Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Elections Archive - February 2010
Elections Archive - February 2010
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Hamas, Jihad urge escalation of protests 2/28/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas and Islamic Jihad urged on Sunday an escalation of protests in the West Bank against they perceive as an Israeli assault on Palestinian religious sites. Islamic Jihad staged a mass rally in Gaza denouncing renewed violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and Israel's recent decision to lay claim to two holy sites in Bethlehem and Hebron. Islamic Jihad leader Muhammad Al-Hindi told the assembled crowd that Israel "only understands the language of force. ""This settlement called Israel cannot not intimidate our people and our resistance through aggression," he said. "Al-Hindi also called on the leaders of rival factions Hamas and Fatah to immediately unite in opposition to Israel. Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, home to Islam's third holiest site, early on Sunday in response to reports of stone throwing. " Cultivating Resistance: Khirbet Bir al ‘Idd 2/27/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - International Solidarity Movement - Last week, two small, rural outposts were awaiting two payloads from a 4×4 that was snaking its way along the winding, West Bank roads of the South Hebron hills. The first was the material to construct some alternative energy sources for these small communities, the second was an international presence that would aid them in the fight for their legitimacy. In the hills around Susya, sheep- and goat-herders live in small, tented communities in the wadis of Israeli-controlled "Area C"in the West Bank. These communities are fighting for their existence against the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing in the region, where strict controls limit the quality of life that is possible for these people. Our first stop was to deliver the parts to construct both solar and wind-powered electricity sources to an isolated site where two families live in tents. Scattered in death as in life Nadia Hijab, The Electronic Intifada, Israeli Occupation Archive 2/22/2010 I carried a handful of ashes from my father’s cremates into the Occupied Palestinian Territories a few years ago, hoping to take them to his hometown, Nablus. At the border, the only available taxi was driven by an Israeli Moroccan Jew. Delighted I was an Arab, he immediately plunged into conversation and pointed out various landmarks along the way to Jerusalem. “That road,” he said at one point, “leads to Nablus,” indicating the tarmac cutting through the rocky soil as we drove through a desolate area. I asked him to stop the car. Israel often kept Nablus under curfew for weeks on end and I didn’t know if I’d be able to get there during my short trip. On the road to Nablus, I laid the ashes and paid my respects. Back in the car, the puzzled driver wondered what I had been doing. When I told him he asked hesitantly, “Don’t you have rites like ours, including visiting loved ones’ graves?” I stared at the back of his neck, as brown as my own, as I sought a response. We do have similar rites. It is rare for a Muslim to seek cremation, as in our father’s case, part of the enforced modernity of exile. In fact, at no time is the loss of Palestine more piercing than at a loved one’s passing, reinforcing the realization that, Muslim or Christian, Palestinians are as scattered across the globe in death as in life. But how could one explain 100 years of history in a cab ride? “Yes, but you’ve made it impossible for us to practice ours.” So it is with special poignancy that I have followed the latest twist in the battle over Jerusalem’s Mamilla Cemetery, a Muslim cemetery known in Arabic as Maman Allah, where the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center intends to build a Museum of Tolerance, a project stalled by legal and other protests since it began in 2004. Mamilla is estimated to be over 800 years old and was in continuous use until 1948 when the Western part of Jerusalem was conquered as Israel was created..... more.. e-mail US-Israel Relations Sail into Icy Waters Palestine Chronicle: 28 Feb 2010 - By James Gundun - Washington D.C. It would be foolish conclude that America and Israel's special relationship is charted for divorce. Any long-lasting marriage hits a few cold spells, and tough times often unite. But a storm has chilled the waters. Now, will America and Israel hit an iceberg? President Barack Obama lost his battle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the moment it began. Not the ideological or pragmatic battle necessarily, for Obama’s principles, were they sincere and he stuck to them, stand a better chance of creating a Palestine than whatever Netanyahu has in mind. The political battle is over though. Never a match for the veteran Netanyahu, US policy with Israel was burned by one of Obama's core weaknesses - inexperience. The Gaza war struck a month after his election. Obama went silent and would never say much afterward. Another month later Netanyahu had returned to power, already smelling blood from Washington, and proceeded to bite Obama repeatedly in action, word, and tone. Obama barely reacted to the peace process over 2009 and into 2010, Netanyahu even less, and famously refused to place any blame on either of them. Obama's approach must change if he expects any progress towards a sovereign Palestine and a secure Israel, if he truly desires the potential healing benefits to the region. He must actively engage the process not just during negotiations but before, or run the risk of conflict between all parties involved. US envoy George Mitchell can't move all the weight... Gaza independents meet with West Bank Hamas delegation 2/26/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A delegation of independent figures from Gaza joined their West Bank counterparts for prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque on Friday, then held meetings with a delegation of Hamas officials in Hebron. The group of independents, lead by Yaser Wadeiyah, sat with Hamas leaders headed by Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker with the Hamas bloc Aziz Dweik. "Our meeting in Hebron today aimed at forwarding the idea of conciliation talks so we can end division," Al-Wadeiyah said told Ma'an. He explained that the independent figures came from Gaza to dispel misconceptions about the political reality there, and to look for ways out of the current political crisis. "The Palestinian response to the Israeli acts must be reaching conciliation and ending division," he said in response to the Israeli declaration of religious shrines on Palestinian lands "Israeli historic sites. " Fayyad attends Friday prayers in Ibrahimi Mosque 2/26/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian factions called for day of national protest on Friday over Israel's heritage list decision, with caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad participating in Friday prayers at one of the sites in Hebron. Fayyad said his decision to pray in the Ibrahimi Mosque was an act of solidarity with the city, which has seen four days of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces over a number of rallies held against the Israeli cabinet's decision. Rallies are expected throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces increase deployment in Hebron's Old City and around the Ibrahimi Mosque, anticipating a continuation of Thursday's confrontations. [end] Harvard Fellow calls for genocidal measure to curb Palestinian births 2/26/2010 - Axis of Logic - this would "happen faster if the West stops providing pro-natal subsidies to Palestinians with refugee status. "- Electronic Intifada - A fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide. Kramer, who is also a fellow at the influential Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), made the call early this month in a speech at Israel's Herzliya conference, a video of which is posted on his blog ("Superfluous young men," 7 February 2010). In the speech Kramer rejected common views that Islamist "radicalization" is caused by US policies such as support for Israel, or propping up despotic dictatorships, and stated that it was inherent in the demography of Muslim societies such as Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip. Jerusalem families come out against museum built on ancestors’ graves 2/25/2010 - Israeli Occupation Archive - Marian Houk, The Electronic Intifada, 19 February - Members of prominent Palestinian families from Jerusalem came out last week in protest against plans by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to build a Museum of Tolerance on top of part of the ancient Mamilla Cemetery where their ancestors are buried. The initiative includes filing a petition in Geneva to various United Nations human rights bodies and to UNESCO, the Paris-based UN agency responsible for protecting the world’s cultural heritage. The petition was also addressed to the Swiss Government, which is the repository for the Geneva Conventions. One family member behind the initiative said it is not just symbolic, but instead a full-blown campaign. He expects this issue to be included in a resolution being drafted for a March session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Vanunu: Take me off list of Nobel peace prize nominees 2/24/2010 - Uruknet - DPA - Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has again asked to be removed from a list of Nobel Peace Prize nominees, the head of the Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Institute said Wednesday. " He has written letters to us this year and last year also, where he stated explicitly that he did not want to be a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize," Nobel Institute Director Geir Lundestad told the German Press Agency DPA. Vanunu, a former nuclear technician who was jailed for leaking details of Israel's nuclear program to a British newspaper in 1986, cited that he did not want to be "associated " with Shimon Peres, a former Nobel Peace Prize laureate and current president of Israel. " The reason he gave was that Shimon Peres had received the Nobel Peace Prize, and Peres he alleged was the father of the Israeli atomic bomb and he did not want to be associated with Peres in any way," Lundestad said. Five hundred Montreal artists speak out against Israeli apartheid Electronic Intifada: 26 Feb 2010 - A broad spectrum of Montreal artists are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and supporting the growing international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against the Israeli state. Canada's neoconservative turn Electronic Intifada: 26 Feb 2010 - Conservatives have launched a more extreme phase of Israel advocacy. Groups in any way associated with the Palestinian cause have been openly attacked and Ottawa has taken a more belligerent tone towards Iran. In the beginning of February, Ottawa delighted Israeli hawks by canceling $15 million in funding for the UN agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The money has been reallocated to Palestinian Authority judicial and security reforms in the West Bank. At the same time, Canada doubled the number of troops involved in US Lt. General Keith Dayton's mission to train a Palestinian force to strengthen Fatah against Hamas and to serve as an arm of Israel's occupation. Yves Engler comments. Journalists: We will go to court to challenge the PJS elections 2/26/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Members of the Journalists Syndicate will go to court in Ramallah to challenge the outcome of the elections for the Palestinian media body, accusing organizers of corruption. Member of the syndicate Zakareiyah At-Telmas said the 8 February elections results were announced by officials who were not members of the press, not members of the syndicate and had no business being involved with the elections process. "The journalists in Gaza [elected to the syndicate board] are working to prepare a memorandum signed by dozens of syndicate members that accuses elections organizers of culling the membership rolls before calling the elections," At-Telmas said. At the time, observers accused Fatah and Palestinian Authority figures of forcing the syndicate into politics by clouding the elections policy, and running party lists rather than single vote ballots. Palestinians Form New Faction in Lebanon The Media Line 24 Feb 2010 - Faction opposes negotiations but will not take up arms. A group of ten Palestinian figures announced the formation of a new Palestinian faction in Beirut on Wednesday. The organization, The National Body for the Protection of... The Mossad hit and Israel's path of self-destruction Electronic Intifada: 25 Feb 2010 - The assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a Hamas official in Dubai, almost certainly by a death squad dispatched by Israel's Mossad, is by no means the first such aggression against the sovereignty of another state. While Israel has literally gotten away with murder thousands of times, was this one killing too far? Hasan Abu Nimah comments. Four decades of occupation in Hebron Electronic Intifada: 25 Feb 2010 - I have been to Hebron three times, but each visit was like entering a different city. In May of 1967, the entire West Bank including Hebron was under Jordanian rule. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, Iris Keltz recalls her three visits to Hebron since the days before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Geographers and academics protest union's Tel Aviv conference Electronic Intifada: 25 Feb 2010 - As geographers, faculty, students and people of conscience, we are profoundly dismayed by the International Geographical Union's decision to hold its July 2010 regional conference in Tel Aviv, in violation of the widely endorsed Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions against Israel. Jenny Tonge: A 'Woman of Substance' Palestine Chronicle: 24 Feb 2010 - By Felicity Arbuthnot – London "Unrespited, unpitied, unreprieved, Ages of hopeless end." (John Milton, 1608-1674.) Politicians with backbone are a rarity. (UK) Liberal Democrat M.P., Jenny Tonge (The Rt. Hon., The Baroness Tonge of Kew) has one. Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, does not. Jenny Tonge is a doctor by training, married to a consultant neuroradiologist. Her positions have included Senior Medical Officer for Women's Services in the large, multi-racial, London Borough of Ealing. In politics, she has been the Party's spokeswoman for children and for health. After her daughter was killed in a electrical accident, in 2004, she retired as an M.P., in order to help care for her two young grandchildren. However, made a Peer in 2005, entitled her to address issues of concern in the House of Lords. Background. In January 2004, she was sacked as children’s' champion, by the then leader of the Party, Charles Kennedy, for saying of Palestine suicide bombers, in the hopelessness of the remnants of their land: "If I had to live in that situation - and I say that advisedly - I might just consider becoming one myself." Refusing to apologize, she pointed out that: " ...having seen the violence, humiliation and provocation that the Palestinian people live under every day and have done since their land was occupied by Israel, I could understand ..." Her statement echoed the haunting words of the late Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish. In his "State of Siege", he poignantly tiptoes between despair and what Western... Bethlehem: General strike over heritage sites 2/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The committee of Palestinian factions in Bethlehem declared a general strike on Tuesday in Bethlehem governorate in protest of Israel's claim on sites in Bethlehem and Hebron as "heritage sites. " The factions urged schools, institutions, and shops to participate in the strike. The committee also called on Palestinians to participate in Friday noon prayers close to Rachel's Tomb, one of the sites designatedas an Israeli heritage location despite its location on Palestinian land. In addition, the committee urged the public to join the demonstration in Beit Sahour at 10:30am on Sunday near Oush Ghrab, the military base recently reoccupied by the Israeli military. Palestinians in Hebron clashed with Israeli troops on Monday in the wake of the Israeli pronouncement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement came during his government's weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. Gaza imports to include 2 trucks of electrical repair supplies 2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an -Israeli authorities decided to partially open the Kerem Shalom crossing Tuesday to allow 102-112 truckloads of aid and commercial goods into the Gaza Strip,Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Among the expected imports are two trucks of materials for the Gaza Power Authority, whose power supply was described as "precarious" by a weekly report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Recurrent technical failures caused by the lack of spare parts due to the Israeli-imposed blockade," caused blackouts several times during the previous week, OCHA said. "As a result, the GPP was forced to reduce its electricity production from 60 MW (megawatts) to 30 MW between 12 and 14 February, triggering long rolling scheduled blackouts of up to 12 hours during the two days," the report explained. US professor meets Haniyeh in Gaza 2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hosted former national security adviser for Latin America Bob Pastor in Gaza City on Monday, officials reported. Pastor, who worked under the administration of former US President Jimmy Carter, teaches at the American University in Washington, DC in the International Service School. He is also co-director of the Center for North American Studies and the Center for Democracy and Election Management at the university. Government spokesman Tahir An-Nunu said Haniyeh and Pastor discussed political developments in the region and Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Haniyeh also addressed the effect of the Israeli-led siege on the region. . . . . Bethlehem: General strike over heritage sites Uruknet February 23, 2010 - The committee of Palestinian factions in Bethlehem declared a general strike on Tuesday in Bethlehem governorate in protest of Israel’s claim on sites in Bethlehem and Hebron as "heritage sites." The factions urged schools, institutions, and shops to participate in the strike. The committee also called on Palestinians to participate in Friday noon prayers close to... Four Palestinians killed in Gaza Strip 23 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Four Palestinians, including three children, were killed Monday night in two separate incidents in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said. They said that three children, all brothers, were killed in their home in the village of Abbassan, east of the city of Khan Younis, when an electric generator exploded. Five family members also were... Resheq calls on Palestinians to confront Israel’s decision against WB mosques PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Izzat Al-Resheq called on the Palestinian people and their factions to confront the Israeli decision to add two West Bank mosques to the list of the alleged Jewish heritage in occupied Palestine. Harvard center condemns, then defends, fellow's pro-genocide statements Electronic Intifada: 23 Feb 2010 - Leaders of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University have condemned and then defended statements by Martin Kramer, one of the center's fellows, which endorsed a cut off of UN food and other humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugee children besieged in the Gaza Strip as a means to reduce the Palestinian birthrate and thus the Palestinian population. Behind Brand Israel: Israel's recent propaganda efforts Electronic Intifada: 23 Feb 2010 - "The Delegitimization Challenge" report from the influential Israeli think tank the Reut Institute has put the spotlight on efforts by Israel and the Zionist lobby to counter the growing movement for justice in Palestine, and specifically, the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign. The work done by Reut has rightly attracted attention, but it is only one (particularly prominent) example of a wider trend, as the Israeli government and global Zionist groups mobilize to fight the threat to the apartheid system. Ben White analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. Book review: Joe Sacco draws life into history's "footnotes" Electronic Intifada: 23 Feb 2010 - In his new book-length work of serial art journalism, Footnotes in Gaza , Joe Sacco seeks out the recollections of the remaining Palestinian witnesses and survivors of the November 1956 massacres at the Gaza refugee camps of Rafah and Khan Younis. The result is a powerful oral history -- his research as detailed and meticulous as his crosshatched drawings, its 386 pages of sequential comic strip-style narration emotionally devastating. Maureen Clare Murphy reviews for The Electronic Intifada. Hebron's living hell Electronic Intifada: 23 Feb 2010 - Our sobering taste of life in Hebron included other devastating stories and the presence of Israeli guard towers, camouflage netting, checkpoints, a wall spray painted with graffiti that included a tribute to the Golani brigade, one of the Israeli army's most aggressively violent units, and to Betar, a right-wing youth organization. I passed a concrete block obstructing the road, spray painted with an arrow and the words "This is apartheid." Alice Rothchild writes from Hebron. Getting Away With Murder Palestine Chronicle: 23 Feb 2010 - By Aijaz Zaka Syed – Dubai Check this out. Here's a story of two countries from the Middle East. One is an ancient civilization with a rich history that goes back five thousand years. It’s a functioning democracy with free elections held at regular intervals. It’s a huge country of 70 million people. It has remained within its borders and hasn’t attacked any country in the last 100 years. It is pursuing a nuclear power program, which it insists is for peaceful purposes. Second country also claims to be a democracy. In this democracy though you get citizenship and voting rights not on the basis of your origins even if you were born in this land but on your ancestry. This country was founded on the land stolen and forcibly taken from its original inhabitants. It has fought at least three wars and is locked in permanent conflict with its neighbors on all sides. It has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and other state-of-the-art killing machines. It pursues assassination as a state policy and regularly sends death squads around the world to take out people it doesn’t like. Which country do you think is a real threat to world peace? The first country that has no history of aggression or the second state that has killed tens of thousands of innocent people in wars of aggression against neighbors and in coldblooded executions? And no prizes, dear readers, for guessing that the two countries in question are Iran and Israel.... Three children killed in Gaza fire blamed on Israeli fuel blockade 2/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Three children were killed and five others injured in a house fire in the town of Bani Sahela in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. Medical officials said twin brothers Tarnim and Bassim Abu Jame, 8, and Tansim Abu Jame, 13 perished in the blaze. The medics said the three bodies arrived, completely burnt, at a hospital. Their mother Wafa Abu Jame was critically inhured. Civil defense officials said an initial investigation found that the fire began when an electric generator exploded. The Gaza Strip has been experiencing scheduled rolling blackouts for weeks due to a slowdown in production at the territory's only power plant. Energy authorities say Israeli-imposed limits on fuel imports are to blame. In a separate incident on Monday, Lana Iyad Al-Farra, 4, died after falling from the fourth floor of a building in the city of Khan Younis. Gaza, living in the dark Uruknet February 22, 2010 - Gaza survives on a minimal amount of electricity, leaving residents without power for the most part of the day. No television is one thing; no street lighting and hospital equipment is another. The Israeli Air Force bombed Gaza's main power station in 2006, plunging the strip's 1.5 million residents into darkness. Although the station was repaired,... Iran's Karroubi calls for referendum on key body's banning of political candidates Daily Star 22 Feb 2010 TEHRAN: One of Iran's top opposition leaders called Monday for a referendum on whether to strip the ruling system of the right to ban political candidates - a powerful tool used to blacklist liberal voices from key campaigns. It's highly unlikely that Iran's theocracy will allow a public judgment on one of the pillars of the Constitution. But the appeal by Mehdi Karroubi could signal new strategies by the opposition. Israel subjecting rights groups to "McCarthy techniques" Electronic Intifada: 22 Feb 2010 - The Israeli government and its right-wing supporters have been waging a "McCarthyite" campaign against human rights groups by blaming them for the barrage of international criticism that has followed Israel's attack on Gaza a year ago, critics say. Jonathan Cook reports. Harvard Fellow calls for genocidal measure to curb Palestinian births Electronic Intifada: 22 Feb 2010 - A fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide. Kramer, who is also a fellow at the influential Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), made the call early this month in a speech at Israel's Herzliya conference, a video of which is posted on his blog. Israel's contemptuous response to Goldstone findings Electronic Intifada: 22 Feb 2010 - Submitted to the UN on 29 January, the Israeli government's response to the UN-commissioned Goldstone fact-finding report falls far short of a credible investigation and continues Israel's long-standing policy of refusal to investigate and convict those responsible for crimes committed during its military campaigns. Sayed Dhansay comments for The Electronic Intifada. Imagine a Harvard fellow calling for limiting Jewish births Mondoweiss - 22 Feb 2010 - Electronic Intifada : A fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide. Related posts: Career-Limiting... Scattered in death as in life Electronic Intifada: 22 Feb 2010 - Mamilla cemetery is estimated to be over 800 years old and was in continuous use until 1948 when the Western part of Jerusalem was conquered as Israel was created. The battle over Mamilla cemetery encapsulates many aspects of Israel's approach to Palestinian rights since the conflict began, and it is worth considering five here. Nadia Hijab comments. EU denies cutting Gaza fuel funds 2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The European Union has denied slashing or stopping funding for fuel for the Gaza Strip's sole power plant amid an ongoing electricity crisis. The EU responded in a letter to inquiries from the Brussels-based European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza. The campaign said in a media release on Saturday that it continues to fund the Palestinian Authority (PA) in accordance with priorities set by Palestinian officials. The letter also said the EU in 2009 sought to help provide Gaza with an average of 202 megawatts of electricity: 120 from Israel, 17 from Egypt, and 65 from the Gaza power station. This totals about 70% of Gaza's electricity needs, according to the EU. European officials also in their letter expressed "annoyance" at the PA for "distorting" Europe's image during the power crisis. The officials also pledged to speak with the PA and determine why there was a decrease in the fuel supply reaching Gaza since November. 3 PA governors return to Gaza via Rafah crossing 2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Three Palestinian Authority appointed governors in the Gaza Strip returned to the coastal enclave via the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Thursday, for the first time since Hamas' takeover in June 2007, one of the governors said on Saturday. Osama Al-Farra, governor of Khan Younes, Muhammad Al-Qudwa, governor of Gaza City, Zuhdi Al-Qudwa governor of Rafah, as well as Major General Fatima Al-Birnawi crossed into Gaza as a result of efforts to achieve national reconciliation, Al-Farra said in a statement. Other Fatah officials, he said, would be returning to the Strip imminently. "We should all encourage such return because it enhances reconciliation efforts. Meetings between Hamas and Fatah leaders should also be held to make progress toward conciliation. " Al-Farra said that the four officials were prepared to undertake the necessary steps to support national unity. Gaza cabinet chief: Hamas ready for reconciliation 2/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Mohammad Awad, secretary-general of the de facto government's cabinet in Gaza, said on Sunday that Hamas is undertaking great efforts to reach a unity agreement. "We have delivered many clear speeches and messages to many states noting our support for conciliation, because we are convinced that division is affecting the hopes and future of the Palestinian people and threatening their existence," he told Ma'an. "Reconciliation has not progressed, despite meetings that have attempted to move talks forward. The issue is not the ratification itself, but rather what follows it - we do not want to repeat previous experiences by signing the document as it is and then returning to the starting point. " Awad said the Hamas-led government in Gaza had "achieved many accomplishments" under the hardships endured by Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave. Gaza factions convene to discuss unity 2/20/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian resistance and opposition factions held its periodic meeting in Gaza on Saturday to discuss the latest in Palestinian affairs and national unity. Those in attendance included members of the Free Palestine Movement, the Popular Resistance Movement, the general command of the Popular Front and the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front. Faction officials reitarated their refusal of resuming peace talks with Israel, stating that it only serves an Israeli agenda "as a cover for the crimes against the Palestinian people," the meeting's minutes reported. Additionally, members spoke of the need for national dialogue to end division and achieve reconciliation between rival Palestinian parties. . . . . Ashrawi: Hamas’ demands unrealistic 2/20/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, said no one is capable of offering Hamas the changes it says are prerequisites for the movement's ratification of the Egyptian-sponsored unity deal, on Saturday. Ashrawi said all the factions who met to discuss Palestinian unity had requested several amendments to the reconciliation document, tipped to bring an end to Hamas-Fatah rivalry, but delayed discussing the additions until after the document's ratification, save for Hamas. "These amendments Hamas has presented. . . are no more than technical and language issues. . no one is capable of offering the guarantees they are demanding," she said during a radio interview produced by Watan TV. "The Executive Committee discussed and studied Hamas' notes, which were on the nature of the work of the joint committee," she said,. . . Hamas: Suspects in Dubai killing include Fatah men 2/20/2010 - Antiwar.com - Hamas says 2 Palestinians arrested in Dubai killing of militant operative are Fatah members - AP - Hamas claimed Friday that two ex-officers from the rival Fatah organization were involved in the assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai, and Fatah shot back by insinuating Hamas members were the ones who collaborated with the killers. The slaying of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a luxury Dubai hotel room last month has widely been blamed on Israel's Mossad spy agency but it also has sparked bitter recriminations among the rival Palestinian factions, which have long competed for influence in the Palestinian territories. Dubai police unveiled 11 suspects — 10 men and one woman — who apparently traveled to Dubai on European passports with real names and authentic data, but possibly altered photos. Dubai also said police had two Palestinians in custody for alleged involvement in the murder of al-Mabhouh. . . . Related: Hamas leader: Don't blame Fatah for Dubai hit While the world talks about Shalit, thousands of Palestinians remain in prison 20 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 19, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Pam Bailey) - "Gilad Shalit" is virtually a household name for anyone who follows Middle Eastern politics even somewhat cursorily. Shalit is an Israeli soldier of French nationality who was captured by members of the Palestinian Resistance Committees (various political factions, all resisting the Israeli occupation) on June 25, 2006, while he was... Hard Mideast Truths Roger Cohen, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development 2/11/2010 For over a century now, Zionism and Arab nationalism have failed to find an accommodation in the Holy Land. Both movements attempted to fill the space left by collapsed empire, and it has been left to the quasi-empire, the United States, to try to coax them to peaceful coexistence. The attempt has failed. President Barack Obama came to office more than a year ago promising new thinking, outreach to the Muslim world, and relentless focus on Israel-Palestine. But nice speeches have given way to sullen stalemate. I am told Obama and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have a zero-chemistry relationship. Domestic U.S. politics constrain innovative thought — even open debate — on the process without end that is the peace search. As Aaron David Miller, who long labored in the trenches of that process, once observed, the United States ends up as “Israel’s lawyer” rather than an honest broker. The upside for an American congressman in speaking out for Palestine is nonexistent. I don’t see these constraints shifting much, but the need for Obama to honor his election promise grows. The conflict gnaws at U.S. security, eats away at whatever remote possibility of a two-state solution is left, clouds Israel’s future, scatters Palestinians and devours every attempt to bridge the West and Islam. Here’s what I believe. Centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust created a moral imperative for a Jewish homeland, Israel, and demand of America that it safeguard that nation in the breach. But past persecution of the Jews cannot be a license to subjugate another people, the Palestinians. Nor can the solemn U.S. promise to stand by Israel be a blank check to the Jewish state when its policies undermine stated American aims. more.. e-mail Blockade should be circumvented by the US Congressman Brian Baird, Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2010 The following is a statement from the office of US Congressman Brian Baird, a Democrat elected in Washington State. In the past year I have been to Gaza three times. I was the first US Government official to visit Gaza after the Israeli Cast Lead operation. My recent two-day visit was to assess aid shipments and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Here are the facts: There is an Israeli blockade around Gaza, on land and along the coast. This blockade was established so that contraband weapons and equipment used for rockets to shell Israel will not enter Gaza. While there are foodstuffs entering Gaza, the shipments are tightly controlled and items such as tomato paste and pasta are sometimes restricted by the Israelis. Palestinians cannot rebuild their homes, their schools, their hospitals because they cannot import the cement needed to complete the projects. They cannot build sewage systems and prevent 55 million metric meters of sewage flow into the Mediterranean because the Israelis limit the amount of construction materials into Gaza. A tunnel system has developed in South Gaza which circumvents the Israeli blockade. This system is creating a new power base in the society which is based on criminal activity vice the rule of law. And Hamas reaps the benefits and is becoming more powerful. more.. e-mail Israeli media first to report Haitian organ theft rumor Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - There is considerable speculation following the removal of Lady Jenny Tonge on 14 February from her position as health critic for the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK's House of Lords following her statement calling for an inquiry into claims that the Israeli military stole organs during its relief work in Haiti last month. Jillian York reports for The Electronic Intifada. Scandanavian financial institutions drop Elbit due to BDS pressure Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - Despite Israel's oppressive tactics against it, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement has marked additional victories with many institutional investors divesting from or blacklisting Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada. PCHR: Municipal elections unrealistic and impractical 2/19/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - The current state of Palestinian political disunity is an obstacle to holding transparent elections in July 2010, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said in a public statement released Thursday. The caretaker government of the Palestinian Authority under appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad made the decision to hold elections during a January session of the government. The last municipal elections were held in 2005. Officials in the Gaza de facto government have not commented on whether or not they will participate in the elections, but called the decision making process behind the vote announcement "undemocratic" and "one-sided. " PCHR said it rejects the holding of elections when the "results are known in advance," which it said is currently the case. . . . Related: PCHR: On the Call for Local Elections in Palestinian Authority Territories in July 2010 Gaza City in Darkness Uruknet February 19, 2010 - Last night the Children of the beleaguered Gaza strip held a candlelit protest on the streets of a Gaza City plunged into darkness as a result of the devastating and continued Israeli imposed and Egyptian maintained siege of the area. Since Hamas' election victory in 2006, the civilian population of the tiny populous strip has faced... Israel Goes Rogue Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com 2/19/2010 From identity theft to war crimes – is there anything the Israelis won’t do? When is the world going to finally decide Israel has gone too far – and do something about it? When Israel invaded and retained the occupied territories, imposing a regime that resembles the old South African apartheid system, the world looked the other way – after all, beleaguered Israel was fighting for its survival, and, besides that, peace talks were underway. The daily grinding down of the Palestinians could be accepted as a temporary and even necessary evil as long as there was some sort of vague expiration date attached to the arrangement. When it began to look like peace might be just a pipedream, and the Israelis continued sponsoring invasive "settlements" to cement their conquest, the world looked the other way. After all, everybody knew Netanyahu had to deal with an increasingly right-wing Israeli electorate, and his government could fall apart at any moment: no one expected President Obama to get tough with Tel Aviv anyway, and so no one was too surprised when the US caved on the settlements issue. The bombing and continued blockade of Gaza, the barbaric invasions of Lebanon, and the continuing refusal to correct the widespread human rights violations documented in the Goldstone report – all of this has darkened Israel’s image considerably, even among its staunch supporters. On account of this record, Israel is now widely considered a "rogue" nation, at least outside the US. One of the major reasons for this shift in perception has to do with the wide-ranging activities of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service. more.. e-mail PACBI issues clarification concerning intellectual responsibility statement Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - PACBI's recent statement entitled "Intellectual Responsibility and the Voice of the Colonized," which criticizes the research project that led to the publication of the book, The Power of Inclusive Exclusion: Anatomy of Israeli Rule in the Occupied Palestinian Territories , has stirred a healthy debate and mostly constructive discussion among various scholars. Jerusalem families come out against museum built on ancestors' graves Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - Members of prominent Palestinian families from Jerusalem came out last week in protest against plans by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to build a Museum of Tolerance on top of part of the ancient Mamilla Cemetery where their ancestors are buried. One family member behind the initiative said it is not just symbolic, but instead a full-blown campaign. Marian Houk reports for The Electronic Intifada. Israeli media first to report Haitian organ theft rumor Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - There is considerable speculation following the removal of Lady Jenny Tonge on 14 February from her position as health critic for the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK's House of Lords following her statement calling for an inquiry into claims that the Israeli military stole organs during its relief work in Haiti last month. Jillian York reports for The Electronic Intifada. Scandanavian financial institutions drop Elbit due to BDS pressure Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - Despite Israel's oppressive tactics against it, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement has marked additional victories with many institutional investors divesting from or blacklisting Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada. US - Iran Power Struggle over Iraq Palestine Chronicle: 18 Feb 2010 - By Nicola Nasser US Ambassador Christopher Hill's warning on February 18 that it could take months to form a new government in Baghdad after the Iraqi elections, scheduled for March 7, and that in turn could mean considerable political turmoil in Iraq, and the warnings of observers and experts as well as officials against the looming specter of a renewed sectarian war in the country, indicate that security, stability, let alone democracy, and a successful ‘victorious’ withdrawal of American troops from Iraq have all yet a long way to go. A secure, stable and democratic Iraq will have first to wait for an end to the raging power struggle over Iraq between the United States and Iran inside and outside the occupied Arab country. The Associated Press quoted Hill as predicting "some tough days, violent days as well, some intemperate days" ahead of the March 7 vote. The warnings raise serious questions about US Vice President Joe Biden's statement a few days ago calling Iraq the "great achievement" for the Obama Administration. Neither Biden nor President Barak Obama are able yet to declare that the United States has won victory in Iraq. In 2007, both men advised the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, but former President George W. Bush opted instead for the military "surge," which the Obama Administration is now "responsibly" drawing down. However, neither the surge nor the drawdown have produced their declared aim, a secure democracy; instead a pro-Iran sectarian regime is evolving. The upcoming Iraqi... Friday: Thousands to mark 5 years of protest in Bil’in 2/18/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Organizers of Bil'in's weekly anti-wall protest expect thousands to turn out on Friday and mark the fifth year of popular action against the continued confiscation of village land by Israel's separation wall. Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and leaders of all political factions will be among the demonstrators, a statement from the Bil'in Popular Committee said. The anniversary will also be a cause to celebrate, coming just one week after an Israeli court ordered that the route of the wall be rerouted. The changes should see Palestinians from the area granted better access to their lands. Over its five years of protest, Bil'in has seen a sharp increase in violence and repression, with regular night raids targeting protest organizers, thousands injured by riot-dispersal equipment alongside real bullets, and the death of a Palestinian man last year after a tear-gas canister was shot at him from a high-velocity gun. Basem Ibrahim Abu Rahmeh was 29 years old when he was. killed. PFLP, Hamas discuss unity in Beirut 2/18/2010 - Beirut - Ma'an - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine officials welcomed a delegation of Hamas leaders into their Beirut headquarters on Wednesday, for discussions on the re-initiation of factional talks on Palestinian unity. Marwan Abdul Al, a PFLP politburo member, headed up the discussions, while the Hamas delegation was fronted by Ali Barakeh, a statement from the Palestinian Authority representative office in Lebanon said. The political leaders sat to discuss a PFLP proposal to reunify Palestinian factions, which the statement described only as a plan that would "activate the Palestinian political framework and encourage cooperation and understanding. "Abdul Al wrote in the statement that the PFLP effort was the result of an urgent need to find grounds for party negotiations and to work on reasonable and achievable expectations. Position Paper: On the Call for Local Elections in Palestinian Authority Territories in July 2010 Relief Web 18 Feb 2010 - Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Egypt set to ban gatherings for ElBaradei's return Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 CAIRO: Egypt is poised to ban any gatherings in Cairo to mark the planned return on Friday of former UN nuclear watchdog chief and potential presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei, security sources said. The 2005 Nobel laureate, who is expected to fly home on Friday afternoon, has repeatedly called for democratic change in Egypt since stepping down as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in November. US ambassador accuses Iran of role in Iraq poll ban Daily Star 18 Feb 2010 WASHINGTON: Reiterating accusations of Iranian interference in Iraq's internal affairs, the US ambassador to Iraq said Wednesday that he was in "100 percent agreement" with remarks by the top US commander in Iraq regarding Iran's involvement in a highly controversial decision that eventually barred over 140 candidates from running in Iraq's parliamentary elections next month. 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. 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. Defending Palestinian children: An interview with Rifat Kassis Uruknet February 15, 2010 - Defence for Children International-Palestine Section aims to protect the rights of children and minors living in occupied Palestine. Rifat Kassis was elected as president of the executive council of Defence for Children International (DCI) in 2005 and is currently serving his second term. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof recently interviewed Kassis about DCI-PS's work and... PFLP hosts national unity meeting of all factions in Gaza Uruknet February 15, 2010 - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hosted a meeting of all national and Islamic forces, including representatives of Fateh and Hamas, in its office in Gaza City, on February 14, 2010. This meeting was the first of its kind to take place in Gaza since the internal division. The objective of the meeting was... Nazzal: Libya mediating between Hamas and Fatah PIC 16 Feb 2010 - Mohammed Nazzal has disclosed that the Libyan leadership had started mediating between his Movement and Fatah faction to forge a Palestinian national reconciliation prior to the Arab summit. Israel's new strategy: "sabotage" and "attack" the global justice movement Electronic Intifada: 16 Feb 2010 - Israel's influential Reut Institute has identified the global movement for justice and peace as an "existential threat" and called on the Israeli government to "attack" and possibly engage in criminal "sabotage" of this movement in what Reut believes are its various international "hubs" in London, Madrid, Toronto, the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Ali Abunimah comments for The Electronic Intifada. Palestinians fight Jewish-only housing in Jaffa Electronic Intifada: 16 Feb 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 neighborhood has become the unlikely battleground for an attempted takeover by extremist Jews more familiar from West Bank settlements. Jonathan Cook reports. E-book on Jewish National Fund's role in colonization of Palestine released Electronic Intifada: 16 Feb 2010 - The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has published an e-book on the Jewish National Fund (JNF) that meets a need for an affordable introduction to the activities of the JNF, an organization supported financially by the British taxpayer but whose activities in Israel/ Palestine are politically-driven, and whose politics are nakedly racist. This little book reveals how a British charity works openly for the dispossession of Palestinian Arabs and the establishment of fully segregated Jewish-only communities and areas that exclude Arabs. Clashes kill 2 at Lebanon refugee camp 2/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Clashes have killed at least two people in a refugee camp in Lebanon, The Associated Press quoted Palestinian officials as saying Monday evening. The US news agency reported that it was not clear what prompted the clashes at Ein Al-Hilweh refugee camp, reportedly between Islamists and gunman affiliated with Fatah. The AP report identified the Islamists as members of the Asbat Al-Ansar group. A Fatah member was seriously wounded, according to the report, which quoted Palestinian sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make official statements. Last month, Fatah gunmen clashed with fighters affiliated with the Jund Ash-Sham faction in the same refugee camp. The clashes came after Fatah official Sultan Abu Al-Aynayn accused external parties of bringing. . . Olmert: If there’s a chance for peace, it’s based on my offer 2/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that a peace settlement could only be based on the offers put forward during his premiership, the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharanot reported. "I gave the elected Palestinian leader [Mahmoud Abbas] an offer that I think was not made in the past and will not be made in the future. If there's any chance for a settlement, it's on the basis of what I offered and they must respond to it so we can complete what we nearly finished," Olmert was quoted as saying in the daily. With regard to the withdrawal from Palestinian territories the former prime minister said "I said as early as 2003 that we would have to withdraw from most territories, including Jerusalem. It was after I reached the conclusion that in choosing between the greater Land of Israel and a Jewish, democratic state, I prefer the latter. " In show of goodwill, 13 factions meet in Gaza 2/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - More than a dozen Palestinian political factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, verbally reaffirmed their commitment to ending infighting during a summit at the offices of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Gaza City on Sunday. Officials at the meeting all said they were committed to getting every party to sign an Egyptian unity document already ratified by Fatah. "An atmosphere of placing national interest ahead factional interest had prevailed. All of the factions agreed on the urgent need to end division in order to confront the [Israeli] occupation," said PFLP leader Rabah Muhana after the meeting. He also urged the Egyptian government to continue its efforts to broker a power sharing agreement. Mahmoud Az-Zaq, a member of the politburo of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF) said, "the meeting is intended to. . . " PA tells Hamas: Local elections will be fair 2/15/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The head of Palestine's Central Elections Commission met with a delegation of Hamas officials in Ramallah on Sunday ahead of planned local elections. The commission's chief, Hanna Nasser, met with Hamas-aligned Palestinian Legislative Council members Omar Abdul Razeq and Mahmoud Ar-Ramahi. A statement from the commission said Hanna pledged "to hold free and honest elections that would guarantee the participation of all. "The commission is meeting with each Palestinian faction in preparation for municipal elections. Last week the Fatah-dominated West Bank-based caretaker government set 17 July as the date for the local polls. Sources familiar with the talks said the two Hamas officials expressed confidence in the Elections Commission, but also voiced fears about a general lack of a politically "free atmosphere" in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank. Fatah official: Hamas must sign before amending deal 2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council in Gaza, Abdullah Abu Samahdaneh, on Monday urged Hamas to sign the Egyptian-backed reconciliation document, which he said is the means to discuss additions to the proposal. Abu Samahdaneh's comments followed a meeting of 13 Palestinian factions in Gaza on Sunday to discuss the Egyptian document, in which both Fatah and Hamas particpated. "The Egyptian document is the outcome of multiple dialogue sessions, held in Cairo, which means it is a national, Palestinian product. Hamas must realize that reconciliation starts when it signs it and any delay means a delay in reconciliation, which harms the national project," he said. The Revolutionary Council member said Fatah had signed the agreement, despite the movement's reservations, and that all factions' suggestions will be taken into consideration following its ratification. PFLP slams ’insufficient’ commission of inquiry 2/15/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A commission of inquiry set up to investigate corruption allegations raised by a former intelligence officer does not go far enough, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said on Monday. In a statement, the leftist faction said the commission, made up of three Fatah members, "does not meet the requirements to ensure professional and objective findings as it was formed of only one party. "The PFLP called on President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO Executive Committee to expand its inquiry to include professionals and human rights organizations, on a national rather than factional basis, to more effectively respond to what the group termed Israeli targeting. Abbas dismissed his chief of staff, Rafiq Al-Husseini, on Sunday after Israel's Channel 10 broadcast a videotape that allegedly showed Al-Husseini propositioning an unidentified woman for sex in exchange for political favors. Haniyeh: Unity talks should start where they left off 2/15/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Ismail Haniyeh, the de facto government prime minister, said on Monday that national reconciliation talks "starts and continues from where we reached, and not from where we were. ""We back national unity and our position concerning reconciliation is fixed and will not change, he added, speaking at the High Court building in Gaza City. "Reconciliation does not mean a return to zero, but to build on what has been accomplished. " Haniyeh's remarks came after a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council in Gaza, Abdullah Abu Samahdaneh, urged Hamas to sign an Egyptian-backed document which he said is the means to discuss modifications to the proposal. Both statements from leaders of the main two rival parties followed a meeting of 13 Palestinian factions in Gaza a day earlier, in which both Fatah and Hamas participated. " Threatened Sunni Boycott Undermines Iraqi Elections The Media Line 14 Feb 2010 - A Shi'ite-led purge of Sunni candidates has spurred threats of a boycott of next month's crucial national elections in Iraq by its Sunni political leadership. An Iraqi judicial appeals committee agreed to reinstate just 100 out... Sudan Begins First Multi-Party Election Campaign The Media Line 13 Feb 2010 - Candidates have begun campaigning for the April 11 presidential election. The campaign for Sudan's first multi-party election in 24 years began on Saturday. After being delayed twice, the poll scheduled for April 11 will include elections... 13 Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah meet in Gaza PIC 15 Feb 2010 - 13 Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah held a meeting described as the first of its kind since two years in the office of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine in Gaza. Hagee’s Gifts to Pro-Settler Groups Tikun Olam: Make the World a Better Place 2/12/2010 Recently, Max Blumenthal uncovered that Elie Wiesel accepted a $500,000 gift from John Hagee, the anti-Semitic pro-settler televangelist. Wiesel appears to have resisted Hagee’s blandishments to come to San Antonio to speak to his congregation as he admits in a video available at the Hagee website. But once Hagee waved that $500,000 check in his face, and after Bernie Madoff had already cleaned him out, Wiesel saw the benefit of making common cause with the Christian Zionist zealot. Wiesel is also a useful tool for Hagee, as the former provides the latter that veneer of Jewish respectability he needs in the face of massive criticism of his motives and his record of strange statements about Jews and the Holocaust. Thanks to Didi Remez, I’ve been doing some digging among Hagee’s other gifts to Israeli organizations. In fairness, he does give gifts to hospitals and absorption centers, which are perfectly reasonable. But it is notable how much money and how extensively he gives to pro-settler and extreme rightist Israeli groups. Besides Im Tirtzu ($200,000 over two years), the radical right smearmeisters who put a horn on Naomi Chazan in a disgusting ad in the Jerusalem Post and Hebrew language press, there are these others (some of which are listed here on page 12): Gush Katif, $200,000 / Young Israel, $150,000 / Shurat Ha-Din, $100,000 / Nefesh B’Nefesh, $1,000,000 / Ariel (settlement), $500,000 / Gush Etzion, $150,000. Gush Katif funds support the settler malcontents who resisted the Gaza withdrawal. It offers them financial support to continue their resistance to territorial compromise and defiance of the directives of Israel’s democratically elected government. more.. e-mail Defending Palestinian children: An interview with Rifat Kassis Electronic Intifada: 15 Feb 2010 - Defence for Children International-Palestine Section aims to protect the rights of children and minors living in occupied Palestine. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof recently interviewed director Rifat Kassis about DCI-PS's work and the special situation of Palestinian children growing up under occupation. Israel bombs Gaza's agricultural sector to the brink Electronic Intifada: 15 Feb 2010 - Since the first constraints of the siege on Gaza were imposed nearly four years ago, the destruction of Gaza's agricultural sector and potential to provide produce and economy to a severely undernourished Strip has dramatically worsened. With Palestinians in Gaza now largely dependent on the expensive Israeli produce that is inconsistently allowed into Gaza, the plight of the farmers reverberates throughout the population. Eva Bartlett reports from the occupied Gaza Strip. Elton John: Don't stand on the wrong side of history again Electronic Intifada: 15 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) calls upon Elton John, as a world-famous artist and a public supporter of key human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Oxfam, not to perform in Israel, a state that maintains an illegal and inhumane system of occupation, colonization and apartheid and that has been widely accused by leading UN experts and human rights organizations, including Amnesty, of committing war crimes and other grave violations of human rights. how Israeli policies and attacks have ravaged Gaza’s agricultural sector In Gaza: 15 Feb 2010 - One of many destroyed water wells in Gaza’s border regions. The Electronic Intifada [blog version longer and slightly modified from that published on E.I.] “If we didn’t get the wheat planted today, we would not have had crops this year,” says Abu Saleh Abu Taima, eyeing the two Israeli military jeeps parked along the border fence east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Although his land is more than 300 meters away, technically outside of the Israeli-imposed “buffer zone,” Abu Taima has reason to be wary. “They shot at us yesterday. I was here with my wife and nephews.” Like many farmers along Gaza’s eastern and northern borders, Abu Taima... Three Villages In The Hebron Hills Palestine Monitor: 15 Feb 2010 - Settler violence. Drought. Tension with the Israeli military. Poverty. Palestinians in the Hebron Hills have seen their fair share of problems. The Palestine Monitor highlights the current situations in three villages located in the Hebron Hills. All photographs were taken by Brady Ng. At'tuwani is a small village southeast of Hebron in the West Bank. With a population of around 200, At'tuwani is an agrarian village in the true sense of the term: water is drawn from a well, and electricity is provided by a generator from dusk till about 9:00 pm. At'tuwani is sandwiched between the Jewish settlement Ma'on and the Israeli outpost Havat Ma'on, and the settlers routinely enter the village to harass its residents — they kill villagers' donkeys, or scare children on their way to school. Sometimes, at night, Israeli soldiers use the village as a training ground. For a village with no service economy, where... 13 Palestinian factions to meet in Gaza 2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Intensive contacts have been made with Egyptian officials to ensure that all Palestinian factions' comments on the reconciliation document are taken into account, said Yasser Al-Wadiyya, representing independent Palestinian dignitaries, on Saturday evening. Meanwhile, sources told Ma'an that, following the visits of Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath and secretary-general of the Palestinian Peoples' Party, Bassam As-Salihi to Gaza, a general meeting will be held in the Strip on Sunday including all 13 Palestinian factions which participated in the Cairo talks on ending inter-Palestinian rivalry. Signing the Egyptian document should be undertaken immediately, Al-Wadiyya said, making it the top priority of the Arab League Summit scheduled to be held in Libya in March. He further called for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, bringing an end to the siege,. . . PRC says movement excluded from factional talks 2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Palestinian Resistance Committees (PRC) said it was excluded from the meeting of 13 Palestinian factions in Gaza on Sunday to discuss the Egyptian reconciliation document. The PRC expressed shock at media reports saying that all active factions were invited to talks when the movement was not asked to attend, a statement read. While satisfied with goals of the meeting, the PRC said that no faction has the right to define a movement as "active" or not. The movement's statement added that when the future of Palestinians is discussed, the PRC should be asked to join in talks as it forms part of the initial resistance movement, it said. The PRC called on rivaling movements Fatah and Hamas to reconcile, saying that without national unity, "time is being lost which only serves Israeli interests. " De facto government calls PJS elections ’illegal’ 2/14/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto government called the recent Palestinian Journalists Syndicate elections "illegal in shape and form," on Sunday. "There is nothing in Gaza known as a journalists' union board [administrative council], and nobody is authorized to operate under this name according to law. Thus, we wait to see what the journalists blocs in Gaza decide," a statement issued by the Gaza government read. "We call upon the International Federation of Journalists and the Arab Federation of Journalists to visit the occupied Palestinian territories and check this 'farce' called an election. "Elections were held last Saturday to determine the new members of a 63-person administrative council within the PJS. The IFJ had called on the PJS to postpone general elections in an effort to "establish an acceptable mechanism which guarantees transparent and comprehensive preparation. . . " Hamas, Fatah join Gaza talks on reconciliation Daily Star 14 Feb 2010 Palestinian groups including Hamas and Fatah held talks on Sunday in the Gaza Strip aimed at finding reconciliation between the factions, they said in a statement. The meeting, the first for two years according to Ayman Taha, a spokesman for Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, was designed to overcome obstacles to the signing of a reconciliation pact in Cairo late last year Report: Projectile lands in western Negev, no injuries 2/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel Radio reported a projectile landing in western the Negev late on Friday, with no injuries or structural damages. The report said the projectile was launched from Gaza, but no Palestinian faction operating in the Strip claimed the attack. On Friday morning Israeli forces aimed artillery fire at a group of what a spokesman called "armed men detonating an explosive device" near the border wall, and fired in their direction. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported two men were killed in the attack but the report remained unconfirmed as of Saturday. On Thursday, one Gaza man was killed and another injured in an Israeli airstrike that followed an early morning exchange of fire between an unknown militant group and Israeli forces. The Israeli fire injured three girls on their way to school. 5 factions call on Hamas to sign Egyptian proposal 2/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinian factions called on Hamas to sign the Egyptian reconciliation document during a meeting at the Popular Struggle Front's Gaza headquarters on Saturday. The factions in attendance included the Palestinian Liberation Front, Fida, the Arab Liberation Front, the Palestinian-Arab Front and the Popular Struggle Front. Members of the various factions demanded that Hamas sign the proposal as it represents "a lifeline" for the Palestinian people. Additionally the Palestinian factions discussed the latest political developments including what affiliates termed the radicalization of the Israeli-right wing government, working to Judaize Jerusalem through settlement expansion. President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to return to negotiations until a full settlement standstill is enforced and the terms of reference are clearly identified was applauded. Gaza sources: Sole power plant to halt over Israel fuel blockade Ha'aretz 13 Feb 2010 - Ma'an report: Strip's officials appeal international groups, Arab nations to end ongoing electricity deficit. British MP tells Allston audience its time end to Gaza Strip blockade 2/5/2010 - Axis of Logic - Allston/Brighton TAB - Alston, MA - George Galloway slammed the collective punishment Israel imposed on Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip during a speech on Monday night at the Palestinian Cultural Center of Peace in Allston. Galloway, who is a member of the British Parliament, was the featured speaker at a benefit for Viva Palestina. Israel began the blockade of Gaza to punish citizens for the way they voted in a democratic election, said the MP. Supporters calling for an end to the blockade gathered at the Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace to listen to Galloway, the founder of Viva Palestina, a charity that aims to break the siege of Gaza by bringing convoys of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Galloway is no stranger to controversy. In 2005, he defended himself in the United States Senate from accusations of profiting from Iraqi oil sales. Losing patience with squabbling '2-rump' Palestine Uruknet February 12, 2010 - ...It is obvious that Fatah must face down threats from the US, forge unity with Hamas and agree clear objectives based on what has already been set out in UN resolutions and international law. Both camps need to behave impeccably, hold new elections instead of overstaying their term, and co-operate if they are to earn respect... Mishaal: We are ready for any honest, transparent elections PIC 13 Feb 2010 - Khaled Mishaal has asserted that Hamas was ready to contest any election in the Palestinian arena provided it is held in normal conditions, and must be honest. Israeli immigration police abducting international activists in West Bank Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human rights lawyers warn has become a wide ranging clampdown by Israel on nonviolent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists. Jonathan Cook reports. Fatah wing claims responsibility for Wednesday stabbing attack 2/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's armed wing, claimed responsibility on Friday for the stabbing death of an Israeli soldier near Nablus on Wednesday. Abu Al-Majd, a leader of the armed wing, identified the attacker as Muhammad Al-Khatib, the same Palestinian who Israeli forces took into custody on suspicion of carrying out the attack. "Al-Khatib, a brigades activist, carried out this attack in response to ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians and the assassination of three brigade affiliates in Nablus two months ago," Al-Majd said in a phone interview. Al-Majd threatened that the Fatah-affiliated faction would carry out more "substantive" attacks in the near future. He also said the delay in claiming responsibility was for security reasons. . . . . Hamas boycotts meeting over municipal elections 2/12/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - No members of the Hamas party attended the Thursday meeting of PLO factions alongside the elections committee to prepare for a June municipal vote across the West Bank and Gaza, Fatah General Elections Commissioner Muhammad Al-Madani said. Though Hamas is not part of the PLO, the party was invited to the meeting, Al-Madani said, to prepare for elections called by the Ramallah-based caretaker government on 2 February. The Palestinian Authority Cabinet, under appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, set the elections date for 17 July 2010. A Hamas spokesperson objected to the decision to hold municipal elections, because it was made unconstitutionally by an unelected government and without the consultation of Gaza officials. The meeting was scheduled at the Monday cabinet session on 1 February. Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip 11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor. The authority says it pays about $30 million a month to provide electricity to Gaza's 1.5 million people. But officials say the Gaza Electricity Distribution... PACBI: All Israeli academic institutions complicit in apartheid Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - In response to the recent decision by the Israeli government to upgrade the status of the so-called Ariel University Center of Samaria to a full university, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel reiterates its call for a boycott of AUCS and all other Israeli academic institutions due to their complicity in maintaining Israel's occupation, colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people. Israel wields iron fist against nonviolent resisters Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - Wael al-Faqeeh has been held without charge by the Israeli military since his arrest on 9 December 2009. The 28 January hearing that lasted approximately three minutes here in Salem court resulted in the extension of his detention by a further ten days. Bridget Chappell writes for The Electronic Intifada. UN called on to investigate repression of human rights defenders Electronic Intifada: 12 Feb 2010 - A joint report submitted by Addameer, The Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) to Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council examines the ongoing, systematic campaign of repression levied by Israel against Palestinian human rights defenders active against the Annexation Wall. Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip 11 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 11, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor. The authority says it pays about $30 million a month to provide electricity to Gaza's 1.5 million people. But officials say the Gaza Electricity Distribution... Expulsion without trucks Amira Hass, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 2/10/2010 About eight of the 40 families from Dhaher al-Maleh have left their tiny village and have gone to live on the eastern side of the separation fence. They could no longer bear the Israeli ban on building houses. Neither could they bear the other restrictions and prohibitions that the fence and its planners have imposed on them: They were forbidden to have relatives and friends visit; forbidden to get ill or have babies at night, when the gate is closed; forbidden to bring large quantities of food home, as big families require; forbidden to link their homes up with the electricity grid; and they were forbidden to build a clinic – restrictions and prohibitions to the point of suffocation. Dhaher al-Maleh does not appear on Israeli maps. The maps are crowded with the settlements that have been positioned and expanded on and between the northwestern West Bank villages of Barta’a and Umm Reihan. The “Barta’a enclave” is one of the largest pockets created by the fence as it winds its way east of Umm al-Fahm. It contains 18,000 dunams that by any standards of justice, ethics and logic should have provided space for developing Palestinian society. But instead these lands were plundered under cover of security pretexts. The fence was built some five kilometers from the Green Line, which now anyway exists only for the 5,000 or so Palestinians living in seven communities who are trapped between the line and the fence. As far as the maps and the authorities are concerned, this is all already Israel. The occupation authorities have taken land that was not theirs for the 1,500 settlers already there and the many more they hope will come to live there. An industrial zone is for Israelis only, as is the beautiful scenery. As for the indigenous Palestinians, if they want to stay there, let them suffer. more.. e-mail The apartheid will end when Israelis have to face its cost Tony Karon, The National 2/7/2010 The former US president Jimmy Carter set off a firestorm in 2006 when he said that Israel would have to choose between maintaining an apartheid occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and a two-state peace agreement with the Palestinians. That Mr Carter brokered Israel’s most important peace treaty with an Arab country was immaterial; he was branded an enemy of Israel, an anti-Semite and even a Holocaust-denier. Israel’s friends in the US reacted out of instinct, knowing that an association with apartheid – South Africa’s erstwhile system of racial oppression – would bring international condemnation and isolation. But there was no word of protest from that quarter last week when Israel’s defence minister said what Mr Carter had. “If, and as long as between the Jordan (River) and the (Mediterranean) Sea there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic,” warned Ehud Barak, speaking at Israel’s annual Herzliya security conference. “If the Palestinians vote in elections it is a binational state and if they don’t vote it is an apartheid state.” Which, of course, is exactly what Mr Carter was arguing. The former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert warned in November 2007 that without a two-state solution, Israel would “face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights”, which it would be unable to win because American Jews would not support a state that denies voting rights to all of its subjects. Mr Olmert and Mr Barak, of course, raised the spectre of “apartheid” to remind Israelis that they could face international isolation if they remain indifferent to the fate of the Palestinians. Sometimes, such warnings from Israelis come as if attached to a demographic time-bomb – the idea that once Palestinians become a majority of the population between the Jordan River and the sea, Israel will be left in an apartheid situation. But apartheid is a qualitative, not a quantitative notion: it’s the denial of basic democratic rights to a whole category of people, regardless of their numerical strength, that defines apartheid. more.. e-mail Rights group targeted over Goldstone report Electronic Intifada: 11 Feb 2010 - WASHINGTON (IPS) - A campaign of attacks against the New Israel Fund (NIF), a US-based progressive organization that supports human rights groups in Israel, has gained attention in both the Israeli and US media, raising questions about the role played by foreign non-profits and nongovernmental organizations in influencing Israeli government policy. 30 hours in Gaza Electronic Intifada: 11 Feb 2010 - One of my first glimpses of the Gaza Strip was a youth on a motorcycle who threw me his red kuffiyeh . "Remember me!" he shouted, before disappearing in a sea of flags. With a certain irony, it was the members of the Viva Palestina aid convoy who ended up playing the role of war victims as we finally rolled into Gaza on 6 January. We were still reeling from a clash with Egyptian police that left 60 injured the night before. Mohamed Madi writes from the Gaza Strip. Blackouts turn off life in Gaza 2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an- As Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Gaza Power Authority, the EU and international donors point fingers over the failure to provide adequate fuel for electricity generation in the Strip, the lives of residents again turned upside down as they faced life without power. "The blackouts cause a lot of trouble for merchants, factories, families and students, my wife has to work overnight sometimes when the electricity comes on to make foo for the family," Abu Khalil, who works in a Gaza shop said. "I leave home at 7am and return at evening and find no power, our lives are conducted in the dark," he said. Abu Khalil said he was worried about buying a generator, after two fires erupted in the last month from faulty models, and a third - improperly stored inside a home - resulted in the death of three children from carbon monoxide poisoning. PFLP: Repression in Shu’fat camp must end 2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The constant harassment and repression of Palestinians in the Shu'fat Refugee Camp, ongoing since Monday, must come to an end, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine demanded Wednesday evening. The faction called on Palestinians to unite in the face of the violence, and stop the constant police raids and rampant damage to civilian properties in the camp. Unrest followed the invasion of dozens of forces on Monday as the Israeli army detained dozens of camp residents. Palestinians in the camp responded by stone throwing, answered in turn by a heavy military presence at all entrances to the camp, heightened following each protest by residents. A schoolboy was detained near a checkpoint Tuesday, and clashes again erupted Wednesday as more arrests were made. The PFLP said solders were randomly detaining dozens including young boys. De facto cabinet applauds response to Goldstone report 2/10/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Members of the de facto government praised those behind the body's response to the Goldstone report, and called on the international community to "sue Israeli war criminals in international courts" during its weekly cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. Cabinet members also applauded what they termed a "Palestinian uprising" in the Shu'fat Refugee Camp in Jerusalem, which has been the site of confrontations since Monday. "The people's uprising, which came in response to Israeli aggressiveness, asserts that all attempts to tame the Palestinian people and kill the spirit of resistance in the West Bank are doomed to failure," cabinet members said. The cabinet also reviewed Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath's recent two-day visit to the Gaza Strip, and dubbed the move a step toward fastening bilateral reconciliation efforts between the rivaling Hamas and Fatah factions. Ministers to vote on bill to enfranchise Israelis abroad Ha'aretz 10 Feb 2010 - The nationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party has drafted a bill, proposing that Israel allow citizens living abroad to vote in Knesset elections. Under the bill, any citizen who's held an Israeli passport for at least ten years will be able to participate in parliamentary elections, regardless of whether or not they reside in the country. ... Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip LA Times 10 Feb 2010 - Outages may grow as West Bank officials pressure the electric company over debts. The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor. Palestinian journalists scoff at 'farcical elections' Khalid Amayreh, Ma’an News Agency 2/9/2010 Independent and professional journalists throughout Occupied Palestine are scoffing at the "Palestine Journalists Syndicate" journalists"™ union elections which took place on Saturday, 6 February, under the aegis of the Fatah organization, describing the event as a "farce" and "fraud." The Fatah group, in coordination with some erstwhile leftist organizations, selected some 60 journalists who are supposed to form the new journalists union to replace the old moribund union headed by Naim Tubasi. Tubasi had been accused of corruption and monopolizing the union for his own personal expediency. He denies the charges, arguing that his foes within Fatah were only trying to use the union as a bridge for normalization with Israel. The new elections are widely considered an internal Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) affair as hundreds of independent and professional journalists in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip didn"™t participate. "The election was a joke, the results were a foregone conclusion," said Yusuf, a radio journalist from the Hebron region. He adds "I wouldn’t want to offend language by calling this farce an election. True elections must be open to all journalists, irrespective of their ideological orientations. This so-called election reminds me of union elections under the old communist regimes in Eastern Europe where everything was concocted by the Communist party." more.. e-mail The false sacredness of the 1967 border Electronic Intifada: 10 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian submission to US pressure that Israel's large West Bank settlement blocs be annexed to Israel against a fictitious land swap is another vindication of the Israeli belief that facts created are facts accepted. But if West Bank land east of the 1967 border is still contested, so is Israeli land to the west. Hasan Abu Nimah comments. Gaza's energy crisis continues Electronic Intifada: 10 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Pressure exerted on the Palestinian Authority by international and regional officials has given Gazans a last minute reprieve, albeit temporary, from plunging into darkness and plummeting temperatures. "The emergency has been temporarily halted after the PA released urgent funds to finance two fuel tankers entering Gaza on Sunday," says Osama Dabou from Gaza's Power Plant authority. Israelis denounce Russia for Mash’al visit 2/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Chief of Hamas' politburo Khalid Mash'al's Moscow visit has sparked controversy in Israel, with complaints being raised to Russian officials, Israeli media reported on Tuesday. According to Kol Israel radio, officials have called on Russia to stall meetings between the Hamas delegation, headed by Mash'al, and Russian leaders. Other Israeli media outlets speculated that Mash'al was tipped to meet with Russian PresidentDmitriy Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. However meetings have only been held between Mash'al and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russian Ambassador to Israel Peter Stegny said that Russia has maintained contact with Hamas following its electoral victory in the Palestinian general elections in 2006. Mash'al arrived in Moscow on Monday with a delegation for talks on Palestinian reconciliation and the peace process with Russian officials. Iraqi Prime Minister Agrees to Judicial Review of Blacklisted Election Candidates The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - Democracy appears to have been given a reprieve in Iraq after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed to a judicial review of candidates who had been blacklisted from participating in the country's elections. Under pressure from the... Hamas Rejects Palestinian Authority Call for Summer Municipal Elections The Media Line 8 Feb 2010 - Hamas has rejected the decision by the Palestinian Authority to hold crucial municipal elections this July. PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced the elections for the West Bank in what is being seen as a bid to... Palestinian journalists scoff at "farcical election" PNN 9 Feb 2010 - Independent and professional journalists throughout Occupied Palestine are scoffing at the “journalists’ union elections” which took place on Saturday, 6 February, under the aegis of the Fatah organization, describing the event as a “farce” and “fraud.” The Fatah group, in coordination with some erstwhile leftist organizations, selected some 60 journalists who are supposed to form the new journalists union to replace the... Like Netanyahu, Barak wants second shot as prime minister Ha'aretz 9 Feb 2010 - His career has been eulogized more than once. They said he would never be leader again, that he was insensitive, arrogant and disconnected from the people. They reckoned that his party was disintegrating and predicted that he would defect to the rival camp and glean crumbs from the table of his historical antagonist. All the same, Ehud Barak is returning to the center of the political arena and has once again joined the list of candidates for prime minister. A Haaretz-Dialog survey published last Friday confirmed a gut feeling: Barak is the most popular person in the cabinet. ... Power struggle could portend a cold, dark winter in Gaza Strip LA Times 10 Feb 2010 - Outages may grow as West Bank officials pressure the electric company over debts. The Gaza Strip's beleaguered residents face worsening power outages, even as winter temperatures drop, because of a financial dispute between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza's electricity distributor. A mother's grief Electronic Intifada: 9 Feb 2010 - Nejoud al-Ashqar is a 30-year-old mother from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya. Two of her sons, Bilal, 5, and Mohammad, 6, were killed during Israel's invasion of Gaza last winter. Al-Ashqar also lost her right arm in the assault. EI contributor Rami Almeghari writes from Gaza about the hardships endured by the al-Ashqar family since the Israeli invasion. Jerusalem mayor to raze 200 Palestinian homes Electronic Intifada: 9 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem's mayor threatened last week to demolish 200 homes in Palestinian neighborhoods of the city in an act even he conceded would probably bring long-simmering tensions over housing in East Jerusalem to a boil. His uncompromising stance is the latest stage in a protracted legal battle over a single building towering above the jumble of modest homes of Silwan. Jonathan Cook reports from Jerusalem. PA cabinet calls municipal, local elections 2/9/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The cabinet of the Ramallah-based government decided on Monday to hold municipal and local elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 17 July 2010. Directives were given to the Palestinian Central Elections Committee to begin preparations. During its weekly meeting in Ramallah, the cabinet of the caretaker government stressed in a post-meeting statement that "completion of this democratic process is considered a basic component of the PA's agenda set to complete building institutions of the Palestinian state. This is also part of maintaining good governance principles in Palestine. "The cabinet condemned Israel's operation in Shufat refugee camp hours earlier, which left several residents and Israeli forces injured, in addition to violence directed against local and international anti-wall activists. Gaza journalists win PJS elections 2/8/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - The results of the controversial Palestinian Journalists Syndicate elections were announced late Sunday evening, revealing that journalists in Gaza received the highest number of votes. Voting began on Saturday afternoon despite the reigning confusion over elections methodology. One official said on Saturday he expected the board to reach 63 members, and noted that the new board and outgoing chief would together elect a replacement head for the union body. Participants casted their votes to choose 63 members for the central council out of 82 candidates. Of 780 members eligible to vote, 508 cast a ballot. Journalists in Gaza were unable to attend, as the voting took place in Ramallah. Of the 508 ballots cast, 67 blank votes were discarded. It was decided that members of the syndicate would vote for candidates according to which bloc they represented. Palestinian reconciliation on a knife-edge The National 8 Feb 2010 - Hamas leaders outline possible follow-up measures to build up trust, but anger among followers of two factions still runs deep. Egypt-Israel Gas Deal Realized Despite Popular Discontent The Media Line 6 Feb 2010 - A new deal increasing the export of Egyptian natural gas to Israel has come into effect despite popular protest in Egypt. The Egyptian Mediterranean Gas company, which exports natural gas to the state owned Israel Electric... Hamas rejects Palestinian Authority call for July elections Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Palestinian Authority calls for municipal elections on July 17; Hamas says move is 'illegitimate' Move for absentee voting prompts fire across the political spectrum Ha'aretz 8 Feb 2010 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu head Avigdor Lieberman announced Monday that they intend to promote a bill that would let Israeli citizens vote from abraod in Knesset elections. The parallel announcements appeared to be coordinated. ... Palestinians to hold local elections in July Relief Web 8 Feb 2010 - Source: Agence France-Presse Palestinian journalists scoff at “farcical election” PIC 8 Feb 2010 - Independent and professional journalists throughout Occupied Palestine are scoffing at the “journalists’ union elections” which took place on Saturday under the aegis of the Fatah .. Justice denied in Gaza Electronic Intifada: 8 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel's indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 -- which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead -- could be waiting in vain. The Israeli government has taken the offensive in the propaganda battle and attacked United Nations-appointed Justice Richard Goldstone's report into war crimes committed during the war. The Useless Logic of Round Numbers: War is Criminal Any Day Palestine Chronicle: 8 Feb 2010 - By Ramzy Baroud The media's habit of revisiting certain issues at set intervals can be strange and even illogical at times. For example, many news outlets commented on President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, as well as on the anniversary of his election win, and then again one year after his inauguration day. With every new round number, more commentators joined in and discussions heated up between proponents and detractors of his government’s performance. I am not exactly sure why we like round numbers. Is it because they make valuations easy, even when the particular number is irrelevant? Some philosophers, Plato included, believed that order and symmetry are innate values in the human psyche. Perhaps. Or, perhaps, in the case of the media, numbers give us the sense, deceptively, that we have a grasp over certain truths. We determine the order in which legacies such as Obama’s should be dissected. After a decided date, the subject can be ignored until the next round number arrives, bringing with it more useless chatter. Of course, this is a delusion. Like much of the media’s behaviour, it has no connection to reality. It’s all a mind game. A lie, even. For victims of US policies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and elsewhere, the attention given to round numbers is wholly illogical. The drones flying over Afghanistan and Pakistan, loaded with killing technology, care little for numbers, including the number of lives they destroy daily. Did Gazans starve less when we ‘examined’ Obama’s (... Remaining fuel to light Gaza for 24 hours Uruknet February 7, 2010 -- The Palestinian energy authority has announced that one of the generators in the Gaza electricity generation station had stopped functioning on Saturday for lack of fuel and that the remaining quantity of fuel would allow operating the station for 24 hours only. The authority, in a statement, said that the power generation in the station had... The less rosy aspects of Shai Agassi's electric car Ha'aretz 7 Feb 2010 - Amid Sunday's fanfare as Better Place rolled out its electric car technology in north Tel Aviv, the company was also throwing up smokescreens to avoid dealing with the less rosy aspects of Shai Agassi's dream of clean, silent cars plying Israel's roads. ... Remaining fuel to light Gaza for 24 hours PIC 7 Feb 2010 - The Palestinian energy authority has announced that one of the generators in the Gaza electricity generation station had stopped functioning on Saturday for lack of fuel. Hamas: We are keen on achieving national dialogue and on easing obstacles PIC 7 Feb 2010 - Hamas confirmed that it was and still is keen on achieving national reconciliation, but blamed Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah faction, for the continued political rift in the Palestinian arena. National reconciliation imminent Ahmad Yousef, Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2010 That Fatah leader Nabil Sha’ath took the initiative and visited Gaza after three years of ruptured relations with this beloved part of the homeland, in an attempt to break the ice between Gaza and Ramallah, is a praiseworthy step. No doubt, the bloody events in 2007 created a discrepancy between compatriots who share the same national cause. Thus, this visit to the Gaza Strip indicates a desire to meet with the brothers in Hamas and to maintain contact, in order to work out an exit strategy for the so-called "Impasse of signing the Egyptian document." The visit also aims at speeding up reconciliation in accordance with the document, which crowned general efforts, recurrent meetings in Cairo and follow up meetings in Ramallah and Damascus. Nobody denies that Egypt made a move to rescue Palestinians from the situation. They exerted significant efforts by sponsoring dialogue between all Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah. No doubt that dialogue took time, and that there was a boring rigidity for the details. This resulted from the lack of mutual trust, and of the defamation campaigns between Hamas and Fatah. If there was mutual trust, dialogue wouldn’t have taken long, but because the cut was so deep, we didn’t trust each other, and so each step was scrutinized and defined very strictly. We hope this visit will be a good omen for our internal relations, and lay the groundwork for cooperation and noble competition between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We hope each party will not fear that the other’s victory will lead to a monopoly of sovereignty because everyone has realized that, under occupation, we have no choice but to work together, dedicating all we have to our homeland.... more.. e-mail Is One Iraqi's Self-Hatred Newsworthy? Palestine Chronicle: 7 Feb 2010 - By M. Shahid Alam An Arab-American of Lebanese descent, fluent in Arabic, Anthony Shadid was one of a handful of unembedded Western journalists reporting from Iraq during the US invasion in 2003. At the time, he was The Washington Post's correspondent for Islamic Affairs in the Middle East. His dispatches from Iraq were about Iraqis, about the destruction visited upon them by a war whose architects claimed that they were bringing democracy to that country. He reported the destruction and mayhem caused by this war by letting the Iraqis speak for themselves: and they spoke of their pain, their anguish, their perplexity and their anger. For his honest reporting, for a job well done, Anthony Shadid received some of the highest accolades of his profession. In 2004 he received the Michael Kelly Award and the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Other honors followed, all well-deserved. He had won his spurs for reporting, not cheerleading, neither praising nor denouncing the United States. He was reporting for The Washington Post, a neoconservative newspaper. On Jan 29, I noticed for the first time a report in The New York Times that carried Anthony Shadid’s byline. It was written from Halaichiya, a remote village in the southern tip of Iraq, untouched by the war. The village had not seen any Americans since the invasion, neither troops nor diplomats. Hlaichiya has no electricity. Among its rare signs of modernity, we are told, are a few cell phones, charged by a single generator that “villagers run... Could Rahm Emanuel Help Barak Unseat Netanyahu? Palestine Chronicle: 7 Feb 2010 - By Ira Glunts Is it possible that Rahm Emanuel will lead a team of high octane Democratic party pro-Israel political operatives to run the campaign for the former Prime Minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak in the next Israeli election? This scenario may not be as far-fetched as many may assume. Consider that Bill Clinton, after many acrimonious encounters with the intransigent then Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent his own crack political operatives to assist Netanyahu’s opponent in 1999. Strategist James Carville, pollster Stanley Greenberg and TV advertising man Robert Shrum helped run Ehud Barak’s campaign for Prime Minister. Clinton thought Barak would be able to deliver a peace settlement with the Palestinians. Barak became the Israeli head of state, although he did nothing to promote peace in the region. However, Barak did provide a more congenial ally for the American president. It has been reported that he charmed Clinton who found it difficult to even refuse the Israeli’s most eccentric whim. Other than Barak’s stellar personality, the pro-Israel lobby may have been a contributing factor to Clinton’s unusual solicitousness. President Barack Obama has a marked penchant for following the failed initiatives of previous American presidents, including appointing former Clinton officials to high profile positions. Think of the military build-up in Afghanistan and the bank bailouts. As for returning officials, you can start with Robert Rubin, Hillary Clinton, Dennis Ross and, of course, Rahm Emanuel. When Ehud Barak, in a recent major speech to a large audience in Herzylia,... Controversial media syndicate elections go forward in Ramallah 2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Administrative Board of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate returned with a series of recommendations to boost clarity and representation at the union's general elections, postponed from Friday after calls for a new voting system were made. Several candidates and union representatives were contacted regarding the nature of the changes to voting protocol, but none were able or available to comment on the issue. The new regulations apparently still must be ratified before they take effect. Voting was expected to begin by Saturday afternoon despite the reigning confusion over elections methodology. One official said he expected the board to reach 63 members, and noted that the new board and outgoing chief would together elect a replacement head for the union body. The International Federation of Journalists called last week for a postponement in the elections,. . . PPP official warns of ’factional formulae’ diverting unity talks 2/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Member of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP) politburo Walid Al-Awwad warned of certain Palestinian factions moving toward creating "factional formulae" to suit their movement's interest, a move, he said on Saturday, which would lead to the deviation of conciliation talks. Al-Awwad's comments follow Nabil Sha'ath, member of Fatah's Central Committee's recent visit to Gaza, which he said should be viewed as an attempt to create an atmosphere of good will, leading to the success of reconciliation efforts. Any Palestinian effort to promote unity, he said, should stem from removing the obstacles in place which discourage the ratification of the Egyptian document, tipped to end inter-Palestinian factional rivalry. . . . . Abbas: Reconciliation began in Egypt and will be finalized there 2/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart on Saturday, President Mahmoud Abbas asserted that reconciliation will not be attained without Egypt playing a major role and that no other mediator will be called on, and discussed proximity talks put forward by US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell. After meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas said efforts to reconcile rival Palestinian factions began in Cairo, where leaders signed the Egyptian-sponsored document. Therefore, he said, the final signing ceremony will take place in Egypt, who will also follow up on the agreement's implementation. "This is the Palestinian Authority and Fatah's stance," Abbas said. Proximity talks - Abbas further spoke of his meeting with a US delegation on Friday, with whom he discussed Mitchell's ongoing role as a shuttle between Israel and Palestinian sides. Israeli hit squad that killed Hamas commander ’had Irish passports’ 2/6/2010 - Belfast Telegraph - Members of a hit squad that assassinated a top Hamas military commander used Irish passports to enter and leave Dubai, it's been claimed. The suspected Israeli hit team, including at least one woman, entered the United Arab Emirates using Irish documents, police authorities said. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (50), held responsible by Israel for the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989, died in mysterious circumstances on January 20 in a Dubai hotel room. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said yesterday: "We are aware of the media reports and we are in contact with authorities locally to try and determine the truth of the reports. " Al-Mabhouh was said to have been shocked with an electric weapon held to his legs and then suffocated or poisoned. Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing, but Israeli news media claimed al-Mabhouh had many enemies and could have been killed by other Arab factions. Is it just the calm before the storm in Israel? 6 Feb 2010 - Jerusalem, February 6, 2010 (Pal Telegraph; by Patrick Martin) - It's been a year since the election that brought Benjamin Netanyahu to power in Israel and, for most Israelis, it's been the best year in recent memory. There has been almost no violence or breaches of security, and the country's economy weathered the world recession remarkably well. Israelis, for the... Gaza power plant shuts down 1 of 2 generators amidst fuel crisis 2/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Gaza Energy Authority announced on Saturday that the sole power plant shut down one of its two generators as a result of the ongoing fuel shortage in the coastal enclave. "The remaining amount of fuel is enough to operate one generator until Sunday morning," a statement said. "The power plant's capacity has dropped to 30 megawatts. . . Gaza districts will suffer as a result, leaving the plant unable to provide power for around 50% of the residents. This will rise to 60% if bad weather continues as it causes electrical malfunctioning. "The Energy Authority called on international parties, Arab states, and delegates of the Islamic Conference Organization to end Gaza's power crisis by holding the Ramallah-based Ministry of Finance responsible for decreasing the fuel allowance into Gaza, which it said mirrored Israel's blockade policy on the Strip. Israeli army stops journalists on container road after PJS election 2/6/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces stopped a bus transporting journalists on the container checkpoint en route to Hebron from Bethlehem, after having voted in the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate elections in Ramallah on Saturday. One journalist present said that Israeli forces detained journalist Raed Al-Atrash "under the pretext of attacking one of the soldiers. "Israeli soldiers demanded that all journalists to get off the bus, including the female journalists, he said. Despite journalists refusing the order, the bus was eventually allowed to pass through the checkpoint. [end] Putting peace front and centre James Zogby, Al-Ahram Weekly 2/4/2010 To get Middle East peace back on the agenda, the Arabs need to seize the initiative As we mark one year into the Obama era, several realities have become painfully clear. First, there are limits to what a US president is willing or able to do. Obama began his term in a rush to advance Israeli- Palestinian peace, which he claimed was in "America’s national security interests". One year later he appears no longer in a rush. In recent interviews he has analysed the reasons for the failure to make progress and he pointedly ignored any mentioning of the issue in his State of the Union speech. What, of course, is distressing is that in addressing other unrealised priorities he set for his first year (healthcare reform, reform of the banking industry, and energy/climate change), the president has made clear his determination to fight "the lobbyists and special interests" standing in the way of change. There are no indications he’ll extend this same fighting spirit to Middle East peace. His team, headed by George Mitchell, will continue to work in the field, but for now, with a sluggish economy, still staggeringly high unemployment, and congressional elections in November, unless an unlikely "breakthrough" is in the offing, Obama will direct his personal energies to issues uppermost in the minds of voters. Second, both the Israeli and Palestinian political situations have become seriously dysfunctional. Obama alluded to this in recent interviews and at a town hall session in Florida last week. This problem is even more significant than the president suggested. Israeli hardliners and religiously fanatical settlers pose a serious threat not only to Palestinians, but also to any Israeli government that tries to uproot West Bank settlements. They are a "civil war in the making" and the danger they pose must be recognised and confronted.... more.. e-mail Gaza media blocs ask IFJ to boycott Press Syndicate election results 2/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza-based media figures publicly objected to the decision of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to hold separate elections in the West Bank without arranging a simultaneous vote in Gaza, calling the move "duplicitous" and "divisionist. " Speaking at a news conference on Friday as syndicate elections began in Ramallah, members of the media union in Gaza aligned with the figures who called for a postponement of the union elections. The speakers called on the Federation of Arab Journalists and International Federation of Journalists - which already expressed concern around the elections and called for a stay so transparent mechanism could be put in place - to refuse recognition of the results of what Gaza press members considered an "illegal" election. Several Palestinian factions announced earlier in the week that they would boycott the elections, including Hamas,. . . Al-Haya: Changes in coming days toward achieving conciliation 2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - "There will be changes within the coming days toward achieving conciliation," said senior Hamas leader Khalil Al-Haya following a meeting with Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath and de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday. At Haniyeh's home in the Ash-Shati Refugee Camp, Al-Haya revealed that Sha'ath and the de facto prime minister exchanged documents for review, detailing the means of overcoming recent impasses reached in the ratification of the Egyptian document, tipped to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry and restore national unity. Sha'ath said he considered the meeting a step toward reviving confidence in both parties, saying, "We did not talk about details but rather what would create the right atmosphere and what would bring our people close to unity. " The Fatah leader himself expressed increased confidence in a unity deal, saying "I am leaving. . . " Sha’ath leaves Gaza via Erez after talks 2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Member of Fatah's Central Committee Nabil Sha'ath left Gaza via the Erez crossing en route to Ramallah, following a series of meetings in the besieged costal enclave with Palestinian factional leaders and independent figures. Before his departure, Sha'ath met with the Samouni family in the Az-Zeitoun neighborhood, who lost 27 family members during Israel's Operation Cast Lead last winter. After meeting with a host of political leaders in Gaza, Sha'ath additionally met with the Nativity Church deportees. Spokesman for the deportees, Basem Kan'an, said that Sha'ath was given a letter intended for President Mahmoud Abbas outlining their cases, as well as those in European, who have been in exile for the last eight years. Kan'an demanded that the Nativity Church deportees' case be brought before both Fatah's Central Committee and Revolutionary Council, and for the. . . All factions meet in Gaza for talks on unity 4 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Representatives of all Palestinian factions met in Gaza City late Wednesday, said Yasser Al-Wadiyeh, spokesman for the Independent Palestinian Party. The announcement came hours after the arrival of Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza, where he was welcomed by several members of Al-Wadiyeh's party. Al-Wadiyeh said political leaders discussed recent developments in the... U.S. firm signs deal to produce Israeli TV shows Ha'aretz 5 Feb 2010 - The American television industry continues to show interest in original Israeli programming. On Thursday the American firm Electus signed a deal with the Israeli group Abbot Reif Meiri; Electus is to develop Israeli programming in the United States, and the Israeli company will market Electus' content here. Under the terms of the agreement, Electus acquired the game show "Cuckoo's Nest," a cooperative venture of Cellcom and Abbot, which is broadcast on Facebook and to the cellular phone company's subscribers. ... Senior Fatah official winds up talks with Gaza's Hamas leaders Daily Star 6 Feb 2010 A senior member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party on Friday concluded a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip aimed at encouraging reconciliation between the rival factions. "We opened the way for a new relationship based on partnership and trust," said Nabil Shaath, a member of the central committee of the secular Fatah who had been in the coastal enclave since Wednesday Israel slaps six-month travel ban on Palestinian map expert Electronic Intifada: 5 Feb 2010 - Citing "security reasons" -- the ubiquitous and unanswerable catch-all phrase against which it is almost impossible to mount any defense -- Israel's Ministry of the Interior has just issued a six-month travel ban on map expert Khalil Tafakji. Tafakji, like almost all other Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, is a "permanent resident," but not a citizen of Israel. Marian Houk reports. Pressure continues on Veolia and Alstom to halt light rail project Electronic Intifada: 5 Feb 2010 - French transport giants Veolia and Alstom are involved in the construction and running of a light rail line which connects West Jerusalem to several illegal settlements in or surrounding occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem. The light rail project is part of the "Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan" sponsored by the Israeli government and the Jerusalem municipality. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada. All factions meet in Gaza for talks on unity 2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Representatives of all Palestinian factions met in Gaza City late Wednesday at the headquarters of the independents, Yasser Al-Wadiyeh said Thursday morning. The announcement came hours after the arrival of Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza, where he was welcomed by several of the independent personalities. Al-Wadiyeh said political leaders sat and discussed recent developments in the Palestinian arena, mainly internal reconciliation and efforts around achieving unity. All partners agreed that the current status of talks must be overcome and unity achieved. Factions also expressed the need to find solutions for the people of Gaza, living under a tight blockade, Al-Wadiyeh added. He promised that representatives of the meeting would not stop working for solutions to both problems, and said efforts would. . . Former PJS official slams ’illegitimate’ elections 2/5/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A former board member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate rejected Friday's scheduled elections as illegitimate, speaking out after it came to light they would not include members from the Gaza Strip. The official, Zakariyah At-Telmes, said the long-delayed vote should take place simultaneously throughout the occupied territories. Palestine's ongoing state of disunity, with separate governments controlling the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 2007, has prevented some organizations from operating normally. Recent months have seen an escalation of that tension with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas playing tit-for-tat over the arrests of journalists working for media associated with rival political groups. At-Telmes told Ma'an that "no agreement was arranged between the syndicate's board concerning the. . . " All factions meet in Gaza for talks on unity 4 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Representatives of all Palestinian factions met in Gaza City late Wednesday, said Yasser Al-Wadiyeh, spokesman for the Independent Palestinian Party. The announcement came hours after the arrival of Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath to Gaza, where he was welcomed by several members of Al-Wadiyeh's party. Al-Wadiyeh said political leaders discussed recent developments in the... Report: Israel stole $2 billion from Palestinian workers Electronic Intifada: 4 Feb 2010 - Over the past four decades Israel has defrauded Palestinians working inside Israel of more than $2 billion by deducting from their salaries contributions for welfare benefits to which they were never entitled, Israeli economists have revealed. A new report, "State Robbery," to be published later this month, says the "theft" continued even after the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994. Jonathan Cook reports. Raze illegal buildings -- unless they are Jewish Electronic Intifada: 4 Feb 2010 - SILWAN, occupied East Jerusalem (IPS) - Backed by armed security men, the municipal inspectors race their jeeps through the narrow alleyways and up a hillside crowded with buildings. One block of flats stands out for its unusual seven-story height in an area of the city where two or three storied buildings are the norm. And then there is the giant, blue-and-white Israeli national flag draped demonstratively over the front of the building, from the roof down to the ground. Mustafa Barghouthi nominated for Nobel 2/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Founder of the political party the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi was nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize by Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and co-founder of Peace People in Northern Ireland. The nomination was submitted on 15 January. In her letter Maguire cited Barghouthi's "commitment to nonviolence in his personal and public life" as an effort that "is truly in the Ghandian spirit. " Recognition for Barghouthi, she said, would "be a recognition of not only his great spirit of peace and nonviolence but also of the Palestinian nonviolent movement, which gives us all hope for the future of Palestine, Israel and the Middle East community. "Barghouthi was a presidential candidate in Palestine in 2005, was elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006, appointed Minister of Information under the 2007 national unity government,and. . . Related: Palestine Monitor: Mustafa Barghouthi Nominated for 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Haniyeh: Gaza is open for all 2/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that reconciliation is a national necessity, speaking at a meeting with businessman Munib Al-Masri in Gaza City. Welcoming Fatah leader Nabil Sha'ath, who arrived the same afternoon, Haniyeh asserted that Gaza "is open for all. ""We are talking about practical procedures and agreed-upon views concerning notes and procedures that would lead us to sign the Egyptian proposal, with which we would achieve a real conciliation to end division," Haniyeh said. He called for "unifying the Palestinians to confront the challenges and risks which Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause are facing. "The Hamas leader noted that "these meetings are normal among one Palestinian people, during which they will discuss many issues that are of concern to the Palestinians - at the top of which is conciliation. " Poll: Most Palestinians want Abbas to stay in office until next elections 3 Feb 2010 - Gaza, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) -- A clear majority of Palestinians want Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to stay in office until the next presidential elections, a poll indicates. A poll released Tuesday by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion indicated 57.6 percent of respondents want Abbas to stay in office. The president, whose term expired last year, has... Cairo: Reconciliation deal signed by Fatah must be approved as is 3 Feb 2010 - Cario, February 3, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Egypt on Tuesday welcomed statements by Hamas leaders that they were ready to seal a unity deal with the rival Fatah faction but said Cairo's blueprint for Palestinian reconciliation was not up for negotiation. Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas head Khaled Mishaal "Successive statements from several Hamas leaders regarding their willingness to... Senior Fatah official in rare visit to Hamas-run Gaza Daily Star 3 Feb 2010 A senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party made a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a bid to encourage stalled reconciliation efforts. Nabil Shaath, a member of the central committee of the secular Fatah, said he hoped to meet representatives from all the Palestinian factions including Hamas, which seized Gaza in June 2007 after driving out Fatah loyalists Shaath in Gaza for conciliation talks PIC 3 Feb 2010 - Dr. Nabil Shaath, central committee member of Fatah faction, arrived in Gaza on Wednesday and told a press conference that his visit aimed at holding talks on national reconciliation. Nightmares continue to plague Gaza children Electronic Intifada: 3 Feb 2010 - OCCUPIED GAZA STRIP (IRIN) - Mona al-Samouni, 12, is depressed and has nightmares about the day -- just more than a year ago -- when she witnessed her parents and a number of relatives being shot by Israeli soldiers in their home in Zeitoun, southeast of Gaza City. Like a number of other children who witnessed horrific events during last year's 23-day Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Mona has become increasingly withdrawn and silent -- common ways of coping with tragedies, doctors say. Pro-Israel lobbies target Europe Electronic Intifada: 3 Feb 2010 - BRUSSELS (IPS) - Defenders of Israel's aggressive stance have for many years been recognized as a powerful force shaping United States foreign policy. A less well-known fact is that the pro-Israel lobby has been making a concerted effort to strengthen its presence in Europe. The lobby's determination to make an impression on European Union (EU) policy-makers was exemplified by a new booklet published on 28 January. Canadian organization attacking Palestinian rights groups Electronic Intifada: 3 Feb 2010 - The Board of Directors of Rights & Democracy, a not-for-profit organization created by Canada's parliament in 1988 to encourage and support human rights around the world, recently voted, with substantial objection, to repudiate grants given to Al-Haq and Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights, two well-known Palestinian human rights organizations located respectively in the West Bank and in Gaza. Interview: "We need a new, united strategy as one people" Electronic Intifada: 3 Feb 2010 - The Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA), based in Nazareth, is one of the first human rights organizations in Israel, founded during the first Palestinian intifada by lawyers and community activists to monitor human rights violations. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof recently interviewed Mohammad Zeidan, the general director of HRA. Israeli Hypocrisy in Haiti Palestine Chronicle: 3 Feb 2010 - By Aijaz Zaka Syed – Dubai Israeli hypocrisy would be comical, if its consequences weren't so tragic. These days, Israeli media and Israel's powerful friends in the US media have been tomtomming about the noble help and rescue mission Israelis have undertaken in the remote, quake-hit island of Haiti. Doubtless, the catastrophe that has hit Haiti is truly mindboggling and terrifying. The all-round devastation the island has suffered is beyond words. This is perhaps how our world would look like when the End comes. And one hates to make a political point out of this terrible, terrible human tragedy. But you can’t help it when you come across the kind of hypocrisy that Israel displays in Haiti. While the people it has locked away in their homes in Gaza and across the Palestinian territories live in most despicable conditions and crave for basics such as food, water, electricity and just about everything else, the magnanimous Israel is sending aid and medical teams to help the luckless people of Haiti. Can there be a more stunning example of hypocrisy and double standards? I am not even remotely suggesting that Israel shouldn’t act to help the calamity-hit people of Haiti. In fact, given the magnitude of the tragedy, every one of us should do his or her bit for the unfortunate people. Lest the US media preoccupied with Israel have failed to notice, Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, Kuwait, Morocco and many others, too have... Arab politicians ’facing increased persecution’ in Israel 2/3/2010 - Nazareth - Leaders of the Palestinian minority in Israel warned this week that they were facing an unprecedented campaign of persecution, backed by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu, designed to stop their political activities. The warning came after Said Nafaa, a Druze member of the Israeli parliament, was stripped of his immunity last week, clearing the way for him to be tried for a visit to Syria three years ago. In recent weeks legal sanctions have been invoked against two other Palestinian political leaders, following clashes with the Israeli security forces at demonstrations against the occupation, and pressure is growing for two more members of Knesset to be investigated. Palestinian politicians are particularly concerned about a bill introduced last month requiring all parliamentary candidates to swear loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state. A deadly step on the road to war PNN 2 Feb 2010 - DAMASCUS // Although the exact circumstances of the death of Mahmoud al Mabhouh may have been unanticipated he was believed electrocuted and then strangled in a Dubai hotel room the fact of his murder hardly comes as a surprise. Anyone whose job is to make sure that Hamas fighters are well-supplied with weapons for their war with Israel probably does not expect to... Q&A: ''Hamas Accepts Existence of Israel Within 1967 Borders'' IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 29 (IPS) - Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on Jan. 25 with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely. International activists accompany Gazan farmers 2/2/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM Gaza, 31 January - Farmers form the villages of Faraheen and Khuza'a , near Gaza's second biggest city of Khan Younis, reported to the ISM that routine 'sweeps' which Israelis carry out along the the border , disrupted the sowing of the wheat in the last few days available after the recent rainfall. Twice a month Israeli's enter the Gazan side of the electrified border fence to ensure that they are no explosive devices left by the Palestinian resistance in the 50 meter belt. This is the time of increased tensions when farmers experience more incidents of intimidation and firing by the Israeli border patrols. For example, in separate incidents, Israeli border patrols fired at the farmers form villages of Faraheen and Khuza'a in the morning of the Saturday, 30th January. The farmers withdrew to the safe distance and returned to continue with the wheat sowing after the soldiers left the area. Radwan: We are ready for dialog with Fatah at any level PIC 2 Feb 2010 - Ismail Radwan, one of the leaders of the Hamas Movement, called on Fatah faction to hold direct talks with his Movement to reach an understanding on signing the national reconciliation agreement. Arab politicians face tide of 'persecution' in Israel Jonathan Cook in Nazareth, Redress 2/3/2010 Laws set to criminalize dissent Leaders of the Arab minority in Israel have warned that they are facing an unprecedented campaign of persecution, backed by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu, designed to stop their political activities. The warning came after Said Nafaa, a Druze member of the Israeli parliament, was stripped of his immunity last week, clearing the way for him to be tried for a visit to Syria three years ago. In recent weeks legal sanctions have been invoked against two other Arab political leaders, following clashes with the Israeli security forces at demonstrations against the occupation, and pressure is growing for two more MPs to be investigated. Arab politicians are particularly concerned about a bill introduced last month requiring all parliamentary candidates to swear loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state. If passed, the seats of the 10 Arab MPs belonging to non-Zionist parties in the 120-member parliament, or Knesset, would be under threat. Jamal Zahalka, one of those MPs, said: “Every week either the Knesset or the government try to impose new restrictions on our activities and freedom of speech. There is a growing trend towards anti-democratic legislation.” Mr Nafaa, the latest target for legal action, was stripped of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution last week by a Knesset committee dominated by the right wing. more.. e-mail An Israeli Trojan Horse Christopher Ketcham, CounterPunch 9/27/2008 How Israeli Backdoor Technology Penetrated the U.S. Government’s Telecom System and Compromised National Security Since the late 1990s, federal agents have reported systemic communications security breaches at the Department of Justice, FBI, DEA, the State Department, and the White House. Several of the alleged breaches, these agents say, can be traced to two hi-tech communications companies, Verint Inc. (formerly Comverse Infosys), and Amdocs Ltd., that respectively provide major wiretap and phone billing/record-keeping software contracts for the U.S. government. Together, Verint and Amdocs form part of the backbone of the government’s domestic intelligence surveillance technology. Both companies are based in Israel – having arisen to prominence from that country’s cornering of the information technology market – and are heavily funded by the Israeli government, with connections to the Israeli military and Israeli intelligence (both companies have a long history of board memberships dominated by current and former Israeli military and intelligence officers). Verint is considered the world leader in “electronic interception” and hence an ideal private sector candidate for wiretap outsourcing. Amdocs is the world’s largest billing service for telecommunications, with some $2.8 billion in revenues in 2007, offices worldwide, and clients that include the top 25 phone companies in the United States that together handle 90 percent of all call traffic among U.S. residents. The companies’ operations, sources suggest, have been infiltrated by freelance spies exploiting encrypted trapdoors in Verint/Amdocs technology and gathering data on Americans for transfer to Israeli intelligence and other willing customers (particularly organized crime). “The fact of the vulnerability of our telecom backbone is indisputable,” says a high level U.S. intelligence officer who has monitored the fears among federal agents. “How it came to pass, why nothing has been done, who has done what – these are the incendiary questions.” If the allegations are true, the electronic communications gathered up by the NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies might be falling into the hands of a foreign government. Reviewing the available evidence, Robert David Steele, a former CIA case officer and today one of the foremost international proponents for “public intelligence in the public interest,” tells me that “Israeli penetration of the entire US telecommunications system means that NSA’s warrantless wiretapping actually means Israeli warrantless wiretapping.” more.. e-mail Palestinian politicians face tide of persecution in Israel Electronic Intifada: 2 Feb 2010 - Leaders of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel warned this week that they were facing an unprecedented campaign of persecution designed to stop their political activities. The warning came after Said Nafaa, a Druze member of the Israeli parliament was stripped of his immunity last week, clearing the way for him to be tried for a visit to Syria three years ago. Jonathan Cook reports. Palestinians unfairly stripped of citizenship in Jordan Electronic Intifada: 2 Feb 2010 - WASHINGTON, (IPS) - The Jordanian government should halt the arbitrary revocation of nationality from its citizens of Palestinian origin, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Monday. The report, "Stateless Again: Palestinian-Origin Jordanians Deprived of their Nationality," details the Jordanian government's efforts to strip more than 2,700 Jordanians of their citizenship between 2004 and 2008. "A different kind of occupation": an interview with Elia Suleiman Electronic Intifada: 1 Feb 2010 - Nazareth-born filmmaker Elia Suleiman is one of the darlings of Cannes and stands out from the pack of contemporary Palestinian filmmakers for his unique style of filmmaking based on sewing together a series vignettes, silence -- an emphasis on visual storytelling versus dialogue, and deadpan comedy found in often grim humor in the lives of everyday people living under the tyranny of what he calls a "pathetic occupation." Sabah Haider recently interviewed Suleiman for The Electronic Intifada. Carleton University students launch campus divestment campaign Electronic Intifada: 1 Feb 2010 - For the past several months, Students Against Israeli Apartheid - Carleton (SAIA), a student group at Carleton University in Ottawa that is committed to supporting the Palestinian struggle for freedom, has been conducting research on Carleton's investments in Israeli apartheid. In light of its findings, SAIA has launched a campaign calling on Carleton to immediately divest from the offending corporations, as well as to adopt a socially responsible investment policy for all of its investments. Israel: Laws Set to Criminalize Dissent Palestine Chronicle: 2 Feb 2010 - By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth Leaders of the Arab minority in Israel warned this week that they were facing an unprecedented campaign of persecution, backed by the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu, designed to stop their political activities. The warning came after Said Nafaa, a Druze member of the Israeli parliament was stripped of his immunity last week, clearing the way for him to be tried for a visit to Syria three years ago. In recent weeks legal sanctions have been invoked against two other Arab political leaders, following clashes with the Israeli security forces at demonstrations against the occupation, and pressure is growing for two more MPs to be investigated. Arab politicians are particularly concerned about a bill introduced last month requiring all parliamentary candidates to swear loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state. If passed, the seats of the 10 Arab MPs belonging to non-Zionist parties in the 120-member parliament, or Knesset, would be under threat. Jamal Zahalka, one of those MPs, said: “Every week either the Knesset or the government try to impose new restrictions on our activities and freedom of speech. There is a growing trend towards anti-democratic legislation.” Mr Nafaa, the latest target for legal action, was stripped of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution last week by a Knesset committee dominated by the right wing. Keeping his immunity was his only hope of avoiding a trial after he was indicted by the attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, in December over a visit he organised in 2007... Haniyeh: Hamas isn’t afraid of elections 2/1/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday that Hamas seeks national reconciliation and is not afraid of elections "because we came to move forward and take responsibility and we will not back down under any circumstances. " His remarks came during a ceremony honoring Gaza Transportation Minister Usama Al-Isawy. Haniyeh pointed out that the transportation sector has developed in a variety of ways, including new parking standards and the removal of unregistered cars, which he said once threatened residents' safety. On Sunday, senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al said his movement is ready for reconciliation, following the funeral of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, allegedly by Israeli operatives in Dubai. "The martyrs' message is to reunite; we will go to reconciliation in God's will and we will give everything for the sake of reconciliation - this is a promise," he said at the Damascus funeral. Israel warns officers after Hamas assassination 2/1/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP, JERUSALEM – The Israeli army said Monday it has warned its top officers to be on guard when traveling abroad following the mysterious death of a Hamas commander in Dubai. Hamas accused agents of Israel's Mossad secret service of assassinating Mahmoud al-Mabhouh on Jan. 20, saying the killers waited in ambush for him in his Dubai hotel room, immobilized him with an electric shock and then strangled him. Hamas has vowed revenge, hinting it could attack Israeli targets abroad. The Islamic militant group which rules the Gaza Strip has historically limited its attacks to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Although Israel has not acknowledged any role in the killing, military officials said Monday they were taking the threats seriously and had instructed senior officers, military attaches and soldiers on study leaves to exercise caution when traveling abroad. In the West Bank’s stony hills, Palestine is slowly dying Robert Fisk, The Independent 1/30/2010 In the richest of the Occupied lands, Israeli bureaucracy is driving Palestinians out of their homes. Robert Fisk reports from Jiftlik Area C doesn’t sound very ominous. A land of stone-sprinkled grey hills and soft green valleys, it’s part of the wreckage of the equally wrecked Oslo Agreement, accounting for 60 per cent of the Israeli-occupied West Bank that was eventually supposed to be handed over to its Palestinian inhabitants. But look at the statistics and leaf through the pile of demolition orders lying on the table in front of Abed Kasab, head of the village council in Jiftlik, and it all looks like ethnic cleansing via bureaucracy. Perverse might be the word for the paperwork involved. Obscene appear to be the results. Palestinian houses that cannot be permitted to stand, roofs that must be taken down, wells closed, sewage systems demolished; in one village, I even saw a primitive electricity system in which Palestinians must sink their electrical poles cemented into concrete blocks standing on the surface of the dirt road. To place the poles in the earth would ensure their destruction – no Palestinian can dig a hole more than 40cm below the ground. But let’s return to the bureaucracy. "Ro’i" – if that is indeed the Israeli official’s name, for it is difficult to decipher – signed a batch of demolition papers for Jiftlik last December, all duly delivered, in Arabic and Hebrew, to Mr Kasab. There are 21 of them, running – non-sequentially – from numbers 143912 through 145059, all from "The High Planning Council Monitoring [sic] Sub-Committee of the Civil Administration for the Area of Judea and Samaria". Judea and Samaria – for ordinary folk – is the occupied West Bank. The first communication is dated 8 December, 2009, the last 17 December. more.. e-mail Obama Must Choose Between Peace and The 'Special Relationship' Rachelle Marshall, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 2/1/2010 Our posture with Israel has weakened, our hope to strengthen the Palestinians has fallen back, and our credibility in the Arab world has been damaged. We are the victims of events rather than masters of events.—Robert Malley, Clinton administration peace negotiator, The New York Times, Nov. 6, 2009. What we are doing here is evil.—Rachel Corrie in a letter from Gaza to her mother shortly before she was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in March 2003. WHAT RACHEL CORRIE referred to as “evil” was America’s support for Israel despite its crimes against the Palestinians, crimes she was witnessing at first hand in Gaza. The “special relationship” with Israel that guarantees such support has been a constant of U.S. foreign policy since 1967 and is a relationship in which Israel is the sole beneficiary and often the stronger partner. Watching to make sure this policy remains in place is a powerful pro-Israel lobby that most elected officials dare not oppose. President Barack Obama’s pre-election vow to abide by the “special relationship” virtually assured Israeli leaders they could rely on Washington’s full diplomatic, military, and financial support even if they openly defy its wishes. President Richard Nixon once predicted that if America abandoned its war in Indochina we would look to the rest of the world like a “pitiful, helpless giant.” He was wrong at the time, but his words come close to describing the image of America projected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this fall at her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The Israeli leader flatly rejected the administration’s demand that he freeze settlement construction. He offered instead only to consider a temporary and partial slowdown. Clinton’s response was to praise Netanyahu for his “reasonable compromise” and “unprecedented” concessions. more.. e-mail "A different kind of occupation": an interview with Elia Suleiman Electronic Intifada: 1 Feb 2010 - Nazareth-born filmmaker Elia Suleiman is one of the darlings of Cannes and stands out from the pack of contemporary Palestinian filmmakers for his unique style of filmmaking based on sewing together a series vignettes, silence -- an emphasis on visual storytelling versus dialogue, and deadpan comedy found in often grim humor in the lives of everyday people living under the tyranny of what he calls a "pathetic occupation." Sabah Haider recently interviewed Suleiman for The Electronic Intifada. Carleton University students launch campus divestment campaign Electronic Intifada: 1 Feb 2010 - For the past several months, Students Against Israeli Apartheid - Carleton (SAIA), a student group at Carleton University in Ottawa that is committed to supporting the Palestinian struggle for freedom, has been conducting research on Carleton's investments in Israeli apartheid. In light of its findings, SAIA has launched a campaign calling on Carleton to immediately divest from the offending corporations, as well as to adopt a socially responsible investment policy for all of its investments. Hamas parliamentarian: "We accept existence of Israel within 1967 borders" Electronic Intifada: 1 Feb 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on 25 January with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely. IPS spoke with Dr. Mahmoud Ramahi, a neurosurgeon and secretary-general of the PLC, on the political deadlock.  Links
Mossawa - The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens of Israel Mossawa, The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, was established in October of 1997 as a Non Governmental Organization. Mossawa works to promote equality for ArabPalestinians within the borders of Israel. Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health This website requires Internet Explorer. Palestinian Authority Ministry of Information General information from the PA Palestinian Information Center Hamas news site Palestinian National Initiative - Al Mubadara The main objective of the Initiative is the realization of Palestinian national rights and of a durable, just peace. Both of these objectives can be best achieved at this juncture through the establishment of a national emergency leadership, the immediate implementation of democratic elections at all levels of the political system, and reform of political, administrative, and other institutional structures in order to meet the needs of the Palestinian people. PLO Negotiations Affairs Department Documents, maps, fact sheets and reports related to the occupation.
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