossing point near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on
Wednesday protesting what they say are humiliating searches by a
private security company at the checkpoint. Angry workers appeared at
the barbed wire fence that surrounds the crossing and handed over a
letter to Israeli officials demanding an end to the hours of waiting
and strict searches workers are subject to while crossing into Israel.
The letter also emphasized that if workers' demands are not met,
further protests will take place. According to Farouq Omar, secretary
of the Palestinian trade union in Nablus, each night more than 15,000
workers from throughout the West Bank districts line up at the crossing
starting after midnight. He explained that "humiliating inspections
take a long time, and so workers can't arrive to their workplaces in
time. "
Israel
shuts checkpoints amid settler violence
2/18/2010
- Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces closed all checkpoints into the
northern West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday evening, onlookers said,
after Israeli forces clashed with settlers in the area. An Israeli
military spokesman told Ma'an that forces "are conducting exercises
throughout the Samaria [northern West Bank] region. " The military
later issued a statement saying that during the exercise two Border
Police officers and a soldier were injured by rocks thrown by 30
teenage Israeli settlers from Yizhar. "The exercise "¦ was disrupted
when the teens rioted in the village and hurled rocks and bottles
filled with paint at IDF soldiers and other security forces," the
statement said. "The rioters also prevented the forces from leaving the
community by placing tires and blocking its gate. Two Border Policemen
and an IDF soldier were lightly injured by the rock hurling and several
military vehicles were damaged," it added. "
Israel
army seizes 11 Palestinians in night raids
2/17/2010
- Washington - Ma'an - Israeli military forces detained 11 Palestinians
during nightly raids on West Bank communities, army sources reported on
Wednesday. The men were all allegedly detained as "wanted," and were
taken for questioning, an Israeli media report said. They were not
immediately identified. Witnesses said three men were taken from their
homes in Sa'ir village northeast of Hebron overnight. A neighbor of one
of the detained men said Israeli forces invaded the town before sunrise
and entered the home of Ya'qub Jaradat, where the detained his two
sons: Majdi, 26,and Fuad, 22. A second witness said the home of Shleish
Jaradat was also invaded, and its contents ransacked. Jaradat's son
Sa'd, 22, was taken to an unknown location, he said. . . . .
Report:
Britain summons Israel envoy over Dubai assassination
2/17/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Britain will ask Israel to explain why six
alleged members of a hit squad that killed a Hamas commander in Dubai
last month entered the emirate with UK passports, The Guardian reported
Wednesday. The London-based newspaper said the Israeli ambassador will
be called in to the Foreign Office on Thursday to "share information"
about the use of identities stolen from six citizens living in Israel
who deny involvement in the assassination of former Hamas commander
Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh last month. British Prime Minister Gordon Blown has
also launched a "full investigation" into the use of British passports
that will be led by the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA),
according to the report. "The British passport is an important part of
being British and we have to make sure everything is done to protect
it," the prime minister reportedly said.
Hamas
vows to avenge Mabhouh assassination
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas' armed wing vowed on Wednesday to avange the
death of a movement leader it alleges was assassinated by Israel. "The
decision has been made. We decided to respond," said Abu Obaida, the
spokesman for the Eddedin Al-Qassam Brigades, speaking at a Hamas rally
in Sheikh Zayed City in the northern Gaza Strip. He said Hamas would
not say when or where this response would take place, but said Israel
"must pay for this crime. " He was referring to the murder of Mahmoud
Al-Mabhouh, the Hamas leader who was found dead in A Dubai hotel room
on 20 January. On Monday Dubai police named an 11-member hit team that
traveled to the emirate on what were later revealed to be false
European passports. Abu Obaida also warned Israel against waging a new
offensive on Gaza, saying any such attack would be "sure to fail. "
Smuggling
tunnel business on severe decline
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza markets saturated with goods smuggled in through
underground tunnels from Egypt have caused retailers to slash prices,
often to below cost, tunnel operators said Wednesday. As a result in
the margin shrinkage, dozens of tunnels have ceased operations and
hundreds of young men in Gaza have lost their only source of income,
they said. Owners of some smuggling tunnels in the south of the Strip
said the subterranean steel wall Egypt continues to build along the
border has little o do with the tunnel closures, but rather said the
business became less lucrative. One tunnel operator who preferred not
to be identified, said damage done by the construction of the wall was
easily repaired, and workers could cut through the steel dug into the
earth by Egyptian workers. Abu Ali, a second tunnel owner said "about
80% of tunnel owners closed their tunnels due to the serious increase
in prices which lowered profits unprecedentedly. "
Two
Palestinians held in Dubai over Hamas killing
2/17/2010
- Washington - Ma'an - Police in Dubai questioned two Palestinians in
connection with the recent assassination of a Hamas official, the
French news agency AFP reported on Tuesday. The revelation came a day
after the Dubai police chief named an 11-member hit squad who traveled
to the Emirate on what appeared to be forged European passports. Dubai
police released the names and passport photos of the alleged assassins.
The two Palestinians, both residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
"fled to Jordan" after Hamas member Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was found dead
in a Dubai hotel room last month, police chief Dahi Khalfan told AFP.
The pair were arrested in Jordan and then extradited back to the UAE,
he said. In a dramatic announcement on Monday, Khalfan said police
planned to issue arrest warrants for six British passport holders,
three with Irish passports, including a woman, and the. . .
US
to return envoy to Syria
2/17/2010
- Washington - Ma'an/Agencies - US President Barack Obama moved to
reappoint an ambassador to Syria on Tuesday after a five-year absence.
Obama nominated career diplomat Robert Ford, according to a statement
from the White House. "His appointment represents President Obama's
commitment to use engagement to advance US interests by improving
communication with the Syrian government and people," the statement
said. Obama's predecesso,r George W. Bush, withdrew the US ambassador
from Damascus in 2005 after the assassination of Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafiq Hariri. Syria denied accusations that it arranged the
killing. While relations between Syria and the US have thawed somewhat
since Obama took office in early 2009, the US president renewed
sanctions against the country in May. Middle Eastern news media have
reported for weeks that Washington was preparing to return its envoy to
Damascus.
Palestinians
of Yaffa face settlers as neighbors
2/18/2010
- Yaffa - Graffiti scrawled on walls around the mixed Jewish and Arab
town of Yaffa in central Israel last week exclaimed: "Settlers, keep
out" and "Yaffa is not Hebron. " Yaffa is home to what remains of a
Palestinian community near what is now the bustling coastal metropolis
of Tel Aviv. Palestinian residents say their neighborhood has become
the latest battleground for an attempted takeover by extremist Jews, a
dynamic familiar from West Bank cities like Hebron, where Zionist
Israelis move into Palestinian homes under the cover of armed soldiers.
Small numbers of nationalist religious Jews have begun moving into
Yaffa's main Arab district, Ajami, over recent months. Tensions have
been simmering since a special Yeshiva, or Jewish seminary, was
established last year in the heart of Ajami for young Jewish men who
combine study of religious texts with serving in the Israeli army.
In
Photos: Palestinian children denounce Gaza blockade
2/17/2010
- Photos - Palestinian children hold a demonstration in Gaza City on
Tuesday, 16 February, calling for an end to the three-year-old
Israeli-led blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has recently caused
widespread power outages, in addition to scarcity of crucial goods.
Gaza's 1. 5 million inhabitants have been all but banned from leaving
the tiny Strip since 2007. Photos by Ma'an's Wissam Nassar.
Israel
cites ’security reasons’ for sudden crossing closure
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Hours after Palestinians were informed that the Karni
crossing would be open Wednesday, Israeli officials suddenly shut down
the terminal citing "security threats. "Earlier in the day Palestinian
crossings liaison Raed Fattouh said the central Gaza bulk goods
crossing would transport 104 truckloads of wheat and animal feed into
the besieged area. The opening would have been the second in the week,
and followed reports in the Israeli media saying the crossing was a
security risk and would remain closed until "Hamas rule" in Gaza was
over. Although Israeli officials said the crossing would open and
Palestinians waiting for the opening said it looked as though
preparations were being made to open the terminal, no goods passed
through. An Israeli spokeswoman at the Erez crossing confirmed that the
crossing was closed, and. . .
Detainee
released after 5 years in Israeli jail
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities released a detainee from Nablus
after five years of detention on Wednesday. Hamas' Detainees Committee
reported that Ahmad Abdel Aziz Dweikat, 24, from Rogeib village in
Nablus, was released. Dweikat had been accused of opposing the
occupation in Nablus, the Detainees Committee said in a statement. [end]
Hebron
mayor talks sustainability with Dutch delegation
2/18/2010
- Hebron - Ma'an - Dutch Consul General Jack Twiss paid a visit to
Hebron on Tuesday, touring several sites including projects funded by
The Netherlands. Twiss said he was pleased with the progress of the
projects, particularly in reference to the development of Hebron's
Central Bus Station, being constructed with a 2 million Euro donation
from Holland. Hebron Mayor Khalid Esseleh and chief of projects for the
municipality Ziad Sharia spoke with Twiss and his delegation about the
vision of Hebronites for sustainable development in the city, as well
as the pitfalls an Israeli occupation sets for stymieing the process "A
world calling for peace should stand by Palestinians, end the
occupation and take away the settlers. Only then can we establish our
independence and live a normal, secure, healthy and free life as other
people do," Esseleh said.
Report:
German mediator to resume efforts on Shalit deal
2/17/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - German mediator Gerhard Conrad will likely resume
his bi-lateral efforts toward a prisoner-swap deal between Hamas and
Israel before the end of February, Israel's channel 2 TV reported
Tuesday. Hamas spokesman Salah Al-Bardawil said the movement has not
received any messages around the resumption of swap talks, and denied
recent reports that Israel had passed information to Russia on the
process, he said Wednesday. "Hamas isn't concerned about discussing
messages on the prisoner swap deal. Our cause is a sacred right, and
releasing Shalit is an interest for us and for Netanyahu" Al-Bardawil
announced. Channel 2 said Conrad considered Israel's last offer to
Hamas "just and acceptable. "The last deal reportedly involved the
release of many of those requested by Hamas, but would have seen
hundreds exiled to Europe and parts of the Middle East as well as West
Bankers confined to Gaza.
Hamas:
Israeli oppression will fuel third Intifada
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - If Israel continues to displace Palestinians and
judaise Jerusalem they will see a third uprising from the Palestinian
people, leaders in the Hamas movement warned Tuesday. Palestinians in
Gaza demonstrated in Khan Younis in the afternoon, decrying the
displacement of their fellow nationals in the West Bank, and
particularly occupied areas of Jerusalem. During the rally, Hamas
spokesman Hammad Ar-Ruqab warned that Palestinians could not be
repressed so harshly without fighting back. "The crimes of Israeli
occupation of the West Bank have become a threat to the whole
Palestinian question, especially the campaign to judaise the Al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem," Ar-Ruqab said, warning that the accumulated
oppression would need only a small spark to ignite a third Intifada.
"We say to our people in the West Bank including Jerusalem that we are
with them and will never remain, hands folded, toward their suffering. "
PWA
obtains Israeli approval for suspended water projects
2/17/2010
- Ramallah - Ma'an - Dozens of wells in West Bank areas under full
Israeli military and civilian control can be dug and rehabilitated
following the release of a suspension order Wednesday, that had stalled
the projects for years. Head of of the Bilateral Joint Technical
Committee Jihad Bashir said the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) said
all the suspended projects were in "Area C. " Palestinian civilians,
non-governmental organizations and government bodies must all apply to
Israeli liaison offices for permission to engage in any sort of
construction on lands that remain under full Israeli military
occupation. The use of heavy machinery on those areas is strictly
prohibited. Bashir released a statement saying the PA had been granted
permission to dig a well, providing 300-400 cubic meters of water per
month to residents of the Jerusalem district.
Settlement
products destroyed in Salfit
2/17/2010
- Salfit - Ma'an - Crews from the caretaker Ministry of the Economy,
customs officers and the Palestinian Authority preventive security
department seized and destroyed 20,000 shekels (5,355 US dollars) of
settlement goods on Wednesday, officials said. The economy ministry
said the goods included detergents and plastic containers produced in
the illegal settlement of Qarne Shomron, in the northern Salfit
district. The seizure and destruction come in like with a new
government policy in the West Bank prohibiting the sale of goods
produced in the settlements. The statement said the implementation of
the ban would be strict, that it is in the interests of the Palestinian
National Project and that "anyone violating the law will be brought
into account. " . . . .
Arab
parliament delegation leaves Gaza
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - A pan-Arab parliamentary delegation left the Gaza
Strip via Egypt on Wednesday after a three-day visit intended to push
forward Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Gaza border crossings
authorities said top Hamas leader Mahmoud Az-Zahhar accompanied the
22-member group to the Rafah crossing point. While in Gaza the
delegation visited sited destroy during last year's Israeli military
offensive, including the Palestinian Legislative Council building, and
also met with de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, civil society
groups, and the families of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The
delegation from the Arab Parliamentary Union included members from
Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sudan,
Kuwait, and Oman. Salim Ben Ali Al-Kabi, an MP from Oman led the
delegation.
Haniyeh
to free 20 Fatah detainees
2/18/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister in Gaza, said
Wednesday that his government would release 20 Fatah-affiliated
detainees. It was not clear, however, when the unidentified prisoners
would be released. Haniyeh's remarks came during a farewell ceremony
for 26 Arab parliamentarians, who entered the besieged enclave on
Monday. Ahmad Bahar, a Hamas leader and deputy speaker of the
Palestinian Legislative Council, praised the decision. Ihab Al-Ghosen,
spokesman of the de facto Ministry of the Interior, said the move comes
"in the framework of building bridges of trust between us and Fatah and
is a way to honor the visit of the Arab parliamentary delegation and Dr
Nabil Sha'ath. Therefore, the prime minister decided to release 20
Fatah detainees who were detained for security and various criminal
issues. "
Hamas,
Fatah voice support for Egyptian unity deal
2/17/2010
- Gaza - Ma'an - In the latest of a series of public displays of
goodwill, rival Palestinian political factions, including Hamas and
Fatah, voiced support on Tuesday for a restoration of national unity
based on an Egyptian-backed power-sharing plan. Hamas and Fatah
officials made these remarks at a conference in Gaza City titled "A
Joint Resolution: We will not be divided," organized by the Palestinian
Alliance for Peace. Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said in a speech, "Hamas
supports a genuine and lasting national reconciliation. "He also made
reference to his group's demands for changes to the Egyptian
reconciliation plan. At Egypt's request, Fatah signed the unity
document in October, but Hamas balked at backing the initiative, asking
to alter aspects of the deal which the Islamic movement said could
undermine the party.
Fatah
official: No changes to inquiry team
2/17/2010
- Bethlehem - Ma'an - Despite reports to the contrary, President
Mahmoud Abbas will not replace members of a commission of inquiry he
established to examine corruption allegations, a senior Fatah official
said on Wednesday. Fatah leader Rafiq An-Natshah told Ma'an Radio that
"we have no information of changes to the existing commission of
inquiry or a new one," denying reports that appeared Wednesday in the
Israeli press. The Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that
Abbas was considering appointing a new commission to probe his former
chief of staff, Rafiq Al-Husseini, who was caught on video allegedly
soliciting sexual favors from a job applicant. "I know there is a
commission headed by Mohammad Ghuneim, although there may be some new
additions," An-Natshah added, contradicting Fatah officials quoted as
saying Ghuneim had declined to serve.
Fayyad:
No plans for cabinet reshuffle
2/17/2010
- Washington - Ma'an - Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad was quoted on Wednesday denying reports that [he] was planning a
reshuffle of his cabinet in the wake of corruption scandals. Fayyad
told the US-based website Palestine Note that he is not planning any
changes to the Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet in Ramallah. On
Tuesday PA officials told Ma'an that President Mahmoud Abbas had
already approved a plan to replace "more than one" cabinet member. The
sources said Fayyad offered. Interior Minister Said Abu Ali the
position of chief of staff. Abu Ali, however, has since denied
knowledge of the offer. The sources had also originally said Justice
Minister Ali Khashan, Education Minister Lamis Al-Alami, and
Agriculture Minister Ismail Deiq would likely be replaced. The PA has
been shaken by scandals in recent weeks.
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Rioters throw stones, damage vehicles in attack on soldiers and border guards training in West Bank.
'Illegal' Gaza tunnel owners suffer as Hamas economy grows
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Merchandise overflow caused by Hamas-run tunnels, which puts 'illegal' tunnel owners out of work.
High Court orders Israel to speed up outpost demolitions
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - 16 homes in unauthorized West Bank outposts Hayovel, Harsha have been considered ilegal since 2005.
Barak signals thaw in tensions with army chief Ashkenazi
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Defense Minister praises chief of staff, signaling end to row over extending Ashkenazi's term to fifth year.
Nasrallah: 'If you hit Beirut airport, we'll hit Ben Gurion'
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah leader threatens to attack Tel Aviv in future conflict; says group still seeks to avenge Mughniyeh.
Who are the new Hamas recruits in Gaza?
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Many of 15,000 applicants have no interest in police work or in politics - they just are looking for jobs.
Israelis warned of Hezbollah threat abroad
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Counterterrorism Bureau: Israelis could be target for revenge attacks over Mughniyeh, Iran scientist killings.
Ex-IDF chief: Israel can't handle nuclear Iran alone
Ha'aretz 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 Feb 2010 - Family describes victim's enthusiasm for service in the IDF, his desire to contribute.
Video:
Palestine | The Truth.
Uruknet
February 17, 2010 - Watch it, and find out the truth. Find out how
since the idea of the State of Israel, Palestinians have suffered. Find
out how Palestinians were, and are treated. Find out how Zionism is
like Nazism for the Palestinians. FIND OUT NOW!...
Report:
Britain summons Israel envoy over Dubai assassination
Uruknet
February 17, 2010 - Britain will ask Israel to explain why six alleged
members of a hit squad that killed a Hamas commander in Dubai last
month entered the emirate with UK passports, The Guardian reported
Wednesday. The London-based newspaper said the Israeli ambassador will
be called in to the Foreign Office on Thursday to "share information"
about the use...
The
Israeli military injures three and detains them at northern Gaza Strip
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - Three Palestinians were reported injured and
detained by Israeli troops on Tuesday at the northern Gaza Strip town
of Biet Lahyia. A number of Israeli tanks stormed the evacuated
settlement of Doghet and opened fire at Palestinian workers injuring
three of them, witnesses reported. Troops then detained the three men
and took them to an unknown...
Afganistan:
If the enemy vanishes -- kill civilians
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - ...The attack on Marjah is no different from the
numerous other Nato "clear, hold and build" missions -- except in the
number of troops and the amount of media ballyhoo. And there's no
reason why this should be different in the outcome, with the Taliban
withdrawing tactically and biding its time, before infiltrating back
into the...
Jews-Only
Homes for Ajami Arabs of Jaffa Face Settlers as Neighbors
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - Over the past few days graffiti scrawled on walls
around the mixed Jewish and Arab town of Jaffa in central Israel
exclaims: "Settlers, keep out" and "Jaffa is not Hebron". Although
Jaffa is only a stone’s throw from the bustling coastal metropolis of
Tel Aviv, Arab residents say their neighbourhood has become the
unlikely battleground for...
Video
- The Silent War: Israel's Blockade of Gaza
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - Israels blockade of Gaza has been in place for
almost three years. Building on existing closures and restrictions, the
blockade means the delay or denial of a broad range of items food,
industrial, educational, medical deemed "non-essential" for a
population largely unable to be self-sufficient at the end of decades
of occupation. The blockade prevents access...
Video:
Israeli settlement building continues
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - Israel is continuing to build illegal settlements
on Palestinian land, despite a 10-month suspension of new construction
announced by the government. Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental
organisation, says work is taking place at more than 30 settlements in
the occupied West Bank. Nour Odeh reports from Beit Sahour...
Gaza's
Female Scribes Face Worse Than Discrimination
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - Female journalists worldwide complain about
discrimination on the grounds of gender. However, their colleagues in
Gaza also face death threats, the dangers of working in a war zone and
the struggle for daily necessities as the Israeli siege on Gaza drags
on. Last year a shadowy group in Gaza calling itself 'Swords of Islam'
threatened to...
Israel's
new strategy: "sabotage" and "attack" the global justice movement
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - An extraordinary series of articles, reports and
presentations by Israel's influential Reut Institute has identified the
global movement for justice, equality and peace as an "existential
threat" to Israel and called on the Israeli government to direct
substantial resources to "attack" and possibly engage in criminal
"sabotage" of this movement in what Reut believes are its...
"Joe
Biden working for the Baathists..."
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - The above title is no joke. This is what W.Qanbar,
a spokesman for the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), the grouping of the
Shiites parties such as Muqtada Al-Sadr (the college drop out who
recycled himself in drilling), Ammar A-Hakeem (the Shiite playboy and
smuggler of the South, head of the notorious Badr Brigades) "Dr" Adel
Abdul...
Israeli
police conduct arrest among children in Silwan
Uruknet
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - Palestinian citizens in the Jerusalem
neighborhood of Silwan reported that Israeli police and the security
intelligence services have escalated recently their campaign of arrest
of Palestinian children in the area on throwing stones charges.
Palestinians who neighbor Yonatan Building, where a group of extremist
settlers live, reported that the police summons and arrest several
children...
Shadowy
and deadly - the long arm of the Mossad
Uruknet
February 16, 2010 - Israel's Mossad secret service, more formally known
as the Institute for Espionage and Special Tasks, has a long history of
carrying out clandestine operations, including several spectacular
assassinations. Much remains secret but cases that are documented have
involved large teams of agents using false or stolen passports to
disguise their Israeli origins. The Mossad's assassination unit...
West Bank, February 17, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 5 Palestinians early Wednesday after an operation of raids launched in different villages, towns and neighborhoods of Hebron in the southern of the West Bank. Security sources said that occupation forces detained two brothers Majdi and Fawzi Jaradat, in the twenties of age, after raiding their house, also...
Palestinians collaborate with Israel on permit scam
Nablus, West Bank, February 16, 2010 (Pala Telegraph) - Thousands of Palestinians hoping to gain work and higher wages in Israel were duped over the last three years by a gang of Israelis and Palestinians selling forged permits, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Trade Union Shahir Sa'd said Tuesday. The scam was routed Sunday when Israeli police detained dozens of alleged...
Israeli vehicle hits Palestinian in Sheikh Jarrah
Jerusalem, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A vehicle that belongs to the municipality of Jerusalem hit a Palestinian citizen Tuesday during protests in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The vehicle was there to help demolish the tent of the Al-Ghaoui family, who had been evicted from their home by settlers. The family has been forced from their...
IOF raids central Gaza
Gaza Strip, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation forces carried out an incursion in the afternoon in the central Gaza Strip. According to local sources, 6 Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by three armored bulldozers, penetrated approximately 300 meters east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The sources added that the Israeli vehicles and bulldozers began combing the area and...
Israel opens Karem Abu Salem Crossing
Gaza Strip, February 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Israeli occupation authorities opened on Tuesday Karem Abu Salem crossing to allow the entry of food aid and limited amounts of industrial fuel to the Gaza Strip, while kept the Karni crossing closed. Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian crossings official liaison, said that Israeli authorities will allow the entry of 72-82 trucks through the...
The National 17 Feb 2010 - Analysis While voices in the country are mixed on Mossad's role, history indicates that this international relations storm, too, shall pass.
Tehran on the defensive after being called a dictatorship
The National 17 Feb 2010 - Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, warned this week that Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship , prompting a swift and furious response from Iran.
Turkey steps in to soften Iran's hard line
The National 17 Feb 2010 - Finding itself in a bind, Ankara embraces the role of mediator between East and West and asks Tehran to suspend enrichment.
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Egypt plans to double the value of its exports in four years by investing in its infrastructure, transportation and energy sectors. Egyptian Prime Minster Ahmed Nazif has announced that Egypt plans to increase the value of...
Israeli Leader: 'Here I Come, Arrest Me'
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Former Israeli Foreign Minister plans trip to London to get arrested. Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni has announced she is willing to face arrest as a "test case" to pressure the British government to fulfill a...
Nasrallah Warns Hezbollah Will Strike Israel's Airport
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has warned that his organization will destroy Israel's main international airport if it dares to attack Lebanon. "If you hit Rafik al-Hariri international airport in Beirut, we will hit Ben-Gurion airport...
Israel Demolishes Foundations of New Jewish Homes in Territories
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Officials of the Civil Administration and Israeli security forces demolished four concrete foundations in Revava, a Jewish community in the areas acquired by Israel in 1967. This is the first time that construction foundations have been...
War of Words between Israel and Iran
The Media Line 16 Feb 2010 - Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel is not planning a war with Iran or with any other country. Speaking before he left Moscow, Netanyahu responded to statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel...
Saudi Arabia to Keep Dollar Peg
The Media Line 15 Feb 2010 - Saudi Arabia has announced it will retain its peg to the dollar despite falling exchange rates. The head of Saudi Arabia's central bank says the riyal will remain pegged to the dollar. Muhammed Al-Jasser, the Governor...
Top U.S. General Vows: Never Again
The Media Line 15 Feb 2010 - U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff states commitment to avert another Holocaust during visit to famous Jerusalem memorial. As Iran moves closer to attaining nuclear weapons, America's top-ranking military official vowed during a visit to Jerusalem that...
High Profile U.S. Trade Mission Heading to Libya
The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - U.S. companies to travel to Libya with hopes of tapping growing Libyan market. A large and high profile U.S. trade delegation due to arrive in Libya in February is signaling a further thawing of Libyan-American relations....
AlJazeera 16 Feb 2010 - Iran's president says ready for "fair" nuclear fuel swap, warning West against sanctions.
US names new envoy to Syria
AlJazeera 17 Feb 2010 - Nomination of ambassador to Damascus ends five-year break in ties with Washington.
Hamas vows revenge for killing
AlJazeera 17 Feb 2010 - Thousands attend Gaza rally for slain commander assassinated in Dubai hotel.
Alternative Information Center
The Personal is the Most Political: Bedouin Women in the NegevAlternative Information Center 17 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 16 February 2010, Many women in the West perceived the women of the East as a woman of the noble savage, an obedient woman who sits at home. Their perception of Arab women in the...
War of the Colorful City
Alternative Information Center 17 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, South Tel Aviv has become the primary area of life for the migrant workers—which causes fury and grievances amongst the veteran residents of the area. However, there is a way in which...
The Rising Phoenix of Israel's Assassination Policy
Alternative Information Center 17 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, The assassination of Hamas leader Mahmud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhuh in Dubai on 20 January raised concerns in the region about Israeli efforts to neutralize Palestinian activists. According to reports in the press,...
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Former senior Mossad man tells ‘Post’: Hit serves those who want to accuse Israel of being aggressive.
Right slams demolition deadline demand
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - High Court accused of regarding itself as “branch of NIF rather than Israel."
'New UN Iran sanctions in March'
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Austrian FM speaks to 'Post' as PM continues to urge measures against Iran’s energy sector.
Right slams demand for demolition deadline
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - High Court accused of regarding itself as “a branch of the NIF rather than of the State of Israel."
Hesder rabbi: IDF insubordination teaches children anarchy
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Everyone has a red line, but when it becomes a movement or a rallying cry, it is a descent into mob rule, warns Yuval Cherlow.
Russia: S-300 delivery delayed
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Iran to get system once technical issues are resolved, Russian official says.
Aflalo, Schneller slam Livni for ‘leftist' speech
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Mofaz holding talks for Kadima to join government.
Barak: Syria shouldn't test Israel
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Defense minister's comments come after Assad meets US undersecretary of State.
Top US official meets Assad in Syria
Jeruslalem Post 17 Feb 2010 - Burns' visit comes after Obama says he'll nominate career diplomat as Damascus envoy.
IPS RAMALLAH, Feb 15 (IPS) - Female journalists worldwide complain about discrimination on the grounds of gender. However, their colleagues in Gaza also face death threats, the dangers of working in a war zone and the struggle for daily necessities as the Israeli siege on Gaza drags on.
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.
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: Telling Film Floats Between Art and the Actual
IPS JERUSALEM, Feb 15 (IPS) - An Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film, Israel's 'Ajami', is a tragic, yet realistic, pointer to the multi-layered conflict of Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians.
PCHR 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
Violent Zionists Tour Sheikh Jarrah2/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 14 February - At approximately 1 pm today, roughly 20 Zionist tourists entered the yard of the occupied al-Kurd home in Sheikh Jarrah as part of a settlement promotion tour. Verbally harassing both Palestinian residents and Internationals and attempting to block their cameras, tourists listened as a guide expounded upon the religious claims which Zionists use to justify the eviction of Palestinians from their homes. After concluding with song, the tourists passed through the gate as several verbally attacked Palestinians present. 85-year-old Rifqa al-Kurd was roughly pushed while observing the visitors. Upon crossing the street to view the Gawi home, a particularly violent woman verbally attacked an ISM activist, flinging the activist's camera several meters into the air. Although intentionally provocative Zionist tours are nothing new in. . .
Sheikh Jarrah woman arrested as far-right MK tours settler-occupied homes
2/14/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Sheikh Jarrah resident, 45 year old Fatima Diab was arrested by Israeli police on Saturday evening, February 13, following the provocative appearance of far-right Knesset member Micheal Bin Ari at the Al-Gawi home in solidarity with the extremist settlers occupying the house. Diab was released on a bail of 2000 shekels following an appearance in Jerusalem District Court on February 14. Tensions were raised in the neighbourhood as MK Bin Ari arrived around 7pm, entering the occupied Al-Gawi house to inspect the state of the settler takeover, accompanied by heightened settler and police presence. Shouting broke out as Bin Ari exited the stolen home, with settlers and Palestinian residents exchanging taunts. Diab, who stood in the crowd, flicked water on Bin Ari as he walked to his car, causing police to immediately demand that she accompany them to the police station for questioning.
U.S. prosecutors probing allegations of fraud against Israeli rabbi
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Popular Be'er Sheva kabbalist allegedly defrauded American Jews out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
U.K. summons Israel envoy over passports used in Hamas killing
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Ireland also expected to send for Israeli ambassador to explain identity thefts by Dubai assassins.
Clinton: U.S. has no plan to strike Iran over nuclear program
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Iran: We will never give up enrichment at any price; Netanyahu: Watered-down sanctions not enough.
Russia-Iran arms deal delayed due to 'technical problems'
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - During visit to Russia this week, Netanyahu lobbied Moscow to cancel sale of S-300 to Tehran.
Netanyahu to Hamas: Israel's offer for Shalit is final
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Medvedev promises PM Russia will hold off on delivering S-300 advanced air defense system to Iran.
U.S. lawmakers in Israel 'puzzled' by Ayalon boycott
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Deputy Foreign Min. snubs U.S. congressional delegation touring Israel with members of J Street group.
Convicted Holocaust denier to be released from German prison
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Ernst Zundel, 70, served five years after being convicted of inciting hatred, anti-Semitic activities.
U.S. woos Syria in 'candid' Damascus talks
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Top official meets Assad in Obama administration's latest drive to lure Damascus away from Tehran.
Pro-Mideast in America: Getting past 'Pro-Israel' and 'Pro-Palestine'
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Jews for whom compromise is spelled Auschwitz, the Palestinians for whom it is is spelled collaboration.
Haaretz's Dubai look-alike: Even my mother asked if I'd been abroad
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Haaretz education correspondent wakes up to find he's the spitting image of an alleged assassin.
Following alleged Dubai mess, the Mossad chief must go
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - This is not the first time the Mossad has not been careful to avoid diplomatic crises with allied countries.
Israel has nothing to worry about over Dubai killing
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Without dramatic evidence to prove Israeli connection, Mossad will emerge unscathed, like pros should.
Why a good God allows innocent people to suffer
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Holocaust produced two camps of Jews. Many decided that the Jews had been punished for intermarriage and wanting to be secular. But others had a much more Jewish response.
Five Israelis wake up as named 'Dubai assassins'
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - British sources say Irish passport-holders on Dubai's suspect list are probably Israeli Mossad.
How German built the Hebrew language
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - When an Israeli eats breakfats, she might wash down a biss (bite) of toast with a schluck (sip) of coffee.
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Good relations with both Israelis and Palestinians make Blair a highly effective asset Avi Shlaim's attack on Tony Blair was unjustified and unbalanced ( Gaza's great betrayer , 3 February). Tony Blair is committed to helping bring about...
Hamas official accused of helping Mossad hit squad
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - • Palestinian 'defectors' suspected of involvement in murder • Police hunt six new suspects as more details of plot emerge A key security operative of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas was under arrest in Syria tonight...
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's murky world | Brian Whitaker
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Details of the Hamas official's murder resemble a movie script, but there's unlikely to be a neat Hollywood ending Murder is a serious matter but amid tales of forged passports , not to mention the suspects' use...
Hit squad suspected of killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - 16 February 2010: A hit squad carrying British and other European passports was responsible for killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas commander, in his hotel room in Dubai, according to the Dubai police chief
Dubai assassins stole identities of six UK citizens
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Hit squad that killed one of the founders of Hamas military wing also faked at least five other European passports A hit squad that murdered a senior Hamas official in Dubai used the stolen identities of...
Dubai murder: anger of accused
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - British man named as suspect in Mahmoud al-Mabhouh killing says ordeal has left him 'angry, upset and scared' Three British men who today found themselves named as some of the assassins suspected of killing Mahmoud al-Mabhouh...
Dubai murder: fake identities, disguised faces and a clinical assassination
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - CCTV appears to show sophisticated operation behind killing of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh As soon as Mahmoud al-Mabhouh walked out into the foyer of Dubai International Airport at 3.17pm, the foreign assassins had latched on to...
Dubai killers stole identities of UK citizens
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - Real British nationals named among suspects deny role in murder of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh A hit squad that murdered a senior Hamas official in Dubai used the stolen identities of six British citizens and faked...
Hamas murder suspects 'used forged British passports'
The Guardian 16 Feb 2010 - Six out of 11-strong hit squad wanted over Dubai hotel killing were using fake passports and are not UK nationals, say officials British officials said today that the British passports used by six suspects in the...
The silence of Israel's liberals | Carlo Strenger
The Guardian 17 Feb 2010 - The gulf between the country's cultural and political life will continue to widen unless the left wakes from its paralysis It is not a pleasant experience to look at Israel's image in the world nowadays, to...
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The Interior Ministry, the Israel Lands Administration and the southern district of the Israel Police have jointly resolved to triple the demolition rate of illegal construction in the scattered Bedouin communities in the Negev. The decision came at a meeting about a month ago. ...
Court rejects prosecution move to postpone Olmert trial
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - State had hoped to force delay when lead prosecutor stepped down over reports he insulted judges.
In letter to court, Netanyahu's wife denies mistreating maid
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife on Wednesday submitted a letter of defense to the Tel Aviv Labor Court, in which she flatly denied accusations that she had mistreated and underpaid her housekeeper. ...
Tel Aviv eyes widening street - using residents' gardens
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Tel Aviv's municipal planning and construction committee will meet today to discuss the possibility of expropriating land from the yards of homes on Keren Kayemet (Kakal) St. for the sake of broadening the busy thoroughfare. ...
Israel's real existential threat is Arab and Haredi isolation
Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - The answer to the question of where this country is headed is hidden in table 8.11 of Israel's annual Statistical Abstract, which shows "Projections of Students in Primary Education" for the coming five years. These are the figures: In the current school year, 47.5 percent of first-graders are either Arabs or Haredim (ultra-Orthodox). The growth rate of the Haredi school system is 39 times greater than that of the state secular schools, and that of the Arab school system is 13 times greater. These are not demographic forecasts, which can turn out to be false; these are children who have already been born and are awaiting their turn in the education system. This is reality. ...
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: UN News Service
PCHR's submission to the 13th session of the Human Rights Council - Agenda Item 7
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Joint Statement: More than One year after Operation Cast Lead : Distressing Lack of Accountability and Justice for the Victims of the Conflict
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: Al-Dameer, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
West Bank: no respite from hardship for Palestinians
Relief Web 17 Feb 2010 - Source: ICRC
Israel begins rerouting West Bank barrier
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: LA Times
World Bank Examines Impact of Conflict and Closure Regime on Palestinian Women
Relief Web 16 Feb 2010 - Source: World Bank
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Peace Now petitions High Court, says no progress in plan to relocate Migron settlers in Adam. State: There was delay of some months
UK: Passport defrauding a very serious issue
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - London, Dublin express anger over use of stolen identities by assassins of senior Hamas member in Dubai, pointing finger at Jewish state. Israeli ambassadors to Britain, Ireland summoned by countries' foreign ministers for clarifications
Mashaal threatens to avenge Mabhouh's killing
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Hamas politburo chief says 'talks about revenge are over, execution time is here.' He calls on world to add Israel to list of terror organizations
Bereaved families, soldiers mark 13 years to helicopter disaster
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - During memorial service for 73 fallen soldiers, chief of staff gives hope, issues warning: 'Israel is as strong, deterring as ever. We want peace but are ready for any challenge we might face'
Clinton: US has no plan for military action against Iran
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - US secretary of state says her country focusing on trying to change Iranian behavior, not planning anything other than sanctions
New clip shows 2nd woman in Dubai hit team
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Dubai investigation team releases footage showing new details regarding murder of Hamas' al-Mabhouh
Officer to be disciplined over wife's road accident
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Military Advocacy decides former Galilee Division Commander Brigadier-General Imad Fares will only face disciplinary trial following incident in which his wife got into traffic accident while using military vehicle. Despite light punishment, chief of staff not likely to allow Fares back into IDF, says military source
Settlers lightly injure 2 soldiers in Yitzhar
YNet News 17 Feb 2010 - Group of youngsters hurl stones, paint-filled light bulbs at soldiers, torch, puncture tires of two military vehicles. Defense establishment: Proof of inadequacy for local residents
15 Feb 2010 - An investigation by B'Tselem has revealed a few cases in which minors aged 12-15, residents of Silwan, East Jerusalem, were unlawfully arrested in the middle of the night and taken, their hands cuffed, for interrogation on suspicion of stone throwing. Tes
Palestinian Information Center
IPA threatens liberated prisoners with liquidationPIC 17 Feb 2010 - The Israeli prisons authority (IPA) threatened the liquidation of released Palestinian prisoners if they engage in anti-occupation activity after their release from prison.
Bardawil: Hamas did not receive any message on prisoners swap deal
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, the spokesman of Hamas's parliamentary bloc, has denied that his Movement had received any message from Russia concerning the prisoners' exchange deal.
Awad: We didn’t receive a penny of Arab and international donations to Gaza
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Dr. Mohammed Awad asserted on Wednesday that not a single penny of the international and Arab donations allocated to rebuild Gaza Strip had reached the Strip.
IOA to confiscate Arab land to build parking lot
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) controlled municipality of Jerusalem is planning to confiscate Arab land in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to build a parking lot.
Hayya asks Arab MPs to support reconciliation
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - MP Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya has asked the visiting Arab parliamentarians to back the Palestinian reconciliation efforts in a bid to conclude a solid internal political partnership.
British FM: British passports of Mabhouh's killers forged
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The British foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that the British passports used by six assassins of the Hamas leader in Dubai city were fake.
Nasrullah threatens to bomb Tel Aviv if Beirut is bombed
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Hassan Nasrullah has threatened on Tuesday to shell Tel Aviv city in occupied Palestine if the Lebanese capital Beirut is shelled in any future war with the "Zionist entity".
Jordanian activists demand closure of Dimona
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - Jordanian activists are expected to file a lawsuit against Israel next month to demand the closure of its Dimona nuclear reactor for causing death to many Jordanians.
Lobby for Gaza in US congress
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - American congressmen have formed a lobby called power 54 for Gaza in reference to the number of congressmen forming that lobby, Hebrew press reported.
Netanyahu presents a new prisoner-exchange offer
PIC 17 Feb 2010 - The Israeli channel2 TV has revealed that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu presented a new offer to swap captured Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit with Palestinian captives in Israeli jails.
LA Times 18 Feb 2010 - The Mossad spy agency is suspected in the killing of a Hamas figure in Dubai. Israel has seldom shied from attacking its enemies -- even if it takes years, even on foreign soil, even if it sours relations with allies.
King Tut's mundane death
LA Times 17 Feb 2010 - Malaria and a broken leg, not murder, probably led to the demise of Egypt's famed boy king. New testing also shows that he had a cleft palate, clubfoot and degenerative bone disease. Archaeologists have weaved elaborate tales of intrigue and deceit about the death at age 19 of Egypt's fabled boy king Tutankhamen, with theories that include poisoning by his regent, Aye, and a blow to the head by thugs hired by Aye, but new research indicates his cause of death was probably more mundane -- complications from a broken leg and malaria.
At least some Dubai photos of Hamas 'assassins' appear fake
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - Irish officials and Israeli citizens dispute the validity of passport information released by the emirate in the killing of alleged arms dealer Mahmoud Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room. At least some of the passport photos and information released by Dubai this week on 11 suspects in the assassination of an alleged Hamas arms dealer appears to be false, Irish officials and several Israeli citizens said Tuesday.
Iran moving toward military dictatorship, Clinton says
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - The secretary of State, speaking in Qatar, says sanctions against the Islamic Republic must be aimed at the Revolutionary Guard, which she warns is supplanting the government. Bluntly warning that Iran is sliding into military dictatorship, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told an audience in Qatar on Monday that economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic should be increasingly aimed at its elite Revolutionary Guard.
Selling a piece of Palestinian Main Street
LA Times 16 Feb 2010 - A new private equity fund hopes to raise cash to invest in small and medium-sized businesses in the territories. Is the West Bank ready for Wall Street?
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - A government campaign to improve Israel’s image abroad addresses the Palestinian conflict but also includes an emphasis on food, culture and technology.
New Hints of Skulduggery in Hamas Killing
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - New questions have emerged about the identities of the assassins of a Hamas official in Dubai in January.
World Briefing | Middle East: Iran: U.S. Hikers Are Presumed Innocent, Official Says
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary general of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, said Tuesday that it was “quite possible” that the American hikers held by Iran had strayed into the country by mistake.
Obama Nominates Envoy, Robert Ford, for Syria
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - Filling the post, vacant since 2005, is seen as a step toward improving relations with Damascus.
Diplomatic Memo: Iran Policy Now More in Sync With Clinton’s Views
New York Times 17 Feb 2010 - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has relished taking the lead in seeking support for U.N. sanctions.
'Avatar' on the West Bank
New York Times 16 Feb 2010 - Last week protesters in the West Bank painted themselves blue and wore loinclothes, pointy ears and tails to make themselves look like characters from the film "Avatar" for a demonstration against the security barrier Israel is building near the village of Bilin.
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - The farcical downward slide continues. In hierarchical order: Mahmoud Abbas attempts to bury the Goldstone report on the Gaza massacre; Salam Fayyad speaks at the Herzliya Conference, truly earning Akiva Eldar’s munificent praise ; and a Fatah underling tries to make sleazy love in a sleazy video....
How can you talk about Mort Zuckerman’s Senate interest without bringing up his love of Israel?
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Robert Wright at the New York Times opinionator blog can! FYI: Zuckerman is the former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and many of his posts on Huffpo have been about Israel , and he has aligned with the settler movement. His anti-Obama...
Clinging to the ghost of the two-state solution
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Those who complain about the composition of Obama’s Middle East team miss the point, which is: Are they even relevant to what’s going on any more. Here’s an item in which Jeremy Ben-Ami talks shamelessly about "the national home of the Jewish people." As I more...
If Israel is the ‘collective Jew’… uh-oh
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Canadian solidarity activist Joanne Naiman takes on the new Canadian Parliamentary coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism, and unmasks its agenda: Is antisemitism in fact growing in Canada? I am a sociologist, and in the submission I made to the CPCCA in the summer of 2009, I made...
Abunimah: ‘Israel is delegitimizing itself’
Mondoweiss - 17 Feb 2010 - Ali Abunimah responds to the Israeli thinktank ’s program of responding to the growing delegitimization of Israel : [U]nderlying the Reut Institute’s analysis is a complete inability to disentangle cause and effect. It seems to assume that the dramatic erosion in Israel’s international standing since its wars...
War of the Colorful City
Alternative Information Center - 17 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, South Tel Aviv has become the primary area of life for the migrant workers—which causes fury and grievances amongst the veteran residents of the area. However, there is a way in which both sides can cooperate on a joint struggle. Some hear...
Right of Return and Israeli Democracy
Alternative Information Center - 17 Feb 2010 - Friday, 12 February 2010, The comprehensive Israeli veto of discussion about the right of return of Palestinian refugees exposes democracy and human rights as tools intended to protect the discriminatory nature of the ethnic society in Israel. The perception according to which the power of democracy...
Displaced Persons: Arab-Jews, Arab-Palestinians, Mizrahis and Palestinian Refugees
Alternative Information Center - 17 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, Documentation of the fourth meeting in the series “Meetings from the Dark Perspective,” the headline of which was “1948 Refugees: Mizrahi Perspectives.” A panel discussion with Ilan Halevi, Kochavi Shemesh, Nizar Hassan and Shiko Behar*. The meeting was conducted in Tel Aviv,...
The Rising Phoenix of Israel's Assassination Policy
Alternative Information Center - 17 Feb 2010 - Monday, 15 February 2010, The assassination of Hamas leader Mahmud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhuh in Dubai on 20 January raised concerns in the region about Israeli efforts to neutralize Palestinian activists. According to reports in the press, al-Mabhuh was injected with a drug to induce heart failure. Smadar...
The Personal is the Most Political: Bedouin Women in the Negev
Alternative Information Center - 17 Feb 2010 - Tuesday, 16 February 2010, Many women in the West perceived the women of the East as a woman of the noble savage, an obedient woman who sits at home. Their perception of Arab women in the East was a colonial one, and over the years the...
Articles
I don’t mean to say I told you so, but...
Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development 2/8/2010
Probably the most controversial claim in my work with John Mearsheimer on the Israel lobby is our argument that it played a key role in the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Even some readers who were generally sympathetic to our overall position found that claim hard to accept, and some left-wing critics accused us of letting Bush and Cheney off the hook or of ignoring the importance of other interests, especially oil. Of course, Israel’s defenders in the lobby took issue even more strenuously, usually by mischaracterizing our arguments and ignoring most (if not all) of the evidence we presented.
So I hope readers will forgive me if I indulge today in a bit of self-promotion, or more precisely, self-defense. This week, yet another piece of evidence surfaced that suggests we were right all along (HT to Mehdi Hasan at the New Statesman and J. Glatzer at Mondoweiss). In his testimony to the Iraq war commission in the U.K., former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered the following account of his discussions with Bush in Crawford, Texas in April 2002. Blair reveals that concerns about Israel were part of the equation and that Israel officials were involved in those discussions.
Take it away, Tony:
As I recall that discussion, it was less to do with specifics about what we were going to do on Iraq or, indeed, the Middle East, because the Israel issue was a big, big issue at the time. I think, in fact, I remember, actually, there may have been conversations that we had even with Israelis, the two of us, whilst we were there. So that was a major part of all this."
Notice that Blair is not saying that Israel dreamed up the idea of attacking Iraq or that Bush was bent on war solely to benefit Israel or even to appease the Israel lobby here at home. But Blair is acknowledging that concerns about Israel were part of the equation, and that the Israeli government was being actively consulted in the planning for the war. more.. e-mail
Don’t let the Israel Ballet tip-toe around Apartheid!
Adalah-NY 2/5/2010
Adalah-NY, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, and American Jews for a Just Peace call for a boycott of and protests against the performances of the Israel Ballet during their February, 2010 US tour, due to the Israel Ballet’s complicity in whitewashing Israeli apartheid. The Israel Ballet will perform from February 8 – 27, 2010 in Panama City (FL), Ft. Myers (FL), Sarasota (FL), Bunnel (FL), West Palm Beach (FL), Gainesville (FL), Newport News (VA), Burlington (VT), Worcester (MA), Brooklyn (NY), Morgantown (WV), Buffalo (NY), Elmira (NY) and Rockville (MD). We call on individuals and groups to mobilize to boycott and protest against these performances. The Israel Ballet comes to the United States as part of the ongoing effort to “re-brand” Israel’s image in the West as an enlightened center of arts and technology, to conceal the facts about its occupation, racial discrimination and grave violations of international law and fundamental Palestinian rights. The Israeli government-sponsored campaign to promote cultural performances is a result of the steady decline of Israel’s standing in international public opinion. Consistent reports by the UN and leading human rights organizations have revealed the extent of Israel’s colonial oppression, gradual ethnic cleansing and even war crimes against the Palestinian people, as pointedly revealed in the UN’s recently published Goldstone Report on Israel’s war of aggression on Gaza. The Israel Ballet, which receives around $1 million annually from the Israeli government, is being advertised as a cultural ambassador of the state by the Israeli Consulate in New York. The dance group also boasts holding “special performances” for Israeli soldiers. -- See also: Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israelmore.. e-mail
The New York Times and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Bronner Affair
Jerome Slater, Huffington Post 2/14/2010
The New York Times has now confirmed recent internet rumors that the son of Ethan Bronner, for the past two years its chief correspondent in Israel, has enlisted in the Israeli army. As the website Electronic Intifada pointed out, the internal policies of the Times state that journalists might have to be reassigned if the activities of family members created real or even "apparent" conflicts of interest.
Rather surprisingly, last Sunday the Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt decided to address the issue in his Week in Review column concluding that while Bronner’s reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was "superb," his family ties (Bronner is also married to an Israeli woman) created enough of an apparent conflict of interest to warrant his reassignment. In support, Hoyt quoted Alex Jones, the director of a Harvard center that studies the press and a former Pulitzer Prize-winning report for the Times: "The appearance of a conflict of interest is often as important or more important than a real conflict of interest. I would reassign him."
Hoyt invited Bill Keller, the Times executive editor, to respond in the same column. In his typical fashion, Keller came out swinging, dismissively rejecting Hoyt’s and Jones’ reasoning -- not to mention, of course, all the non-New York Times insiders whose views on the substance of Bronner’s reporting were far more critical than Hoyt’s. Bronner would not be reassigned, Keller wrote, because for many years "he has reported scrupulously and insightfully" on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; "pandering to zealots," Keller concluded, would mean "cheating readers who genuinely seek to be informed."
The New York Times and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
If Bronner’s reporting had been genuinely "scrupulous" -- informed, accurate and unbiased -- almost surely his family ties with Israel would have never become an issue, and it would not be necessary to distinguish between real and merely "imaginary or hypothetical" conflicts of interest (in Keller’s words).... more.. e-mail
PACBI: Intellectual responsibility and the voice of the colonized
Electronic Intifada: 17 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has recently encountered a number of projects that while intending to empower the colonized Palestinians, in essence end up undermining their will and choice of method of struggle for freedom, justice and self-determination. The publication of a new book entitled The Power of Inclusive Exclusion: Anatomy of Israeli Rule in the Occupied Palestinian Territories belongs to this category.
Review: A (happily) partial memoir of the second intifada
Electronic Intifada: 17 Feb 2010 - Emma Williams is a doctor who worked in Britain, Pakistan, Afghanistan, New York and South Africa before accompanying her husband, a UN official, to Jerusalem in October 2000. This account of their three years in Palestine, It's easier to reach heaven than the end of the street - a Jerusalem memoir , was originally published in the UK in 2006 and now appears in a revised and updated US edition. Raymond Deane reviews for The Electronic Intifada
Poland tightens military alliance with Israel
Electronic Intifada: 17 Feb 2010 - Poland's military has embarked on a "Polonization of Israeli technology" drive, coupling Israeli weapons-manufacturing technology with Polish manpower and raw materials. Poland's Bumar Group has a 10-year offset deal worth $400 million with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to produce Spike missiles for drones and helicopter gunships. Ewa Jasiewicz comments.
"At least there's food in prison!"
Electronic Intifada: 17 Feb 2010 - "This morning," my neighbor Mona explained to me, "I told my husband that since the kids are out of school and he didn't need to go into town, I would cook something special and we would have a party." Mona has a wry sense of humor and I started to wonder what the punch line would be. Joy Ellison writes from al-Tuwani, occupied West Bank.
In Gaza: 17 Feb 2010 - testimonies of farmers’ losses under Israeli aggressions and Zionist policies of land and water annexation.
Palestine Chronicle: 17 Feb 2010 - By Ramzy Baroud With the dreadful threat of yet another Israeli war in the Middle East looming, Israeli propaganda machine is likely to go into full gear. In fact, trial balloons have already been sent out bearing supposedly unrehearsed comments by former Israeli Army general and current Minister Yossi Peled, suggesting that another war is on its way. More recently, Israel's ultra-right and unabashedly racist Foreign Minister Avigador Lieberman threatened to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad in case of a war. And so it begins. Historically, Israel has, with one understandable exception, determined the time and place of all of its wars with the Arabs. The only time Israeli forces were attacked in 1973 involved an Arab attempt to regain territories that were captured by Israel in 1967. When Lieberman uttered his "message that should go out to the ruler of Syria from Israel" to an audience at Bar Ilan University, he was effectively saying that Israel will topple the Syrian government when it decides the time was ripe for war. And considering Peled's earlier statement that war was imminent, the only possible conclusion would be that a "regime change" in Syria is high on the Israeli agenda. It also perhaps represents the last chance of fulfilling the US neoconservative vision - that of "A New Strategy for Securing the Realm". This inference should have been evident and thus sent shockwaves throughout the world, and especially through the US media which now know fully the price of...
Jenny Tonge is Sacrificed (Again) to Appease Zionists
Palestine Chronicle: 16 Feb 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood - London In another blow to British free speech the parliamentarian Baroness Jenny Tonge, a good friend to Palestinians for many years, has been betrayed by her party colleagues and sacked. Jenny Tonge dared to comment on allegations circulating in the media about Israel harvesting human organs during their emergency rescue operations in Haiti. To prevent these allegations going any further, she said, "the IDF and the Israeli Medical Association should establish an independent inquiry immediately to clear the names of the team in Haiti.” The allegations included reports that the former head of Israel’s forensic institute admitted Israeli pathologists harvested organs from dead Palestinians and others without permission but this nauseating practice had ended in the 1990s. Yet Jenny Tonge’s remarks brought a storm of protest from her own colleagues as well as Zionists. One of them said: "She is misguided to call for any investigation. On this basis, there could be calls for an investigation to discover the ‘truth’ in the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” Another said: "We understand why the idea would be offensive to the Jewish community." Yet another said: “Jenny's comments were damaging within the community and also to the wider debate about the Middle East." A fourth, eager to cash in on the hysteria, commented: “It’s abhorrent that anyone should suggest that something as perverse and sick as this should be investigated.” The Israeli embassy, never known to miss a trick, said that the allegations were “not fit...
Jews-Only Homes for Ajami
Palestine Chronicle: 16 Feb 2010 - By Jonathan Cook in Jaffa Over the past few days graffiti scrawled on walls around the mixed Jewish and Arab town of Jaffa in central Israel exclaims: "Settlers, keep out" and "Jaffa is not Hebron". Although Jaffa is only a stone's throw from the bustling coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv, Arab residents say their neighbourhood has become the unlikely battleground for an attempted takeover by extremist Jews more familiar from West Bank settlements. Small numbers of nationalist religious Jews, distinctive for wearing knitted skullcaps, have begun moving into Jaffa's deprived main Arab district, Ajami, over recent months. Tensions have been simmering since a special seminary was established last year in the heart of Ajami for young Jewish men who combine study of the Bible with serving in the Israeli army. Many such seminaries, known as "hesder yeshivas", are located in the occupied territories and have earnt a reputation for turning out extremists. Last week Ajami's residents were dealt a further blow when an Israeli court approved the sale of one of the district's few remaining building plots to B'Emuna (Hebrew for "with faith"), a construction company that specialises in building subsidised homes for religious families, many of them in West Bank settlements. The Association of Civil Rights in Israel, the country's largest human rights law centre, which petitioned the courts on the Arab residents' behalf, called the company's policy "racist". B'Emuna, which is expected to complete 20 apartments in the next few months, is applying for approval for a further...