Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Elections Archive - March 2010
Elections Archive - March 2010
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Israel releases former minister 3/31/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli authoritiesreleased the Palestinian Authority's former Minister of Local Governance Issa Kheiri Al-Ja'bari on Wednesday following 14 months of administrative detention. Al-Ja'bari had his administrative detention sentence extended three times and was not seen by a judge since he was taken from his home on the first of January 2009, in the midst of Israel's war on Gaza. During his detention Al-Ja'bari was transferred to six different detention facilities. He had previously been detained by Israeli officials on June 29 2006, during an Israeli detention campaign targeting Palestinian member of the Legislative Council and other Palestinian leaders following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by resistance factions in Gaza. During the previous detention, he spent 30 months in Israeli custody. Negev detainees announce end to family visits 3/31/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians detained in Israel's Negev prison decided to stop family visits for one month, in protest of the restrictions placed on some prisoners' families, and the general maltreatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody. The visits will stop on 7 April, which will be marked by a hunger strike, prisoners announced, adding that for the first time since 2006, prisoners of all factions would participate in the protest action. Negev prison detainee Mahmud Da'is told Ma'an Radio on Wednesday, that prisoners were united in their determination to secure fair treatment for [all] Palestinians. [end] Hamas accuses PA of destabilizing Gaza 3/31/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas officials accused the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday of working to create instability in Gaza by entrapping members of the resistance factions and seeking to divert energies away from the national cause. The comments came following a string of accusations from Fatah and Hamas officials around the involvement of Hamas fighters in the death of two Israeli soldiers last week, their alleged arrest by de facto government forces in Gaza, and reports of Fatah officials soliciting detailed information about the alleged fighters. Hamas spokesman Hammad Ar-Ruqab said "the Palestinian Authority is trying to create instability in a big way through inciting those linked with goals different from those of the PA."Accusations have come principally from Fatah Central Committee member and former Gaza strongman Muhammad Dahlan, who was accused Tuesday of asking a former intelligence. . . Palestinian prisoners of all factions unite in maltreatment protest Ha'aretz 31 Mar 2010 - Palestinian detainees in Israel's Ketziot prison in the Negev have decided to unite in order to secure better conditions, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Wednesday. ... Gideon Levy Interview: A rare voice of courage David Cronin, The Electronic Intifada, Israeli Occupation Archive 3/31/2010 Gideon Levy is a rare voice of courage in an Israeli media generally supine towards the political establishment. Since 1988, he has written the “Twilight Zone” column for the Israeli daily Haaretz, documenting unflinchingly the myriad cruelties inflicted on the Palestinian people under occupation. In his new book Gaza, a collection of articles which has just been published in French, Levy utters phrases that, by his own admission, are considered “insane” by most of his compatriots. The Electronic Intifada contributor David Cronin spoke with Gideon Levy about his background and journalism. David Cronin: You were born in Tel Aviv in the 1950s. Were your parents survivors of the Holocaust? Gideon Levy: They were not Holocaust survivors, they just left Europe in 1939. My father was from Germany, my mother Czech. Both were really typical refugees because my father came on an illegal ship, which was stopped for half a year in Beirut by the British and only after half a year on the ocean could it make it to Palestine. My mother came on a project with Save the Children. She came without her parents directly to a kibbutz. My father always said he never found his place in Israel. He lived there for 60 years but his life was ruined. He had a PhD in law but never practiced it in Israel. He never really spoke proper Hebrew. I think he was really traumatized all his life. At the same time, he never wanted to go back [to Europe] even for a visit. He came from Sudetenland, which became Czechoslovakia. All the Germans were expelled. more.. e-mail A rare voice of courage: journalist Gideon Levy interviewed Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 - Gideon Levy is a rare voice of courage in an Israeli media generally supine towards the political establishment. Since 1988, he has written the "Twilight Zone" column for the Israeli daily Haaretz , documenting unflinchingly the myriad cruelties inflicted on the Palestinian people under occupation. In his new book Gaza , a collection of articles which has just been published in French, Levy utters phrases that, by his own admission, are considered "insane" by most of his compatriots. The Electronic Intifada contributor David Cronin spoke with Gideon Levy about his background and journalism. Swedish fashion chain H&M under pressure Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 - More than a year ago, several concerned Swedish organizations asked fashion chain H&M about its plans to extend its franchise to Israel. H&M's management denied the rumors but refused to provide written confirmation. In March, H&M unexpectedly opened a store in Tel Aviv and a second store in Jerusalem's Malha shopping mall. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada. Interview: Palestine a rich landscape for a mystery Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 - Kate Raphael is a Palestine solidarity activist who is currently publishing a mystery novel entitled Murder Under the Bridge one chapter at a time on its own blog. The Electronic Intifada contributor Hannah Mermelstein interviewed Raphael about how the novel came about and where she hopes it will go. Health workers and advocates support call for U of Arizona to divest Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 - A joint group of more than 50 Jewish, Christian, Muslim and agnostic medical and health advocates of the Tucson and surrounding region, following student initiative, are calling on the University of Arizona to divest from corporations benefiting from the global health and humanitarian crisis in Palestine caused by Israel's military occupation, supported by the United States. Swedish Retirement Fund Boycotts Elbit Israeli Military Systems Company IMEMC - Tuesday March 30, 2010 - 11:27, The Israeli Army electronics company “Elbit systems” has been barred by the Första AP-Fonden pension fund, the biggest pensions fund in Sweden. The pensions fund decided to boycott Elbit on Ethical grounds. Zaki asked to agree on restricted movement 3/30/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, detained with 10 other Palestinians in the Ofer detention center, was asked to sign a deal restricting his movement by Israeli authorities. Zaki was detained during a Palm Sunday rally, protesting Israeli restrictions placed upon Palestinian access to Jerusalem over Easter and general access to religious sites in the occupied city. Fellow Central Committee Nabil Sha'ath said Zaki refused to sign the deal put forward to him by Israeli authorities, which include a fine, compliance with requests made by the Israeli intelligence services, and restriction on travel and movement throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. Factional representatives at the detention center greeted Zaki, who was originally transferred to the Russian interrogation center in Jerusalem, and wished him a short stay in the prison. Swedish pension fund bans investment in Israeli defense company Palestine Note 30 Mar 2010 - Första AP-Fonden, Sweden's largest pension fund, has banned investment in Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense electronics company, on ethical grounds, Haaretz reports. Israeli "security barrier," Bethlehem The pension fund said it barred the company from its... Ethical Grounds by Swedish Pension Fund Bans Investment in Israel WAFA 30 Mar 2010 - TEL AVIV, March 30, 2010 (WAFA)-The biggest Swedish pension fund has barred Israeli defense Electronics Company Elbit Systems from its investment portfolios on ethical grounds, daily Haaretz Israel greenwashing the "war on terror" Electronic Intifada: 30 Mar 2010 - Under cover of a sudden interest in developing new green technologies, the Israeli government hopes to weaken the Gulf states by making their oil redundant and thereby defeating "Islamic terror." Uzi Landau, the national infrastructures minister, outlined a vision of a world without oil this week to Israel's most loyal supporters in Washington as he searched for wealthy American-Jewish investors and White House support for the strategy. Jonathan Cook analyzes. Military funeral for Islamic Jihad fighter 3/29/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A military funeral was held in Khan Younis Monday for a Palestinian combatant of the the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, whose corpse was retrieved from the site of earlier clashes with Israeli forces. Al-Quds Brigades member Suleiman Abu Arafat was killed Friday in the bloodiest fighting in Gaza between Palestinian operatives and Israeli forces since the end of Israel's Operation Cast Lead 14 months prior. Abu Arafat's funeral procession began in the An-Nasser Hospital and ended in A'bsan, his hometown, at the Abdul Rahman Mosque for prayer, and then to his burial site at the A'bsan cemetery. The Al-Quds Brigades and resistance factions present at the funeral called for a response to Israel's increased military operations in the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Abdullah Ash-Shami, an Islamic Jihad leader, warned Israeli forces against an escalation of violence in the besieged coastal enclave. . . Fatah official in Beirut for talks 3/29/2010 - Beirut - Ma'an - Fatah Central Committee member and parliamentary bloc chairman Azam Al-Ahmad arrived in Beirut on Sunday for talks with Lebanese officials. Al-Ahmad, who was sent to Lebanon by President Mahmoud Abbas, met with President Michael Suleiman, handing him a letter from Abbas detailing recent developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and to exchange views with the Ramallah-based leadership. The senior Fatah official will meet with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, and a number of leaders and officials from Lebanese political parties. Charged by Abbas to reorganize the Fatah movement in Lebanon and to coordinate with other Palestinian factions, Al-Ahmad arrived at the President Rafik Hariri International Airport where he was received by the Palestinian Embassy's chargĂ© d'affaires. Celebrations in Ein Al Helweh Camp 29 Mar 2010 - Lebanon, March 29, (Pal Telegraph) The Palestinian refugee camps in Sidon region, Commemorated the thrity-third anniversary of the Palestinian Land day Festival oratory rally, called and organized by Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization, in the hall of martyr Major General Ziad al-Atrash in the camp. It was attended by all factions of the PLO and the "forces of the... Until midterm elections, the US will go through the motions Daily Star 29 Mar 2010 The Ramat Shlomo construction incident that spoiled US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel almost three weeks ago brought the Netanyahu government and the Obama administration to a brief but genuine crisis in their relationship. The crisis gave us a glimpse of what is simmering beneath the surface in Washington. When he apologized Israel's blood diamonds Electronic Intifada: 29 Mar 2010 - Every year, consumers the world over unwittingly spend billions of dollars on diamonds crafted in Israel, thereby helping to fund one of the world's most protracted and contentious conflicts. Most people are unaware that Israel is one of the world's leading producers of cut and polished diamonds. As diamonds are normally not hallmarked, consumers cannot distinguish an Israeli diamond from one crafted in India, Belgium, South Africa or elsewhere. The global diamond industry and aligned governments, including the EU, have hoodwinked consumers into believing the diamond trade has been cleansed of diamonds that fund human rights abuses, but the facts are startlingly different. Seán Clinton analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. "We are defending our culture": an interview with Samir Joubran Electronic Intifada: 29 Mar 2010 - Earlier this month the Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran gave a concert in Geneva to support the work of the Association Meyrin-Palestine, which is planning to build a cultural center in Gaza. Le Trio Joubran is comprised of three brothers, Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran, who play the oud , a pear-shaped instrument from the Middle East related to the lute. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof spoke with Samir Joubran about the trio's music. Stuck between a wall and an occupation Electronic Intifada: 29 Mar 2010 - When Bilal Jadou's grandmother was sick last year, neither Israeli ambulances or Palestinian ambulances were able to cross the checkpoint to his house. Jadou's house is on the other side of the sprawling apartheid wall, separated from his community and the West Bank. Nora Barrows-Friedman interviews Jadou from Aida refugee camp, occupied West Bank. Palestinian journalist receives US visa after delay 3/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Mohammed Omar, a Palestinian journalist and photographer, has received permission to visit the United States weeks after his visa application was delayed for reasons that were never made clear, a Jewish peace organization reported Saturday. MuzzleWatch, a blog affiliated with the US-based Jewish Voice for Peace organization, reported that supporters of the Gaza journalist had been putting pressure on the US Embassy in the Hague to allow Omar to participate in a speaking tour with Ali Abunimah, a Chicago-based Palestinian-American activist who founded the Electronic Intifada news and commentary Web site. Omar has lived in the Netherlands since 2008, after he was detained and severely beaten by Shin Bet interrogators upon returning to the occupied Palestinian territories from London, where he was awarded the Martha Gellhorn Award for Journalism in 2007. Gaza factions call for an end to rivalry 3/28/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian factions called for an end to factional rivalry to confront Israeli aggression, during a Land Day commemoration ceremony on Sunday. Senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said an end to division is necessary to "stand united against Israel's systematic attacks," during the event, organized by the Palestinian National Initiative. Radwan added that all direct and indirect talks with Israel should be brought to halt, "because it would help the Israeli occupation with its settlement expansion and massacres carried out against the Palestinians. "The Hamas leader added that conveners at the Arab League summit must help Palestinian face the ongoing challenges, and offer Palestinians political and moral support to break the siege imposed on Gaza. A'ed Yaghi, PNI member, demanded that the Palestinian Authority "stand by national consensus that does not support negotiations until. . . " Why Hamas won and what it means Palestine Note 28 Mar 2010 - Although it is still unclear what the future holds for Israelis and Palestinians, a few things can be said about the processes that enabled Hamas to win a landslide victory in the January 25 democratic elections... Time for the Obama parameters Graham Usher in Washington, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/25/2010 The real crisis is not between Israel and the US but the absence of an American policy for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. The apparent "crisis" in relations with the United States caused by Israel’s decision to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem seems to be over. On 19 March Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Israeli bridging proposals were "useful and productive". By 21 March US Envoy George Mitchell was back in the region to urge so-called proximity talks: indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians which the Jerusalem settlement scuttled but which Mitchell now wants "under way in full course". And Binyamin Netanyahu accepted an invitation to meet Barack Obama in Washington on 23 March, drawing a line under their worst clash since both men were elected leaders of their countries. And -- as with his demand for a comprehensive settlement freeze last year -- it seems it was the American president who stood down rather than the Israeli prime minister. Whatever bridging proposals Netanyahu has in mind, rescinding the 1,600 units or announcing a general settlement freeze in East Jerusalem are not among them, despite both reportedly being American demands. On the contrary: "Our policy towards Jerusalem is the same policy of all Israeli governments in the past 42 years, and it has not changed. From our point of view, construction in Jerusalem is the same as construction in Tel Aviv," Netanyahu told his cabinet on 21 March. more.. e-mail "Cabbing" for Israel?A question every voter should ask candidates in the coming UK general election Uruknet March 27, 2010 - There can be few sights more pathetic than ex-ministers and chums of Tony Blair offering to use their government contacts to help influence policy on behalf of business clients. "I'm like a cab for hire," said Stephen Byers when secretly filmed by a Channel 4 TV 'Dispatches’ programme. Byers could be "hailed" for £3,000 to £5,000... ‘Politico’ quietly revises a political anecdote, saving face for ‘J Street’ Mondoweiss - 27 Mar 2010 - What is J Street up against? The American Jewish establishment, which is calcified and backward and ethnocentric. Politico’s Alex Isenstadt reported the other day that U.S. House candidate Doug Pike had lost support among Jews in the Philadelphia suburbs because he liked J Street. Emphasis mine:... PA police arrest 40 fugitives across Hebron 3/26/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority security forces arrested 40 fugitives during a security campaign in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, police said. A PA police statement said those arrested were involved in a number of forgery, robbery, and narcotics cases, as well as for illegally excavating antiquities across the Hebron district. "Ten of the fugitives were arrested on suspicion of cell phone left. One woman was arrested for stealing electrical appliances from a store in the Bab Az-Zaweiyah area of Hebron. The anti-narcotics police confiscated drugs and arrested a man after a sting operation west of Hebron," the statement read. Four people were arrested for excavating antiquities without the necessary permits in Wad Al-Hareiya, and their equipment was confiscated, the report said, adding that 25 were detained on "various charges. Islamists boycott BirZeit University elections, decry Fatah repressive practices PIC 26 Mar 2010 - The Islamic League has decided to boycott the student elections in Bir Zeit University, saying that the absence of the Islamic bloc would turn the election process into a farce. 'My Fellow Americans, Tonight I’m Going to Talk Frankly About a Pesky Little Nation Israel...' Alexander Cockburn, CounterPunch 3/19/2010 Don’t get excited. It’ll never happen. Is there really a crisis in US-Israeli relations? Yes and No. Yes, because the world’s premier power doesn’t care to have its vice president publicly humiliated by a midget of a nation whose entire population is smaller than that of Los Angeles county. No, because the elected politicians nominally running the government of the world’s premier power live in mortal fear of the Israel lobby in the United States. This time, as always, No will carry the day. (You can find a detailed narrative by Jeffrey Blankfort on this site today, from which much of this Diary is drawn.) Consider Biden’s reaction the day after Interior Minister Eli Yishai, probably with Netanyahu’s foreknowledge, announced the scheduled building of 1600 apartments – Jews only – in East Jerusalem, right at the moment Biden was trying to breathe life into the “peace process” So here’s the vice president of the United States of America,standing with all the injured dignity of a man who has just had a bucket of sewage dumped over his head and who amid his discomfiture, actually did use the word “condemn” and “Israel” in the same paragraph. The next day Biden heads for Tel Aviv university and confides to the audience that he is a Zionist and that, “throughout my career, Israel has not only remained close to my heart but it has been the center of my work as a United States Senator and now as Vice President of the United States.” Get that: “the center of my work.” This mission statement is not quoted in the U.S. press. Then Biden repeats the nonsense he spouted when he arrived in Jerusalem: that “there is no space -- this is what they [the world] must know, every time progress is made, it’s made when the rest of the world knows there is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space. That’s the only time when progress has been made.” more.. e-mail Restaurant attacked for barring armed Israeli soldier Electronic Intifada: 26 Mar 2010 - An Arab-owned restaurant in the Israeli city of Haifa has been caught in a whirlwind of legal action and threats of violence after staff refused to serve a soldier in uniform, an incident that is rapidly tarnishing the city's reputation as a model of good Jewish-Arabs relations. Jonathan Cook reports. Lebanese army encircling Baddawi refugee camp Electronic Intifada: 26 Mar 2010 - The relationship between the Lebanese government and the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon is changing. The process of redefining the old relationship began explosively with the battle and subsequent demolition of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, in 2007. Now the Lebanese army is erecting a barrier around the nearby Baddawi refugee camp because of "security concerns." Ahmed Moor and Deen Sharp report for The Electronic Intifada. Visions of Palestine's present and future in "Invictus" and "Avatar" Electronic Intifada: 26 Mar 2010 - The recent Hollywood films Invictus and Avatar inspire reflection on the past, present and future hopes of the Palestinian nation. The response to these movies among audiences around the world underscores the amount of sympathy around the world for moral struggles that ensue after the creation of an unjust reality, a sympathy Palestinians have been slow at garnering. Abdaljawad O.A. Hamayel comments for The Electronic Intifada. Israeli forces cross Lebanon buffer in ’routine operation’ 3/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Lebanese news agencies said a 17-strong force of Israeli soldiers crossed the border fence into the Ghajar village on Thursday, taking up a post on one of its hilltops. Israeli media quoted army personnel describing the event as a routine operation. The force crossed a fence but not the border, reports said. On Saturday, the Lebanese military reported firing on two Israeli fighter aircraft that reportedly entered the country's airspace. A statement issued by the Lebanese army said ground artillery fired at two low-flying Israeli jet fighters. The Israeli army had no comment on that incident. In 2009, there were two incidents of exchanged fire between Israel and Lebanon. On 21 February 2009, Israel shelled southern Lebanon after a rocket landed in Israel. Hizbullah and Palestinian factions all denied involvement in the launch. Israel’s 'No Renting to Arabs' Policy Jonathan Cook, CounterPunch 3/23/2010 Jewish Couple Loses Court Battle to Help Bedouin Friends Nevatim. The Zakai and Tarabin families should be a picture of happy coexistence across the ethnic divide, a model for others to emulate in Israel. But Natalie and Weisman Zakai say the past three years -- since the Jewish couple offered to rent their home to Bedouin friends, Ahmed and Khalas Tarabin -- have been a living hell. “I have always loved Israel,” said Mrs Zakai, 43. “But to see the depth of the racism of our neighbours has made me question why we live in this country.” Three of the couple’s six dogs have been mysteriously poisoned; Mrs Zakai’s car has been sprayed with the words ”Arab lover” and the windows smashed; her three children in school are regularly taunted and bullied by other pupils; and a collection of vintage cars in the family’s yard has been set on fire in what police say was an arson attack. To add to these indignities, the Zakais have spent three years and thousands of dollars battling through the courts against the elected officials of their community of Nevatim, in Israel’s southern Negev desert, who have said they are determined to keep the Tarabins from moving in. Last week the Zakais’ legal struggle looked like it had run out of steam. The supreme court told the two families the Tarabins should submit to a vetting committee of local officials to assess their suitability – a requirement that has never been made before by the Negev community in the case of a family seeking to rent a home. more.. e-mail Rights groups dispute Israel's story in Hebron killing Electronic Intifada: 25 Mar 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - In early February, 41-year-old Fayez Ahmed Faraj, a father of nine from the city of Hebron, 30 miles south of Jerusalem, in the southern West Bank, was shot dead in his home town by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly tried to stab one of them. After a preliminary investigation the Israeli military authorities stated that the soldiers had acted in self-defense and had used the necessary force. Israel's inclusion in economic organization a threat to democracy Electronic Intifada: 25 Mar 2010 - Membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which includes 30 of the world's most developed countries, does not provide money or any special economic benefits. Yet it is easy to see why the Israeli government attributes great importance to Israel becoming one of its members. Shir Hever analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. Thirsty for justice Electronic Intifada: 25 Mar 2010 - Toni Morrison once wrote "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was." I feel it is the same for Palestinian refugees, who have struggled for decades for their right to return home. I thought of this connection between water and refugees during a recent meeting about the Middle East Children's Alliance's Maia Project with Aidan O'Leary, Deputy Director of the UN agency for Palestine refugees Operations in Gaza. Dr. Mona El-Farra writes from the Gaza Strip. Israel's latest provocation at al-Aqsa Electronic Intifada: 25 Mar 2010 - The Israeli government has indicated that it will press ahead with a plan to enlarge the Jewish prayer plaza at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, despite warnings that the move risks triggering a third intifada. Israeli officials rejected this week a Jerusalem court's proposal to shelve the plan after the judge accepted that the plaza's expansion would violate the "status quo" arrangement covering the Old City's holy places. Jonathan Cook reports from Jerusalem. Israel opts to lie low' after Britain expels its spy chief The National 24 Mar 2010 - Israeli officials regard rebuff as face-saving exercise by British government concerned by political considerations as it faces an imminent election. Turk Cabinet to submit charter reforms to MPs this month Daily Star 24 Mar 2010 ISTANBUL: Turkey's government will submit to Parliament before the end of the month draft constitutional reforms that have riled the old secular elite, Deputy Premier Cemil Cicek said on Wednesday.The government has said the reforms are designed to bring the Muslim EU candidate country in line with European standards. Critics accuse the ruling AK Party No, Mr Shalom, facts do matter Bassim Khoury, Ma’an News Agency 3/23/2010 The following is a public response to comments made by Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom broadcast on Israeli TV on Monday, by former Palestinian Minister of Economy Bassim Khoury’s decision to resign from his post in October 2009. Even though I know quite well that for people like you, facts are merely "a matter of opinion" and thus you do not want to be "confused" by them, non-the-less I feel compelled to respond to your latest fabrications aired on Israeli TV on Monday 22 March 2010 because for me, "facts do matter." We Palestinians have been at the receiving end of Israel’s atrocities for decades. Your perceived invincibility led you to believe that repeating lies several times transform them to truths. I do not believe that you even managed to convince yourself. Deep down you must realize that the current status quo of occupation and colonization is not sustainable and that Israel must recognize and respect the "Green Line" as a "Red Line." After finishing the JEC meeting which you and me co-chaired on 2 September 2009, your statements to the press were full of falsehoods and claims of "discussions" that never took place. You elected to transform this technical meeting into a "media circus" in order to boost your political prospects. Unfortunately, as a minister I was barred from responding to your spins. Thus, I am ecstatic that now as a private citizen I face no such limitations. You should have listened to our meeting’s tapes before making claims that are easily proven wrong. I am sure your side still has a copy, but in case you need one, I can check if we can provide you with it. more.. e-mail US intent on dragging Israel to negotiating table Electronic Intifada: 24 Mar 2010 - Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United States this week armed with a mandate from the Israeli parliament. A large majority of legislators from all of Israel's main parties had supported a petition urging him to stand firm on the building of Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem -- the very issue that got him into hot water days earlier with the White House. Jonathan Cook analyzes. Israeli army forced to investigate weekend's killings Electronic Intifada: 24 Mar 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Many Israelis like to believe, and the cliche is repeated regularly in Israel, that their army is the "most moral army in the world." However, following the Gaza war which left 1,400 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, some Israelis have begun to question this. Furthermore, the fatal shooting of four Palestinian teenagers in the course of 24 hours over the weekend has forced the Israeli military to investigate the incident amidst contradictory statements issued by the soldiers involved. PACBI: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra violates boycott Electronic Intifada: 24 Mar 2010 - A recent article criticizing the Palestinian Campaign For the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel's (PACBI) position on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) is based on false premises, misunderstanding and/or misrepresentation of the PACBI boycott criteria, and a misconception of the recent history of civil resistance in Palestine. Since the article insinuates that PACBI's position on WEDO is inconsistent with its own principles, the record needs to be set straight. Prisoner society condemns Ban Ki-moon meet with Shalit family 3/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Wa'ed Society for Detainees denounced on Tuesday UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's meeting with the family of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, describing the move as "shameful. "The society said during the UN chief's visit to the Gaza Strip, "he did not care to listen to the suffering of the relatives of detainees who lined up to meet him and talk to him," a statement said. The statement added that the society was dismayed when Ban Ki-moon met with Shalit's family to discuss human rights, but completely "ignored the plight of Palestinian prisoners. "The society pointed to numerous children who gathered during his visit, holding photos of detained parents. "The Secretary-General described Shalit's capture and detention by Palestinian resistance factions as 'unacceptable' but he remained silent regarding the cases of thousands of Palestinian detainees," the statement read. Elections committee: 85% of West Bankers registered 3/23/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Voter registration for June municipal elections in the West Bank concluded on Tuesday, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), with what officials called a high turnout. CEC technical staff counted a total of 201,438 newly registered voters, bringing the total number of registered West Bankers to what the committee estimates as 85% of eligible voters. No new voters will be added to the rolls until after the end of local elections scheduled for 17 June 2010, the statement said. When the updated registration rolls are completed, the CEC said it would produce a preliminary registry, which will be published for "exhibition and challenge," between 25 and 29 April, the legal timeline for corrections laid out by Palestinian elections law, the CEC said. A statement from the CEC called the total estimated number of registered West Bank voters "relatively high" compared to the global average. Voter registration at 85% in the West Bank Palestine Note 23 Mar 2010 - The Palestinian Central Elections Commission says 85% of West Bankers are registered to vote, Ma'an News Agency reports. Election banners Their findings come ahead of summer municipal elections. CEC staff counted 201,438 newly registered voters. No... Palestinian organizer tortured in Israeli jail 3/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Omar Alaaeddin from the village of alMa'asara was nabbed from the Container Checkpoint on Sunday the 14th. He was released yesterday with no charges pressed against him. Alaaeddin reports having been tortured in the Israeli Russian Compound Jail in Jerusalem. Omar Alaaeddin, who is involved in organizing demonstrations in the village of alMa'asra south of Bethlehem, was arrested a week ago on Sunday at the Container Checkpoint, as he was making his way back home from Ramallah, with a group of students and university professors. The groups was in Ramallah to see a theater play. Alaaeddin was beaten repeatedly, both by the soldiers who detained him, and later, in the Israeli Russian Compound jail in Jerusalem. He reports to have been kicked, punched and even electroshocked with a taser by the soldiers and his jailers. Related: Popular committee says organizer tortured EU boosts ties with Israel, ignores settlements and occupation Electronic Intifada: 23 Mar 2010 - BRUSSELS (IPS) - Diplomats representing the European Union (EU) have drawn up a new plan for strengthening their relations with Israel despite the expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Spain, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, is eager that work proceeds on formally upgrading the Union's political and commercial ties with Israel over the next few months. The US' choreographed "outrage" at Israel Electronic Intifada: 23 Mar 2010 - The speeches at AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby group, on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Netanyahu's subsequent meeting with US President Barack Obama are widely seen as drawing to a close what Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren called the "most severe crisis in US-Israel relations" in decades. However, this "crisis" has been widely misconstrued by both supporters and critics of Israel. Stephen Maher comments for The Electronic Intifada. In Australia, a day of solidarity with Palestine Electronic Intifada: 23 Mar 2010 - In an important show of solidarity, 500 individuals participated in pro-Palestine activities on Friday 19 March in Melbourne, Australia, protesting against both the brutality of Israel's actions in recent weeks and the ongoing support of the Australian government for Israeli apartheid. Omar Hassan writes from Australia. Soundtrack to the struggle: Rafeef Ziadah's "Hadeel" reviewed Electronic Intifada: 23 Mar 2010 - Like stones thrown from the palms of Palestinian youth, Rafeef Ziadah's lyrics are relentless in the way they shower audiences with the multiple layers of resistance and diaspora. Ziadah's debut album, Hadeel , unleashes a tapestry of fierce poetry infused with an eclectic selection of beautiful sounds. Ahmed Habib reviews for The Electronic Intifada. Palestinian MP's Visa Too Late For Visit Palestine Monitor: 23 Mar 2010 - "It is clear I cannot make it," Mustafa Barghouti said from Ramallah on Friday after having learned that Canada would issue him a visa when it was already impossible for him to arrive in time to speak at two of three scheduled public events. The physician, independent MP and former presidential candidate for the Palestinian Authority, who was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was scheduled to speak on Palestinian politics and peace in the Middle East while in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. His appearance at the University of Toronto Saturday had been sold out and Barghouti was scheduled to meet with senior members of the three opposition parties Monday. " The Harper government's obstruction of Dr. Barghouti's visa is part of a broader strategy to muzzle or obstruct any voice critical of the policies of the Israeli government ," said his host organization, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the... Gaza residents test no-go zone for 2nd day 3/21/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hundreds of Gazans, joined by international peace activists and Palestinian farmers, on Sunday marched on Israel's 200-meter buffer zone for the second day. Popular committee coordinator Mahmoud Az-Zeq said hundreds of young Palestinian men placed Palestinian flags along the barbed wire along the no-go zone in the An-Nahda neighborhood east of Rafah. Az-Zeq appealed to Palestinian factions to participate in the rallies in support of farmers who have been prohibited access to their lands as a result of the closure. "The popular campaign against the buffer zone will continue with its weekly peaceful activities in each Gaza district. On Land Day [30 March], six rallies will be held at once," the coordinator said. On Saturday, Palestinians crossed 50 meters into the zone east of As-Salqa in central Gaza, near the Israeli military post at Kisufim. Sha’ath: We will not be dragged into violence 3/21/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath said Sunday there will be no return to talks with Israel until a full settlement halt is upheld, following a meeting with the PLO executive and leaders of Palestinian factions in Ramallah. In reference to the recent killing of four Palestinian teenagers in Nablus, Sha'ath said "we will not be dragged behind Israeli escalation that wants us to enter into armed confrontation. Israel is trying to force such a confrontation to cover up its denial of Palestinian rights. ""Israel is acting with obsession and insanity in its confrontation against the popular struggle in the territories. We, in the West Bank and Gaza, realize well how dangerous a return to armed conflict could be, so we are alert," he told Ma'an. The meeting, headed by PLO secretary-general Yasser Abed Rabbo, discussed the US stance toward talks with Israel as well as the International Quartet's position. Poll: 46% of high-schoolers don’t want equality for Arabs 3/11/2010 - YNetNews - March 11 - Some 81% of religious students said they would refuse to evacuate settlements, versus 36% of secular counterparts. Every second student is opposed to granting right to vote to Arabs, and 32% don't want Arab friends - Racism and refusal to evacuate alongside support for a democratic system of government – these are the jumbled sentiment of Israel's high school students, according to a recent poll. They support a democratic form of government, but more than half of them believe that Arabs should not be allowed to vote in Knesset elections. One out of every six students would not want to study in the same class with an Ethiopian or an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, and 21% of them think that "Death to Arabs" is a legitimate expression. Nearly every second student would refuse orders to evacuate settlements. Related: Report: Current Knesset most racist of all time Abbas’s militias kidnap three Palestinian cadres of Hamas and Hizb Attahrir PIC 21 Mar 2010 - Mahmoud Abbas’s militias on Sunday kidnapped three Palestinian citizens in the districts of Salfit and Nablus, two of them were affiliated with Hizb Attahrir faction and one with Hamas Movement. Berkeley student senate passes divestment bill 3/20/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - For the first time in the University of California history, the UC Berkeley student senate has approved a bill to divest from two US companies in response to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and its siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Senate bill directs both the UC Regents and the Student Government to divest from General Electric and United Technologies. General Electric manufactures Apache helicopter engines; United Technologies manufactures Sikorsky helicopters and F16 aircraft engines. In addition, the bill creates a task force to look into furthering a socially responsible investment policy for the UC system. Student Senator Rahul Patel supported the bill, declaring that "in the 1980s the Student Government was a central actor in demanding that the university divest from South African apartheid. " Award Winning Journalist Mohammed Omer Barred From Entry To Us 3/19/2010 - Desert Peace - Award-winning Journalist Mohammed Omer Kept from Entering U. S. for Speaking Tour on Conditions in Palestine - Demanding Omer Be Heard, Chicagoans Protest—and Proceed with Event: 7:00 pm, Monday, April 5th at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, MOHAMMED OMER (via live satellite or skype) and ALI ABUNIMAH, author, One Country, and founder, Electronic Intifada. net - CHICAGO, IL— Effectively canceling a planned speaking tour, the U. S. consulate in the Netherlands has put an extended hold on the visa application of award-winning Palestinian journalist and photographer Mohammed Omer, scheduled to speak on conditions in Palestine, on April 5th in Chicago. In 2008, Omer became the youngest recipient of the prestigious Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, for his firsthand reportage of life in the besieged Gaza strip. As his prize citation explained, “Everyday, he reports from a war zone, where he is also a prisoner. Berkeley Slammed for ’Bigoted, Illegal’ Vote on Divestment 3/19/2010 - Arutz Sheva - (IsraelNN. com) Student politicians from the University of California at Berkeley voted Thursday to divest from Israel. The Student Senate voted 16-4 to call on the university to divest its funds from General Electric and from United Technologies, because both companies produce weapons purchased by the Israeli army. The bill calling for divestment was co-sponsored by students Emiliano Huet-Vaughn and Tom Pessah, the latter an anti-Zionist Israeli citizen. The bill noted the “complexity” of the Israel-Arab conflict, but went on to accuse Israel of violating international law with a “prolonged siege” on Gaza and “attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians,” accusations based on statements from radical left NGO's critical of Israel such as Physicians for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch. The vote was met with glee from anti-Israel activists. Poll: Labor will lose big in next Israeli election Palestine Note 20 Mar 2010 - Yedioth Ahronoth reports on a new political poll this morning and concludes that the Likud party in Israel is losing support. But the poll numbers don't quite support that conclusion. The survey asked voters who they... Activism is change Ramzy Baroud, Ma’an News Agency 3/20/2010 An activist is a person who feels strongly about a cause and who is also willing to dedicate time and energy towards advancing and realizing this cause. This might, however, be my own limited interpretation of what activism means. I was born and raised in a Gaza refugee camp where the daily struggles of the community included challenging the military occupation while attempting to survive under the harshest of circumstances. Activism then involved civil disobedience, general strikes, confronting armed Israeli soldiers with stones and slingshots. But it also involved much more than that. Activists in my refugee camp, whether they’re identified as Islamist, secularist, socialist or any other name, ensured the community remained unified in the face of adversity. They did not always succeed, but efforts were abound. Activists provided sustainable community support to families with sons and daughters that were killed in clashes or incarcerated in Israeli prisons. They rebuilt people’s homes after they were demolished by Israeli dynamites or bulldozers. Some activists even offered free haircuts to those who couldn’t afford them. Activism, as I understood it, was largely a unifying, pro-active force that kept the struggle and resistance alive. It was the ingredient that allowed the Palestinian people to maintain their relevance to the conflict, despite the brutality of their enemy and the self-serving nature of their elites. The elitism in Palestinian society led to a breakdown in unity, culminating in the bloody consequences of the Fatah-Hamas clash. Still, despite all the attempts to undermine it, Gaza remains standing. This cannot be attributed to any factional decision or political diktat, but only to the spirit of its people, a spirit predicated on internal cohesion and a clearly defined purpose. more.. e-mail Unmanned drone goes down north of Gaza, media reports 3/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli media reported the crash of a military drone shortly after it flew north over Gaza on Friday. The report said the drone was being used for surveillance, and said it was not taken down by Palestinian groups in Gaza, but rather as the result of an electronic malfunction on account of bad weather. [end] Abbas injured after fall in Jordan 3/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas was lightly injured after falling in his hotel room in Amman, Jordan on Friday, an official said. Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Abbas suffered bruises and would require physical therapy and a few days of rest. "We are following up with treatment, but his health is good and there is no cause for concern," said Dr Abdullah Al-Bashir, Abbas' physician. Nasser Al-Lozy, the head of the Jordanian cabinet, visited Abbas shortly after the accident. Abbas, 75, has served as head of the PLO since 2004. He was elected Palestinian president in 2005. [end] Iraq: Elections but no stability Palestine Note 19 Mar 2010 - With close to 90% of the votes tallied in Iraq's parliamentary elections, the coalition headed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has taken a slim lead over the bloc led by his main challenger, Iyad Allawi.... Protest the US' silencing of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer Electronic Intifada: 19 Mar 2010 - Effectively canceling a planned speaking tour, the US consulate in the Netherlands has put an extended hold on the visa application of award-winning Palestinian journalist and photographer Mohammed Omer, scheduled to speak on conditions in Palestine, on 5 April in Chicago. Time to bury dead ideas about Palestine Electronic Intifada: 19 Mar 2010 - There is a growing recognition that the Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is, in practical terms, irreversible. The two-state solution, which for decades has been characterized as the preferred solution of an amorphous "international consensus" has generally been understood to involve a return to the pre-1967 occupation boundaries (referred to as the green line) with minor territorial adjustments by the parties. By now, even optimists refer to this solution as "unlikely" and "virtually impossible," while realists recognize that the concept has outlived its usefulness as a political aspiration. Martha Reese comments for The Electronic Intifada. Book review: Higher education under occupation Electronic Intifada: 19 Mar 2010 - Gabi Baramki's Peaceful Resistance: Building a Palestinian University under Occupation (Pluto Press, 2009) is a memoir of Palestine's flagship university, Birzeit, by its former acting president. The memoir is an indispensable tool for teaching Westerners about the ways in which Palestinian education exists and flourishes under a constant state of siege and the barriers to academic freedom that Palestinians experience on a daily basis. Marcy Newman reviews for The Electronic Intifada. UC Berkeley student senate votes in favor of divestment Electronic Intifada: 19 Mar 2010 - Early yesterday morning, the University of California Berkeley Student Senate (ASUC) passed a bill to divest from companies that provide military support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Debate began the night before at 9:00pm and ended and six hours later when the vote was held at 3:00am. President Obama's Personal Crisis Palestine Chronicle: 19 Mar 2010 - By James Gundun - Washington D.C. The display shouldn’t be so shocking. President Barack Obama was a professor before a politician, and that scholarly charm and cool helped get him elected. As if explaining a basic science problem - what goes up must come down, and vice versa - Obama calmly dismissed the suggestion that US-Israeli relations have reached a crisis. "We and the Israeli people have a special bond that's not going to go away, but friends are going to disagree sometimes. There is a disagreement in terms of how we can move this peace process forward." Say what they wish, but Israel and America are in a crisis. A crisis isn’t world ending, it’s a time of trial when an important decision must be made. The present qualifies, but let’s issue Obama a temporary pass since he has larger problems at hand. Suppose US-Israeli relations aren’t in a...more Hamas detains men accused of Fatah propagandizing 3/18/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Security forces acting on behalf of the de facto Ministry of the Interior on Thursday detained a group of men "in charge of a Fatah propaganda campaign," officials said. Gaza Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al-Ghusein said a number of men were seized, many of whom were "working in the former security forces," referring to the pre-2007 Palestinian Authority. The "propaganda campaign" was allegedly aimed at "defaming the government and spreading rumors in Gaza," principally using a Fatah-affiliated Web site, Al-Ghusein added, in a statement. Gaza security forces were "monitoring the small group responsible for sreading lies and rumors," Al-Ghusein said, and accused the PA of directing the group's movements. "If such acts continue, legal measures will be taken against anyone involved," he said. Reports of factional violence - Recent reports from the Palestinian Center. . . UC Berkeley student senate passes divestment resolution 3/18/2010 - Kabobfest - For the first time in the University of California history, the UC Berkeley Student Senate has approved a bill to divest from two US companies in response to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and to Israel’s siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Senate bill directs both the UC Regents and the Student Government to divest from General Electric and United Technologies. General Electric manufactures Apache helicopter engines; United Technologies manufactures Sikorsky helicopters and F-16 aircraft engines. In addition, the bill creates a task force to look into furthering a socially responsible investment policy for the UC system. Student Senator Rahul Patel supported the bill, declaring that “in the 1980s the Student Government was a central actor in demanding that the university divest from South African apartheid. Related: Text of the UC Berkeley Divestment Bill (PDF) Spy Takes US/Israeli Secrets to Grave Robert Parry, Consortiumnews.com 3/15/2010 Extensive evidence now exists that Begin’s preference for Reagan led the Israelis to join in a covert operation with Republicans to contact Iranian leaders behind Carter’s back, interfering with the President’s efforts to free the 52 American hostages before the November 1980 elections. Last week’s death of Israeli spymaster David Kimche – and the omissions in his obituaries about his most sensitive operations, especially those regarding the United States – are a reminder of how much crucial history is being lost as key figures from this era take their secrets to the grave. The failure to debrief as many of these people as possible can be blamed significantly on U.S. mainstream journalists who in years past took the lead in collecting, vetting and presenting serious evidence of historical wrongdoing, such as the Pentagon Papers secrets about the Vietnam War and complex political scandals like Watergate. But in recent years, newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post have ignored many national security crimes or even have gone on the offensive against journalists who tried to examine them, such as the ugly assault on investigative reporter Gary Webb over his work on the now-CIA-admitted cocaine trafficking by Ronald Reagan’s Nicaraguan contra rebels. The problem has been compounded by the timidity of Democratic leaders to conduct thorough investigations of Republican wrongdoing, such as in 1993 when Bill Clinton became President and in 2009 under Barack Obama. In both cases, new Democratic administrations thought that looking forward, not backward, would achieve some measure of bipartisanship. Not likely. more.. e-mail Palestinian anger fills the streets Electronic Intifada: 18 Mar 2010 - QALANDIA, occupied West Bank (IPS) - On Tuesday tens of hundreds of Palestinians of all political persuasions took to the streets, alleys and sidewalks as widespread rioting and protests spread across occupied East Jerusalem, the rest of the West Bank, Gaza and into Israel proper. Storm over Israeli settlements as unreal as the peace process Electronic Intifada: 18 Mar 2010 - Since Israel announced yet another new settlement in occupied East Jerusalem during the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden last week, Israel has been subjected to a storm of criticism from friend and foe alike. Biden was in Jerusalem to show US support for Israel and to launch "proximity talks" between Israel and the Palestinian Authority of Ramallah. Instead the Israeli announcement caused him and the US administration deep embarrassment, prompting several officials to term it an "insult" and an "affront" and to stir talk of the worst crisis in US-Israeli relations in decades. Hasan Abu Nimah comments. DFLP's Saleh Zeidan: Obama's speech should become action Electronic Intifada: 18 Mar 2010 - Saleh Zeidan, Gaza-based leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), spoke to The Electronic Intifada correspondent Rami Almeghari about chances for peace in the region following the latest failures and setbacks in United States peace initiatives. This is part of an occasional series of interviews with various political figures and factions in Palestine. Abed-Rabbo: “Leadership To Call For Comprehensive Meeting on Jerusalem” IMEMC - Wednesday March 17, 2010 - 09:48, Yasser Abed-Rabbo, secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) said that the Palestinian leadership intends to call for a comprehensive meeting for all factions in order to take a national stance to counter the Israeli aggression and violations in Jerusalem. Female detainees moved to cell ’where human beings cannot live’ 3/17/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Fifteen female detainees at the Damon detention center in Israel were transferred to a new section that falls well below required standards, the Detainees Support Committee said. Committee spokesman Riyad Al-Ashqar said the new sector "is a place where human beings cannot live, particularly during the winter. There are no windows, no doors, and electricity wires remain uncovered, which could potentially cause a fatal accident when it rains. "Al-Ashqar added that the cells lack hot water and heaters, with no bathrooms. "The toilets are public and outside the cells. The women have limited and restricted times when they are allowed to use the facilities," he said, describing the kitchen as "poor. "The spokesman further said detainee Wafa' Samir Al-Lubs from the Gaza Strip was permitted to speak to her family over the phone for the first time since her detention, where she congratulated her sister on her recent wedding. Israeli authorities release 3 Hamas affiliates 3/17/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli authorities have released three Hamas-affiliated detainees, including the leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank, the National Detainees' Support Committee reported Wednesday. Committee spokesman Riyad Al-Ashqar said Khaled Ibrahim Tafesh, a Hamas legislator in Bethlehem, was released after serving one year in an Israeli prison. Tafesh was detained on 19 March 2009 "as a result of the failure of prisoners to deal with the pressure of Palestinian factions to deal with the conditions of the occupation," the spokesman said. The Palestinian Legislative Council member was transferred to administrative detention, which was renewed three consecutive times, Al-Asqar added. Fifteen Hamas-affiliated PLC members remain in Israeli custody, including Issa Ja'bari from Hebron and the former minister of prisoners affairs, Wasfi Qabaha from Jenin, whose administrative. . . Abed Rabbo: National conference on Jerusalem 3/17/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A conference will be held to reconcile factions on a united plan to support Jerusalem and counter Israel's position toward the Palestinian people and holy places, PLO secretary-general Yasser Abed Rabbo said Tuesday. Abed Rabbo hinted that the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah may officially take its case to the UN Security Council seeking support for its efforts against what he termed provocative Israeli actions in Jerusalem. " Several options are being considered to recruit more support toward ending Israeli aggression," Abed Rabbo said. The PLO official accused Israel of foiling international, Arab, and Palestinian efforts to start a real peace process based on halting settlement construction, endorsement of the obvious bases for negotiations, ending the occupation, and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Palestinian female detainees moved to cell 'where human beings cannot live' Uruknet March 17, 2010 – Fifteen female detainees at the Damon detention center in Israel were transferred to a new section that falls well below required standards, the Detainees Support Committee said. Committee spokesman Riyad Al-Ashqar said the new sector "is a place where human beings cannot live, particularly during the winter. There are no windows, no doors, and electricity wires... Erdogan dangles threat to expel Armenians after 'genocide' votes Daily Star 17 Mar 2010 ANKARA: Turkey's premier has threatened to expel thousands of illegal Armenian immigrants after US and Swedish lawmakers passed votes branding World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Turkey, a NATO member and candidate to join the European Union, recalled its ambassadors to Washington and Stockholm after the Khudari urges Ashton to find a solution to Gaza electricity problem PIC 17 Mar 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari on Wednesday urged Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign affairs chief, to solve the Gaza electricity problem by returning to the old system of direct payment of fuel cost. Why violence against Palestinian women is widespread Electronic Intifada: 17 Mar 2010 - GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - Nahla (not her real name), aged 30, from Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, said she was physically and mentally abused for more than ten years by her husband before being granted a divorce three months ago. Fear and cultural factors prevented her from seeking help from women's organizations. Israeli raids targeting children Electronic Intifada: 17 Mar 2010 - Silwan, Occupied East Jerusalem (IPS) - Three thousand heavily armed Israeli security service forces locked down large parts of the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday, as battalions of police fired rounds of tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian protesters in the occupied eastern part of the city. Nearly 40 Palestinians were wounded and treated at nearby hospitals, as 25 were arrested during intense clashes. Barenboim-Said Foundation does not promote normalization Electronic Intifada: 17 Mar 2010 - On 28 January 2010 the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) issued a statement to the Qatari government calling for a boycott of Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) and condemning the Qatari Ministry of Culture for hosting the orchestra in Doha. The statement goes so far as to accuse Daniel Barenboim of being an ardent Zionist. Mariam Said comments for The Electronic Intifada. Mass protests held across Gaza in solidarity with Jerusalem 3/16/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Demonstrators gathered across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, condemning Israeli policy across East Jerusalem and events in the Old City. In Gaza City, protestors amassed at the Palestinian Legilsative Council square, in defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. In the Al-Wustaarea, school students gathered from across the Gaza governorates, waving Palestinian flags and banners denouncing Israel's actions in Jerusalem. The de facto Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Taleb Abu Sha'ar, called on Palestinians and Arabs across the Middle East to hold further protests in the name of Jerusalem and the city's holy sites. Sha'ar called on Palestinian resistance factions to target their attacks at "the heart of Israel" in response to what he termed "disrespect" for Muslim and Christian holy sites, and condemned the rededication of the Hurva synagogue on Monday, 330 meters from the Al-Aqsa compound. Palestinians urged to complete voter registration 3/16/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian Central Elections Commission, representing the West Bank and Jerusalem, urged citizens who are eligible to vote to head to polling centers to register. Tuesday, 17 March is the last day to register to vote, the commission said in a statement. The 773 registration centers began operating on 6 March, in addition to movable field teams. The commission explained that a wide-scale educative campaign was being conducted through various media outlets to educate citizens about registration for the coming local elections, scheduled to take place on 17 July. Central Election Commission staff have exerted significant efforts to update registers and to add each citizen eligible to vote. The commission was expected to publish an initial list of voters by the beginning of May. . . . . Documentary: "Nahr al-Bared: Checkpoints and more" Electronic Intifada: 16 Mar 2010 - Nahr al-Bared refugee camp has still not recovered from the devastating war in 2007 during which it was destroyed. The Lebanese army has been keeping a tight grip on the camp and the 20,000 displaced Palestinians who have returned so far. This 30-minute film documents various consequences of the siege on Nahr al-Bared. Merchants and artisans explain their specific problems and a UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) project manager, a project coordinator of the Palestinian-Arab Women League, the president of Nahr al-Bared's Merchants' Committee and a researcher provide their views and thoughts on the issue. Israel's actions on the ground proving difficult to spin Electronic Intifada: 16 Mar 2010 - JERSUSALEM (IPS) - Israeli riot police and soldiers have, since Friday, sealed off the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine, restricting entry to women and Palestinian men over 50. Outside the walled Old City, where the al-Aqsa mosque is situated, and in several West Bank villages, clashes were reported. Fatah calls on political factions to stand by Abbas 3/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Fatah movement, which dominates the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, called on all Palestinian political factions to stand by President Mahmoud Abbas' political stance vis-a-vis peace talks and elections. Fatah spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi said all parties should enter the "political battle" with an unwavering and strong position, a statement read, citing settlement construction in East Jerusalem as one of the "hardest battles" in Palestinian history. "Palestinian political and national parties and forces should stand by the Palestinian president and the Palestinian position regarding the settlements and Jerusalem. " Al-Qawasmi called on the Palestinian people to put pressure on Hamas to urge the movement to stand by the PA and their position "for the sake of national interests," calling on the party to sign the Egyptian document. European Union found guilty at first session of Russell Tribunal Electronic Intifada: 15 Mar 2010 - The first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) was heard in Barcelona, Spain earlier this month. The RTP is a peoples' legal initiative designed to systematically try key actors responsible for the perpetuation of human rights violations in Palestine. In the frame this time was the European Union (EU). Two days and 21 expert witness testimonies later, the RTP found individual states and the EU as a whole guilty of persistent violations and misconduct with regards to international and internal EU law. Ewa Jasiewicz and Frank Barat comment for The Electronic Intifada. Boycott or censorship? Electronic Intifada: 15 Mar 2010 - Critics of the movement for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel -- including Israeli concert producer Shuki Weiss -- have claimed that calling on artists to cancel performances in Israel is a form of censorship. Is the cultural boycott a form of censorship or McCarthyism? Sami Hermez comments for The Electronic Intifada. ‘Abbas: Iran Hampering Palestinian Unity The Media Line 13 Mar 2010 - Palestinian Authority leader says Iran is impeding efforts to reach a deal between Fatah and Hamas. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud 'Abbas has blamed Iran for impeding reconciliation between his Fatah faction and its archrival Hamas. "Iran... Hamas: 4 years since electoral victory Ahmad Yousef, Ma’an News Agency 3/13/2010 The following is a speech delivered by Ahmad Yousef on Saturday in Gaza. It is with great pleasure that I deliver this speech before you in this year and month in particular. January 2010 marks the 4th anniversary of Hamas in the government following its democratic victory in the 2006 Parliamentary election and the formation of its government in March of the same year. This year is also special because it also marks the fourth year of Hamas’ successful transition to a political party, despite the trials and tribulations faced and imposed by certain members of the international community that attempted to see Hamas toppled and to thwart Palestinian democracy. .....Despite the pressures imposed externally, Hamas, for the sake of Palestinian national interest, opened the door to forming the National Unity Government based on the Mecca Agreement. The purpose of the Mecca Agreement was to halt external interference and give the Palestinians the chance to build their own democratic political system based on participation, transparency and freedoms enshrined in the UN Declaration on Human Rights. In the National Unity Government, a common Political Program was presented that was accepted by both Hamas and Fatah. In that program, President Abbas was given the mandate to negotiate with Israel; the conclusion of those negotiations were to be discussed and approved by the Palestinian people; and, final, the right of the people to resist the occupation, enshrined in international law, so long as Israel continues to occupy our lands in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, was upheld. Unfortunately, the national unity government didn’t last more than three months and, during that time, the amount of targeting of Hamas members increased. The chaos on the ground led to what is referred to as the Military Take Over of June 2007. Many mistakes by Palestinian political parties were committed during that time; mistakes that should not and will not prevent Palestinian reunification and reconciliation. more.. e-mail PA's betrayal of human rights defenders the unkindest cut Electronic Intifada: 14 Mar 2010 - They hail from opposite parts of the globe, but they have much in common: Jewish; experts on and passionate defenders of international law; and pummeling bags for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. And the future of the law of war lies at the heart of the campaigns against them. Nadia Hijab comments how the undermining of Richard Goldstone and Richard Falk. On Hamas's Achievements, Trials and Tribulations Palestine Chronicle: 14 Mar 2010 - By Dr. Ahmed Yousef – Gaza January 2010 marks the 4th anniversary of Hamas in the government following its democratic victory in the 2006 Parliamentary election and the formation of its government in March of the same year. This year is also special because it also marks the fourth year of Hamas’ successful transition to a political party, despite the trials and tribulations faced and imposed by certain members of the international community that attempted to see Hamas toppled and to thwart Palestinian democracy. Hamas was ambitious in achieving its Platform of Change and Reform; a platform that called for an end to government corruption and transparency and participation of all political parties in governance. As may be recalled, many of the candidates that ran and won on the Change and Reform platform, at both the local and national level, were Palestinians of all walks of life that held diverse...more Israeli soldiers order Tulkarem farmers to strip 3/13/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers demanded 20 farmers strip naked for a security check as they returned from their fields west of the separation wall on Friday afternoon, the men reported. Isolated from their West Bank lands by the separation barrier, the farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun must obtain permits to pass agricultural gate 609, west of Attil village in the northern sector of the Tulkarem governorate. It was at the gate that they were ordered to strip, and scuffles broke out when the men refused. "We were about twenty farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun. When we arrived at the electronic gate known as gate 609. . . there were six Israeli soldiers who insisted that we undress completely including underwear, at gunpoint," Abdul-Latif Zeidan, one of the farmers said. When the men refused the orders a fight broke out, Zeidan said, at which point he phoned the Palestinian liaison department in. . . Degrading citizenship Palestine Note 13 Mar 2010 - There is one largely unreported aspect of the recently completed Iraqi elections that I find deeply troubling, and that is the fact that polling places were set up across the U.S. providing Iraqi-Americans the opportunity to... Israel's Arabs have been misbehaving lately Ha'aretz 13 Mar 2010 - Our Arabs have been misbehaving lately. After all we did for Scandar Copti - funding and grooming him and sending him off to Hollywood - he dared say that his film "Ajami" - our film, the film of us all - doesn't represent us in the end. After we allowed MK Ahmed Tibi to study medicine at Hebrew University (!) and even let him be elected to the Knesset, he dared compare our saintly Zionist militants - the Olei Hagardom who were hanged by the British during the Mandate period - to their terrorists. That's not nice, Scandar. That's not right, Ahmed. ... relations In Gaza: 12 Mar 2010 - “My grandmother was Jewish,” a voice drifts out from behind the meagre selection of second-hand clothes. The souk al fres , a massive market in Gaza’s old district, Sahaa , carrying just about all one needs used to thrive with second-hand clothes and goods brought through open borders via Israel. It was a thrift-shop-junkies dream. Today, after 1000 days of siege (complete siege, from June 2007, but in reality the siege goes back to Hamas’ election, back to post-Oslo ‘peace years’ when the closures began, denying Palestinians in Gaza of freedom, of work, of medical treatment outside, of imports and exports, and now of all but less than 40 items ) ( painstakingly aquired ), the used-clothes market is bare-bones. Wa’el is sitting in a room devoid of nearly all but some scarves and many empty hangers. “My grandfather was from Jaffa . He fell in love with a Jewish woman. This was in the... Israeli Soldiers Order Tulkarem Farmers to Strip Palestine Monitor: 13 Mar 2010 - Tulkarem – Ma'an – Israeli soldiers demanded 20 farmers strip naked for a security check as they returned from their fields west of the separation wall on Friday afternoon, the men reported. Isolated from their West Bank lands by the separation barrier, the farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun must obtain permits to pass agricultural gate 609, west of Attil village in the northern sector of the Tulkarem governorate. It was at the gate that they were ordered to strip, and scuffles broke out when the men refused. "We were about twenty farmers from Deir Al-Ghusun. When we arrived at the electronic gate known as gate 609 ... there were six Israeli soldiers who insisted that we undress completely including underwear, at gunpoint," Abdul-Latif Zeidan, one of the farmers said. When the men refused the orders a fight broke out, Zeidan said, at which point he phoned the Palestinian liaison department in Israel's... Bethlehem remembers slain fighters 3/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians in Bethlehem marked the two-year anniversary of the Israeli assassination of four local men on Friday, an event that shocked the city. Israeli operatives driving a car with Palestinian license plates gunned down Mohammad Shahada, Issa Marzouq, Imad Al-Kamel, and Ahmad Al-Balboul while they were waiting in a car outside of a bakery in Bethlehem's city center early on the evening of 12 March 2008. All four were members of Palestinain political factions or militant wings banned by Israel: Shahada, Marzouq and Al-Kamel were members of Islamic Jihad. Al-Balboul was affiliated with Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades. In a memorial on Friday, Palestinians in cars waving flags and playing patriotic music paraded down Bethlehem's main street. The spectacular killing of four prominent men caused deep sorrow and rage in Bethlehem. Islamic Jihad: Peace process should be pronounced dead 3/13/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas and Palestinian opposition factions organized rallies in Gaza to support the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites believed to be under Israeli threat, a representative said on Friday. Demonstrators gathered at mosques throughout Gaza City, walking toward the Field of Palestine Part, then on to the ruins of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Speaking in front of the PLC building, Islamic Jihad leader Muhammad Al-Hindi called on the Arab world "not to give a cover to those who want to give up Palestine," and withdraw their support for US-sponsored "proximity talks. "The Palestinian officials who participated in negotiations in past years must be exposed, Al-Hindi said demandeding a declaration of the failure of the peace process. Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya addressed the crowd after Al-Hindi, saying "It's time for the Arab and Islamic nations to rise up to protect Al-Aqsa and the holy sites. " Poll: 46% of Israeli high-schoolers don't want equality for Arabs Uruknet March 11, 2010 - Racism and refusal to evacuate alongside support for a democratic system of government – these are the jumbled sentiment of Israel's high school students, according to a recent poll. They support a democratic form of government, but more than half of them believe that Arabs should not be allowed to vote in Knesset elections. One out... Poll: Half of Israeli high schoolers oppose equal rights for Arabs Uruknet March 11, 2010 - Nearly half of Israel's high school students do not believe that Israeli-Arabs are entitled to the same rights as Jews in Israel, according to the results of a new survey released yesterday. The same poll revealed that more than half the students would deny Arabs the right to be elected to the Knesset. The survey, which... Brutalizing Palestinian children Stephen Lendman, Palestine Note 3/11/2010 As an isolated incident, it would be appalling and criminal. As a regular occurrence, it’s state-sponsored terrorism against defenseless children, subjected to barbarism by Israeli soldiers committing crimes against humanity to crush their will for wanting to live free on their own land - what Westerners take for granted; what Palestinians since 1948 haven’t had, and since 1967, under military occupation denying their very humanity. Nora Barrows-Friedman does heroic reporting for Pacifica Radio’s KPFA Flashpoints Radio and as an activist/teacher/journalist in Occupied Palestine during regular visits. On March 8 on the Electronic Intifada, she wrote about Amir al-Mohteseb, a 10-year old Hebron child, arrested, detained, and savagely beaten after his 12-year old brother Hasan endured similar treatment a week earlier. On March 7 at 2AM, "Israeli soldiers (broke) into (his) house, snatch(ed) Amir from his bed, threatened his parents with death by gunfire if they" interfered, took him down the stairwell, and brutally beat him causing internal abdomen bleeding, requiring overnight hospitalization. "In complete shock and distress, Amir would not open his mouth to speak for another day and a half." Before the incident, he told Barrows-Friedman he was playing in the street on his way with Hasan to see their aunt when: "Two....soldiers stopped us and handcuffed us, (took) us to two separate jeeps, (took) me to the settlement and put me in a corner, (put) a dog next to me," refused to let him use the bathroom, threatened to hold him forever, wouldn’t let him call his mother, blindfolded him, and held him until his father managed to get him late at night. more.. e-mail Interview: Education and resistance at the Ann Arbor Palestine film fest Electronic Intifada: 12 Mar 2010 - The second annual Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festival opened on Wednesday, 10 March with the feature film Pomegranates and Myrrh . Such festivals are a growing phenomenon with new ones popping up throughout the United States. The Electronic Intifada contributor Jimmy Johnson spoke with festival organizers Hena Ashraf, Ryah Aqel, Lauren Thams and Pomegranates and Myrhh director Najwa Najjar. Flouting its own laws, EU accommodates "Made in Israel" Electronic Intifada: 12 Mar 2010 - In 2008 Britain expressed concern about how goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank may be benefiting illegally from European Union trade preferences that theoretically only apply to businesses within Israel's internationally-recognized borders. However, EU officials have not only failed to defend international law, they have accommodated Israel's abuse of it. David Cronin analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. Homes and livelihoods gone in an instant In Gaza: 11 Mar 2010 - Israeli bulldozers destroyed three homes and 17 dunams of agricultural land in eastern Khan Younis on 18 February. Electronic Intifada Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the “green line” boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house. Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Around 8am that morning, approximately five Israeli military bulldozers and upwards of 10 Israeli tanks, accompanied by more than 50 foot soldiers, invaded the farming region, according to locals. “We were in our home when we heard the Israeli tanks and bulldozers approaching. We ran off immediately,” says Sbaih. She walks over felled trees, past the bulldozed cistern, and to the ruins... Israel restricts Gaza imports to 23% of pre-siege levels 3/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli authorities will partially open the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow aid into the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Approximately 116 to 126 truckloads of aid for both the commercial and agricultural sectors including two trucks for the electricity company will be allowed via the Kerem Shalom crossing, Fattouh reported. The trucks will likely be the last of the week, with crossings closed Fridays and Saturdays, bringing the total number of truckloads for the week to 653-693 including 236 truckloads of animal feed and wheat. The average number of trucks per week in February was 741, while the average number of trucks entering Gaza before the Israeli siege, was 2,807 per week, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial diesel will enter Gaza through the single open crossing. Haniyeh: Freeze negotiations with Israel 3/12/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged Arab states and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to cut off all direct and indirect negotiations with Israel on Thursday. The Hamas leader was making reference to President Mahmoud Abbas' decision, with Arab backing, to enter US-brokered indirect peace negotiations with Israel. Negotiations came to a halt when Israel launched an attack on Gaza in 2008 that left some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. Haniyeh, speaking at a conference organized by a government-affiliated workers' council, said Palestinians "totally reject" the negotiations. " We are facing three kinds of warfare: economic, political, and military," he told the workers in besieged Gaza. He said his government has overcome several challenges since he was elected in 2006. He also welcomed the European Parliament's decision on Wednesday to endorse. . . Second annual Ann Arbor Palestine film fest opens with "Pomegranates and Myrrh" Electronic Intifada: 11 Mar 2010 - The second annual Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festival opened on 10 March 2010 at the Michigan Theater with hundreds of attendees for Najwa Najjar's Pomegranates and Myrrh . The film festival showcases films about Palestine and by Palestinian directors. Educating through the screen arts, the film festival amplifies the voice of the Palestinian people as a nation and diaspora by bringing films to the fore that would not otherwise be seen. PLO paper reveals leadership bereft of strategy, legitimacy Electronic Intifada: 11 Mar 2010 - As US-brokered "indirect" peace talks are set to resume, a paper authored by PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat reveals a Palestinian leadership ready to re-enter negotiations with Israel having already conceded fundamental Palestinian rights and demands. EI's Ali Abunimah analyzes a document he says provides insight into the thought processes of a leadership bereft of strategy and legitimacy. Homes and livelihoods gone in an instant Electronic Intifada: 11 Mar 2010 - Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the "green line" boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house. Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Eva Bartlett reports for The Electronic Intifada. Homes and livelihoods gone in an instant In Gaza: 11 Mar 2010 - Israeli bulldozers destroyed three homes and 17 dunams of agricultural land in eastern Khan Younis on 18 February. Electronic Intifada Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the “green line” boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house. Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Around 8am that morning, approximately five Israeli military bulldozers and upwards of 10 Israeli tanks, accompanied by more than 50 foot soldiers, invaded the farming region, according to locals. “We were in our home when we heard the Israeli tanks and bulldozers approaching. We ran off immediately,” says Sbaih. She walks over felled trees, past the bulldozed cistern, and to the ruins... Iraq after the elections Palestine Note 10 Mar 2010 - The country, marred by years of violence, shows renewed sense of hope By most accounts Iraq's parliamentary elections, which took place on Sunday, were a resounding success. With over 60 percent turnout, voters sent a positive... Possibilities of war: Iran Azmi Bishara, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/4/2010 Despite how alarming the prospect of a nuclear Iran might be to Washington, enhancing sanctions or authorising pre-emptive strikes could lead to an all-out war the US might lose. The Obama administration’s reappointment of the Bush administration’s secretary of defence, Robert Gates, reflects the growing involvement of the US military establishment in decision-making processes on matters of war and peace, and hence in US foreign policy in general. The primary catalyst in this development has been the dismal results of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan leading to attempts to reform the military establishment’s modus operandi, which isn’t directly affected by elections, a couple of years before the end of Bush’s tenure. The new programming was scripted to a considerable extent in the Baker- Hamilton Report, submitted to Bush in December 2006. The most important recommendations of this report were, first, its call for a dialogue with countries neighbouring Iraq, including Syria and Iran, in order to persuade them to help promote stability in order to extricate the US from the Iraqi quagmire it created after having invaded that country and demolished its existing governing infrastructures, and second its call to renew efforts towards a political solution to the Palestinian cause, which is to say to revive the so-called "peace process". Against this backdrop, the appointment of Gates as secretary of defence, instead of Rumsfeld, was a manifestation of the military establishment’s rejection of the latter and of the neoconservatives’ adventurism. Gates is now the military establishment’s man in the White House and his influence has increased under Obama. He epitomises that conjunction between the refusal to allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons and the desire to avert an all-out war with Iran. This is the current position of the establishment in the West, regardless of the Tony Blair-like histrionics that only a handful of Arab officials buy. more.. e-mail Rachel Corrie's family takes Israel to court Electronic Intifada: 10 Mar 2010 - Seven years after Rachel Corrie, a US peace activist, was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza, her family was to put the Israeli government in the dock today. A judge in the northern Israeli city of Haifa was due to be presented with evidence that 23-year-old Corrie was killed unlawfully as she stood in the path of the bulldozer, trying to prevent it from demolishing Palestinian homes in Rafah. Jonathan Cook reports. Truth in labeling: EU court challenges "Made in Israel" Electronic Intifada: 10 Mar 2010 - On 25 February, the European Court of Justice ruled that imports manufactured in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank shouldn't benefit from a trade agreement between Israel and the European Union. The ruling follows protests of Israel's export of products from the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to the EU and Switzerland labeled as "Made in Israel." Products labeled as such benefit from favorable import taxes under the EU-Israel Association Agreement of 2000. Phon van den Biesen and Adri Nieuwhof comment for The Electronic Intifada. Interview: "Anything you want, we can bring to the Gaza Strip" Electronic Intifada: 10 Mar 2010 - The siege on Gaza is tightening as the Egyptian government continues construction of an underground steel wall at the Rafah border with Gaza to block the tunnel trade. The Electronic Intifada contributor Jody McIntyre spoke with Abu Hanin, a Palestinian laborer from Gaza who works in one of the tunnels at the border with Egypt. Is PA Guilty of Undermining BDS Campaign? Palestine Chronicle: 10 Mar 2010 - By Samah Sabawi In 2008 Netanyahu announced during his election campaign that he plans to 'weave an economic peace alongside the political process which will give a stake in peace for the moderate elements in the Palestinian society'. (1) Since its election, the Netanyahu government has made “economic peace” central to its policies in the West Bank. This is not a coincidence. At a time when Palestinian civil society and grass roots solidarity groups are calling for an economic war on Israel, the Apartheid State has waged economic peace in order to undermine its efforts by seeking normalization with Palestinian and Arab businesses as well as Palestinian and Arab leaders. In order to understand what Israel is offering and the kind of trapping that has been laid out for Arab and Palestinian investors, we must first take a look at Israel’s history of economic manipulation. Contrary to all the hype...more Israel: UN chief, EU official to enter Gaza 3/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israel plans to allow UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton into the besieged Gaza Stripon separate visits, a Monday announcement said. In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the authorization came "in response to the special requests. " On Saturday, Ashton had said she hoped to visit Gaza during a Middle East trip later this month, adding that she planned to go to Israel on 17 March. A spokesman for Ashton cautiously welcomed the announcement. " It is true that the Israeli government has so far reacted positively to this request," the spokesman told Agence France-Presse. "We are continuing to work on the final programme for the trip and are continuing to talk with the Israeli government in relation to this," he was also quoted as saying. Israel has maintained a strict closure of Gaza's borders since the elected Hamas government took full control of the territory in 2007. Gaza resistance factions reject indirect talks 3/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh and representatives of Gaza's resistance factions vowed on Monday to uphold opposition against US-brokered proximity talks with Israel. Alongside advisers and several party leaders in his Gaza City office, Haniyeh outlined ongoing efforts to dissuade the Palestinian Authority from going ahead with talks, calling the idea "absurd," in the current climate. Hamas denounced the indirect talks on Thursday, with Gaza's deputy Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) speaker, Ahmad Bahar, calling the move a "waste of the Palestinian cause," saying the outcomes of any talks would "not meet any standards of legitimacy. " Representatives at the briefing also agreed on the necessity of national conciliation, government spokesman Taher An-Nunu said. The decisions put resistance factions in line with the Hamas position, which has stated that peace talks. . . Fatah rep proposes reconciliation ’Road Map’ 3/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A Palestinian lawmaker representing Fatah in Gaza proposed on Tuesday that Hamas head to Cairo and sign the Egyptian unity plan ahead of the Arab League summit in Tripoli. The trip, according to Ashraf Jum'a, would be the first of four stages allowing Palestinian factions to "climb down from the tree," Jum'a told Ma'an, in a proposal he termed the "Unity Road Map. " When the Egyptian document is signed, Jum'a suggested, Egypt will refer it, along with the comments Hamas negotiators had on the plan, to Palestinian factions and to the Arab League. The Arab League will then refer the case to the council of Arab foreign ministers, before the two documents will be held up for discussion in Tripoli for ratification. President Mahmoud Abbas will be invited as president of Palestine, Jum'a proposed, and exiled Hamas leader Khalid Mash'al will be invited as a dignitary. Buzek: Gaza power crisis should be solved PIC 9 Mar 2010 - President of the European parliament Jerzy Buzek on Tuesday said that the electricity crisis in besieged Gaza Strip should be solved the soonest. Iran in Its Intricacy Roger Cohen, New York Times 3/4/2010 A year has passed since President Obama’s groundbreaking Nowruz offer to Iran of engagement based on mutual respect. Iran is now a different country, its divided regime weaker and confronted by the Green movement, the strongest expression of people power in the Middle East and a beacon for the region. Obama’s outreach has achieved this: the unsettling of Iran’s revolutionary power structure. That alone was worth the gambit. But the 31-year gridlock in Iranian-American relations endures. Sarah Palin, no less, is now urging Obama to “declare war on Iran” to save his presidency. She’s not alone. Daniel Pipes, the conservative commentator, called a recent National Review column: “How to save the Obama Presidency: Bomb Iran.”... But the war option remains unthinkable, a potential disaster for the United States and Israel. It’s therefore worth outlining, before the drumbeat intensifies in the run-up to the mid-term U.S. elections, [some] truths about Iran.... Attacking Iran has known consequences. Saddam Hussein did so in 1980 — and thereby cemented Ayatollah Khomeini’s theocratic revolution by uniting diverse factions (socialist, liberal and others) in national defense. Because the United States and Europe armed Iraq in that war, and Saddam then gassed the Iranians, resentment runs deep: I’ve often been shown war wounds in Tehran on arms and legs as a single word is uttered, “America.” The generation of young officers in that war, like Ahmadinejad, now runs Iran and constitutes the New Right. (Blowback is not limited to Afghanistan.) But most Iranians are under 35 and drawn to the United States. more.. e-mail Interview with Gaza rights defender: "Siege began in 1967" Electronic Intifada: 9 Mar 2010 - BRUSSELS (IPS) - For the first time since September 2006, Mahmoud Abu Rahma, a leading figure in the Palestinian human rights group Al Mezan, has been granted permission to travel outside Gaza. More than 30 applications to leave the Strip had previously been turned down by the Israeli authorities and it was not until German diplomats made representations on his behalf that he was finally allowed to visit Europe. "Palestinian cinema is a cause": an interview with Hany Abu-Assad Electronic Intifada: 8 Mar 2010 - Nazareth-born filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad is best known internationally for his 2005 film Paradise Now about two young, attractive Palestinian men from Nablus in the occupied West Bank who are drawn into a suicide bombing mission in Tel Aviv. It was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The Electronic Intifada contributor Sabah Haider spoke with Hany Abu Assad about how his films are received, Palestinian cinema and the challenges of filmmaking. Refusal to Surrender: 'My Father was a Freedom Fighter' Reviewed Palestine Chronicle: 9 Mar 2010 - By Robin Yassin-Kassab (An edited version of this review appeared at the Electronic Intifada.) 'From afar,' writes Ramzy Baroud (founder of the indispensable Palestine Chronicle), 'Gaza's reality, like that of all of Palestine, is often presented without cohesion, without proper context; accounts of real life in Gaza are marred with tired assumptions and misrepresentations that deprive the depicted humans of their names, identities and very dignity.' Baroud’s “My Father was a Freedom Fighter” is an antidote to the media’s decontextualisation and dehumanisation of Palestinians. It’s also an instant classic, one of the very best books to have examined the Palestinian tragedy. As the title suggests, Baroud relates the life of his father, Mohammed Baroud. Each step in the story is located in a larger familial, social, economic and political context, one distinguished by eyewitness accounts and made concrete by an almost encyclopedic wealth of detail. But neither the book’s detail...more Palestinian Youth Dies In Tunnel Accident IMEMC - Monday March 08, 2010 - 21:29, Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Monday at night that a Palestinian youth died by electric shock at a tunnel in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. PLO Agrees To Indirect Talks With Israel IMEMC - Monday March 08, 2010 - 11:41, The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) agreed to holding indirect talks with Israel, as proposed by the United States, while some PLO factions expressed rejection to such talks. Electric shock kills man in Rafah tunnel 3/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A man was shocked to death by a loose wire in a tunnel near the As-Salam neighborhood of Rafah on Monday, medics said. He was identified by medics as 29-year-old Nidal Mahmud Dahliz. Officials at the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah said he was pronounced dead on arrival. The smuggling industry, necessitated by a blockade led by Egypt and Israel, is notoriously dangerous. [end] Gaza: 5 injured as generator explodes 3/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Five brothers were injured on Sunday evening when an electricity generator exploded in their home in the northern Gaza Strip, neighbors said. Locals said a loud explosion rattled the home of the Abu Hajjaj family in Beit Lahiya, when a generator exploded as it was being refilled with fuel. The brothers, aged between five and 15 years old, sustained injuries. Small generators are common household appliances in the Gaza Strip, resulting from an ongoing power shortage as the Israeli imposed siege continues to limit the entry of industrial fuel to operate the sole power station in the coastal enclave. In January, three children were killed in a similar generator explosion in Deir Balah, central Gaza. . . . . Al-Qassam Brigades: Israel foiled prisoner swap deal 3/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israel was responsible for the failure of the prisoner swap deal by refuting Palestinian terms, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed group, said on Monday. " The occupation foiled the deal by rejecting the Palestinian parties' conditions throughout the negotiating process, failing to agree on many of the names of Palestinian detainees to be released in accordance with the swap,"spokesman Abu Ubayda said in a statement. "We stand firmly by our conditions and we will never give them up because it relates to the lives of prisoners in Israeli detention. The only solution is to agree upon the Palestinian factions' conditions," he said. Abu Ubayda added that Hamas would not end its military resistance to the Israeli occupation, saying "the battle is long and days will prove that Al-Qassam will never surrender or freeze resistance. " PLO forms negotiations committee 3/8/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The PLO has announced the creation of a Supreme National Committee on Monday to discuss developments in US-brokered proximity talks with Israel. Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muheisin said on Monday that the body would be formed under the auspices of Fatah, and would be comprised of leaders within the PLO and other national movements. Although the movement is forming the new committee, it will be supported by the PLO at large, Muheisin told Palestine Radio. He added that Fatah was discussing the matter with other Palestinian factions. Yasser Abed Rabbo, the PLO Executive Committee secretary, said the body agreed to indirect talks with Israel, under US sponsorship, in order to kick-start negotiations. However, the talks have been given a four-month deadline. The PLO's stance was reached, he said, despite reservations and opposition from a number of factions and members of the body's Executive Committee. Israel weighing construction of nuclear power plant Daily Star 9 Mar 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM/ PARIS: Israel will this week unveil plans to produce nuclear-generated electricity, officials said on Monday, a move that could draw fresh international attention toward its assumed atomic arsenal. Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau told Reuters he would announce at an energy conference in Paris Tuesday that Israel was officially Haneyya, resistance leaders refuse PLO decision on negotiations PIC 9 Mar 2010 - Premier Ismail Haneyya met with leaders of the resistance factions and discussed with them the latest political developments especially the serious decision taken by Ramallah to resume peace talks. Amir, ten years old, abducted by Israeli soldiers from his bed Electronic Intifada: 8 Mar 2010 - Amir smiled when I asked him to tell me his favorite color. Sitting in his family's living room last Thursday afternoon in the Old City of Hebron, the ten-year-old softly replied, "green." Hours after our interview Israeli soldiers would break into the house and snatch Amir from his bed. The Electronic Intifada contributor Nora Barrows-Friedman writes from the occupied West Bank. "Palestinian cinema is a cause": an interview with Hany Abu-Assad Electronic Intifada: 8 Mar 2010 - Nazareth-born filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad is best known internationally for his 2005 film Paradise Now about two young, attractive Palestinian men from Nablus in the occupied West Bank who are drawn into a suicide bombing mission in Tel Aviv. It was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The Electronic Intifada contributor Sabah Haider spoke with Hany Abu Assad about how his films are received, Palestinian cinema and the challenges of filmmaking. Hamas, Fatah prisoners reconcile in Israeli prison 3/6/2010 - China View - RAMALLAH, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian prisoners from rival Hamas and Fatah on Saturday declared reconciliation in their Israeli jail as a symbolic step to urge their leaders to bury the hatchet. Under the mediation of prisoners from the Islamic Jihad movement, Hamas and Fatah detainees signed a deal at Ofar prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to a statement of a Palestinian prisoners' rights group sent to the media. The key achievement of the agreement is that prisoners from the two factions would share rooms again, the Prisoners Studies Center said, adding that Hamas and Fatah prisoners stopped living in the same room when Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and seized control of Gaza in mid-2007. The statement said efforts are underway to achieve similar agreements in 25 prisons and detention facilities where Israel hold more than 8,000 Palestinians. My "Relationship" With Tom CampbellA Wrench in the Israeli Gears Uruknet March 6, 2010 - ...Even while the United States, and particularly California, is facing a financial crisis, no candidate dares, in all the cuts being proposed in American programs, to reduce the enormous aid we give annually to Israel. Furthermore, this money is given at the beginning of each year, which means, since we are operating at a deficit, that... U.S. not expected to make 'peace process' top priority 7 Mar 2010 - Jerusalem, March 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - The U.S. administration will not put a lot of effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, opting instead to focus on the November Congressional elections, according to an internal Foreign Ministry report that was distributed to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad. The classified report claims that in the preparatory discussions... Fatah, Hamas prisoners ratify unity deal inside Israeli jail 3/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian prisoners in Israel's Ofer Detention Center said Saturday that Islamic Jihad mediation had successfully brought about the ratification of a unity deal between Hamas and Fatah detainees in the jail. The Center for Prisoners' Studies quoted prisoners, who said "the signed written agreementvowed that all parties end the state of separation between the all groups and representatives of the two rival movements," noting that the document was signed by members of all factions represented in the detention center. The agreement will be implemented this week in Section 4 of the Ofer prison, and will gradually be implemented across the main six sections of the prison, detainees said. Prisoners said the Israeli Prison Service had agreed to no longer segregate prisoners according to political affiliation, as it negatively impacted prisoners' lives. Dahlan: PLO to announce stance on proximity talks Sunday 3/7/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Fatah's Central Committee held a meeting Saturday to review the US-proposed proximity talks as a prelude to peace talks, committee member Muhammad Dahlan said. The meeting, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, discussed a statement issued by the Follow-up Committee for the Arab Peace Initiative, that slammed the Arab Foreign Ministers committee statement that gave the go-ahead for peace talks within a four-month timeframe. The follow-up committee questioned the move to re-start talks when the Arab Peace Initiative had already been approved by local actors. "The committee has reached a detailed stance that will be presented to Palestinian factions during the meeting of the PLO's Executive Committee on Sunday", Dahlan told the Palestinian Authority WAFA news agency. The follow-up committee's rejection of a return to talks joined Dahlah's own voice condemning the idea, as. . . DFLP in Damascus: Peace talks dangerous 3/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Resuming negotiations with Israel would be "dangerous" in light of the ongoing Israeli policy of settlement and "judaization of Palestine,"said Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)Secretary-General Nayif Hawatmeh in Damascus. The speech came as the party marked its 41st anniversary on Friday at a crowded festival at Al-Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus, three weeks after the party marked its annual celebration. Hawatmeh attended the celebrations with representatives of other Palestinian factions and Syrian political parties. He spoke out in favor of dialogue between Palestinian factions, saying "Dialogue is ongoing in the Gaza Strip between the major Palestinian factions including Fatah, Hamas, DFLP, PFLP, and Islamic Jihad. They want to restart a comprehensive dialogue aimed at ending rivalry and rebuilding Palestinian national unity. " Yousef: Proximity talks a cover for Israeli crimes 3/6/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs undersecretary, Ahmad Yousef, said Saturday that US-sponsored proximity talks with Israel are a cover for Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people. "If we were politically in agreement [with the Palestinian Authority], the occupation would not have dared to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or include the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Bilal Mosque [Rachel's Tomb] on the Jewish heritage list," Yousef told Ma'an. Yousef further called on Egypt to invite all Palestinian factions to convene in Cairo to discuss the impasses reached in signing a unity deal. " Palestinian reconciliation is a strategic choice, and division should end as soon as possible," he added. The PLO is due to announce its stance on indirect talks with Israel on Sunday, after President Mahmoud Abbas consulted with a number of Arab foreign ministers, the Arab follow-up. . . Voter registration begins ahead of local elections 3/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Central Election Commission announced on Saturday that it has begun voter registration ahead of local elections in July. Hanna Nasir, CEC chairman, said registering voters will continue until 16 March. Nasir told a news conference that many Palestinians remain unregistered to vote, particularly those who recently attained voting age. Over the last three years, he said, 350,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have failed to register to vote, while in Gaza the total was 150,000. In order to ensure voter turnout, 773 registration centers will be opened in the West Bank and 254 in Gaza. However, Nasir said the CEC would not be able to update Gaza's voter records due to national division. A statement issued by the CEC said the body was committed to undertaking President Mahmoud Abbas' call for local elections. Egypt FM adds voice against restart of peace talks 3/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said he believed Palestinians should not enter into direct talks with Israel in light of the current controversy over heritage sites. Speaking from Cairo after a meeting of the Committee for the Arab Peace Initiative, Abul Gheit said delegates shared his sentiments, a stark contrast to the announcement of the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting, which gave its blessing for talks to continue. "The committee will not remain silent over all what is going on," Abul Gheit said, adding his voice to detractors from Fatah, some PLO factions and Hamas, who are against the resumption of peace talks with Israel. " The Arab Follow up Committee will not make any concessions and will not support direct negotiations unless Israel changes its positions," he said, and recommended that Palestinians move to make Israel take responsibility for its actions. Israel Is an Apartheid State and That is Why They Are Losing Legitimacy Uruknet March 4, 2010 - Before Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) even began members of the Ontario Legislature and the Canadian Parliament are falling all over each other to denounce it. I can't remember another time when elected legislators formally denounced a student activity like this. Perhaps during the 1950s when McCarthyism was rampant but that was before my time. Last week... A Wrench in the Israeli Gears Alison Weir, CounterPunch 3/5/2010 My "Relationship" With Tom Campbell It’s interesting to find myself a small factor in the California race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. But before I get to that, it’s necessary to take a look at the campaigns themselves, and the system in which they’re running. An outside observer might be forgiven for being confused about which nation these candidates are seeking to serve. Rather than competing over who is the most loyal Californian and patriotic American, these would-be Senators seem often to be competing over who is the most supportive of a foreign regime. Odder still, the regime being fervently endorsed has a record of taking actions that are deeply contrary to principles most Americans hold dear, and on top of that, has a track record of undertaking activities that are extremely damaging to the US, including: Spying on our government and industry and stealing American technology; Passing on American secrets to others, including to nations perceived as our most dangerous political and economic competitors; Killing American servicemen and citizens; even while receiving more US tax money than any other nation on earth; and Ignoring demands and pleas by virtually every U.S. president over the past few decades to end diverse illegal actions that have caused incalculable tragedy, destabilized the region and world, demonstrated ruthless cruelty against entire victim populations, and created escalating enmity toward the United States, whose lobby-promulgated assistance (at least $7 million per day) enables its actions. more.. e-mail Mordechai Vanunu’s Nobel Stand Rannie Amiri, CounterPunch 3/5/2010 Rise Above the Prize “He [Vanunu] 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. The reason he gave was that Simon 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.” – Geir Lundestad, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute and Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, 24 February 2010. For the first time in the history of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, a preemptive request to withdraw a nomination—by the nominee—was made. It was revealed last week that in a letter to the Committee, Mordechai Vanunu had asked for his candidacy to be rescinded. It was unusual enough for Geir Lundestad to acknowledge that a nomination had even been received, let alone publicly disclose Vanunu’s request. But for Vanunu—a man who should have been awarded the Peace Prize long ago—it was in full keeping with the dignity, integrity and uncompromising nature of one to whom the world owes a great debt. Mordechai Vanunu – more than just a whistleblower Vanunu worked as a technician at Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant in the Negev Desert from 1976-1985. In a 1986 interview with The Sunday Times, he courageously exposed, for the first time, his country’s clandestine nuclear activity. A week prior to the interview’s publication, he was lured by a Mossad agent from London to Rome, where he was apprehended and whisked off to Israel. In secret proceedings, Vanunu stood trial for treason, was swiftly convicted, and sentenced to 18 years behind bars. He spent more than 11 of them in solitary confinement. more.. e-mail Pushing the boundaries of identity: an interview with Jennifer Jajeh Electronic Intifada: 5 Mar 2010 - Jennifer Jajeh's critically acclaimed one-woman show, I Heart Hamas and Other Things I am Afraid to Tell You , pulls no punches. From a Ramallah Convention in San Francisco in the 1980s, to casting lines in contemporary Los Angeles, to the front lines of the Israeli occupation and back, Jajeh navigates the complicated and often conflicted terrain of Palestinian identity. The Electronic Intifada contributor Uda Olabarria Walker interviews Jajeh about her work. Palestinian women become breadwinners under occupation Electronic Intifada: 5 Mar 2010 - RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, with its ubiquitous closures, checkpoints, military raids and arrests, has decimated the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and Gaza. The World Bank warned over a year ago that unless Israel eased its restrictions on movement and access in the West Bank the Palestinian economy would further deteriorate. Change in UK arrest warrant law far off YNet News 4 Mar 2010 - Guardian says amendment to law which allowed for issuing of arrest warrant against Livni postponed until after general election. Israeli ambassador to London: Change needed to solidify Britain's role in Mideast peace process The sounds of piano in Gaza Electronic Intifada: 4 Mar 2010 - GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - At 14, Nour plays the piano, and she knows the facts around her. That the average age for marriage is 18, likely to a man found by parents, her place would be within that home, and a woman has on average 6.5 children. She goes to a United Nations agency for Palestine refugees school in Gaza City, and loves journalism, inspired by her older sister, who works at a radio station. Gaza police forces and their bereaved families rebuild one year on Electronic Intifada: 4 Mar 2010 - Rami Abu al-Sheikh's parents and siblings still remember how caring and tender their son was before he was killed during Israel's invasion of Gaza last winter. Rami was 27 years old and was one of hundreds of Gaza police personnel killed by Israeli air strikes during the 23-day assault. He was killed at the main Gaza Strip police station located on Salah al-din Street, the territory's main road. Rami Almeghari reports for The Electronic Intifada. Moment of truth: time to boycott Israel's entire range of injustice Electronic Intifada: 4 Mar 2010 - Words always matter, and names always have a life of their own. But perhaps Palestine and Israel form a context in which words become positions more dramatically than in many others. The authors of the "Moment of Truth" Kairos document, which is the Christian Palestinians' statement to the world about the occupation of Palestine and a call for support in opposing it, have repeatedly been asked about the use of the word "boycott." What exactly does this mean? How far exactly does it go? And what exactly does it call for? Rifat Kassis comments for The Electronic Intifada. Strawberry Fields Forever: A Struggle For Farming Palestine Monitor: 4 Mar 2010 - Trying to make a living as a farmer in Gaza these days is taking a toll on the family ties so integral to the Palestinian culture. Traditionally, occupations are passed from father to son for generations, and their tie to the land is particularly strong. Before Israel imposed a suffocating blockade on the 14-kilometer-long Gaza Strip in 2007 (as punishment for electing Hamas as its governing party), farmers could make a good living growing carnations and strawberries for export and vegetables for the local market. But now, sons are watching their fathers struggle just to make ends meet, and are either forced to get second jobs or are looking for different futures for themselves and their families – at the same time that their fathers need them on the farm more than ever, because they can no longer afford to hire additional help. Ahmad Shafi shows off Gaza's strawberries, once... Haniyeh rejects West Bank local elections 3/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday rejected Palestinian Authority (PA) plans for local elections in the West Bank as a step that would deepen political divisions. Speaking to lawmakers at the war-damaged Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) building in Gaza, Haniyeh urged the PA "not to carry out any procedures that would deepen the division. " He aked the PA to hold off on the elections planned for June until such time as a simultaneous vote can be held in Gaza, and to leave the existing municipal councils in West Bank in office. "We refuse to hold local elections before achieving national reconciliation," Hanieyh said. Hamas was successful in local elections in 2005, winning control of several municipalities. The group then swept to power in 2006 parliamentary elections. Tensions with the rival Fatah movement persisted and in June 2007 Hamas took full control of the Gaza Strip, shutting down security forces linked to Fatah. Bahar takes control of parliament 3/4/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian Legislative Council speaker Azziz Dweik on Wednesday handed power to his first deputy, Ahmad Bahar. "This comes as the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah forbade Aziz Dweik from entering the council's headquarters," a statement from the PLC said. Dweik had called for an emergency session of the legislative body to be held on Monday, but was prevented from accessing the PLC's meeting rooms in its Ramallah headquarters. Dweik, elected PLC speaker under the Hamas bloc in 2006, was imprisoned by Israel in 2007 and released in 2009. The term of the PLC ended shortly after his release, but some experts say his term does not expire until elections are held. President Mahmoud Abbas, whose term -- extended to coincide with the term of the PLC -- expired in January, met with Dweik on Monday, when the speaker requested a PLC emergency session. Gaza official in favor of importing Egyptian fuel 3/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Gaza's sole power plant is in favor of importing gas from Egypt to run its generators, which officials said Tuesday would be more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Walid Sayil, executive director of the power plant, said the use of industrial diesel at present was neither economical nor safe for the environment, and called on the International Quartet to find a solution for the ongoing electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip. Rolling blackouts are experienced throughout the coastal enclave, resulting from a fuel shortfall caused by the siege imposed on Gaza by Israel, Sayil noted. The power plant has ceased functioning on several occasions since the beginning of 2010, with the Gaza Energy Authority citing an unresolved fuel payment dispute between the EU and the Palestinian Authority. Sayil called on the international community, Arab states, the Islamic conference organization, and human rights groups to exert pressure on the EU to resume funding fuel deliveries needed to operate the power plant. 2 Gaza crossings partially open 3/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings will be partly open for the delivery of goods into Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Approximately 79 truckloads of aid and commercial goods, including one truck for the telecommunications company PalTel and two trucks for the electricity company, are scheduled to enter at the southern crossing at Kerem Shalom. Fattouh added that limited quantities of domestic gas and industrial diesel will also enter Gaza at the crossing. Additionally, 110 truckloads of wheat and animal feed will pass into Gaza via the Karni crossing, to the north, he said [end] PFLP official: Secret unity talks underway 3/3/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Confidential talks are underway betweenrival Palestinian factions, aimed at restoring national unity, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine politburo member Jamil Majdalawi told Ma'an on Wednesday. Talks began in February, aimed at overcoming the obstacles faced in ratifying the Egyptian-sponsored unity deal, Majdalawi said, adding that the dialogue has remained out of media speculation to ensure its success. Majdalawi further said that Hamas has taken a positive role in these "ongoing secret dialogues. "The Islamist movement has maintained that it will not ratify the agreement until adjustments have been made, while Fatah, which has already signed the proposal, has called on Hamas to sign and then discuss amendments. On Wednesday, senior Islamic Jihad leader Nafeth Azzam said there is "great optimism over progress on Palestinian reconciliation. . . Hamas is about to ratify the Egyptian proposal. " PA goes live with electronic networking 3/3/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority ministries and government institutions will soon be connected via electronic networking, according to a draft agreement signed on Tuesday. The agreement, ratified by the PA Ministries of Telecommunication and Finance, will be implemented in several phases, initially by connecting all major institutions via an Ethernet network, followed by government institutions and their branches in all the districts. This process has several advantages, including transparency, easy access to information, better performance by ministries, and administrative supervision," said Telecommunications Minister Mashour Abu Duqqa, who attended the signing ceremony. While only West Bank ministries will initially take part in the project, Abu Duqqa told Ma'an that future plans include a network for universities and schools, in which universities in Gaza will be able to participate. " Refusal to surrender: "My Father was a Freedom Fighter" reviewed Electronic Intifada: 3 Mar 2010 - Palestinian-American author, journalist and editor of the Palestine Chronicle , Ramzy Baroud's latest book My Father was a Freedom Fighter is an antidote to the US, European and Israeli media's decontextualization and dehumanization of Palestinians. It's also an instant classic, one of the very best books to have examined the Palestinian tragedy. Robin Yassin-Kassab reviews for The Electronic Intifada. "I can't live without this place" Electronic Intifada: 3 Mar 2010 - "The Israeli police used a bullhorn and shouted 'death to Arabs!' toward me once," Abed Rabbeh remembers, his hands wrapped around a small ceramic cup of tea. "Another time, they tried to tell me that my grandfather was born in Dheisheh refugee camp and that I have no roots in this land." Nora Barrows-Friedman reports on one man's struggle to stay on his West Bank land. Palestine is Full of Heroes Palestine Chronicle: 3 Mar 2010 - By Tariq Shadid Although people in our modern times have been educated to believe that having the 'right' ideas, methods or ideologies is what causes revolutions, history teaches us that drastic changes usually happen when the majority of the people rally behind a certain leader, more than behind an ideology. While Palestinian society continues to be torn apart by factional strife, and people increasingly see each other as adversaries based on differences of opinion or conviction, what they really need is not a new philosophy, but simply a truly charismatic leader. We may idealize human intellect and enlightenment, but in practice, human social biology usually proves to be stronger than ideology. While most people today believe that their strength lies in the success of their perceived Utopian model of society, and that the ideas of a prominent persona are more important than his personal characteristics, their behavior is often indicative of the opposite. Being herd animals, changes usually happen when the majority of the human herd flocks behind a leader who is perceived as charismatic, strong, sympathetic and courageous. The Effect of Charisma In democratic societies, politicians seem to be very aware of this human behavioral phenomenon, especially during campaign time. A good example is the victory of Barack Obama in the American elections of 2008. We can all clearly see that the policies of the new administration, with its promises of 'change', barely show any significant differences – especially in foreign affairs – when compared to the much reviled... Austria Jews slam controversial far-right presidential candidate Ha'aretz 2 Mar 2010 - Austrian presidential candidate Rosenkranz has criticized Holocaust-denial law calling it a curb on free speech. Sayel asks Blair to find drastic solution for Gaza power crisis PIC 3 Mar 2010 - Walid Sayel, the board chairman of Gaza electricity generation station, has appealed to the international quartet committee topped by Tony Blair to find a drastic solution to the Gaza power crisis. Rights group: Israeli forces responsible for settlers' provocation at al-Aqsa Electronic Intifada: 2 Mar 2010 - In the early morning of Sunday, 28 February 2010, Israeli forces closed all roads leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque and established barriers at the entrances of the old city of Jerusalem, denying Palestinian civilians access to it. A few hours later, at least 200 Israeli police and security officers entered the yard of the al-Aqsa Mosque and besieged dozens of Palestinian worshippers. Palestinians excluded from bulk of occupied West Bank Electronic Intifada: 2 Mar 2010 - IDNA, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Israel's illegal occupation and continued expropriation of Palestinian land in the West Bank has left 2.5 million Palestinians living there with effectively less than 40 percent of the territory. Muhammad al-Bedan, 55, a vegetable farmer with 14 children, struggles to support his family on just over $600 dollars a month. NY Times' Jerusalem property makes it protagonist in Palestine conflict Electronic Intifada: 2 Mar 2010 - The New York Times ' Jerusalem bureau chief lives on property Israel seized from Palestinian refugees forced to leave their homes during the Nakba in 1948. EI's Ali Abunimah reveals for the first time details of The Times' acquisition and use of this property and the story of the Palestinian family whose home it was. What are the implications for its reporting of a case that places the "newspaper of record" at the heart of the Palestine conflict? Federation of Arab Journalists approves new Palestinian union 3/1/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - The Cairo-based Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ) approved the election of a new union of Palestinian journalists, a statement sent to the Ramallah government-run WAFA news agency read Sunday. "This is a step in the right direction," the statement from Egypt said,affirming the decision of the newly elected Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to act as a temporary body until the West Bank-Gaza split is resolved. The statement reportedly denied a recent report in Sama, a local Palestinian news station, which claimed the FAJ refused to recognize the results of elections held in Ramallah on 6 February because the Gaza Strip was excluded. The FAJ explained that a previous statement on 17 February had expressed concern about unity of Palestinian journalists, but stressed that it had been meant to highlight the expectation that union represents all journalists despite political rivalries. Growth that Palestine can believe in Sam Bahour, The Guardian 3/1/2010 A rise in GDP may look good on paper, but it obscures the public’s daily hardship and the need for real political changes. A serious misconception is being propagated by the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah. Media, international organisations, foreign governments and Palestinians-at-large are being coaxed into believing that the flurry of economic activity in the West Bank is economic development towards statehood. The facts on the ground rip this argument to pieces, just as Israel continues to micromanage the economic pieces of the intended future state of Palestine towards systemic stagnation. I can already hear the voices – "but be positive", "we must start from somewhere", "we are acting unilaterally toward statehood", "but we had 7% GDP growth last year," etc. Being positive is one thing, but being delusional and acquiescing the military occupation that controls every serious aspect of our lives, especially the economic ones, is unacceptable. I don’t question the well-meaning intentions (with the exception of the occupier) of all the economic players involved in promoting this misconception that West Bankers are on a rapid train of economic growth. The Palestinian leadership has very little – or any – political capital left, so focusing on economic activities – something I attest is very different than economic development toward statehood – is expected. Add to this the fact that some key Palestinian players, namely prime minister Salam Fayyad, have already started campaigning for the possible presidential elections, and one can easily see the self-serving need to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony every day or two. more.. e-mail Land Day to be marked with Global BDS Day of Action Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - The BDS National Committee (BNC) is calling on you to unite in your different capacities and struggles for a Global BDS Day of Action on 30 March 2010 in solidarity with the Palestinian people and for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The BNC calls on people of conscience and their organizations around the globe to mobilize in creative, concrete and visible BDS actions to make this day a historic step in the movement against Israel's apartheid, colonialism and occupation, for accountability of the oppressor and for the fulfillment of the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people. Boycott committee rejects French PM's smearing of movement Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee is deeply disturbed by the inaccurate and inflammatory insinuations made by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon during his speech at the annual dinner of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, 3 February 2010. Fillon's remarks came in the context of expressing commitment to fighting anti-Semitism, implying that the boycott against Israeli products may somehow be anti-Semitic. Building international solidarity during Israeli Apartheid Week Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - Six years since its launch at the University of Toronto, Israeli Apartheid Week is taking place in more than 40 cities in five continents, and is a key event in the yearly calendar of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, launched by more than 170 Palestinian civil society organizations on 9 July 2005. Outside its North American and European centers, IAW is also taking place in South Africa, Palestine, Lebanon and Australia. Ilaria Giglioli comments for The Electronic Intifada. Russell Tribunal aims to hold the international community to account Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - Today, the first session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) will be held in Barcelona. The RTP is a peoples' tribunal focusing not on Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law such as the Fourth Geneva Convention, but on the obligations of the international community of signatory states which sustain and enable Israel's continuous violations of international law. Frank Barat comments for The Electronic Intifada.  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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