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Peres To Visit Amman For Economic Forum
IMEMC - Saturday May 25 2013, Israeli sources have reported that Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, will be traveling to Jordan, Sunday, to participate in the World Economic Forum held in the Dead Sea area in Jordan. ...
Settlers Spray Olive Trees With Toxic Chemicals
IMEMC - Nablus - Saturday April May 15 2013, a number of armed extremist Israeli settlers invaded a Palestinian olive orchard that belong to two residents of Burin village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, before spraying the trees with dangerous chemicals, causing the trees to die. ...
Palestinian Envoys Head To Syria
IMEMC - Saturday, May 25 2013, a senior Palestinian delegation, headed by member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Zakariyya Al-Aagha, headed to Syria in an attempt to find a solution to the difficult situation the refugees face amidst the ongoing war in the country. ...
Israel Files A Complaint Against Syria
IMEMC - Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, filed a complaint to the Security Council against Syria after the Syrian Army opened fire, several days ago, at an Israeli military vehicle in the occupied Golan Heights. ...
Detainee Continues Hunger Strike, Demands Release
IMEMC - Palestinian detainee, Ayman Issa Hamdan, who went on hunger strike 27 days ago, rejected an Israeli “offer” for an additional six-month extension of his Administrative Detention, without trial, and demanded his unconditional release. ...
Palestinian Killed In Tunnel Accident In Rafah
IMEMC - Friday evening, May 254 2013, Palestinian medical sources have reported that one Palestinian was killed and another was injured when a siege-busting tunnel collapsed on them, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. ...
Settlers Puncture Car Tires Near Bethlehem, Write Racist Graffiti
IMEMC - A number of extremist Israeli settlers punctured tires of five vehicles near the Gilo Israeli settlement, illegally built on Palestinian lands near Beit Jala city, in the West Bank district of Bethlehem. ...
PCHR Weekly Report: 17 civilians wounded, including 12 children, by Israeli troops this week
IMEMC - In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 16 - 22 May 2013, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded during incursions in the West Bank. In addition,14 protesters, including 12 children, were wounded during peaceful protests at the entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. ...
World Bank To Grant P.A. $55 Million
IMEMC - The World Bank Board of Executive Directors advised its Board of Governors to authorize the US$55 million replenishment of the Gaza and West Bank Trust Fund, a World Bank press release said Thursday. ...
AMNESTY: “Israel, Palestinian Fighters, Committed War Crimes”
IMEMC - AMNESTY International issued a report on the Israeli war on Gaza, in November of 2012, and statedthat its investigations conducted that both Israel and the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, violated international humanitarian law, and committed war crimes. ...
Ha'aretz Defense page
Ma'an News
Detainee taken to hospital as health declines
5/24/2013 - The detainee had announced he was refusing to take medications in protest of medical negligence. - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) - Israeli prison authorities transferred on Thursday night detainee Mansour al-Shahatit from Ramon prison to Soroka Hospital, after his health seriously deteriorated. Mansour's father told Ma'an that "detainees at Ramon called me and....
Israeli forces raid Negev prison block
5/24/2013 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) - Israeliforces raided a cell block at Negev prison searching for cell phones, a prisoners rights activist said Friday. Riyad al-Ashqar of the detainees center for studies said in a statement that special forces raided the Negev jail's cell block 6 looking for cell phones being used by detainees. [END]
Palestinian injured in clashes near Qalqiliya
5/24/2013 - QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian man was injured in the head in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in Kafr Qaddum near Qalqiliya, a Ma'an reporter said. Ayman Nazzal, a driver for the Palestinian Broadcast Corp. , was taken to a hospital in Nablus after being struck at close range by a tear-gas....
Kerry: Israel, Palestinians must take hard decisions for peace
5/24/2013 - TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Friday to take "hard decisions" to revive the Middle East peace process." We're getting toward a time now when hard decisions need to be made," he told a news conference in Tel Aviv at the end of....
Haniyeh urges Egypt to rethink Israel peace deal
5/24/2013 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The prime minister of the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip called Friday on Egypt to reconsider the Camp David peace accords with Israel. Ismail Haniyeh said duringnoon prayers that Egypt would be better off if its leaders reconsidered or even canceled the US-brokered peace agreement. He also called on....
Islamic Jihad leader: Fatah, Hamas not ready to end split
5/24/2013 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Talks between Fatah and Hamas on Tuesday and Wednesday accomplished little as the parties failed to reach any agreement, a top Islamic Jihad official said Thursday. Abu Imad al-Rifaei, the Islamist group's representative in a committee preparing for national elections, told Ma'an that the talks focused on....
Shark attacks fisherman off Gaza coast
5/24/2013 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) - A Gaza fisherman was attacked on Thursday evening by a shark off the coast, leaving him with moderate injuries. Locals told Ma'an that the fisherman, named as Hamed Salah, 30, was pulling in fish when the three-meter shark attacked him. Hamed was taken to the emergency room at....
Russia: Syria regime agrees to attend peace conference
5/24/2013 - MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russia said on Friday that the Damascus regime had agreed "in principle" to attend an international peace conference on the Syria crisis that is expected to take place in Geneva in June." We note with satisfaction that we have received an agreement in principle from Damascus to attend the international conference, in the....
Syria opposition peace talks enter second day
5/24/2013 - ISTANBUL (AFP) -- Syria's main opposition group is set to hold a second day of talks Friday, mulling a new US-Russian peace initiative to end the two-year civil war while the regime vows to crush the insurgency. Holding its seventh general assembly meeting since its creation last November, the National Coalition is expected to....
Lebanese president cautions Hezbollah over Syria role
5/24/2013 - BEIRUT (AFP) -- Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman cautioned the Shiite group Hezbollah on Friday over its militia fighting alongside regime troops in neighboring Syria." The resistance is more noble and more important than anything, and should not get bogged down in the sands of dissension, whether in Syria or Lebanon," he said in a....
US: Kerry to meet Lavrov for Syria talks in Paris
5/24/2013 - JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) -- US Secretary of State John Kerry is to meet Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris on Monday for talks on Syria's conflict, a senior US State Department official has said. They will meet "to continue discussions from their meeting just a few weeks ago in Russia, and....
US, Turkey, Qatar call for UN rights debate on Syria
5/24/2013 - GENEVA (AFP) -- The United States, Turkey and Qatar called Friday for an urgent debate on Syria at the UN's top human rights body next week, citing the escalating conflict and the regime's assault on the central town of Qusayr." We have the honor to request the Human Rights Council to hold....
Aljazeera
Palestine News Network
IRIN
IRIN
How To: Get medical aid kits to Aleppo, Syria
IRIN DUBAI 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Getting humanitarian supplies into conflict zones like Syria is no mean feat, often requiring negotiations with warring parties, braving insecurity and facing repeated delays and logistical challenges. >
Concern for Syrians stuck at Jordanian border
IRIN AMMAN/DUBAI 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of people are gathering in villages in southern Syria, unable to seek refuge in Jordan either because of insecurity along the border or, according to some, new Jordanian security measures. In the meantime, some of them are living “between the mosques and the...
Inter Press Service
Gazans Dying to Enter Israel
IPS Israeli's blockade of Gaza is crippling the territory. Above, selling yoghurt in Gaza in an attempt to make some sort of living. Credit: Eva Bartlett/IPS Israel’s crippling blockade of the coastal territory of Gaza is pushing desperate young Palestinians to ever more extreme measures in the search for livelihoods, despite...
Stop The Wall
Settlers burn agricultural land and attack Palestinian property
Stop The Wall - Palestinian Grassroots Anti-apartheid Wall Campaign المستوطنون يحرقون 25 دونم في قرية قريوت 14/05/13 A group of settlers set fire to agricultural land in the village of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, on Tuesday. There is a checkpoint at the entrance to the town and this, along with the efforts of...
PCHR Latest
PCHR Weekly Report
International Solidarity Movement
Photo essay: Gas, frisbees and the Apartheid Wall in Ni'lin
5/24/2013 - International Solidarity Movement - 24th May 2013, International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus, Ni'lin, Occupied Palestine - Friday demonstrations continue in the village of Ni'lin in protest against the Occupation and Apartheid Wall which runs through the village's land. During this particular demonstration on the 24th May 2013, there were no injuries and those who....
Ha'aretz
Diplomacy page
The
Guardian
Ha'aretz
National page
Relief
Web
Syrian Arab Republic: Palestinian refugees in Syria
Relief Web 25 May 2013 - Source: Australian Agency for International Development Country: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic Foreign Minister Bob Carr today announced $4.6 million to help Palestinian refugees, including those affected by the conflict in Syria. Senator Carr announced Australian support during...
occupied Palestinian territory: Supporting Palestinian reform efforts to achieve fiscal sustainability and improve public financial management
Relief Web 24 May 2013 - Source: World Bank Country: occupied Palestinian territory With the World Bank’s support through the Development Policy Grant (DPG) Program III, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) was able to expand property tax collection from 22 municipalities in 2008 to 37 in...
occupied Palestinian territory: Filtering Gaza’s contaminated water
Relief Web 24 May 2013 - Source: Islamic Relief Country: occupied Palestinian territory Islamic Relief is providing 200 female-headed households with water filtration systems in Gaza. The reverse osmosis filtration units will provide 200 vulnerable families with access to safe drinking water. For the last few...
occupied Palestinian territory: Unique Australian multi-faith partnership to improve Palestinian health
Relief Web 24 May 2013 - Source: AngliCORD Country: occupied Palestinian territory Hundreds of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will have access to improved healthcare thanks to our new multi-faith partnership. Project Rozana brings together Anglican Overseas Aid, the Hadassah Australia Foundation...
Syrian Arab Republic: UNRWA will continue to provide emergency assistance to displaced Palestine refugees, Commissioner-General says on a visit to Syria
Relief Web 24 May 2013 - Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi visited Syria on 21-23 May to see first-hand the impact of conflict and displacement on Palestine...
Syrian Arab Republic: Concern for Syrians stuck at Jordanian border
Relief Web 24 May 2013 - Source: IRIN Country: Jordan, occupied Palestinian territory, Syrian Arab Republic AMMAN/DUBAI, 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of people are gathering in villages in southern Syria, unable to seek refuge in Jordan because of insecurity along the border or, according...
YNet
News
B'tselem
Daily Star
Hariri: Hezbollah committing military, political suicide
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slams Hezbollah’s leader for intervening in the conflict in Syria, warning that the resistance has sealed its fate by assisting Assad’s forces against rebels in Qusair.
France rules out Iran taking part in Syrian peace talks
Daily Star 25 May 2013 France's foreign minister rules out Iran taking part in a proposed Syria peace conference, saying Tehran was involved in the conflict and had no desire for peace.
Between 180-200 French militants have fought in Syria: Le Monde
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Between 180 and 200 French citizens have travelled to Syria in the past year to join a two-year-old rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, le Monde reported on Saturday, citing figures from France's internal DCRI and external...
Syria opposition says kidnapped bishops 'in good health'
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria last month are "in good health," though there is no news on their whereabouts, an opposition official tells reporters.
Egypt court rules against religious slogans
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court has ruled against parts of an election law approved by the Islamist-led legislature that had lifted a long-standing ban on the use of religious slogans during campaigning.
Security situation precludes holding polls: Arslan
Daily Star 25 May 2013 The deteriorating security situation in Lebanon precludes the possibility of holding transparent elections, MP Talal Arslan says following talks with Speaker Berri, adding that his party is seeking an extension of Parliament’s term.
Hezbollah will be next target if Assad falls: Nasrallah
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah says a failure to guard to his ally Syrian President Bashar Assad will pave the way for the targeting of the Lebanese resistance group by Israel.
Syria is the backbone of the resistance: Nasrallah
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Hezbollah’s chief praised Saturday President Bashar Assad, describing him as the backbone of the resistance, and reiterates his party will prevent the fall of the regime in Damascus.
Takfiri groups predominate ranks of Syrian rebels: Hezbollah
Daily Star 25 May 2013 The head of Hezbollah denounces Syrian rebels seeking the ouster of President Bashar Assad, saying Takfiri groups predominated the ranks of the rebel forces which he said could pose a danger to Lebanon and all its...
Hezbollah confirms heavily involved in Syria conflict
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announces the large-scale involvement of his party in the war in neighboring Syria, saying his party’s fighting against Syrian rebels aimed at protecting the resistance group.
Hezbollah: State failing to prepare in event of Israeli attack
Daily Star 25 May 2013 The head of Hezbollah slams the Lebanese state, accusing it of failing to treat Israel as a serious threat and thus taking for granted the need to equip the Lebanese Army and ready the country’s infrastructure...
Israel and Syria crisis pose dangers to Lebanon: Hezbollah
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Hezbollah chief warns that Lebanon faces two major threats: the constant danger of Israeli aggression and the crisis in neighboring Syria with the growing number of Islamist fighters there.
Israel says Syria seeks to provoke conflict
Daily Star 25 May 2013 Israel accuses Syrian forces of trying to provoke conflict as the two sides rowed over responsibility for a border clash.
Israel targeted in Syria cyber attack: expert
Daily Star 25 May 2013 An organization calling itself the "Syrian Electronic Army" has launched a cyber attack against the water distribution system of Haifa, Israel's third largest city, an expert says.
Jordan plans major exercises with 18 countries
Daily Star 25 May 2013 More than 15,000 soldiers from 18 different countries will take part in a joint military exercise in Jordan in the coming weeks, a military official says.
Aid groups urge EU to fulfil commitments to Palestinians
Daily Star 25 May 2013 A group of 80 international aid agencies urge the European Union to follow through on pledges it made last year to back Palestinian communities seen as vulnerable to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian
Information Center
Los
Angeles Times
Hezbollah leader affirms support for Assad in Syria
LA Times 25 May 2013 - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah makes his most definitive pledge of support for the Syrian government's forces in their battle against rebels. BEIRUT — The leader of the militant group Hezbollah on Saturday aligned his powerful movement squarely behind the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad...
Ryan Crocker says U.S. is fumbling on Iran's nuclear program
LA Times 25 May 2013 - Longtime U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker says that when dealing with Iran, negotiations and concessions would be far more effective than tougher sanctions. WASHINGTON — Ryan Crocker has long been viewed as America's indispensable diplomat in the Muslim world. President George W. Bush named him ambassador...
Syria activists look to a grave for evidence against Assad
LA Times 25 May 2013 - Opposition activists, in an effort to prove the Syrian government has used illicit chemical weapons, exhumed a corpse and sent tissue and clothing samples to U.S. officials in Lebanon. WASHINGTON — The hunt for proof that Syrian government forces used banned chemical weapons may come...
Syria refugees resume flow into Jordan after lull
LA Times 25 May 2013 - The once-massive influx of refugees ceased over the last week. Some officials say the Jordanian government had closed the border, perhaps to pressure other nations to heed the refugee crisis. AMMAN, Jordan — Refugees from war-ravaged Syria began trickling back into Jordan on Saturday, a...
U.S. plans to move Iranian exile group out of Iraq hit snag
LA Times 24 May 2013 - Mujahedin Khalq leaders are resisting the transfer of the Marxist-Islamist group's members to other countries. But Iraq's government tires of protecting them. WASHINGTON — The State Department's decade-long effort to find a new home for a controversial Iranian opposition group has ground to a near...
Obama's drone limits may bolster ties with Pakistan
LA Times 24 May 2013 - But Islamabad continues to insist the drone campaign does more harm than good and should be shut down. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Obama's commitment to scaling back the use of unmanned aircraft to kill suspected terrorists could pave the way for improved relations between the...
Russia says Syria will attend peace conference
LA Times 24 May 2013 - The government of President Bashar Assad has agreed 'in principle' to participate at the talks in Geneva, Moscow says. The opposition's stance is still unclear. BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar Assad's government has agreed "in principle" to participate in a U.S.- and Russian-sponsored peace conference...
New
York Times
News Analysis: What Mideast Crisis? Israelis Have Moved On
New York Times 25 May 2013 - Instead of focusing on what is said to be their central challenge — how to share this land with another nation — Israelis are largely ignoring it.
Hezbollah Chief Orders Fight to Save Syria’s Assad
New York Times 25 May 2013 - Syrian opposition activists said that government forces and Hezbollah had intensified attacks in Qusayr, which faced the heaviest shelling since the battle had started, to allow Hezbollah to claim victory.
New Computer Attacks Come From Iran, Officials Say
New York Times 24 May 2013 - The recent attacks seem to be aimed at sabotage rather than stealing information, United States officials say.
The Saturday Profile: Kilian Kleinschmidt: Calm Boss at Center of a Syrian Refugee Camp’s Chaos
New York Times 24 May 2013 - Kilian Kleinschmidt, who runs an overcrowded Syrian refugee camp in Jordan for the United Nations, is a ruddy-faced German who thrives in international disasters.
Battle for Syrian Town Spurs Sectarian Fighting in Northern Lebanon
New York Times 24 May 2013 - Fighting for the Syrian town of Qusayr has been unusually fierce, and the tenacity of rebels against better-armed opponents has given the battle strong symbolic significance.
Ending Mideast Visit, Kerry Calls for Leadership
New York Times 24 May 2013 - After meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, Secretary of State John Kerry urged them to “demonstrate leadership” to find a way back to direct peace talks.
Russia Says Syria Will Attend Geneva Peace Talks
New York Times 24 May 2013 - The United States and Russia agreed this month to pull together the peace conference, with Russia responsible for bringing the government of Bashar al-Assad to the table.
Lives: Flying With the Black Ravens
New York Times 24 May 2013 - Thirty years after my father’s death, I went looking for him in his old squadron.
Articles
Justice must prevail if European and American claims to civilisation have any meaning at all
Ibrahim Hewitt, Middle East Monitor (MEMO)
5/24/2013
Israel was established as part of a cynical process of neo-imperialism during and after the First World War.
In the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, the Israelis have the most compliant of "partners for peace" ready and willing to make huge concessions and yet illegal settlements continue to grow; human rights violations continue apace; and 65 years of occupation and oppression look set to become endless. This tells us all we really need to know about the mindset of Israel and its leaders, and "right or wrong" supporters: they are not interested in peace in any form, and certainly not a peace in which justice is also given to the victims of Israeli aggression over the past half-a-century and more.
Visiting Interpal's projects in Jordan this week has, as usual, been an eye-opener. No matter how bad you think the situation is, close inspection on the ground reveals it to be worse. Just as in Lebanon, which I visited a month ago, landlords are exploiting refugees - Palestinian and Syrian - at their most vulnerable, charging exorbitant rents for little more than converted animal stores. Trying to imagine the mental turmoil this must cause to someone who has already had to leave their homes with little more than what they can carry is impossible; we can only guess what it must be like, and will probably be far from the reality. Now multiply that by many thousands, indeed millions, and we are faced with a humanitarian catastrophe playing out under our noses.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague and other foreign ministers were also in Amman this week for a meeting of the "Friends of Syria"; little will result from the get-together, no matter how well-intentioned (let's give them the benefit of the doubt) for the simple reason that in international relations right and wrong play second-fiddle to "interests". If it was in America's interests for the war in Syria to be stopped, one way or the other, it would be stopped. The same is true about the incredibly asymmetric conflict in the Holy Land....
Time for ‘Kerry Peace Plan’
George S. Hishmeh, Arabic Media Internet Network (AMIN)
5/23/2013
It is anyone’s guess what Secretary of State John Kerry has up his sleeve when he visits the Holy Land for the fourth time this week, among other key stopovers elsewhere in the Middle East. True, his objective is to kick-start peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis, moribund for several years, but what are the chances of success when he has so much on his plate, particularly Syria?
His focus on resurrecting the peace process has triggered some excitement in this strife-torn region, but not surprisingly everywhere. His first success was to get the Arabs to amend their Arab Peace Initiative, much to the disappointment of some Palestinians, which was launched in 2002 by the 22-member League of Arab States and endorsed thereafter by the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained mum though his chief negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, welcomed the gesture as “good news”. Even former prime minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as saying that’s “an opportunity that must be seized [since] it’s a very important development.”
What is more amazing is that Netanyahu has never spelled out his vision for a peace agreement, insisting that his expansionist plans in the West Bank — now accommodating about half a million Israeli colonists — would not stop, even temporarily, while the two parties are pursuing their negotiations. This is why the Palestinians want him to commit himself to a discernible settlement before the talks start.
Prisoners who starved for art honored by Gaza show
Joe Catron, Gaza City, Electronic Intifada
5/21/2013
For former Palestinian detainee Abdelfattah Abu Jahil, prison art is a victory.
“At the beginning, it was really hard,” he said of painting, embroidery and sculpture during his first detention by Israeli forces in 1983. “It wasn’t allowed. We had to keep it hidden from the guards. And we had to smuggle the tools, like beads and threads, to make the art.”
That changed, he said, when a mass hunger strike forced the Israeli Prison Service to let Palestinian detainees keep and use art supplies.
“The greatest achievements of the prisoners’ movement were in 1985,” Abu Jahil said. “We went on hunger strike to force the Israelis to allow us to make art, among other things. I myself went on hunger strike for 79 days.”
Their success allowed art by detainees to flourish, he explained. “After the [Israeli Prison Service] allowed prisoners to make art, we were able to ask our families to send supplies, or buy them from the small shops in the prisons.”
Today, Abu Jahil, who was finally released from his fourth detention in 2002, continues to make art about detainees and the prisoners’ movement in Gaza. Permanent collection
Drawing a stipend for his work from the Palestinian ministry of prisoners’ affairs, he now produces much of it for a permanent exhibition of prison art hosted by the ministry.
US moves toward full Iran trade embargo
Jim Lobe, Asia Times
5/23/2013
WASHINGTON - The US Congress moved closer on Wednesday to imposing a full trade embargo against Iran and pledged its support to Israel if it felt compelled to attack Tehran's nuclear program in self-defense. The senate voted 99-0 to adopt a resolution that urged President Barack Obama to fully enforce existing economic sanctions against Iran and to "provide diplomatic, military and economic support" to Israel "in its defense of its territory, people and existence".
Washington, it said, should support Israel "in accordance with United States law and the constitutional responsibility of congress to authorize the use of military force" if Israel "is compelled to take military action in legitimate self-defense against Iran's nuclear weapons program."
The measure also re-affirmed the official policy of the Obama administration that it would take whatever action necessary to "prevent" Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
At the same time, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Republican-led House of Representatives unanimously approved new sanctions legislation that, if passed into law, would blacklist foreign countries or companies that fail to reduce their oil imports from Iran to virtually nil within 180 days.
The same bill would expand the current blacklisting of companies that do business with Iran's financial sector to include those engaged in the country's automotive and mining sectors, as well.
In perhaps its most controversial section, the bill also eliminates President Obama's ability to waive most sanctions for national-interest or national-security reasons.
Electronic Intifada
In
Gaza
before you believe the Zionists’ propaganda and lies…
In Gaza: 26 Apr 2013 - …read Richard Falk’s original piece (not the various Zionist- distorted versions): A Commentary on the Marathon Murders The dominant reactions to the horrific bombings on April 15 th , the day of the running of the Boston Marathon , as well as the celebration of Patriots Day , have been so far: compassion for the victims, a maximal resolve to track down the perpetrators, a pundit’s notebook that generally agrees that Americans have been protected against terrorist violence since 9/11 and that the best way to prevail against such sinister adversaries is to restore normalcy as quickly as possible. In this spirit, it is best to avoid dwelling on the gory details by darkly glamorizing the scene of mayhem with flowers and homage. It is better to move forward with calm resolve and a re-commitment to the revolutionary ideals that midwifed the birth of the American nation. Such responses are generally benevolent, especially...more
Palestine
Chronicle
Old Masters and the Masters of War: Guernica – Gaza
Palestine Chronicle: 23 May 2013 - By Vacy Vlazna The Israeli military occupation is not only an external experience of ubiquitous soldiers, guns, teargas, tanks, F16s , Apache helicopters, warships, checkpoints, prisons, it is a virulent pathogen that infects and debilitates the psyches and bodies of its living hosts – the men, women and children of Palestine contaminating every precious instant of their lives from the first breath to death. The omnipresence of Israeli aggression is strikingly conveyed in internationally acclaimed Gazan artist, Mohammed Al Hawajri’s new exhibition, Guernica – Gaza 2010-2013, featuring 28 extraordinary artworks which present the Israeli reign of terror invading the artistic vision of certain Old Masters. I was sent images of Al Hawajri’s paintings via Facebook and his creativity astonished me. I am neither art connoisseur nor critic, but I’d like to share, from an activist perspective, how the incompatible juxtaposition of Old Masters, and the Israeli masters of war can expand...more
Iran: How to Rig an Election
Palestine Chronicle: 23 May 2013 - By Jamal Kanj The election landscape in Iran is becoming increasingly clear. According to state-run Press TV, a whopping 686 candidates registered to run in the presidential poll. However, only eight men remain on the ballot for the first round on June 14 after candidates were vetted by the Guardian Council, which consists of 12 members – half of whom were appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Most are seen as loyalists to Khamenei, while those rejected included former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, a close aide to outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Testing the waters before the Guardian Council’s decision, Iran’s national deputy police commander Esmael Moghaddam sounded a warning last week in the Shargh newspaper for Mashaei to stop challenging the Supreme Leader by claiming to take orders from a higher authority – namely Al Mahdi, the 12th Shi’ite Imam. There was also an...more
